Mid April

 Today, Aaron and I went to a movie (Dungeons and Dragons) in the theatre. I think it was probably 2019, or possibly 2018 that I last was in a movie theatre. I don't really like seeing movies in the theatre. I don't need the "experience" of the big screen. But it was fun to go out on a day date. We got Shake Shack for the first time for lunch. It was fine, but I've heard people rave about it for so long. And it was normal fast food. We took the kids to Home Depot and bought this season's plants (tomatoes, cucumber, spaghetti squash, green beans and spicy peppers). Bron chose a lavender plant. I napped Aaron got everything planted. He went off to play Magic, kids and I hung out at home. 

Last weekend was Easter. The kids ended up doing 3 separate egg hunts (at home, at Mil's church, and one their aunt set up with the cousins), so they had a good time. Dinner was ok. MiL always says she's getting a Honey Baked Ham, but she always buys a honey baked ham (not from the actual ham store), and it isn't the same. Ham aside, it was a good holiday.

The kids had this week off for Spring break. I tried to take them to the beach on Monday (it was a really nice day), but 17 was at a stand still. It took us over 20 minutes to go a mile. So we turned around and went home. They were disappointed, but recovered fairly quickly.

On Wednesday, Aaron took the day off and we went to the aquarium. Bron wore shoes that we're about 3 sizes too big. So we had to stop in a souvenir store and get her a pair of sandals. The kids had fun, I got a little overwhelmed, it was a bit busier than I'd expected. Too peopley. We we're going to go to the beach after (to make up for Monday) but it was windy and cold. Bert has been weird about wind lately. Anytime it's a little breezy, he comments about how windy it is, and gets nervous. Bron was upset about missing the beach, again. So I offered to take her to 5 Below (her favourite store) and that made everything better.

Thursday the kids and I went to Sprouts, Walmart and Dunkin. I like taking them on errands with me. I'm not sure why, because I always buy more then I would, and they some times complain. I guess I just like them. 🥰

I've been doing a lot of yardwork. Still weeding. But I also started pruning the over-grown bushes this week. Both kids (surprisingly) really like helping with that. I have little hand shears and large clippers. Bron uses the little ones, Bert says he's a lumberjack, and cuts up the bigger branches into smaller pieces. The pruning is about done, but I need to get the ladder and the electric clippers to do the very top.

Prior to Spring break, both kids had good weeks at school. Bron has accumulated 6 days of no issues at school. 

At the end of March, we got our family pictures done. They turned out great 

Another week

 still having the "shift" key problem.  so, few, if any, capitals.

Last week the kids had fall break.  

sunday, i tried to donate platelets, but my hemaglobin was too low.  It's always disappointing when it doesn't work out.

On monday we went to the Monterey bay aquarium.  it was probably the least busy i'd ever seen it.  we got to watch them feeding the fish, and cleaning the tanks.  there were not crowds of people taking videos, or a million pictures and blocking everyone else's view.  the kids had a lot of fun, and we did too.  we got lunch at carl's jr, per tradition.  both kids did very well.  no meltdowns, pretty good behaviour.  we stopped by the new 5below on the way home.  they finally opened one in san jose, no more having to drive to salinas.  

he fell asleep on the way home.

she did not.

tuesday my mom arrived in the morning.  i don't think we did too much that day.  

on wednesday, we went on a long walk in the morning (nana, the kids and me). in the afternoon, we drove to great wolf lodge in manteca.  the drive was good, we didn't run into much traffic, and no one needed to stop for a potty break.  check in was easy, and you can do everything with your wristband: unlock your door, and pay for things.  our room was really cute.  there was a little nook cut out for a set of bunk beds and a twin.  the kids and nana slept there.  there was a queen bed and a couch in the other part of the room, aaron and i slept there.  the first day we went to the waterpark.  there were a good variety of slides, none of which the kids were interested in.  But they liked the wave pool, the activity pool and the splash pad.  bert liked a couple of the little kids slides.  after we played in the water, we left the hotel and wet to chilis for dinner.  i expected the kids to fall asleep quickly, but they didn't.  and they woke up early, of course.

