Highlights and Lowlights of July

Lowlights:

• our suicidal fish - Gemma: while at church she leaped out of her fish bowl in background and died in the sink
• farm equipment slowing down traffic 
• our last North Museum visit - we are letting our membership expire for this year

Highlights:

• iconic image - our own fireworks (waiting for sparklers to be lit)
• proving to Women's Club of Manheim members at book club/pool party that i can tread water for over an hour
• a big family bbq and swim - no we don't do burgers and hot dogs; we do London Broil
• neighborhood parties
• and VACATION (teaser pic)

Fourth of July

Yeah I'm behind.  I know it.  I'll do better.  I promise.  But with the nice weather, smiling faces, and fun outdoor activities shown below is it any surprise that I am outside playing instead of inside blogging.

festive holiday hair - star anyone?

yummy dessert - summer fruit - hmm :)

 waterslide fun

 i think the adult smiles are as big as the kid ones!

 later during fireworks - i love the look of awe

 it it any wonder i am smitten with this boy?

about ten minutes into the fireworks, the kids grew still and the night was perfect.

happy fourth of july, good summer, and merry family!

Things That Make You Say Ouch

Not being able to sleep at 2:30 in the morning and so getting up and starting the day.

And then reading this article:  (go on - take a look)
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/upshot/big-birth-announcement-couple-welcomes-16-pound-baby-201325980.html

As for that 23 lb. baby well I am leery of those 1879 records because I have had two year olds that didn't weigh that much - for reals.  And as for this specific 16 lb baby well that is like having two of my babies in your belly and I thought they were big right at 8 lbs.  How does that even fit your stomach?  And what do those stretch marks look like because my stomach has been ravaged at half that weight.

Just so food for thought this lovely Tuesday morning.  Roots anyone?

It's Been Said

Wyatt:  How do babies come out of Moms' bellies?
Me:  They come out their girl parts.
Wyatt:  You mean their butt.
Me:  No not their butt, their vagina.  Remember a boy has a penis a girl has a vagina.  That is where they come out.
Wyatt:  Ewww.  So you mean I touched your gavina at some point.

At the pool in just his swimtrunks
Kody:  (pointing to his right nipple) - This is my happy button.
Kody:  (pointing to his left nipple) - This is my silly button.
Kody: (pointing to his belly button) - This is my mad button.
Kody:  Now push one.

Dakota throwing a fit:
Mom: Dakota, is that how we talk?
Dakota: No
Mom:  How do we talk Kody?
Issac:  (while holding his hand up a la prophet in biblical times)  "We say, Peace be still."

Wyatt was holding his arm out to his side at a 90 degree angle like he is flexing but he isn't.
Wyatt:  Last year my arms looked like this.
Wyatt:  (full on body building flexing) Now they look like this.

Isabella:  Mom do you know any Italian?
Me:  No not really.  Uncle Joseph does though.
Isabella: Not any words.
Me:  Well I know ciao and arrividercci and bella (I don't know the spellings on these)
Travis:  ...and cowabunga
Me:  What?
Travis:  You know cowabunga.
Me:  That's not Italian.
Travis:  Are you sure?  Because they always said it on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and they were Italian.

I Think That Would Be A Good Idea

It never occurred to me until late in elementary school at least that having wooden saloon doors in your house was not normal.  I mean I was born and brought home to this house it was all I knew.  And although they stayed predominantly locked open as shown in this picture, these babies were indeed full functioning saloon doors. 

My enlightenment occurred as my older brothers' friends would come in and ask about them.  And what was even greater is that this door connects the dining room to the kitchen.  And right inside the kitchen off to the left of where I am standing is a once again legitimate, fully functioning wood butcher block type bar with three stools.  Yeah this is where I ate my breakfast of Grapenuts. 

