GLORIOUS DAY AT THE COAST

    Wednesday, June 25, 2008, we decided to take a day trip to the Pacific Ocean. It was a magnificent day...not too hot, nor too cold. We like to take these short "day" outings to the coast and be able to come back to our home and the comfort of our own bed.

    We took the two Yamaha Rhinos, so that we could  cruise along the beach a bit faster than walking. When we arrived at our destination and realized that we were the only people there, it was heaven for Bill and I. Neither of us like crowded areas, so this was delightful. We threw all of our stuff in the back of the Rhino's and off we went. Driving along the mile-long trail to get to the ocean, was
lovely!

    After being awe-struck for a moment at the beauty of it all, I realized that my children couldn't wait to dig their feet into the sand. Their first instinct was to find the biggest, unharmed shell, or the perfect sand dollar, or something rare that hasn't been discovered by them at the ocean. We usually don't find the greatest of things here, it's just the company and the atmosphere that makes this little favorite spot of beach seem like our own.

We begin our searches, bags in hand, eyes focused on all the washed up shells. As we are walking along, and just shortly after each of my kids has already found their perfect sand dollar, Maddy spots "Patrick" stranded on the shore. I have never before seen a real star fish just lying around. I was a bit freaked out at the feel of it and at the way he just clung to the rocks on his underside. He was even holding a perfect, exceptionally small sand dollar. Maddy carried poor Patrick around with her for a while trying to decide if she should throw him back or just keep him, because deep down she knew this probably wouldn't happen again. She did the right thing and had dad throw it back out into the ocean.

We had a great day. We all got a bit sunburned, but who cares? It was great!

LOTION

    Little miss Amber just LOVES lotion and I have periodically found her in situations just like this! I love it!
    

    In the whole of all this, I am a proud mama to know that my 2 yr. old can help herself get comfortable, OR in trouble ...whichever she is really trying to accomplish.

  There is NO WAY I can get mad at this...I find it to be COMPLETELY ADORABLE!  After all,  it's only lotion, greasy hair, a slippery kitchen table and a beautiful Amber, with globs on her face.  Look at how proud she is though! 

    The other day, I found a similar incident in my room, where she had lathered up our TV remote, with lavender lotion and I still giggle when I use it to turn the TV on at night.  Such good times shouldn't be forgotten, or condemned, but rather wrapped carefully with love and placed in our memory chamber.  I love her and wouldn't trade her for anything. 

WHO CRIES OVER ONIONS?

    On Tuesday night, we decided to make tin foil dinners and cook them out back, in the fire.  Maddy was in the kitchen helping me, when she informed me that she wanted to cut the onions.  "Ok, your eyes will water and they will sting, but you can do it,"  I warned her.  She left the room and told me to leave the onions alone and that she will be back.  This is what she came back with!  This is SOOOOO MADDY!!!!  I love her to death. By the way, it works according to her. 

KISSES BEFORE CHURCH

    Jake and Amber were all dressed and ready for church on Sunday afternoon, when I spotted them  just talking.  They were being so nice to one another and there wasn't any screaming, or yelling from either one of them(which, as of lately seems like a rarity). I had Maddy snap a shot of tender kisses they exchanged. This is the moment right after. 

FBOBBING FOR APPLES

SPRINKLERS

    Two of my girls, playing in the sprinklers.

FINGERPAINTING

    When I normally do Amber's hair, I set her up on the counter in my bathroom, for better access.  I need to rethink my bad idea.  Most times, she is busy playing with my makeup and such (which I don't mind cuz she holds still). Well, today I didn't see the bottle of lotion and away she went.  After the first smudge on the mirror I thought, "What the heck, you go girl!  Just sit still until I am done."  She ardently painted while I finished her hair. What a lovely-lotion-layout.  I love it!

PICNIC

    This morning Maddy and I got up early and started weeding our gigantic garden.  Shortly after, we had the whole clan out working to get those weeds under control.  It went a lot faster with many hands.  Time flew by and before we knew it, lunchtime was here.  The kids wanted to go to their school for a little picnic.  As tired as we all were that actually sounded refreshing and calm.  It was the perfect day...not too hot, not too cold.  Her are some cute pics of my kids.  Just having some fun.

