Nothing Like a Summer Wedding

The flower girl took her job very seriously.



The bride was beautiful (veil compliments of yours truly).



The audience was mesmerized.



There was a tense moment when the groom realized (s)he forgot the rings.



But it all worked out.



There was dancing which concluded with a fabulous dip.



Fruit snacks for refreshments was a perfect finish.



What a beautiful day for a wedding.

Signs of Summer

The ice cream man stopped by today.




Yes, that was Batman, minus the ears.

And the hedgie came out. Daisy doesn't remember it, but she liked it last year too.



Gotta love bubbles.



This is where I usually find Daisy...hanging on to my leg.

Nostalgia Lives On

My kids are too young. They don't even know who he is (was).

Teenagers probably think he is (was) fake, perverted, or bankrupt.

To me he will always be the King of Pop. I still know dozens of his songs by heart. I can picture my sister and I dancing and singing to his music.

Despite the way he decided to live his life, his talent is (was) undeniable.

If there is singing in heaven (which there should be), I hope we can still sing some Michael Jackson songs.

And do the moon walk.

So goes another legend.

A Peek Inside My Brain (Don't look too close)

Here are some of my thoughts at the moment in no particular order of importance:

I'm pregnant.

I'm still in that weird it-doesn't-seem-real-yet phase. I keep rechecking the little dollar store test to see if that second line is still there.

I am so excited.

I am sad to think that this pregnancy might make others sad (namely those who think that Tyler and I get pregnant looking at each other while they struggle to conceive). Sometimes life doesn't seem fair.

While I always thought we might have another baby sooner than later because Daisy has always been such a good baby, I didn't think we would get pregnant for a few more months (that was the plan).

I have no idea when my due date is. I haven't been to a doctor. I don't know how far along I am.

I thought my period was just late. It was late last month too. I wasn't even going to take a test but then I had to because we were trying to change some health insurance stuff.

We were pretty much denied everything we wanted to change in health care because we are pregnant. Awesome.

The supplemental insurance we signed up for a few weeks ago will have to be canceled because we were not supposed to get pregnant yet.

Life doesn't always go how you plan.

No, Daisy is not a year old yet.

My poor mother hasn't even finished the birth announcement for my last baby. I can't wait to tell her that she needs to do another.

Would I be happy with another girl? Sure. Do I want a boy? Sure.

June has pink eye—I know this isn't really related, but it is in my thoughts.

Tyler got that familiar smirk he gets when he finds out. I think he is happy too, minus the insurance stuff. I wish I could have surprised him with the news, but it was more like me peeing in the other room and him asking through the door what the result was. Sentimental, huh?

Five kids...that's a lot.

I feel like I lied to my sister. I did take a test in WA, when I was about five days late, and it was negative, so I told her I wasn't pregnant. Oops. (Note to self: this is not the first dollar store test that read negative at the very beginning. It might possibly be worth it to invest in something more reliable so as not to lie to family members, or myself, in the future).

Um...did I mention I'm pregnant?

This is my first pregnancy in my thirties.

I tell myself that this explains why I have been so emotional recently, but let's face it...I'm emotional all the time.

Those are some of my thoughts. I'm off to go do some calculating with the calendar and see if I can figure out when this baby would arrive.

Big Faker

I am in so much trouble!!

Let me explain. Ivory has nap time every day. I usually check on her sometime during nap time to see if she is asleep (she takes a nap 4 out of 5 days). She tends to sleep behind her dresser and kind of under the bed recently and that doesn't bother me as long she seems comfortable.

The other day I was downstairs cleaning in the kitchen and I kept hearing noises from upstairs. Some seemed to be coming from the vent (which connects to the vent which is behind the dresser right where she sleeps). I went up to check on her and she was sleeping. Hmm. I must be imagining things. Later, I heard more strange sounds coming from the vent. I went up to check on Ivory and she was asleep. I even checked on Daisy to see if I was hearing something strange from the baby monitor, but all was quiet upstairs. I had one of those 'Am I going crazy?' moments but I shrugged my shoulders and went back to the kitchen. When I heard the noises again, I vowed to get to the bottom of the mystery. I once again went up to Ivory's room and she was sleeping as before, but I thought I detected some movement. I went over and stood very quietly above her and waited. Almost a minute later, one little eyelid cracked open and Ivory peeked around to see if I had left.

