Everything Avey

Avey turned 11 years old yesterday, after vetoing our proposal to end aging forever. She proposed taking a long-overdue trip to Navy Pier in Chicago as part of the celebration. We made the drive and then enjoyed the rides, including the Ferris wheel. 

Avey, Carver, Kira, and I also tried out their virtual reality ride that mimicked a flight through a futuristic Chicago, and the younger boys (too short for the ride) enjoyed the carousel and some remote-controlled boats.

We then walked back to the car by way of the beach, immediately regretting the decision as the sand and water were simply too irresistible for the kids. Even though it was about 60 degrees out, they waded into the water until their pants were wet, and then they got thoroughly covered in sand for our drive home.

We were glad to be home, anxious for food, opening presents, and eating cake! Avey was thrilled at all of the generous gifts received from near and far. Her most coveted was a new (used) cell phone that was an upgrade from the one she’s been using. She uses it without a sim card, so it’s mostly just a little tablet and mp3 player, but she’s able to keep in touch with her best friend through an app when she’s connected to WiFi. She spent some of her own money on it, and the rest came from cash gifts from her fans. 

The rest of the week was also packed full of madness. Monday, Kira’s client cancelled their appointment so that she stayed home for the evening, but worked on the paperwork for her Indiana license to practice. She got that off in the mail later in the week. Tuesday was my typical long day at work, and it was Avey’s first orchestra concert of the year. I had to teach in the city that evening, so I missed it, but Kira took the boys along and they were relatively well behaved. 

Wednesday was a crazy day as I had to go back into the city to support some students of mine whose research I’ve supervised for the last several months. It was great to see the fruits of our labors, and they have really done some great work. I then met with a student in my office, but by the time I left, I missed the train I was hoping to catch. I went back to my office and worked until the next one came an hour and a half later. When I finally got to my station, I found that my bike had a flat tire. Kira came to pick me up, and we made plans to fix the tire over the weekend.

Thursday was a standard day, and then Friday was unusual. Kira volunteered in the morning with Carver’s school, which was doing a big event revolving around applesauce. They were making their own. I stayed home with the little boys, getting them fed and ready to leave as soon as Kira got home, because we planned to drive to our County Auditor’s office to file for our property tax exemptions before the deadline in December. It was as good a day as any. We did not know what to expect, given the unequaled efficiency of the government (#sarcasm). So we prepared the boys to be bored. We arrived to find no line, and all they needed was our driver’s licenses and signatures. We were out of there in about 5 minutes.

We then went shopping to finish getting the last things for Avey’s birthday, and came home so that I could get some work done before mowing the lawn in the afternoon.

It’s hard to believe that October is here, so let’s not address that.

#Happenings