Hose Madness

It was sunny and gorgeous yesterday. Then, a fast and light shower rolled through. Then, THIS:

Luna has taken over Flip's crate.

And, the funniest thing I've seen in a while: dog vs. hose. Apparently, the hose is Flip's greatest foe and he seeks to conquer it. However, he was sadly defeated time and again. He got soaked (and was well hydrated!) and then ran around the house like a maniac. But it was worth the laughs!!

Gorgeous Weekend

We could not have asked for more perfect weekend weather! On Saturday morning, we all slept in and then got donuts, which Wm thoroughly enjoy in his creepy Hugh Hefner robe that he loves!

We took the dog for a looooong walk and basically slugged around. It was glorious. It was so nice, we decided to have dinner on the "high up porch." Even though taking care of it is a pain in the ass, our yard sure is beautiful!

Wm picnicking

Amazing view while eating dinner

We have selected a fence guy and are on the schedule! In 2-3 weeks (weather dependent), the upper part of our back yard should have a very pretty 4 foot cedar picket fence.

Sunday morning, Steve headed in to work, and Wm was back in his hideous (beloved) robe. I love the way he gazes at Flip while he pets him. They are best buds!

Wm spent all his free time working on his new YouTube channel. It is, of course, about gaming. He has called it Dark Mage Gaming. If you have the time and inclination, he is all about subscriptions (or "subs" as he calls them!) and views and likes, so click on over and subscribe or watch a couple videos and give them the thumbs up. (It's worth it just to see the super cool intro he created for himself! Very impressive!) They are horrifically boring unless you're into gaming, but it's Wm's favorite new hobby, so of course, I have subscribed and watched and liked them all. Gotta be supportive! I was even the "guest star" on one video, but it's not posted yet. I said a bad word while I was playing and got in trouble. Apparently, Wm wants to run a "clean channel" and I ruined it. So he's got to figure out how to bleep me. Steve was a more successful guest!

Speaking of Steve, on Sunday afternoon, he got one of his sudden and intense tummy upsets. So he spent most of the day down for the count. It seemed like a good time to open up all the windows and nap in the breeze. Everyone was doing it!

Sickly napping

animals napping

TGIF

Wm is finishing up Strings Camp today. While he had his ups and downs, I think, overall, he liked it! And, if nothing else, he made a new friend! Next week, Wm needs to work on his summer project assignment he got from school. I don't think that will be as much fun! He has to read a biography of Sally Ride, do a journal, and complete a project. It was actually kind of funny...

Me: It says here you can pick between biographies: Thomas Edison or Sally Ride.
Wm: Sally Ride.
Me: Oh. I'm surprised. I thought you'd pick Thomas Edison.
Wm: Because you think I'm sexist?
Me: That and I figured you'd want to do an inventor.
Wm: I like space. And I'm not sexist.

Turns out, he chose wisely. The Sally Ride book is shorter than the Thomas Edison book!

Wm has also been spending his summer creating a YouTube channel and uploading videos about gaming. It is basically ruining our internet connection. No one can do anything else while Wm is at it. But...I guess he has a hobby...

Also, he texted me this and I cracked up:

Notice that he blames me!

Due to Steve's plumbing prowess and my painting, our bathroom looks awesome! I'm super happy with the way it turned out. And we plan to loaf this weekend after working our butts off last weekend. Continuing with home improvements, we've had some guys out to give us estimates on putting a picket fence out back to contain The Hell Hound. I think we found a good one, so we should be fenced in 2-3 weeks! The guy claims Flip will be unable to jump over it. That remains to be seen!

Best Dad

I took no pictures this weekend - we were too busy celebrating Steve's awesomeness! He got a fancy dinner at his favorite place on Saturday and then a cookout with bacon and blue cheese burgers on Sunday. The bathroom needed painted, so I did the whole thing - even the tall bits and detail work (which I am usually not trusted to do). While I did that, Steve was allowed to go to Costco unsupervised and get whatever he wanted! Weirdly, the only big purchase he made was a new mattress for Wm's bed. I also made him Cory's Famous French toast for breakfast with super stale bread in the cast iron skillet with lots of butter - all the best stuff! Of course, you can't really tell Steve how great he is because then he gets all awkward and weird. But, he's the best in the biz and Wm and I are so lucky to have him!!

In celebration of Steve, here is a typical conversation, highlighting his craziness...
Steve: You're staring at the dog creepily.
Me: I love him. Don't you love him?
Steve: Yes, I love him.
Me: Do you love him as much as Schroeder?
Steve: No.
Me: Omg!! Schroeder is an ass who bites and only loves you when he decides he wants to - and for like 5 minutes a day only!
Steve: Exactly. He gives me my space. The dog is too clingy.
Typing that...I wonder if Steve is trying to tell me something...
NAH.

Friend!

Things are looking up for Wm! He was promoted to the "Master Class" at violin camp and is now liking it better. BUT, the best part is that he made a friend there. Aaaaaand, that friend is going to also be in 6th grade at Metro next year!! WHAT!? Yes! Wm has made a school friend before the start of school! The cherry on the sundae is that Mimi picked him up yesterday and took him out to lunch at Chipotle. So Wm's basically winning at life. And, he's back at camp today - by his own choice. Best possible outcome!