WHAT A STINKER! SHE WAS TOTALLY FAKE SLEEPING!! And I FELL for it.

She laughed and I thought she was pretty funny too. Now I check very carefully during nap time to make sure she is really sleeping.

Fast forward to today. I had dropped the older girls off at the Scera for a movie and I was taking Daisy and Ivory home. I was giving her a bit of a lecture about cleaning up her room and putting her clothes away. I told her that first thing when we got home, I wanted her to clean up. We drove in silence for a while and when I looked back again she was asleep. Oh no, I thought, it is her nap time and she is so tuckered out from swimming and everything. I said, "Ivory, we are almost home, don't fall asleep yet," but there was no response; she was out cold. We were only a couple blocks from home and I figured I would take her right upstairs to her bed. I parked and carefully got her out of the backseat and carried her inside. She kept sleeping on my shoulder and we went upstairs. I put her gently in bed and she pulled her blankets up around her face and that's when I saw it. Was that a hint of a smile???

I closed the door softly behind me but now I was curious. I got Daisy out of the car and played with her for a few minutes, but then I crept back to Ivory's door and opened it slowly. There she was sitting on her dresser reading a book.

WHAT A STINKER! I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE WAS FAKE SLEEPING AGAIN. And I almost FELL for it.

She is three for heavens sake. She did not crack a smile at all in the car. I tell you, this girl is a pro. I am in so much trouble. If she can fool me now, can you imagine what she will get away with when she is older?

Life is Blogerific

Started this post seven times.

Nothing seemed right.

The point is that I am not in a blogging mood.

See you soon...

Oddly, I Left the Rain Behind in Utah

It is a fortunate individual who has more than one place where they are loved and needed.

—Maleen Cazier

I got back from Washington late Sunday night and they must have worn me out more than I thought, because all I did today was sleep. Supremely unproductive, but necessary.

Visiting my family was so much fun. There were some organized moments such as my Mom's birthday party that was filled with humor and way too many good things to eat (I might have to start exercising again, especially if I keep eating that box of See's Candy she sent home with me), but most of the time it was just hanging out with the people I love.

Tim and I got to spend some extra bonding time cleaning up the living room and taking down the Christmas tree (yes, my parents usually leave it up year round, but they thought they would take it down for a change this year). Tim, I apologize if I used the 'mother' tone of voice on you a few times; it comes naturally now.

Miranda and I ran lots of errands around town and I am thankful to have a sister. There is some kind of special bond between sisters which makes me happy for my own girls. Even if you don't always get along with your sister, (although Miranda and I usually do) you know you are never alone.

I got to see a few friends. I visited my friend Kara and got a bit homesick playing with her daughter. She is absolutely adorable.



I got in touch with Dalyn. She is probably better friends with Miranda now, but Miranda is nice enough to share her when I am in town.



Mom pampered me as always; she made some incredible omelets that I am still craving. Dad, I regret that we didn't get to watch anything. I am a sorry excuse for a daughter who flies all the way out there and then doesn't watch a movie with you. I'll make up for it at Christmas time.



And of course many thanks to my husband who made the trip possible. If he hadn't watched the kids I never could have come (stupid expensive airlines). He was wonderful...blogging, cleaning (wink), herding children, and only one of them was damaged when I came back...I call that a success. You are the best Dad too.

Plus, it never hurts to come back to messages like this one.

Father's Day 2009

Raging Stallion sporting the stylish new Father's Day Retro Blues from June, Father's Day 2009. This was June's photograph, using original crop lines.

It's only fitting that I write this post. Maleen's still away in Washington, I miss her so. On this Father's Day, this father has all his girls. It's a handful, but luckily this father has strong hands.

On a side note, Maleen had already given me her Father's Day gift. (See "Tock to Me.")

