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In the car yesterday we got into a conversation about “accidents”.  Zach wanted to know if grown-ups ever had them, “not usually”, and if I ever did when I was a kid, which prompted the sharing of a most embarrassing moment in first grade where I didn’t dare ask the teacher to use the bathroom.  I finished telling the story and Zach says, “thanks for the good advice, Mom.”  Glad I could help.  

Especially for camping.  We LOVE camping in our backyard!  Satisfies everyone… the kids love to sleep in the tent and the campfire; we love the proximity to the bathroom and not hauling camp gear for 3 kids more than 30 feet.  You just can’t beat it – and it gets even Carter and me to sleep in the tent!  






 

Carter and I went to Target tonight, forced by the dwindling amount of food in the pantry and fridge since we have been embracing summer fun and avoiding taking 3 kids to the grocery store.  I usually go after we get the kids in bed, which has been late lately – they don’t fall asleep till dusk and I’d rather have them up than awake in their beds for an hour.  So, at 9:15 we headed out.  Carter was so good (his first time front-facing in the bjorn and he loved it!) and we made good shopping time, so we were in line by the “Target is closing in 5 minutes” announcement.   Not the first time I have heard the announcement on a shopping trip.  It was, however, the first time I was THE last shopper in the store.  I had gotten in line behind a lady with a hundred things, and I had a hundred things, and we had a “new team member” checker.  All of a sudden I looked around and we were the only customers left!  Yes, just me, Carter, and a bunch of people in red shirts.  We got to see what they do with the hangers, hear the lady with the microphone give a pep talk to the employees over the loudspeaker – they even asked me what door I was going out so they could lock up the other one.  And then I thought that the last customer in the store should get a prize.  So I bought myself some peanut butter m&m’s, and smiled all the way home.

My 4 favorite things about the 4th of July:

After one of our many conversations about not having a pacifier out of her bed, Emma declared, “I don’t need my paicifier to go to sleep anyways.  I want to throw it in the garbage.”  I have to say that I was not pushing for that… even tried to talk her out of it… I was remembering how Zach’s naps disappeared with the pacifier and was not ready to give up hers quite yet.  But she persisted, although Zach talked her into giving the pacifier away to cousin Sara instead of tossing it into the trash.  So here it is – wrapped up, addressed, and ready to go.  The thrill of the new baby with a bathtub and fishing game (you get more prizes when you take Dad to the store!) had worn off by the second night, and we had a few evenings of wailing “But actually I didn’t want to mail it!”  But now, a week later, our big girl is just that – big enough not to need a pacifier; big enough to paint her own toenails (they are lovely :); big enough for lip gloss of her own and to turn on the faucet in the bathroom and (unfortunately) to have “quiet time” instead of a nap.  We are so proud of our big girl!

Zach last night, holding up a [squished] package of hot dog buns he was supposed to be putting on the table for dinner:  “Oh!  I didn’t know they’d squish if you sat on them!”

So when we came back from vacation Zach’s buddy Henry had taken off his training wheels – so Zach had to take his off too.  Nate was gearing up for the transition… and all it really took was helping Zach learn to get started and by the next day he was cruising all over!  He and Henry love to ride across the grass and crash on purpose.  He’s quite a bike rider!  

I am so lucky to have such fun girls in my families!  Besides a great mom and a great sister, my brother and all of my brother-in-laws picked such fun wives!  While we were in SLC, I got to go for a pedicure with the girls on my side of the family, and have a bridal shower for the most recent addition to the Adams’ side. It was so fun to spend those times hanging out with the girls.  Aren’t they cute!  

Since we were headed to Salt Lake for Nate's vacation, we decided to bless Carter while we were there so all the grandparents could be there.  We did it on Father's day at Nate's church after stake conference with just our families, and had a nice lunch at the Adams' afterwards with everybody (thanks Mom and Becky!)  Carter holds the distinction of being the only one of our kids to scream during his blessing.  It was a nice way to spend Father's day… with the wonderful father of my kids, my own wonderful dad, and my sweet father-in-law that will claim me even if I did go to BYU.   

They woke up at 7 and it was only 8 when I couldn't take the begging any more and I let them out to run in the sprinkler.  Never mind that it was only 67*…. they didn't mind a bit, and the looks from the neighbors were priceless.