Steve is trying to install the new bathroom vanity that we got at IKEA. But he has run into some sort of roadblock based on the drain so now we are sans bathroom sink. He says that he will complete it tonight (he needs something from Lowe's). I really hope so!! Or I'm calling a plumber.

I couldn't find the dog last night when it was time to put him out before bed. I was getting a little anxious after we searched the whole house. Then we found him conked out in his crate! We are one month away from the start of Flip's super intensive training regime. He won't know what hit him!

Hot!!

It has been crazy hot for the last few days!! That didn't stop us for going through a number of houses, putting an offer in on one, losing it because it went for way too much money, and deciding that maybe, in this market, we should just stay put for a while longer!! With Clintonville prices being what they are, it is impossible to get a house (even one that doesn't check all our "must have" boxes) for under $300,000. And that's just bananas.  So we consoled ourselves with other fun things:

Going out to eat at favorite place near our house

Heading to IKEA for supplies!!

Some other highlights include: 

• I saw Wonder Woman with Suzanne and it was good! I may be a little bit in love with Gal Gadot.
• Wm started Strings Camp and hates it. He is giving it one more day. 
• I went to the dentist yesterday and got a clean bill of health. YAY!!
• Steve took the afternoon off with me and we got all kinds of exciting things at IKEA (still insanely busy on a Tuesday afternoon!) He spent yesterday evening hanging blinds and will, hopefully, spend tonight putting in our new bathroom vanity! 
• I figure now that we decided to stay and bought new stuff, the perfect house will show up.
• Flip went to the groomers and got a bath, nail clipping, tooth brushing, ear cleaning, and "anal gland expressing." Gross. But, he smells delightful and is super soft! He did not enjoy it.

Also, I can't even go to the bathroom in peace anymore. Here is the scene that awaits me when I open the door:

Faithful companion!

First Week of Summer

Wm had a great first full week of summer break! In fact, as he sat, leisurely eating his breakfast this morning, he goes, "I don't want to go to camp. I am enjoying my free time!" A friend who lives nearby has come over nearly every day - he spent four and a half hours in Wm's room yesterday. So, Wm is even getting social interaction! Which is crazy for him.

We got a letter in the mail from the symphony. Wm was selected as an alternate. He was initially bummed, but I told him that is a HUGE deal. Hundreds of kids with YEARS of experience tried out. And he's only played for 2 years and has taken private lessons for 1. So to be selected as an alternate, which I didn't even expect, was great!! He can keep practicing and try out again next year! A little disappointment is good for him.

Flip, however, does not like it when Wm practices his violin:


And, Schroeder's new favorite place to lounge is in the center of the action, but with an easy escape to the basement:

Weekend Warriors

Despite a few hiccups, we had a good weekend! On Saturday morning, we hit up the farmer's market in a neighborhood we are considering moving to with some friends who live there. When we got home, we walked Flip over to Mimi's to see her new furniture (which was awesome). However, poor Flip is not the brightest. He was so excited to see Mimi, he flung his body off her porch, thinking the shrubs were solid ground. He landed on the cement...on his head - with a thud. He did a number on himself and was bleeding, but acted pretty normal quickly and still has all his teeth. He seemed to sleep a lot that day, but was completely back to his old self the next! It scared us, though!!

After the Flip drama, Steve went to watch a soccer match with some his sporty friends. When he got home, we had to race to a bat mitzvah celebration. Wm had A LOT of fun. There was a live band a raffle! When we left, Wm goes, "was that a Jewish thing?"

On Sunday, we ran a bunch of errands and had some time to also slug around. Guy took Wm to play disc golf in the morning. Wm loved it! They also stopped by Wm's new school - which is right by the disc golf course.

Even wearing his STEM themed shirt!

The weekend ended with our air conditioner breaking down. So, hopefully, someone will come and fix it today so that Flip doesn't roast alive in his crate!

DONE!

It was such a whirlwind day, that I forgot to take any pictures of Wm at his last Lunch on the Lawn! But, it was a GORGEOUS day, I found a spot in the shade, and we managed to get some awesome food from the only food truck in Columbus specializing in Jewish cuisine (signature sandwich: The Challah Back). Wm is officially a 6th grader now! I did get a pic of this cool thing his class did. Wm is in the bottom row, far right.

Since I forgot to take pictures at Lunch on the Lawn, please enjoy this random sampling of stuff on my phone:

Cutest friends

The beads I made, risking life and limb!

Me and my crazy friend before making beads

Me, at my bead-making station

Flip is 6 inches off the ground! Jaws of steel.

Enjoying the pillows

There were some tears that marked the end of elementary school (both Wm's and mine!) Wm is so sad to be done. He was like, "I will always have the memories of my amazing time at Clinton." I told him he will always have those memories - AND then he will make great new memories in middle school! He's off for next week, just chillaxing for his first week of summer vacation. Then, for the next 2.5 weeks, he heads to strings camp at OSU!

We had professional staging/pictures of our house yesterday, so we are ready to list! Now we just have to find the perfect home to move TO. We are going through a nice one this evening, right across from the Park of Roses. Fingers crossed!!