Back in Michigan and Happy 4th of July 1 day early

*****Pictures to be added later**********

Our Vacation ended, and we had to head back to MI pretty much immediately.  All of the packing, unpacking, and associated laundry is really wearing on me, but it is just part of the work that needs to be done to make this move happen.  Ryan had work scheduled and we needed to finish up the mountains of paperwork and cleaning required to move.  We have been doing a lot of sorting of things to donate or recycle.  Soren has also been potty training, and doing fairly well with it, but it has taken up some of the little time we have right now to prepare for the move.  This is my last big training week before Muncie too, so that has kept me busy.

On Monday, we made it back safely.  Ryan left in the morning, and I took the kids to workout quickly so they could play before I headed back.  All of this time in the car has been hard and been making the weeks seem shorter.

On Tuesday, we went to Fuerst Park where this week's event was the Ann Arbor Hands on Museum.  In my opinion, this didn't work out as well as the previous puppet show activities, because there were just a lot of children to accomodate.  We opted to wait in line at the bouncer from Pump it Up first, and while it was a wait, it at least let the museum activities clear out a bit.  I was glad that Keira had already done all these activities before since it was the same thing that they did at her school this year and last.  Since I volunteered at those, I was able to make sure Keira and Soren knew what they were supposed to be doing and steer them to the activities that I thought they would enjoy as well as be able to do in a crowd.  Their favorite was mixing colors in the ice cube trays with colored water bottles.

That evening, we went to Lakeshore Park so that Ryan could get in a lap while I took the kids to play on the playground.  They had a blast.

On Wednesday, I took the kids to the gym and they were super excited to see a Mustang on the sidewalk in front of it.  There was an event at the gym last night that we skipped, and it must have been left over from that.

I went for a long ride with Cristina, Julie, and Monica that evening, as well as a run.  It pretty much killed the whole evening.  With Muncie half coming up, I needed to log the miles after missing so many Saturday rides.

On Thursday, I had to do some errands with the kids after a super hot treadmill run at the gym.  Keira hates doing errands, and really seems bummed out that she has to do them with me instead of being at school.  We had to go to the pediatrician's office today to drop off forms for school.  Keira is going to complain again when we have to get them.  That evening, we went to IKEA so that we could look at some new furniture for the new house. Keira and Soren were sad that they couldn't get ice cream.  Soren even mentioned that "Keira wants ice cream too".  This must be because sometimes if I can get them to agree on something, that is what we have.  This is especially true at lunchtime or at a restaurant where they are to share their dinner.  We were short on time today, so it didn't work today.

On Friday, I had a long swim at the gym and then headed to the dentist for more forms.  We thankfully made it right before the left for the long afternoon.  I was worried when there were no cars in the parking lot, but then one man drove up to pick up a patient.  I bet if he got there first, they would have been closed.

We ran errands in the evening.  We went to REI, dinner at Noodles (the usual), and then went to Costco.  It seems funny to go to Costco right before a big move, but we needed milk and vitamins, and the vitamin coupon expired on the 3rd.

Saturday was a big long, HOT day.  Ryan got up and rode with the A group.  They were FAST, and averaged 23mph for their ride.  That is amazing to me, especially since it was so hot.  I took the kids to our playground, but it was too hot for them to want to play.  We didn't stay long, and hung out under a small tree in the shade. 

Once Ryan got home I went out to Island Lake to ride.  I was able to hook up with Kari M for the first 15 miles, and it was just so hot.  I wasn't sure how I was going to do the 50 that I had planned, but I did get it done.  I stopped to refill my water a couple of times.  The time I stopped at the drinking fountain made the biggest difference.  Having cold water was so much better than warm, and I was able to drink a whole bottle before continuing on my way.  I got home and then we went to Bagger Dave's for dinner.  We went to Best Buy to buy a new washer and dryer.  It was pretty cool that we were able to buy it here, but have it delivered in KY in a couple weeks to take advantage of their 4th of July sale.  After Best Buy, we hit Dairy Queen.  It was a late night for the kids, but I joked that it would be in preparation for fireworks!

Sunday was the 3rd of July, and also our first day of really making do with the food we have.  We had a good testimony meeting, but totally forgot it was fast Sunday.  We will probably be at church next weekend if we can get back from Muncie in time, so we didn't really do any farewells today.  We were able to have a good dinner of tortilla soup, toquitos, corn bread, and rice. Soren went down for a nap late, which was good because we realized that there were fireworks tonight in Plymouth at McClumpha park.  We let Soren rest a bit more, and then around 7:30 headed down to the park.  It was very crowded, but we found a spot to park and got good seats.  We let the kids play for a bit, just until dark, on the playground and then went back to our spot to wait.  Keira and Soren changed into their pjs for the show and really enjoyed it.  It was a really late night, but we had a great time.

Up for next week, we have the actual 4th of July as well as LOTS of organizing to pack, and my race in Muncie!