Tennis Ball Wall

The boys have both outgrown their bikes.  There was a fairly decent sale online, so we had bought them new bikes.  When we read the reviews before purchasing, people said they were good bikes, good solid frames, but connecting the brake wires was the biggest problem and complaint.  It didn't take Todd long during the assembly process to learn that the reviews were right.  He managed to get Henry's finished, but Josiah's wasn't happening.  This weekend he brought the bike to a local bike shop and 10 minutes and $10 later, the brakes were connected.  It's all a matter of having the right tools for the job.  He also tightened up the handlebars.  Todd said he was tightening screws he didn't even know were there.  The boys have said the bikes are really fast and they have to get used to the handlebar brakes.  They've actually fallen off the bikes a few times.  It'll take some getting used to.

While not biking, Henry spent a good deal of time learning how to roller blade with Caroline's skates.  He persevered and can now skate pretty well around our little circle.  Josiah finally got an extended turn with them this weekend and has been making laps around the circle as well.  Now they've been asking to go back to the roller skating rink, so we'll have to plan that in the next few weeks.

While Caroline hasn't been roller blading as much as the boys, she has been working on her cartwheels.  She did a make-up gymnastics class during the week and ended up really liking this coach and group of kids.  She was smiling a lot more and clearly enjoying herself.  She told me later that the coach was really funny.  I saw the coach spend some time with her on how to do the cartwheel correctly and Caroline did it.  She kept looking up at me with a huge grin to make sure I was watching and then she cartwheeled.  It was a huge grin - she was so proud of herself.  She's doing another make-up this week with the same coach, so if all goes well again, we'll just transfer to this class.  It seems to be a better fit.

We took advantage of the local movie theater's summer movies.  Twice a week they have $1 movies.  We got there early thinking they would sell out, but they did not.  We walked into the theater and it was the biggest theater I have ever seen.  It could hold hundreds of people and given that there were only two people in the theater, we had our pick of seats.  Todd saw a meme this week that said, "Having a kid is like having a broke little best friend who thinks you're rich."  That's Josiah.  At the theater he saw kids with little box meals.  He wanted that.  He wanted popcorn.  He wanted the candy.  He wanted lemonade.  On the way home he talked about going out to eat.  You do realize that we do not have an endless supply of money, right?


Our church also had their summer movie night this past week.  It's the one where they have the popcorn bar set up, although it's probably more of a popcorn 'station' than a 'bar' since it's church.  I didn't even see what the boys put in their popcorn bucket, but Caroline added marshmallows, Goldfish, M&Ms, and Hershey Kisses.  Our children's director greeted Caroline when she first got in line and said, "You can have as much as you want."  That brought on a smile.  I think they went up 3-4 times each and would have gone up more had we let them.  This was our last year to do it, because it's a preschool ministry thing which means Kindergarten and younger.  Caroline moves up to the children's ministry in first grade.

Henry earned his library trophy this week.  I told him I wanted a picture of him with his trophy so he scrambled around to put together this 'scene.'  Reading two books at the same time was met with many laughs from the youngest two.

Much of my free time this week has been focused on making the guest room into Henry's new room.  As we were clearing it out to be painted, Todd and I talked about what to do with our old queen bed in there.  It's a nice solid frame, a new mattress.  Enter Caroline.  How would you like a new bed in your room?  So, all of a sudden, we were having to clean up Caroline's room, take out her twin bed, and transfer the queen bed to her room.  Then we put her twin in Henry's new room.  It's a much better fit for both rooms.  Now when guests come, they'll have the Princess Suite.  Her first night in the big bed she started crying.  She didn't want it anymore.  She was scared.  I slept with her the first night and since then told her she'd get used to it and one day she'd like having a big bed.  We actually got out the Christmas lights that Grandpa had given her last Christmas when Caroline made the claim that we were non-decorators.  Well, Grandpa, look at the lights in her room.  And we're non-decorators....

Meanwhile, my intention was to paint Henry's room a very light grey.  I wanted something neutral so I wouldn't have to repaint it again in the future.  But Henry looked at me with his big blue eyes and said, "Can I pick the paint color?"  Argh!  I gave him a wall.  I can repaint one wall when the time comes.  We went to Lowe's to look at paint chips.  The first one he picked with a very dark turquoise color.  Very dark.  I told him that it was a really pretty color (it was), but it would make his room really dark.  He didn't want a dark room.  His next pick was a puke-green color.  I looked at him and was like, Buddy.  That's the color of throw-up in all your comic books.  I can't do it.  So, he moved down two shades on the same color chip and settled on a color that can only be described as a tennis ball.  It's sort of a yellowy-greeny kind of color.  I asked a few, are you sure's, but he said he liked it.  Part of it was he liked the name of the paint color, Game Changer.  He has since helped me paint his wall and he kept saying how much he liked it and he really wanted the whole room that color.  Sorry buddy.

Before the paint was even dry, Henry and Caroline were adding new security measures to their rooms.  Caroline installed an electronic hand scanner on her doorway.  The rectangle box at the top is the thing that asks you the password.

Henry said that when he moves in his room, he's going to hand out visitor passes to his siblings.  He has yet to make these passes, but when he got mad at Josiah today, he revoked his pass.

This week we should finish up the painting and get Henry all settled in.  It's also VBS (Vacation Bible School) week.  Caroline has already said she doesn't want to go.  I told her that I'm taking a day or two to myself, so she has to go at least two days.  If she doesn't like it she can stay home after that, but I have plans for my alone time!  I told her to think of it as babysitting, but she didn't want a babysitter.  For two days minimum, I want you to have a babysitter!