I had Father's Day yesterday—I've always thought Saturday makes a better Father's Day anyway. (Who planned this for Sunday?) I awoke to a wonderful surprise hatched by my daughters: breakfast in bed. They had spoken with Mom and asked if they could prepare breakfast in bed for Dad. Undetoured by Mom's trip, they found a way to make it work. I'm led to believe that Mom helped them prepare the meal then hide it in an easily accessible location where it could be sought by small hands at the appropriate hour, and June was in charge of the hour.

Happily the hour was a normal one. I can only imagine her getting me up excitedly at 4:30 in the morning. So their surprise pulled off well and I enjoyed my breakfast in bed.

After breakfast it was time for presents. This is not something I planned for so well with Mother's Day, so I felt a little sheepishly guilty accepting presents after breakfast in bed. (Did I mention Maleen plans things way better than I do?) The girls were very excited to give me:

• a Shirt (from June)
• the game of Rook (from Robyn)
  
• the Lord of the Rings Trilogy (from Ivory)

Father's Day gifts after Father's Day breakfast in bed. My girls are pretty darned cute.

It was kind of a rainy day on Saturday—off and on. During the rainy time, we stayed in and watched a movie—one of my personal favorites: Three Amigos. (No, we did not watch Lord of the Rings—I have some scruples as a Father! Check in on Maleen's Dad, though, he showed her a *lot* of weird stuff. Her brain is totally warped because of it. But now that I think about it, it would take a very warped person to get along with me, so maybe I owe him a big thank you for warping her brain so!) Three Amigos is not exactly a kid's show and there are some parts that use a little harder language than I like my kids to be used to, but there we were relaxing on the couch: American Dad style. As a side note, I didn't think I had so much of the movie memorized; and if I did, I didn't think I'd be able to remember it after so many years...but that's the funny thing about movie quotes—they are always there! I enjoyed singing and quoting the lines to my daughters, though I'm not sure they appreciated the quotes as much as I did. There are so many good quotes from that movie!


Yes, the Three Amigos. Awesome movie. How else would you celebrate Father's Day?

My favorite quote:

El Guapo: Would you say I have a plethora of pinatas?

Jefe: A what?

El Guapo: A *plethora*.

Jefe: Oh yes, you have a plethora.

El Guapo: Jefe, what is a plethora?

Jefe: Why, El Guapo?

El Guapo: Well, you told me I have a plethora. And I just would like to know if you know what a plethora is. I would not like to think that a person would tell someone he has a plethora, and then find out that that person has *no idea* what it means to have a plethora.

Jefe: Forgive me, El Guapo. I know that I, Jefe, do not have your superior intellect and education. But could it be that once again, you are angry at something else, and are looking to take it out on me?

Ah, the memories I'm making with my children!

Sometime in the morning, I did the only chore that is unquestionably mine (at least for the next four or five years): I mowed the lawn.

We did some cleaning, as I'm sure that's what Maleen would want me to do if she were here. (*Wink* to Maleen.) I didn't get as much cleaning done as I wanted to, or that Maleen would have wanted me to, so I guess I'll have to keep winking and hope she doesn't see the mess we've made.

We also went to Discovery Park. It was one of the things that the girls had wanted to do as part of their summer activities. For some reason or another, we hadn't been able to go the week we drew this one out of the jar, so I made good on it. We had loads of fun and Ivory discovered the tire swing and its accompanying bliss.


Ivory meets the tire swing. Ivory, Tire Swing. Tire Swing, Ivory. She loves that thing!

Daisy also had a great time at Discovery Park.


Daisy having fun in the bee hive at Discovery Park.

When the rain finally overran us, we headed for home and I made dinner. It was leftovers and my specialty: potatoes. June found my spuds particularly sculptable. She sculpted the taters into as many things as she could. This was one of her first creations. She calls it Potato Stained Glass. I think she may be destined to be a creative.


This is some of Dad showing through in her personality. Yes, I used to carve spud creations when I was a kid too, didn't you?

We ended the night with some talking and a lot of playing. I tried to work on the house, but I didn't have much luck. Maleen knows what I'm talking about.

And that's Father's Day. Tune in tomorrow (maybe) and I'll get Sunday, stake conference day, up on the blog too.

