After we got back from Idaho, it took a few days to get the house back in order – hanging things on walls, putting things away, etc.  Once we were settled again, it was time to get back to all the fun we had planned at home.

We started off with Lily and Derek's first baseball game of the season.  They had a double header in the hot 90 degree weather, but Arthur didn't seem to mind, as he slept through one of the games :).  The kids did great and had a blast.  Lily even got two hits.

Lily had a golf clinic, Monday through Thursday, at our local golf course.  She looked so grown up as she would hop out of the car everyday, grab her golf bag, and wave good bye.  She had such a fun time, and really had the chance to improve her skills.  Her favorite part was the last day, when they got to play hole #1.

This was also the first week of the summer that we have actually made it to park day.  Before then, it was either canceled or we were out of town.  Sadly, we were the only people there for the first 45 minutes.  Just as we were about to leave, one of my friends came by with her kids, and so we stayed for another 20 minutes.  Arthur was such a cutie in his hat, who wouldn't want to play with him?

That evening, the smoke from some fires in other parts of Colorado, covered the sun, and made it pink.  It was so pretty, but for such a sad reason.

On Friday, I got to have something special for me.  My amazing friend Natalie watched all three kids for me, and I went to lunch with my friends Heather and Bonnie.  It was so fun to get out, and to go to a restaurant without having to worry about Arthur.

When I got back, the kids and I got ready to go to a local sprinkler park.  As we were driving there, our sunny skies turned to black, and the rain started coming down, as well as the lightning.  The park was closed for the weather, and so we took our kids to McDonalds nearby with a playplace.  They had a great time, and it was late enough in the afternoon that I just got us an early dinner.

By the time we headed home, the weather had turned beautiful again, and since we were already in our swimsuits, we went to our community pool instead.  There were hardly any people there, since the earlier storm had chased them all away, and so we practically had the place to ourselves.  And Lily loved that her friend Jenna was there, and I loved getting to talk to her mom, Morgan :). 

Saturday morning, we had another baseball game, and Derek had some awesome hits this time.  Arthur was not quite as patient this week, however.  By the end of the game, he had had enough, and so we went home and took it easy. 

Derek had been begging me to take them mini-golfing this week (it was one of the things on our summer fun chart), and I figured it would be the perfect day for it.  About 2pm, right when I was thinking about when we should leave, the sun dissappeared, and when I looked outside, another bank of clouds was coming our way.  I hurried the kids into the car, determined to beat the storm, but we weren't that lucky.

When we pulled up to the course, there was thunder and lightning, and pouring rain.  We sat in the car for 20 minutes, determined to wait it out, and I am so glad we did.  The course was fun, the kids were free because of the summer reading program, and the weather was perfect.

We all had a great time, except for Arthur.  I had forgotten his pacifier and his toys in the car, and so eventually, I just carried him and played one handed.  I was channeling my inner Kevin :).

Once we finished golfing, we made the rounds to get a few more of their sweet rewards, like free frozen yogurt, free candy, etc.  And then we picked up some Little Caeser's pizza and had a movie night when we got home :).

Speaking of food, I feel like I have been hungry all week. I went shopping, and the fact that I was starving, and that they tempted me with Key Lime flavored things, was my undoing.  I ended up with cookie mix and ice cream.  And three other types of ice cream too . . . Oops.  Never shop when you are hungry :).

This week was when my roses began to bloom too.  The bushes have now fully exploded and are just covered in blooms.  They are definitely one of my happy places :).

Another happy place, for all of us, is Arthur.  This boys is so sweet and fun, and he definitely keeps us on our toes.  He is learning so many new things, like sitting up and sucking on his toes, and he gets bigger every day.

He still has his fussy times, like the other day, when no matter what I did, he was cranky and crying.  I eventually just layed him down next to me, which wasn't quite working either, but it gave my arms a break.  I gave him his monkey blanket, and he calmed down and fell right to sleep.  Amazing!  (And yes, I have tried to recreate that, but he never wants the same thing twice in a row.)

Lily is such a huge helper with him, and she doesn't even seem to mind when he pulls her hair. This week, she even learned how to change his wet diapers, and has gotten really good at it.   She just loves making him laugh and seeing him light up when she comes in a room.  (Derek loves him so much too, but right now I am still trying to teach him how to be gentle and that Arthur is too small to wrestle with him.)

It has been a wonderful week, and we loved getting to add these experiences to what has already been a fantastic summer.