there was a dunkin donuts in the lobby, so we got breakfast and coffee from there.  we played at the waterpark more.  aaron and i got to go on one slide by ourselves, which was fun.  we stayed til lunch time.  we went back to chilis for lunch, because it was a lot cheaper than food at the hotel.  after lunch, we had a siesta.  we played mini golf and arcades.  mom met up with her friend, and they got dinner together.  we got a family pizza meal at the hotel.  and went back to the waterpark for a while in the evening.  again, the kids weren't sleepy.  

we mostly hungout in the morning on friday, to wait out traffic.  the kids were waterpark-ed out.  we had dunkin again, and watch some tv.  (when it was time to go, the kids wanted to go back to the waterpark). 

my father in law was supposed to be taking care of the animals.  while we were gone fiona repeatedly went to the bathroom in the house.  and for some unknown reason he didn't think he needed to clean it up.  so we walked into a literal shit-show.  and spent an hour picking up poo, wiping up pee, and scrubbing the floor.  i was livid.  i left the house very clean, and came back to a nightmare.  there were flies, and the smell was awful.  i don't know why he thought that was ok.  or, if he didn't want to clean it up, put her outside.  ugh.

saturday bert had soccer.  we tried to go get flu shots in the afternoon, but the line at kaiser was about 50 people long.  so we abandoned that idea and went to target instead.  in the afternoon the kids got much needed haircuts.  we got bron's pretty short, because she kept putting in her mouth.  

sunday was kind of a lot day.  we didn't do much.  

today, while bert had aba, bronwyn and aaron got their flu hots.  i'm going to go with bertram tomorrow after school.

Mom and I did a lot of cleaning. We cleaned out the pantry, finished a puzzle, culled Bronwyn's shoes, and cleaned the bottom of the linen closet. I also tried to go to the bank, but I forgot it's indigenous peoples day.

Months later

 I haven't posted since June.  I'm sure a lot has happened, but I don't remember any of it.

In October we went to Disneyland for 3 days. It was a long drive.  We got to LA in time for rush hour, which added a long time to the drive, maybe 1-2 hours.  I was surprised how crowded it was, during the middle of the week, and when you need to make reservations.  We stayed in a motel down the street, it was about a mile walk, which wasn't bad.  The weather was warm, then nice.  We went at the same time as Aaron's cousin and his family, so we met up with them a few times.  We couldn't get Bert on to any of the big rides.  Bron went on everything she was tall enough for. Bertram build a droid and a light saber.  My goal for the trip was to not turn down park things for being too expensive.  Buy the churro, eat the ice cream.

Bron is getting closer to being potty trained.  Two days in a row, she's pooped on the potty without any prompting from us.  She's getting pretty good about staying dry, as long as we remind her to pee. But she's staying dry at night.  Yesterday she had a lot of accidents, for some reason.  But prior to that, and today have been much better.  It will be interesting when she returns to school next week.  Hopefully she sticks with it.  I want her to be able to go to kindergarten in the fall, so she needs to be potty trained.  Plus she's 4, it's past time.  

Last week, I took the kids to the aquarium by myself, and without the stroller (a first for both).  The first half of the trip was fine.  Bron stayed dry the whole time.  But at some point, something unknown happened and Bronwyn started melting down.  Then she pulled Bert's hair (hard).  So he was crying and yelling.  So I sat with them in an alcove, physically restraining Bron, because she wanted to run away. They yelled and cried.  I laugh, then I cried a little.  It was all so ridiculous and overwhelming.  We gathered ourselves and saw a little more.  But Bron kept trying to run.  So I had to carry her, which was hard with her fighting me.  I put her on my shoulders, and she pulled my hair too.  I decided we'd had enough fun.  Then Bronwyn melted down because she didn't want to leave.  So I had to carry her up the hill screaming and crying.  I got everyone in the car and buckled.  Then I cried for a while.