Girls Day Out...With Dad

Well, Maleen's visiting her family in Washington this Father's Day. That means I get the kids for the weekend. How bad could it be? I play with my kids everyday. I do chores in the evenings. Sure, Maleen works hard with the kids, but I can do this, right?

Let me take this instant
to remind all you Dads out there,
while you celebrate Father's Day, that we are nothing without our wives.

With that said, let me tell you a little about what we've done sans Maleen. We dropped her off at 1530 hours (That's 3:30 for the millitary-time non buffs). There was great wailing in the car as one by one the kids realized what we meant by, "Mom's going to Washington for the weekend." See, in the beginning that translates to: "I'm going to miss Mom." Then after a lilttle while the reality sets in: "Dad's taking care of me...I really miss Mom!"

I figured that since we were in Salt Lake, we could visit the temple and have a little calorie-burn time as we walked around the grounds.

We started in the Church Office building, which has the globe on the side of the building. Robyn pointed out that the whole world was right here. I agreed mostly, but I too was already missing most of my world—she was flying away from me right then. We took a jaunt inside to meet Sister Johnson, who introduced us to the mural of the Savior with the "magic foot." If you're unfamiliar with this phenomenon, you need to take a trip to meet Sister Johnson also. She's a very nice grandma who works very well with children and will gladly demonstrate the "magic foot" for you. Incidentally, she's also in charge of taking people up the super elevator and onto the observation deck, where we got this picture.


Salt Lake City Temple as photographed from the 26th Floor Observation Deck of the Church Office Building.

Many of the church representatives there commented on how full my hands were. This would have been comforting if we were just talking about the 4-girl part of the handful. But they were more commenting in an effort to have Dad (that's me) calm the tide of running children. (Apparently it's not considered safe to be running around at full speed on the 26th floor.)

After the 26th floor, we descended to the gardens around the temple, which are in immaculate bloom right now. We got many photographs of flowers the girls pointed out. I had to remind the girls that the flowers are there for seeing and smelling—not just for photographing.

We also checked in on all the fountains and water works around. The girls love the reflecting pool.


Ivory, Robyn, and June as we entered the Temple Square grounds.


June and Robyn at the reflecting pool at the Salt Lake City Temple.


Robyn, Ivory, and June chillin' at the one of the fountains on the temple grounds.

We also spotted Moroni over and over.


Moroni atop the Salt Lake City Temple. Personally my favorite photo I've ever taken at a temple, excluding the one of Maleen and Me kissing at the Seattle Temple.

Ivory didn't want to be in all the other glam shots with June and Robyn, so she asked for this picture. For props she adopted a chain link fence separating visitors from construction taking place on the grounds right now. Specifically she wanted the post with a sandbag at its foot so she could stand on top. (I didn't quite get the sandbag in the picture).


Ivory presenting Blue Steel on the construction fence at the Salt Lake City Temple.

We visited both visitor centers and we really enjoyed the big statue of the Christus. We even made it to the Tabernacle, where we talked about how there were almost 12,000 pipes in the pipe organ (I only know that because I took the tour last week with some clients from FPS Gold's Directions 2009 Conference). We talked about how Daddy attended a conference session with President Hinckley right there in that building. They could see right were he stood at the platform. But apparently by this time Dad had forgotten that we had a camera, so no pictures.

After that whirlwind afternoon, Robyn declared that she was "pooped." We headed for the barn, confident that Maleen would be touching down in Washington by then. We would have to return home for her phone call. The Washington clan lives about as far from the airport as we do, so we knew we had about an hour to get home.

I made dinner when we got home (another area that I admit I take for granted—Man, Maleen can cook!). Since Maleen would be calling any minute, I told the girls we could read books until she called. We got into the first book, the Book of Mormon, and then the second...and the third...and the fourth... At this point I was pretty sure that Maleen was consumed by the fun of Washington and had forgotten to call her family (mourning her absence a thousand miles away).

So, I called her, and of course I got her. Apparently she had only just walked through the door because of horrendous rush-hour traffic... Whatever, I was just glad to have her on the phone and we regaled her with our adventures in SLC that afternoon.

That's where we'll leave it for today. Tomorrow, I'll tell you about Father's Day, which I had early; but I don't want to spoil it for all the other Dad's out there.

