Coke & Pepsi

On Saturday I went inside to shower to get ready for a graduation picnic. I decided to make my salsa before getting ready, and while I was busy chopping vegetables, noticed Nate's Uncle Paul and family in the barnyard. I quickly learned that we had just inherited two little baby lambs who needed a home. My first emotion was anger. We do not need one other thing that demands our time. But, after I got over it, I realized that this might be a good project for Clay. He has so many "good" excuses as to why he can't help Sam feed the horses, or take care of the dog, or clean his room. He is very good at avoiding work. Well, he has fallen in love with these lambs. I asked him what he wanted to accomplish this summer and he told me, "I want to be kind to my lambs." That's Clay. I hope that he will feed them consistently too! (without too much of my nagging)

I need to mention that the girls fell in love with them too, or maybe it was the huge baby bottles. They are always right in the middle of things when it's feeding time.

Baseball

We are now well into baseball season. This week marks the beginning of 4 nights a week spent at the ballfields, at three suckers and one nachos per game...we'll have to think of a better distraction. The bag of apples lasted about an inning. I am embarrased to say that I am happy when it rains and I secretly hope for a cancelled game. (like last night!!!) But really, four nights a week is quite a bit for a 4 and a 2 year old, not to mention the nervous mother that has to keep close tabs on those restless souls. All complaining aside, I am happy to watch the progress of Sam and Clay. Sam got to pitch for an inning in his last game. He was so serious, and did quite well. He did walk a couple of hitters, but overall only allowed one run. Way to go Sam!!!

I Love To Blog

Confession. I love to blog. I love to sit down at the end of the day or the end of the week, and post pictures, stories, and an occasional personal insight. I love to browse through the things I have written and remember, however recent, the things that we have been doing, thinking, being. I love to open my blog and see a new comment posted. I love feeling connected with my Grandma, parents, siblings, cousins, aunts & uncles, who all live too far away to share the day to day. I love "reuniting" with mission companions and college roommates; dear, dear friends who have shaped my life, helped me turn into the person that I am today, shared laughter and tears (well, not too many of those: if you know me really well you know what I mean). So, family, friends, and fellow bloggers, thank you for bringing this little piece of joy into my life. Thank you for reminding me how good it feels to stay connected (something I'm not really good at). Thank You!

And It Came To Pass

On one rainy morning this week, the girls put their horses to sleepand then settled in for their own night time routine. From the kitchen I heard them "reading." "And it came to pass that Jesus said...""And it came to pass..." It's not hard to believe that, even at such a young age, these little minds and big spirits are so impressionable. So, next time you may think that it's not worth the effort, remember, they do catch on. Even if it only is. "and it came to pass." {but I'm confident it's more}

Zoo

Today I had the rare treat of spending the day with Clay. As the "middle child" he has not had much time alone with mom. Although, now that I am thinking about it, he would accompany me on those Relief Society visits in Ohio when Sam was in preschool. We did have our mornings that year. Anyway, that has been almost 5 years ago. Time alone with my Clay has been sparse. But I found a sitter for the girls and took the bus down to the zoo to spend the day with my boy. What a fun day. We met some friends there and I had every intention of letting the kids "explore" and watch the animals while I enjoyed some adult conversation as well. Clay wasn't going to have any of that. We were barely off the bus and he was begging to see the leopards. He wasn't much for stopping anywhere until we had seen the leopards. He wanted to see how "fierce" they were. So, we were off, and we weren't waiting for anyone anywhere. We excitedly went from animal to animal. Imagine Clay's surprise when we finally got to the leopard and on the sign it describes these creatures as "shy and elusive." He was floored. It really was a riot to see his expression. He was still impressed with these beautiful creatures. {I love tigers!} I missed out on any photo op of us together, but we did get a few of some of the animals, and some of my hansome boy.

The River Is High

When we go to the park for a walk, Amelia brings along the camera she got for her birthday. She got this shot of this awsome bridge, and as you can kind of see, the river is getting a little high. We went back on Thursday morning and this is what we saw
By our house, the river looks like this The river just absolutely fascinates me. I think it is amazing how fluid, changing, and strong it is. It has the power to shape the landscape and transport rocks, sticks, and seeds. It is something to respect and, at times, something to fear. This year, I think the Lord has been merciful thusfar. Just when we had a nice dose of beautiful warm weather{finally}, and the river responded fiercely, we were blessed with a couple of cool nights, slowing the melting snow from the mountains, and bringing the river back under control. It's hard to complain about the rain/snow mix when I think about it in that light. I can be sure there will be more to tell.

The Best Day Ever

Today, as we got home from WalMart, Sam got out of the car and said something to this effect.

You know, this kind of day is really the best day ever. Where we just get to
play and have fun. Except for going to the store, but I guess that wasn't too
bad because we got to get a movie. Today was SO fun.

I wish that I had taken some pictures today to show what a great
day it was. The boys were able to attend a stake father-son campout with
their grandpa and Uncle Paul last night.

I went to a baptism with the girls and then picked them up around noon. They did their usual chores and then they jumped on the trampoline, ran through the sprinklers, and jumped on the trampoline some more. It was an amazingly beautiful and warm day. The girls were decked out in their swimming suits, as were the boys, and we even blew up the turtle pool that Clay pulled out of the shed. At day's end we ate pizza and watched Alvin and the Chipmunks for the 3rd or 4th time. Sam and Clay are quite the fans of this "new musical sensation." So, we are going to prepare a number for the school talent show in a couple of weeks. They are so excited they can't stand it. They had to stand up and see how well they could actually move like the little creatures. It's a hoot to watch. And then little Emma, who was sitting next to me, starts her little body moving every time the music starts, and she sings too. What a bunch!

I feel like I need a little pat on the back. I was able to get our sprinkler system up and running today, all the time hoping that we're done with the freezing weather. I can probably guarantee one more snow, so I hope that we don't have problems, but we had the lawn aerated yesterday, and I wanted to overseed and fertilize while the lawn still had some pretty good holes in it, and with the lovely "breeze" that happens here, it is very important to keep the lawn wet. We're not talking about a little move the sprinkler a couple times kind of lawn. We've got 11 sprinkler zones in our side and back yard, and I used $70.00 in grass seed. If I want our yard, and not the neighbor's yard, to reap the benefits, I need those sprinklers on! So I just did it myself :)