After his annual dental check-up and evaluation, Damian was scheduled to have two cavities filled—both on his lower back teeth, one on each side (one a bit bigger than the other). To help ease his nerves, they gave him a little laughing gas, and he handled it like a champ. The whole procedure was quick and, according to Damianek, completely painless. Fingers crossed we can avoid any future fillings from here on out. Time to really double down on taking care of those young teeth!
We also decided to get an X-ray done for the first time, since he had some cavities and we wanted to make sure there weren’t any hidden ones we couldn’t see. Thankfully, the X-ray showed no additional cavities—but there is a tight spot between his bottom back teeth that could turn into one if we’re not diligent with brushing and flossing. The really cool part? The X-ray showed that most of his permanent teeth are already lined up beneath the surface, just waiting for their turn to come in. I had no idea they started forming in the jaw so early—such a fascinating glimpse into what’s going on behind the scenes!
Next, we made a stop at our neighbor Jeff’s place. He’s always got some cool toys and gadgets to check out. While his car and motorcycle collection has slimmed down quite a bit over the years, he still had a few impressive bikes on display—and a surprisingly fun Amish push scooter that definitely stole the show.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, the pool at the Vacation Village Community continues to be one of our favorite spots—and the kids absolutely love it. Over the years, they’ve basically learned to swim right here, so there's a special kind of nostalgia every time we come back. It does seem a bit more crowded this year compared to summers past, but even with the extra splashing, it's still the perfect way to beat the heat and enjoy these long, sunny days. I even dusted off an old underwater camera to capture some footage beneath the surface.
Grayson has been working hard on his dives lately—a few more days at the pool and he just might have them perfected. He’s like a little fish in the water, totally at ease. He’s diving down ten feet to the bottom of the pool and can hold his breath impressively long for his age. It’s been fun to watch his confidence grow.
Damian, on the other hand, has just built up the courage to bomb dive into the deep end—which, in itself, felt like a small victory! We’re still working on head-first dives with him. Maybe by the end of the summer he’ll be ready to give it a real shot.
Sylwia, who swam competitively as a kid back in Poland and worked for years as a lifeguard at the local YMCA here in the States, has been showing the boys proper swim techniques in different styles. But let’s be honest—they’re not quite ready for structured training just yet. We’re taking the “slow and steady” route and letting them enjoy the water first. The technique will come when they’re ready!
Uncle Filip needed an extra hand on one of his jobs—his full-time guy, Karol, has been hit-or-miss for a while and completely off the radar this past week. Stepping in felt like the least I could do, especially after all the times Filip has bailed us out when things have gone sideways at our properties. We spent the day in Chicago finishing up the exterior framing on a new garage, getting it ready for siding. That’s where I met Robert, one of Filip’s temporary crew members—and let’s just say, the guy’s a character and belongs on a Hawaiian beach somewhere.
We finally got the boys’ bunk bed set up! I picked it up brand new from a warehouse in Bensenville for $100, and after a little assembly, it turned out even better than expected. The next day, their new memory foam mattress from Amazon arrived, and just like that—no more air mattress! The boys are loving their cozy new beds, and we’re all happy to have this little upgrade complete.