P.S. A couple of things I keep hearing myself say:

• "Stop hitting her."
• "Don't look at her that way."
• "Too loud, baby's asleep."
• "Gentle with Daisy."
• "Girls, not inside."
• "Yes, you're beautiful."
• "Anybody need to go potty?"
• "That's why we ask if anybody needs to go potty."

P.P.S. I would have some photos of Daisy and me, but we were holding the camera.

Rescue Mission Successful

So I sent out an S.O.S. a while back and I have been saved.

Thanks ladies.

And you know I had a good time because I enjoyed myself so much that I forgot to take any pictures. So, here is the picture where I got the centerpiece idea.



Reading is great but hanging out with you may be even better.

I'm Strong to the Finich...

Cuz I eats me spinach. I'm Popeye the sailor man. Toot toot.



Check out the arm on this girl. Has she been working out? Is spinach really the answer? Has arm wrestling the boys in the neighborhood finally paid off?

Nope.

This arm is brought to you compliments of a mosquito. Sakes alive, she swells up like a balloon. Her arm reminds me of another time when she put a hair-tie around her wrist as she was going to bed. I didn't find it until the next morning when her hand was swollen to twice its normal size. I freaked out a little bit but once the elastic was off and the circulation back, the swelling gradually went down until it was back to normal.

Likewise these bites don't last forever, but in the meantime, I couldn't help thinking all day that she looked like Popeye. Moreover, Tyler came home tonight, took one look at Robyn's arm and said, "Robyn, you look like Popeye."

Now you see why we are married.

*There has been some doctoring of the photo thanks to Tyler, but that arm is all her.

Book Worms

Today was library day. We got our load of books as usual. The girls each get to choose two, the older girls each choose three books at their reading level, I get to choose a few and then one person chooses something out of non-fiction (you know, to broaden our horizons). We leave with about twenty books each week.

I love it. There is something magical about sitting down with the kids and reading new stories together (well, old stories too).

Then coming home in the car, I thought I would burst with motherly love. There were my children sitting quietly looking through their books. Every so often they would stop and exchange with their neighbor.

Then the random comment would come out such as "Mom, this Nutcracker is just like ours becept ours is Barbie." I keep forgetting to document that Robyn says BEcept instead of EXcept. It is so darling. I don't correct her because soon enough she will learn to say it right and I will miss hearing BEcept.

*Contented Sigh*

I Should Have Worn Waterproof Mascara or Summerfest

Okay, so you already know that we started Saturday morning in a tent. I'm going to add here (not a complaint but simply a fact) that Tyler told me today that when he took the tent down, he saw that I had been sleeping on an irrigation pipe (the kind where you turn the water off and on). Is it any wonder that I didn't sleep well? But, camping is old news, let's get into the rest of that crazy day.

See, I really wanted to go to Summerfest. I like to let the girls go on rides and I love the booths. Tyler may have blackmailed me by saying that if I did not accept camping graciously, there would be no Summerfest for me. I'm sure he didn't mean that...maybe. I had it all planned out as we left the canyon. We would take the kids home, bathe them, let the baby nap, and feed them lunch before we left (because hungry kids = no cash left at the end of the trip). Everything was working out according to plan.

Shortly after noon, we arrived at Summerfest. Each child was allowed to choose one ride. June chose the carousel and I told Tyler to take the kids while I stood in the long ferris wheel line. He even did a great job taking pictures.



They joined me a short time later and we were making good progress toward the wheel.

Then we started watching the skies.

It was such an awesome sight to behold, I'm not really sure how to describe it. You could see the clouds rolling in. It was like watching a documentary where they speed the film up, except this was no film. The clouds were moving so quickly, you could see the ends curl out of the way as the the mass of gray proceeded. This picture does not do the scene justice. Look where the clouds are touching the mountains; now imagine the clouds swallowing the mountains before your very eyes. There were also banks rolling in above us but we didn't get those.



We also noticed that the ride guy had stopped putting people on the ride. This was very annoying as we were only five or six people back from the front. He finally turned and explained that he would open the ride again after the storm passed. What storm?? It was only a massive bank of gray clouds.