We went back to the aquarium on Tuesday.  Aaron came this time.  It went a little better.  But it was so busy.  Everything was 3-4 people deep.  As an introvert, I am not good with crowds, so I was feelng antsy.  Bert did pretty well, but melted down again.  Less severely.   And Bert got to touch a stingray, which was his goal for both trips.  

We desperately need new flooring in our bedroom.  It's the only room with carpet and it's really low quality carpet.  It's been torn away from the wall, by the dog trying to dig out of the room.  It's stained, not plush, and is torn in several areas.  We went to Home Depot to look at wood and wood type flooring.  But got side tracked by how nice the carpet was. It was so plush and soft.  We decided to get carpet again.  But there was no one to help us.  So we went across the street to S&G carpets, and they were very helpful.  We're getting our new carpet installed on Monday.  Aaron painted the room and replaced the baseboards this week.  We changed from a purple to a grey blue.  It looks really nice, he did a great job.  But the floor around our sliding door needed repairs, because our in-laws like to avoid fixing things until it's absolutely necessary.  In the process of doing this, the shitty carpet got even more destroyed,  I can't wait for the new carpet, then our room will be done.  We got new nightstands earlier this year (ours didn't match before).  And our new lights came today.  It's weird to be able to buy things and not have to get the cheapest thing. Like, we can spend $200 on lamps, and it's ok.  I think we're strongly middle class now.

June post

 The kids finished school two weeks ago.  Bron made good progress.  And Bert got all 3s (the highest) except on the spacing for his writing. In-person school went well for both kids.  Bert had one so-so day and one bad day, but all the rest were good.  Bron had good days across the board.
He had his first non-cousin playdate the Saturday after school finished.  Seems like he did pretty well.  I don't know if playdates are hard for all ASD kids.  I was relieved that it went well.  He's having a friend (the same friend) over here presently.  It's going ok.  He seems to forget that he needs to pay attention to his guest too.  I guess maybe it takes practice.

Bron started Summer school today, half-days 9-12.  I tried to sign Bertram up, but I only wanted half-days for him (partially because it's Summer, he doesn't need to be in school from 9-3.  And partially because he has ABA daily at 3).  Half-day programs all filled up, so full day was the only option, so we are skipping summer school.  I found a gymnastics camp for Bertram.  It's also from 9-12, which isn't the best in terms of timing, but since Aaron is working from home, most days are not an issue.  Tomorrow Aaron has a lunch meeting, so my MiL is going to pick up Bertram, and I'll get Bron.  Bron seemed to have a good first day.  Bertram just complained a lot, it was hot, he ran out of water, he didn't like it.  He has another 4 days.  If he changes his mind, I'll sign him up for another week later in the summer.  Otherwise, I'll have to see what else I can find.  All the Parks and Rec swimming lessons filled up, so I need to look into some private ones.  For Bertram anyway.  Since Bron has school from 9-12 and ABA from 3-7 she doesn't have a lot of time for other activities, but I don't want to spread her too thin.

Bron going to Summer school

A week ago, I got a tattoo.  (Sorry mom, feel free to skip this paragraph).  I've been wanting one since I was 14 or 15, and since I turned 38, I figured it was time to take the plunge.  I got three flowers on my upper arm for my sisters and me.  (Sunflower for Rebecca, hibiscus for Jessica and a California poppy for me.  And I included 2 bees on my poppy for the kids(because the kids names start with B)).  I got the outline a week ago, I got back in two weeks for colour.  I didn't hurt too badly, manageable, mostly.  A couple spots were more sensitive, but I didn't need any breaks, so I kind of felt like a badass.  Haha.

