Week Rundown! (07/20/14 - 07/26/14)

During Sunday morning services, Mysia sang a solo in the Jr. Choir. During the afternoon, we ate a wonderful dinner Lydia made, and watched a veggie tale movie. I took a nap while Lydia and the kids read books before evening services. That evening, we watched an episode of Cake Boss.

Mysia had piano classes after I got of work. It was a bit hot in the car for Malachi and I while we waited, but we survived. Once home, the kids played with marbles while I got supper prepared. Lydia arrived home after her zumba classes. We watched some tv and the kids got their showers before bed. Lydia and I spent the rest of the evening together reading and enjoying some more tv.

On Tuesday, Aunt Abigail picked up the kids early and they got to spend the evening with her (plus Granny and Granddad). They got to enjoy jumping on the trampoline and swimming. Malachi had a scare by eating some praline ice cream… it had almonds! After throwing up and taking some Benadryl, he was feeling fine. Lydia and I spent the evening together, enjoying supper and watching some classic tv shows.

Wednesday evening was a rush as we come home, ate supper, and then attended church services. Afterwards, we visited Grandma Taylor and Grandma Irene for a bit.

The kids went to an "Academic Ball" at the Boys & Girls Club on Thursday. They really enjoyed it. That evening the kids played on the computers for most of the evening. We had supper and read books.

After work on Friday, we came home and ate a quick supper. In the mail, we got letters announcing what teachers the kids will have for the soon, upcoming school year. Malachi is excited, while Mysia wonders how well she'll get along with her new teacher. After eating, we went to the pool for the evening. Mysia spent most of the time on the diving board. Malachi and I enjoyed splashing the pool. Lydia relaxed and enjoyed her book. We left when the pool closed and headed home, spending the rest of the evening watching Netflix.

The kids enjoyed Saturday morning cartoons when they got up. We worked on things around the house and the kids played in the small pool I refilled in our backyard. After supper, we played video games on the Wii and computer.

~Matt

Week Rundown! (07/13/14 - 07/19/14)

On Sunday, we woke up and attended morning services. For the afternoon, we had a wonderful lunch and spent some family time reading and movie before evening services.

After work on Monday, Malachi and I took Mysia to piano, and it was nice weather. Lydia attended and during the evening the kids played nicely together and watched some tv.

Tuesday, more beautiful weather and we had the window open (in the middle of JULY!). Lydia made spaghetti and we enjoyed a relaxing evening.

Wednesday was pretty normal. Before going to bed, we read stories.

On Thursday evening  we ate a quick supper, had a meeting with a fellow graduate of Lydia's, and then came back home. The weather was nice and we enjoyed garden cucumbers and relaxed.

Once home Friday evening, the kids played on the Wii while I mowed the lawn. We had a fast supper so that Lydia and Mysia could do the grocery run. Malachi worked on some house work while they were gone. We put away the groceries and watched classic tv before bed.

Saturday was busy but fun. We took the opportunity and slept in a bit. The kids enjoyed some morning cartoons and then played a few games on the Wii. After lunch, we packed up the bikes and then visited the library while Lydia did some extra shopping. The kids found several books, and participated in a few of the activities they had set up in the children's area. We drove to the park and took to the trail on our bikes through the north-central part of town to another park. Thankfully we brought our water bottles. We had fun, but was tired when we got home. We ate grilled hamburgers and watched a movie (Star Wars 4).

~Matt

Week Rundown! (07/06/14 - 07/12/14)

Sunday was pretty normal. After morning services we ate lunch and enjoyed a family movie together. After evening services, we had a relaxing evening at home before going to bed.

On Monday, Malachi and I got a few things at the store while Mysia attended piano lessons. Lydia had her Zumba class that evening. After supper, Aunt Abigail came over for a visit. We play a few games with her on the Nintendo Wii before it was the kids' bedtime.

Tuesday evening was relaxing, and we watched some classic tv shows before bed.

It was fairly normal Wednesday for us. We had Cheeseburger Pie for supper… A guaranteed hit!!!

On Thursday, we had a good supper and spent the evening relaxing at home. The kids played nicely together.

Friday was a busy day for me at work as I prepared for the Ernie Haase & Signature Sound concert that evening. During the day, the kids got to visit the Springfield Art Museum. Lydia picked them up and after supper, they visited and played with Benjamin's family. They got to swim and enjoy time with their cousins. For me, the concert went well, and all were in bed when I got home.