We tried another ride but they were closing up shop too. Then the first few drops plopped around us. Gradually they came quicker and Tyler suggested that we go back to the car and wait it out. We shoveled all four kids into the stroller (thank goodness we took the kidaroo which protects them from the elements) and we headed toward the car. We only made it about twenty feet before the deluge began. It was like a monsoon out there. We were instantly soaked. We made it to the intersection but it wasn't our turn to cross so we just looked at each other and laughed as rain poured down around us.

The wind was whipping really good now and I looked over to see a gargantuan tarp come loose from the ground and land partly over a car in the right hand lane. It was a tarp that was left there by people hoping to see the parade later, and I think it must have been a 30x30. I didn't even think and I just ran and started pulling it off the car and back onto the grass. Several other people joined in but even with five of us, it wasn't going very far because the wind was picking it up like a sail and dragging us back into the street. I told everybody to keep it as low as possible and pull it across the ground so the wind couldn't grab it. (Imagine me yelling this over the chaos.) Tyler wanted to help, but I told him I would meet him at the car because he had the stroller full of kids. Finally it was just me and this guy pulling the tarp back while hail stung my arms and the wind whipped around us. He lost his ring somewhere in the tarp but found it shortly afterward while I continued to drag the tarp under a nearby tree hoping that would be enough shelter from the wind.

Finally I had done the best I could and I could see the walk signal down at the intersection. I yelled a thank you and went splashing away. My jeans were soaked and heavy and I ran in my flip flops through gigantic puddles, but who cared...there wasn't an inch on me that was dry anymore. Tyler had the kids in the car and he was stowing the last of the gear. We laughed as we jumped in the car, drenched beyond belief. The kids fared pretty well, they were a bit shaken up, but surprisingly dry.

And so we headed home after having gone on ONE ride. But this is Utah...you only have to wait a little while for the weather to do something completely different. We went home, changed out of our wet attire (even my underwear was soaked) put two down for a nap and curled up to watch a movie with the older kids. By the time the movie finished, the other two were starting to wake, the sun was shining and we decided not to waste all those damp ride tickets we still had in our pockets.

Back to Summerfest we went. We bought a pizza on the way and called it dinner (because $5 buck pizza is cheaper than anything you'll see there) and we hit some more rides.



Daisy hung out with me (I don't think I actually got on a ride this year).



I really kept her happy by feeding her graham crackers non-stop. Can you see the chipmunk cheeks?



We did splurge on a Jamba Juice or two, but I always forget that Ivory is really susceptible to brain freezes. I think she got at least 14. It is such a battle for her because she wants the drink so much, but it hurts her. Sip, cry, repeat; that is how it goes.

Then we finally had a chance to check out the booths. I saw some cute stuff, but in the end, my girls are just like me. They are face painting junkies.



I actually opted for a hair extension. It is just one strand of blue hair that will last 4-6 weeks. I didn't play dress up a lot as a girl, so I am making up for lost time.

Then we headed back for the car but the parade was going by then, so we stopped and watched it for a while. However, at the first drop of rain, I was no fool and I got every kid in the car in a flash. Good thing too, because the night decided to end in rain. Mother Nature certainly could not decide which way to go on Saturday; although regardless she put on a dazzling display.



As it was, we still got home around nine (past little ones' bed times) and went about tucking kids into bed. I let the girls sleep in their paint and even wear it to church today (hee hee), because why not? It isn't going to last forever. Plus, I always tell them they have to look nice for church and as you can tell from the pictures...they know they were looking nice.

And you would think that would be the end of the day, but I actually had not done the grocery shopping and we were out of some key ingredients, so I did the 10pm shopping trip. Seriously—Longest. Day. Ever. It seemed like we had gone camping years ago, when in fact it was only that morning.

Whew...so there you have it. I wonder how many of you made it through this narrative. What can I say? Long day = long post.

Too Tired to Be Inspired or The Ward Campout

This has been the longest day in history...

...but I get ahead of myself. I am not actually going to write about today at all (well, just a tad). Instead, rewind to last night when we went to our ward camp out. Last year I was very pregnant (only two weeks away from delivering) but I honestly think I slept better last year. Sad huh?