VERDICT....GUILTY!

Amber did what every mother dreads...she took the scissors to her hair this morning.  I was finishing up some cleaning in the kitchen, when she proudly came running in and shouted, "Mom, Amber cut hair in Ashey's room!"  I was caught off guard as Amber is quite the mindful child and doesn't do things like this (or so I thought). It wasn't completely obvious and I'm thankful she didn't cut it the way that some kids cut their hair... to the scalp! However, she did give herself some short, uneven bangs on one side of her forehead.  She was proud, so I refrained from yelling and found the best way to handle the situation, by reassuring her that only mom cuts hair!  She WILLINGLY and PROUDLY took me to the crime scene and sure enough, there were her precious little hair strands, on the floor in Ashley's room.

I gathered them up and took this picture for evidence.  Jury needed no deliberation time. Verdict... guilty of hair altering, in the first degree!  Sentence: 2 years of no scissor use, unless accompanied by an adult.  Fair sentence I think.  I hope that this is the last time she pulls this, "two year old hair stylist stunt." I can handle most things.....just not hair cutting! 

MUD BATHS

    We were granted a day of warmth in this sun-deprived month of June and all of the sudden, my kiddos think they need to swim....in their homemade mud baths out back?!? THE CUTEST THING EVER! 

    They LOVED it and what it DID do, was make for lots of laundry, stained clothing tossed into the garbage, lil' mud footsies all over the cement and dirty tubs for me to clean. But what it also did, was make for cute pictures, great memories and smiling kids!  

    It's our way of swimming out here in the country, I suppose and it's our way of taking advantage of great weather, when we can.

    Notice the goggles on Jacob!  I don't know what he thought he was going to see in that muck!? Oh how I LOVE MY KIDDOS!

103 SPRINKLERS LATER

    The 8 am to 7 pm yard project is done for the day.

    My wonderful kids also put in some effort after school, to help us through this hideous job.  They helped as kids usually do, in their own dawdling way. They each carry their own weaknesses(as do I), when it comes to hard work, but for the help that was offered (or bribed for) I am grateful.

    All 103 sprinklers work, thankfully and I counted every one of them.  Aaahhh the joyous day has arrived that we can go out, drink in hand (water, or pop) and just sit in the porch swing and marvel at our finished yard.

    Don't think that I just ran around all day with camera in hand.  I took a 5 min. break to snap those shots....I couldn't pass it up.

HAPPY HAPPY DAY!

THE RAYS OF BEAUTY

    The clouds FINALLY parted today and the sun drew us all outside! It was a GLORIOUS day today!

BREAD MAKING 101

    I decided that today (since it's dark and gloomy AGAIN), that I would make grandma's yummy Swedish coffee bread.

    I like to do things like this when the kids are at school, or napping, because I know how much faster and cleaner it is when ALL the kids are gone. But today Amber was NOT napping, she was awake playing in her room, I thought she'd never hear me.

    I began making my bread knowing that miss Amber was occupied.  I was hurrying along, because I knew that my time alone was limited.  The sound of the Bosch mixer must've been louder that I thought, because little miss Amber came running in the kitchen saying, "Mommy, Ambew hewp you?" 

  

    How could I NOT let her help me, when she asked with such a sweet voice and cute words? I nearly made it from beginning to end, without little hands making things messier and more complex.  Not today, but I LOVED IT!

FATHER-SON CAMPOUT

    Last weekend was the father-son campout for the ward. Bill and Jacob got to go and have a night to camp, without any girls around(like that's any fun)!?  Here are a few pics of Jake....thanks to dad. Good times. No tics luckily.

PUTTIN' IN SPRINKLERS

    I often times wonder about the projects that Bill & I get ourselves into, or that just happen. Both of us enjoy physical labor and have done plenty of it!

    So far this year, we have put in a huge garden, an orchard, a drip system for all of that, fenced the whole thing to keep deer out, had our shop finished and now we are putting in the sprinkling system.  I just hope the end of yard work is near, so that this year we can sit and enjoy having company over for BBQ's and such.