We slept in for a few hours on Saturday morning. Once up, we ate and got chores done around the house. Malachi and I left in the afternoon so the ladies could have their scheduled Mother and Daughter tea party with friends. They had a great time together. Us guys visited Bass Pro Shops and then went for a trail walk at our neighborhood park. We ate a late lunch/snack before dropping the kids off for the evening with Granny and Granddad. They played in the pool and spent the night. Lydia and I took a ride to Branson for her work's summer party at the Chateau At The Lake. It was fun. We arrived home after midnight.  


~Matt

Week Rundown! (06/29/14 - 07/05/14)

On Sunday morning, we packed the car with our things for the afternoon and then headed to church to run the van. We had lunch at Memaw's (Paulette) for Adria's birthday. After visiting for a bit, we left for church so I could help with the sound set-up. It was Hillside's Annual Independence Day Celebration. The kids played and Lydia visited until evening services started. That evening, we joined in the fellowship of singing, food and fireworks!

It was hot on Monday. After work, Malachi and I set in the sweltering car while Mysia had piano lessons. I then dropped the kids off with Granny and Aunt Abigail and met Lydia at home. We had a date night that included dinner and a romantic walk at the mall! :) The kids enjoyed the evening jumping on the trampoline. We visited for a while when we picked them up, but then came home and went to bed.

I took advantage of the weather on Tuesday to mow the lawn after work. We ate supper, read books, and had a relaxing evening.

Wednesday was busy, and once off work, we met at home to eat real quick before heading to evening services. We visited with friends afterwards and I also practiced with the men's singing group before we came home.

Lydia and I both had Thursday off from work. We had a lazy morning and did a few errands before afternoon. We were able to stop for a quick visit with Grandma Taylor since it was her birthday. We had a late lunch and watched the 3 Stooges movie before setting up the tent in the backyard. We gathered all of our sleeping gear and spent the night outside.

It was a chilly night, and we woke up pretty early on Friday. We spent several hours resting and getting a few things done before eating lunch. We surprised the kids by taking them to the pool for several hours. The weather and water were great, and it was refreshing to go for a swim! We packed up dessert and extras before heading over to friends' house (Hailes) for fun and fireworks. We visited and the kids played until it got dark. We set off fireworks, including sparklers and smoke-bombs. We had a blast watching the fireworks light up the sky in their neighborhood. It was almost midnight when we climbed into our backyard tent to go to sleep.

We must have been pretty tired. We woke up after 10am on Saturday. It felt good to get some sleep, but our air mattress had sunk during the night. We put things away, ate a good breakfast, and I packed up the tent. The kids played outside for most of the afternoon. Mysia really enjoyed riding her bike. I worked on a few computer projects and Lydia worked on a project in the garage. We then headed to a birthday party for one of Malachi's friends. While visited, the kids got soaked with water-guns and waterballoons. Later that evening we headed over to Grandma's to celebrate her birthday on her back porch with family.


~Matt

Week Rundown! (06/22/14 - 06/28/14)

On Sunday we got up, ate breakfast, and headed out to visit our friends Noah & Courtney in Aurora for the day. We attended their church services. The kids really liked the classes, and we got the opportunity to hear Noah teach the teens in the youth department. For lunch, we got to visit and eat at Angus Branch Resturant (http://www.angusbranch.com). That evening, we let the kids play in the pool before it got too dark.

Monday was rainy. The kids had fun visiting the park during the afternoon. I picked them up after work and Mysia had piano lessons before supper. Lydia attended her zumba class before coming home. We attended a funeral visitation and then came home for the evening.

The kids got to go swimming on Tuesday afternoon. We had supper and enjoyed some TV before time for the kids to go to bed. Lydia and I watched a movie before we turned in as well.

Mysia brought home a hummingbird feeder on Wednesday evening. She was excited, hoping that we'll someday get a few around our neighborhood. We ate a quick supper and made it to church on time. After services, we came home and relaxed for a bit until bedtime.

On Thursday evening, Lydia attended a Trim & Healthy Mama class. I emptied the kids' pool, washed it out, and refilled it. They played for several hours after supper. Both got bit by mosquitoes, Malachi had several huge bites on his back and legs. They were wore out, and after showers, went to bed.

I got off work a half early on Friday. We came home and ate leftovers. Lydia and Mysia went to a baby shower for a friend. Malachi and I spent the evening playing Legos and watching a Star Wars Lego movie.

Saturday was nice and relaxing for the most part. We got off to a rough start getting up, but we had a great breakfast and got things done around the house before heading out to the library. We were able to get a few things that we had placed on hold and the kids picked up some more books. The rest of the afternoon was out and about town doing some shopping to grab a few things we needed for Sunday. We had planned to go see the fireworks downtown, but the event was cancelled due to the weather. The evening was spent watching a few movies and eating watermelon!

~Matt