But let's be honest about the whole thing and try not to let my negative non-camping side dominate this post.

Low: Daisy was up really late (three hours past her bedtime).
High: That makes for a tired baby who slept the entire night through (yep, not a peep out of her...wish I could say the same for all children in the campsite).

Low: Yes, some children were very loud and I think the child in the tent next to us shed some light on the phrase 'Not a happy camper'. Poor guy.
High: None of my children woke up to any of the outside noise, and I wake up to anything (i.e. my baby sighing in her sleep), so no harm done.

Low: The children shared a sleeping bag spread on top of them like a blanket and tossy-turny (June) pulled the covers off of her sisters all night. I had to play blanket police and recover Ivory every hour or so. Sorry Robyn, you were next to Dad and he sleeps better so I'm afraid your night was a bit colder.
High: Despite the rock I was sleeping on (the kids got the foam pads this year) I did manage to snag a stretch of sleep where I actually dreamed, but it was about Satan and Cell Phones. Who am I kidding...there weren't many highs about last night.

Now that didn't sound very biased, did it?

High: Bro. Johnson (a.k.a. the most self sacrificing man I know) once again made a tremendous breakfast for everyone in the morning and he brought along his snowcone machine which is a HUGE hit with the kids. He does this every year and I am so amazed.

High: "Camping" still included bathrooms, and all that other non-campy stuff that I love when I am "roughing it," but they also added this beauty that wasn't there last year.



I am not complaining a bit when my children spend their time here instead of in the creek or perusing the woods looking for ticks. Robyn learned a new trick that she insisted be documented.



And Daisy enjoyed the wood chips (a little too much—that girl is the fastest hand in the west when it comes to putting things in her mouth that don't belong there).



High: We brought Moxy and she was a hit. Every child spent some time chasing her and wanting to love/choke/squeeze/pet/play with her. I think this might have been a low for Moxy but she handled it very well.



High: I didn't burn dinner this year!! Granted, I only threw together frozen chicken nuggets and tater tots, but they reheated nicely in my foil/newspaper/foil wrapped packets. The key— layers.

High: Tyler was there.



I never tire of spending time with my husband but sometimes I feel like we are just tag-teaming the kids and passing each other in the night. He took the baby often so I could help the other kids. He set up and took down the tent by hiself this year. He wanted to play guitar by the fire; I wanted him to help get kids settled in bed. However, we still have our moments. The last thing we did before we left was play frisbee. Tyler and I fought for the disc like two school kids. He let me ride on his shoulders at one point. I laughed a lot and when we got in the car I exclaimed, "I love camping" to which Tyler gave me an incredulous look, having heard my rant about sleeping earlier that morning. You are right Tyler, that wasn't the correct statement...it should have sounded like this..."I love you, and I can deal with camping if you are there."

There you have it...yesterday. But that was only the beginning my friends. Wait until tomorrow when I have time to write about today. I sense a pattern.

Tock to Me

I saw this picture on a website back in February.



I decided that I needed one, but with pictures of course. After thinking it through, I decided I could get it ready for Father's Day. Well, it is a good thing that I gave myself some leg room, because it took longer than I wanted to assemble; mainly because the dollar store did not have a good selection of frames at first and I was NOT going to pay more than a dollar per frame (I wanted this project to be awesome AND thrifty).

And then because I can't keep anything a secret and I love to give gifts early, I put it up for Tyler today. Granted I will not be in town for Father's Day, so that was the perfect excuse to be bestowing presents ahead of schedule. So here it is...



I am super pleased with the end result except for the hands. I bought them off Ebay in March and they sat around in my baby's room for quite some time. I think the kids may have damaged them a bit because they tell the time, but they seem to be a little slanted—the hour hand doesn't point quite at the place it should (I'm still trying to adjust them).

But considering what they did to the clock I took down off the wall, I should be happy. I really liked my old clock and I left it on the bed while I was putting up my picture one. The kids hadn't even touched it, until I left the room for a moment and I heard June say, "Look how fast time is going," and I came in to see her twirling the hands as fast as she could. Yep, they don't work anymore.

The good news is that I have a clock that I like more now.