Chuck E Cheese's

I am already laughing.

What a funny, surreal outting. 

We had potential renters coming to see our house and I quickly volunteered to get the kids out of the house.  As soon as we were all buckled in, I realized that I hadn't fed the kids because I was so focused on cleaning.  And somehow, we found ourselves outside one of the funnest places I can remember as a kid. 

Millie loved it!  She spent most of her time and tokens on this ride.  There was literally a line of three year olds wanting to ride the rocket blaster, waiting for her to get off.  Um.  She isn't crying or screaming.  After no nap and swimming lessons.  And a late night the night before.  Lets let her have just one more ride.

Grace spent most of her visit in the overhead crawl tunnels.  Screaming.  Crying.  Shaking.  Unconsolable.  Because she saw the Chuck E.  Well, because I pointed him out and showed her his head wouldn't allow him to fit up in the tunnels.

There were a lot of concerned children.  And parents. 

A lot.

I tried once or twice.  Then gave up and had quality time with Millie.

My reasoning:  she was not going to come down while Chuck E was walking around.  Not a chance.

So, I waited.  And onlookers stressed.  And Grace cried some more.

Tyler actually joined us right as Chuck E went back to the back room.  I sent him up into the tunnels to try to coax her out. 

It didn't work.

Finally, the concerned children and parents got to him and he dragged her, kicking and screaming, out.  I was able to step in, point out the girl who had been in the Chuck E costume, tell a few, perhaps embellished, stories of when her Aunt Ann worked as Chuck E and calm her down.  After all, I had pointed him out in the first place.  I wasn't going to let a mascot sneak up on my girl.  She calmed down enough to eat a piece of pizza and play five or six games.  And then they announced two more birthday parties and I knew we had to get out of there.

Millie didn't have a problem with the big rodent.

And Conrad, through most of the drama, played air hockey with a new buddy he made.

Fun times.

Splash Park

I love that our little city has THREE fantastic splash parks!  When my family came to visit for Edie's baptism, we had a free evening, a warm evening at that, and decided to go to my favorite of the splash parks and have a "picnic" Chipotle dinner.  Everyone had a good time:

 Okay, maybe Katie didn't, but thats just because travel with an almost two-year-old is not easy.  But Odin loved it!  He was absolutely fascinated by all the water spraying out of random places.

I don't think our to be new town has quite the park system we have grown accustomed to, but a 15 minute drive and wahhooooo--chilly water spraying all over laughing, running children.

Serious, who thought of these things?  I thank them.

The 4th of July

I LOVE the 4th of July! 

Love the patriotism, when we remember our freedoms, the cost and the responsibility, the red white and blue!  Love it all! 

This year, we started the day at our to-be-ward pancake breakfast, complete with bike parade and frogs.  (Kristy, we found a house just down the street from Tyler's office on a quiet lane with a huge back yard the next town over.  Same stake:), different school district, jr football team and too far for joy school :{  We just found out that we are closing this week and can move in next.) 

After a bbq with some friends, we headed home, for me to be informed that we had to light our fireworks.  Tyler set up the ladder and was in charge of our "display" while I manned the sparklers.  That made me more than a little nervous.  Fire pointed at hair.  Seriously, children?  And by children I mean Conrad and Millie. 

In my fuss over them, I forgot I was holding the punk and burnt myself with it.  Just stuck it in the sensative skin just below the inside of my elbow.  The spark was stuck there for a second or two.  And I couldn't just leave the girls to get water on it til their current sparklers burnt out.  That was enough to give me what I have self diagnosed over the phone with my nurse mom as a 4th degree burn.  Did you even know there was that catagory?  Well, it hurts.  A lot.

Luckily, the actual burn was only the size of a pin head.  The little metal kind, not the plastic kind.  However, the resulting blister is the diameter of a pencil eraser.  A brand new one. 

I know, I know.  Its tiny!  But it gave me a whole new sympathy for burn victims.  I don't ever want that for me or my kids or anyone else ever in the world!  Be careful with fire citizens of planet Earth!

Our little fireworks were so memorable, so magical for my children, it was all worth it!

What wasn't worth it, was that as soon as we finished our celebration, it was barely dark enough for our neighbors to start their not-so-little displays. 

The kids peered out their windows and cheered on our neighbors (and an illegal bottle rocket party going off two blocks away) until late, late, late! 

Oh, well.  Once a year...

Note:  The fun fruit plate was a hit--I used marshmellows instead of bananas because they wouldn't brown, they were way popular and I don't like bananas.  And the second time I made the fruit flag, I used blackberries we picked up at the fruitstand on the way back from the church.  Looked better, more full.  But the kids liked eating the blueberries more (the other kids-mine just like dried blueberries, crazy kids!).

My Heart is in Primary

Today I was released from just about the best calling one could ask for: second counselor in Primary.  Seriously.  We have singing time TWICE!  I teach a fun ol' lesson once a month.  I sit with wiggle bums and occasionally used my teacher voice.  We were goofy and fun and spiritual and focused on Gosple Basics.  We memorized scriptures and got to know the kids.  And if it was ever slow (which it wasn't!) there was always nursery with that cute age and toys and songs and snacks.  And, there was never a week that the Pres or First Counselor wasn't there to defer the tough questions to.  What is not to love!?!

Add to that, I got to work with some fabulous people!  I learned about patience (especially when I had none myself), love, delegation (though it is still not my strong point), giving your all, focusing on the important stuff and letting go of the fluff and then the joy of going over the top once in a while, the blessings of being organized, the importance of the individual child and the individual teacher, the importance of following the Spirit and even waiting for that inspiration (I don't wait well)....  I could go on and on but Conrad is hungry, so I'll move on.