I don't know who ever thought "you know it would be a good idea to put saloon doors and a bar area in your house" but I"m glad they did because I have a hundred memories easily of this very spot: walking through with pistols around my hips, serving up drinks, filling and circling the crystal glasses to make them sing, running in circles trying to tag one another, hiding behind the doors in the smallest corner while playing hide in the seek in the dark for Family Home Evening, making the world's biggest and meatiest salads ever, rolling out chicken pot pie dough, and trying to open the doors into one another's faces purposely.  Yes the doors swing both ways.

The house of my childhood may not be in the shape and condition it once was but I think I value you it more than I ever did before.

Pride Goeth Before the Fall

Proverbs 16:18
"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall."  And nothing proved more true at the gym today than that.  In our Bootcamp class we had a little fitness competition.  There were 9 stations or so and we had a minute to do each one, trying to rack up as many repetitions as possible.  At the end all your numbers were combined to form your score and winner. 

As I went through the first few stations I was killing it: 61 bicep curls in a minute, 71 standing rows, etc...  Pulling further and further ahead of the pack I felt secure in my win because for me it wasn't really about doing my best at each station but coming out the winner in the end.  My best competition was a friend in the class who followed me at each station.  Near the end feeling confident in my winning I went through the stations putting up solid scores feeling no need to push myself to the limits to win.  Only to discover that she in the end beat me by four points or overall reps.  Never had I been so shocked or appalled.  Not at her performance, because I was proud of her, but that I would have such a terrible and proud attitude which in the end led to my failure not in that fitness competition although in that too, but in my character. 

It just reaffirms to me what I was telling my sister in Utah two weeks ago.  In our family we live far below our potential often thinking that if we are doing better than others than there is no need to be doing our best.  This was a good and humbling reminder why I shouldn't compare myself to others and instead should worry about just putting up my personal best.  Oh how I hate humble pie.  But here's to hoping it becomes an acquired taste.

All In A Week's Work

Truly being a stay at home mom is hard work, but being someone who has never minded doing work and actually loves it for the most part I thrive at my job. Last week I got home on Sunday from being gone a week. By Sunday night Travis had said, "Mary is back home" referring to tornado effort to not destroy but instead organize the house from top to bottom making up from when I was gone. And Monday morning I woke up at 5am to jump back into my life and 40 minutes of fun. Travis and I have been working out together before he leaves for work doing the Insanity Workout. Once he leaves I do my thing till the kids wake up and honestly most mornings that means going back to bed. Hey I get points for working out right? Plus I go to the gym later in the morning again anyway.

But being gone the first official week the pool was open my kids were chomping at the bit to get there.  So we spent a lot of time there.  And one day when it was raining we headed on over to the North Museum, honestly I love my annual membership here.  Priceless I tell you.  Then Thursday night we went into Philadelphia to see the Mormon Tabernacle perform.  It was awesome and not being a particular fan of MoTab, take that seriously when I say it was awesome.  The cultural diversity of the music was really great especially when I was sort of expecting it to be all hymn type music.  Then Friday night our family washed and vacuumed both of the cars because of the small rodents who had made nests in my car.  They actually really have...they are named: Bella, Wyatt, Issac, and Kody.

Kody bonked his head shortly after arriving at the museum.
This pic is too cute, but he ended with a bruised lump.  Poor kiddo!



Saturday morning we headed to DC to go to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints temple there. We went to see a friend take out his endowments in preparation for his mission, another friend do hers, and a sweet couple from our ward to be sealed. Conveniently it was turned into our ward temple day and so Travis and was there early for youth baptisms too. So the kids and I played on the grounds until it was time for me to go in and than others in our ward watched our kids. The weather was perfect though and Bella really showed what a great little photographer she is when she stole my camera to experiment. The only down side was a bug bite Bella had a bad reaction to that made me consider taking her to the doctor. No small feet but literally it had swelled to a 7" in diameter circle of super hot, red and swollen madness behind the back of her knee. Luckily it is disappearing slowly.




Issac found a caterpillar that entertained him for about an hour.
Notice in the pic below Wyatt has his found some critters too.

 

And I am spent.  Time for a nap!





 

My hope is that everyone is enjoying the great summer weather and basking in the work of motherhood.