An odd angle but you get the idea, I'll post another when the colour is done

We went to the aquarium for the first time since February 2020.  Normally we go every 2 or 3 months.  Bronwyn was really excited by everything.  Bertram was sad because his favourite exhibit was gone.  But it was a good day.  We got lunch at Carl's Jr and played at the park before headed back.  We stopped at Sonic on the way home (Our closest Sonic is 30 minutes away, so we don't go often).  

I've been exercising most mornings.  Like real exercise, hard cardio and weights, usually for 45 minutes, sometimes more.  I've been doing this for about three weeks, and so far I've gained 2 lbs.  :eye roll: I have an appointment with my GP for a physical next week for a physical, so i'm going to talk to her about it then. 

How has it been two months?!  I can't remember everything, so I'll go through pictures.

 

I went on a bit of a macaron kick.  It's awesome when they turn out, and frustrating when they don't.  I've made a few batches and only have a 50% success rate. I made a pistachio batch that was really good.  They are tricky, time consuming, and fussy cookies, but so yummy.  One issue is the use only egg whites.  I have not had success with boxed egg whites, so I end up with  left over yolks, and thus far, I am not a good custard/pudding maker.  I need more practice.

I counted (not including the macarons) I think I made something like 360 cookies for Christmas.  I made grandma's Christmas cookies, which I didn't take a picture of, for some reason.  I made the gingerbread pictured above.  It actually tasted good, unlike all the gingerbread I've had previously.  My piping needs work, but I enjoy the practice when I can get it.  I also made cookies for my dad and FIL for gifts.  I think I did chocolate chip, a short bread type and peanut butter.

Christmas Eve

Christmas day. I really didn't take a lot of pictures this year.  We all had matching PJs.  Kids got too many things, but lots of books, which I can get behind.  We had a nice dinner with the extended family.  It was kind of weird.  The holidays went by fast, and didn't see as fun, I think because we didn't have Grandma.  I'm still not sure I've acclimated to the new normal.

We went up to the Legion of Honor with my dad to see the Tissot exhibit.  We left Bron with Aaron's mom.  Bertram had a good enough time.  I really try to expose him to as much as possible, even though he hates it.  

The kids both got new scooters.  They both need more practice.

We went to the mall on New Years Eve day.  They did a Noon-years eve.  So we watched the balloons come down.

Bron got some necklaces.  She really likes them.

We went to the library for Music and Movement, but it was cancelled that day.  So they just played.

Bertram got a Giant Bubble maker for Christmas.  They both really enjoyed that.  I need to buy some more of that solution, and bottle it when we're done, so we don't waste it.

We went to the Aquarium on the last day of Christmas break.  Aaron took the day off.  It was a Monday (because we restarted on a Tuesday, for some reason).  So it was fairly empty.  I got Bertram's (blurry) picture with the scuba diver.  The octopus was moving around, which is always neat.

I signed Bron up for a parent and me ballet class.  She really likes it, but definitely follows her own rhythm.  

Bron got a tea set for Christmas.  She really likes it.

Bertram has lost two teeth!  

Playing

It's 100 day at school this week.  We glued 100 eyeballs.  

Bertram has Pinewood Derby today for scouts.  This is the evaluation of the car.  I did all the painting, but Bertie did the design.  

Bertram played a "prank" at school on Friday.  I'm not entirely sure how it was supposed to be a prank.  He cut the hole, and said it was an accident, the joke (I guess) was that it was on purpose.  I'm a bit bummed, I really liked that shirt.

We got these cool "high" chairs from Ikea yesterday.  They are like normal chairs, but tall.  And they're some kind of firm plastic, so I can clean it easily.

And lastly, the most exciting (and secret) thing: WE'RE GOING TO DISNEYLAND!  I had been looking at prices, and we have decent savings (and taxes will be in soon).  Bertram has been wanting to go for probably 2 years.  We're going to surprise him on his birthday, and then we'll go over Spring break.