Feels like home

We are back in football mode.  The boys are in heaven, they are doing what they love.  Ally is in heaven, hours and hours in the park playing with friends.  I, on the other hand, take a little time getting used to football season...practices every day for 2 hours and having dinner made before practice (if I wait till we get home, the kids don't get dinner), the worry of injury, and the insane heat.  But, I do love watching them play.   As usual, you can find Owen and Davis by looking for the big X's on their helmets.   

Backyard vacation

We haven't been able to travel this summer, but we still have had a good/fun summer. Today we had a little "vacation" in the backyard. We swam and made tin foil dinners (Owen calls them hobo dinners, and I will share a funny story about that in a minute), and then we watched a movie "drive in" style in the back yard thanks to Owens free TV. Our day ended with a firework show for Roy days. We were in the perfect spot watching the movie and was able to see and hear everything. So, the hobo dinners....all night Ally was saying we were hobos. We watched Smurfs and at the end when Gargamel and his cat are homeless on the streets of NY, well Owen turned to Ally and said "see Gator, they are hobos". She said oh, until the cat started licking Gargamels face and she turned to Owen disgusted and said "hobos lick eachother?"   Maybe we were all just tired, but it was pretty funny.  The kids have a movie picked out for tomorrow night, which I am game for, just in the garage please...the mosquitos came uninvited on our vacation. 

Take a guess

Alright so Gator is by the edge of the pool looking over into the water.  Now take a look behind her.  See Davis, looking all innocent.  Anyone who knows Davis can guess what is going to happen.....

That splash is Gator and look at that grin on Davis's face.  He just couldn't pass up that one.   These two are constantly at each others throats.  I don't feel sorry for Gator here, and I didn't get mad at Davis either.   They both dish it out all day long.  It just so happens I caught this one on camera, so it looks like Davis is the mean one.  Poor little girl.....

Parental Supervision Required

I was busy getting some meals ready for Clark to take on the road and remembered I had made an appointment with my friend to cut the boys hair.  I sent them while I stayed home.  Davis took advantage of me not being there, and came home with a new hair do.  It fits him though.  And it is a great football haircut. 

What was wrong with me?

If you really know me, you know I don't cook.  I am not a fan of cooking and the mess just drives me crazy.  But today I got a wild hair and spent the day in the kitchen making zucchini bread, white bread and cupcakes.  Gator took the cupcakes to football practice and spoiled everyones dinner with them, and the bread is about gone thanks to the boys.  It is awfully tasty though, I had my fair share as well. 

The kids always have papers or cards or such saved in their rooms making a mess, so we made some magnet boards for their rooms to hang such items on.  We collected rocks from our hike at the beginning of the summer and painted those and modged podged some paper on cookie sheets.  Another check off our summer list.  We have just a few more activites to finish up and only 3 weeks before school starts. 

I tried to be strong

Yesterday I went into the Jr. High to hand in Owens registration packet.  No big deal, right.  Well, the moment I walked in the door, I burst into tears.  I didn't mean to and I felt pretty silly, but how in the world can this little boy be going into Jr. High???

The secretary promised they would take good care of him.  She was very understanding, made me feel like maybe JUST maybe I wasn't the only mom to have done this in her office.  I came home and laughed it off and told Owen what I had done.  He laughed, but then he said "mom, you are going to ruin my image".  He was joking though.  Although I wouldn't be surprised if in his file there is now a bright neon note stating his mothers emotional instabilities. 

Back in buisness

After a scarey incident with Ally and the pool, I haven't filled it up for the past 2 years. I've just let it sit in the backyard and the kids always begged to fill it up. I tried to give it away, but no one wanted it. Well, this summer I was content to just let it sit unused once again, but the kids finally got their way and we spent the last few days cleaning it out and today we went for a swim. We only have a month to use it this summer, but the kids said they will make that month count and already have lots of plans. 