To top it all off, I got to sub for my dream calling today.  Our Primary Chorister needed a last minute sub--I just didn't think itd be "right" to ask somone else with such little warning (read:I didn't want to find someone else cause this is the calling I've always dreamed of ), so... YAY! 

Months and months ago I saw this described on the internets and have wanted to work it into a Sharing Time for.ev.er.  Last night I threw it together.  Not cute.  But functional.  And GOLD!  Better quiet, better participation, better "more lovely than loud" singing for a handful of unknown songs than I even hoped for.  All because of the Punch Wall.

Actually, a mini-Punch Wall.  Because that is the supplies I had on hand.  And we are moving soon.  I am getting rid of junk, not buying/making more.  But it worked!

I had a box that I deconstructed, cut holes in that were just smaller than the plastic cups I had in the closet, then re-built it inside out.

Then, I stuck each song inside of a cup and covered the cup with tissue paper.  I taped them on well, using up all my scotch tape, but they held together for...

...sticking the cups into the "wall."

Done. 

Simple.

Fun.

If I wasn't subbing, I would have fancied it up.  Conrad suggested painting the box and decorating it with musical notes.  That'd be cute.  But it still worked like a charm!

Everybody wanted to punch the wall to pick a song.  And I let them know up front that I'd only call on kids who were reverent and singing "more lovely than loud" and still loud. 

They didn't know the four pioneer songs I included.  Still, they sang.  Even the Sunbeams. And the Valient 10/11 Boys.  Especially the Sunbeams.  One little Sunbeam who is not known for his stay-in-your-seat or keep-your-shoes-on or sing-at-all-when-it-is-the-appropriate-time skills did all of the above!  And at the end asked why he didn't get picked.  Um.  Its because I was pulling names from a jar.  But promised him he could break a left over cup if he'd just come find me after Sunbeams.  He forgot, so we stopped by his house on the way home so he could "punch the wall."  So glad we did.  He wanted to keep the little paper the song was written on.

Sigh.

I love Primary.

I will miss it.  And the people I served with and learned from.  Gems, they are.

And the saddest part:  How will I ever sit through Sunday School and Relief Society again?

the Sickies

Why is it that kids seem to only get sick in the middle of the night? 

Three kids this week.  First the boy, a free night, then the two girls.  Each yucky, pitiful ( my heart really went out to them), and sick, sick, sick.

Somehow in the day, they were happy at first to watch cartoons and sip on BIG sprites with a bucket close by.  Then they magically have all felt better.  And gotten a little wild.

Ok.  A lot wild.

Oh, well. 

At least there's no more worrying that someone else will get sick. They have.

And we have survived with a life-saving washing machine and dryer (the girls went through EVERY linen and towel I own in one night + we had a load finish the sanatize cycle in the dryer just in the nick of time); a sympathetic, sweet Tyler who did the clean up while I took care of the patients; and hands that haven't cracked yet--though they are dried and close to it.  Eh.  Its the price of hand washing a lot.  And worth it.

Now if only we can avoid the Hand, Foot, Mouth that is circulating.

My Love Affair....with Weed Cloth

I LOVE WEED CLOTH!!!

Yes, Matt, I am shouting this.  Shouting it to the world!

I can't help it.  I love the stuff.

A few months ago I finally convinced Tyler that our (tiny) front yard needed an overhaul.  It is just a spot of grass surrounded by flower beds with a couple of gardenia bushes and a couple of fresia? bushes.  We ripped out the mistakes I planted 5 years ago, trimmed everything back put down weed barrier cloth around the bushes, decorative grasses and ornamental garlic that I still liked, planted a few more decorative grasses to fill in the holes, Tyler re-worked some drippers and we covered the cloth in black bark.

And for 3 months I have done nothing.  We have had neighbors stop by on their regular walks and examine and discuss.  I have seen them through the window.  Because I am not out there weeding.  I have watched Tyler cut the grass, but have not been out there weeding. I have kept the kids coraled safely in the back yard, because I have not been out there, on a busier than I want my two year old to be next to street, not weeding.

Then I noticed the bushes by the garage needed pruning.  And there were a few little weeds (especially the neighbor's pesky raspberries that grow under the fence) growing on the edge of the flower beds or up with an ornamental grass that I decided to pull since I was out there anyway. 

People!  It took just 30 minutes!  What used to take me a week of 30 minutes took me just 30 minutes!  Including the pruning!  Mostly the pruning!  It was just one netflicks of Backyardigans.  The few weeds I pulled were loose and pulled out easily.  Even the raspberries.  Especially the raspberries!  (I don't hate raspberries--I've just never seen these fruit once and the thorns go right through gardening gloves.) 

Again, I LOVE WEED CLOTH!!!

I am Such a Tricky Gal!

If I do say so, myself.

Con has a buddy that likes to eat lunch at our house.  Because he thinks I am giving him a sugar sandwich.  He asks for jam AND honey and just a liiiitle peanut butter. 

So, I give him a slightly less than usual shmear of peanut butter.  Then I put a little glob of honey on one or two parts of the sandwich and a little glob or two of jam on in different areas.  No more honey or jam than I would normally put, just two different types, and globbed so it seems generous when he bites in.

He loves it!

And thinks he is getting away with murder.

Hee-hee!

I wouldn't think of telling him anything else.