It Was One of Those "Go Go Go!" Days

What a full day!

This morning, I made oatmeal pancakes for the kids and myself. I splurged and put syrup on mine.

After that we started getting ready for our first outing of the day: Konkel Park! It was such a beautiful day, so I'm glad we made a point to spend some of it outside. One cute thing that happened on the way there: Margo said, "Olivia is my friend, Mommy." I thought that was pretty sweet coming from a 2 year old. Anyway, we got there shortly before 11, played, ate lunch and left around 12:30. It wasn't a super long park visit, but lots of friends for me and the kids to hang out with!

After that, we headed to Central Park in downtown Milwaukee. In case you're not familiar with it, this is what it looks like:

As you can see, it's a big, beautiful, old building. We parked on the left side of the building, and then walked to the front (I was wearing Piper, pushing Margo in the stroller, and Josie and Deuce walked) before I realized that there was no ramp or elevator on this side of the Library. It was on the opposite side. So we had a nice leisurely walk around the block to get to the handicapped entrance. We eventually made it in the library and to the kids' area. I mostly relaxed while the kids played.

At first, Deuce wasn't too keen on sharing the trains, but this little girl was fun and imaginative. Before long, he was smiling and playing along with her.

Here's the only pic I have of Margo, playing LEGOs with these cute little boys.

Piper lay around and smiled like she usually does. I didn't get any pictures of Josie, but she was there. Promise. ;0)

When it was time to go, I checked out several books that I'd put on hold to use in the first weeks of homeschooling Josie, and made our trek back to the van. 

On the way home, I splurged again. This time I got myself a coffee frappuccino from Starbucks. 

The hubster was home from work when we got there. We sat and hung out for a bit before I needed to be productive. The kids played just a bit more.

Then, they all got bathed. The older three got showers, and Piper got a bath in the sink. In case you forgot how cute she is, here's another shot of my chubby baby.

After bath/showers, I whipped something up for dinner: ham and cheese crustless quiche and toast. I put bell peppers in the quiche, so leave me alone. It's totally a great way to use up a few eggs and other random ingredients. 

And then! the kids and I went to Bible study at church tonight. (Justin stayed home and took care of some things around the house.) Margo played with some friends in the nursery, Josie and Deuce had their preschool class, and Piper and I sat in the sanctuary, enjoying the Bible study.

Now, it's nearly 11:30, and I am pooped! We're going to my parents' lake house in Ohio for Labor Day weekend for a family reunion. I always have so much to do the day we travel. Lots of cleaning and packing to do. I'm also going to make some no-bake cookies to take with us on the road. I'm looking forward to seeing some relatives I haven't seen in almost 10 years! 

Oh, and the day after we get back, Deuce starts K4, and Josie starts kindergarten at home! I can't believe it's almost here already! I have some more stuff to do on Monday evening when we get back to prepare for the upcoming school year. I hope I'm a good teacher to Josie. Lord, give me patience and wisdom!

A lot of wonderful things happened today, and so many wonderful things are coming soon! And now it's time to go to bed. 80)