One of a kind

Ally's primary teacher has been her swimming teacher the last 2 summers.  She just lives right down the road from us and Ally loves to go visit "Mister" Barnes.  I'm glad her teacher can laugh about being called Mister Barnes instead of Sister Barnes.  Anyway, this girl of mine has her own style.  She went to swimming lessons in her evening gown, but had to wear her goggles to keep the sun out of her eyes, and she rode her bike so the helmet is a must.  She was having a hard time with her gown not getting stuck in her wheel, so we rolled up the bottom and tucked into her swimsuit bottom.  I am glad that all my neighbors know her and are used to her and the way she is. 

And later this same day, we went grocery shopping.  Just me and princess Ally.   A little overdressed for Walmart, if I do say so myself, but maybe I was just underdressed in my shorts and tshirt.   

Up close

Sheila gave us a call this morning and invited us to go into Salt Lake with her to see the floats that will be in the 24th of July parade.  Oh my gosh, yes!!  I love the stuff in parades, I just hate the heat and crowds.  So if I can go look at all the floats up close and in an air conditioned building I am so there.  We had a fun time, and these floats were amazing.  We asked questions along the way and learned many fun facts about the parade.  It is a calling in your stake to be the parade float coordinator.  The first meeting for NEXT years floats was tonight.  That means it takes a whole year to create these floats.  One lady we talked to said their float had 36 lbs. of glitter and over 700 man hours.  There is a theme of the parade every year and this year all the floats had to have "building" or "dream" in their title.  I will definitely go to the preview of the 24th of July parade every year from now on. 

This one was "simple" compared to the others.  I still think it was one of my favorites.  It was the wise man and the foolish man.  Cute.    

 There was face painting and balloons at the Expo center as well.  Look at the boys, gross zombies with guns and knives and yuck Owen is eating his brain.  And than look at that sweet little girl in the middle with her princess crown and flower. 

I didn't get a picture of this float, but I think it was my kids' favorite.  A huge float full of ice cream and huge cookies and candies.  It was very cute.  But so was this photo op  by the float, my kids get sick of my camera and I have to choose.  No way they would've posed for a picture by the float and in the sundae.  So the sunde it was. 

Without knowing

I was reading the news tonight, and KSL had an article about it being National Icecream Day.  Now we celebrated National Icecream for Breakfast Day, but how could I have missed Icecream Day?  Well, funny thing is we had made icecream in a bag today.  Well, we tried.  The bag didn't work so well, and we used the freezer, but we still had icecream! 

 Gator gave it a thumbs up, but lets face it, it was sugar and cream and this little girl loves her some sugar!!

 The boys weren't quite as impressed with their icecream.  They at first gave it a thumbs down, but they changed their minds after all it was icecream. 

 My little crafting buddy.  I have been working on a new wreath for outside and Gator has been right by my side making her own. 

 She was so happy with how hers turned out.

 And this is mine.  I too am happy with it, but I am not as cute as Ally and I didn't want to take a picture with mine.  But it looks cute outside. 

Science Day

We made a mess today.  It was our science day.  I have gathered a few experiments that I thought would be fun and put them on "our list" for a day to fill activity.   Krissy and her kids joined us, and at Krissy's expense we spent the afternoon at her house.  Science is not clean. 

 "Elephant toothpaste".  Dallin and Davis don't look too impressed, but they did think it was cool.  This was actually one of my favorite ones,  I was amazed at the heat produced using hydrogen peroxide, yeast and water.  It was very warm. 

 Owen, Davis & Dallin watching Ivory soap explode in the microwave.  I hope Krissy and PJ's food won't taste like soap now. 

 Ally, Eden & Lucy playing with their soap cloud. 

 Of course we did the coke/mento geyser.  I haven't ever actually seen this done before.  I was shocked by how instant it worked.  The second the mento was placed in the bottle there was an eruption. 

 Fizzy balloons.  End result fun, smell really bad. 

 Davis, Owen & Grace with their exploding bags. 

 Eden, Ally and Davis making bouncy balls. 

 Grace & Lucy giving it a shot. 

 Ally, Owen & Eden taking a break from science.