Fly me to the moon

The kids and I went to the Hudvar Hazy Air and Space Museum this morning. For you non-DC-ers, that's a big hanger-type building with all these old airplanes in it, an IMAX theatre, and an overlook tower that looks out on Dulles Airport's runways. The museum is about 15 minutes from our house and free (although parking costs a whopping $12). I've been there a couple of times before but never just for the sake of the kids and never since Asher was old enough to get the coolness of it. So, since we're looking for things to do to keep up busy this week we headed over there. It really is a very cool place. It doesn't really have the same "Shhhhh!" vibe of many museums although it isn't really geared toward kids either. It really is just a ton of airplanes, shuttles, satellites, hang-gliders, etc all jammed into a hanger. Some on the floor, some hanging from the ceiling. Anyway, Asher surprised me by sitting in the stroller in quiet awe through most of it (I thought he'd be running around yelling "airplane!" nonstop). And Naomi surprised me by being really interested in each kind of plane and asking lots of questions (I thought she'd get bored pretty quickly). Isaiah was content to ride in the stroller or toddle along behind us. It was a lovely morning with no tantrums or misbehaving. We even had lunch there at a little McDonalds and that went well too. And then we drove home and everybody went to bed. Peacefully. I guess I am in awe of how well it went.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Asher has begun to ask me "where we go-ying?" several times each day. Any time there's some down time he chimes in with this question. So the other day I responded "The moon!" and grabbed him and flew him around the room a couple of times. He loved it and laughed. Now it's like our private joke. He says "where we go-ying?" and I say "I don't know" and he says "The moon!" and grins at me. It's very sweet.

Hooray!

I'm trying really hard to restrain my happy dance right now. Because the handy men who are currently in my basement might think that's weird. Those same men are the ones who are making me want to do the happy dance. They are busily installing a gate that is so long it goes across the entire width of the basement.

That means that in a few minutes it will be possible for me to sit in the basement doing crafts or beading or whatever with the kids down there too, but the kids won't be able to reach me! A barrier! Wa-who!

That means that I can send the kids down there by themselves and not worry that they might be getting into ... anything.

That means that I have more actual living space than I did a few minutes ago.

That means that I may not loose my sanity this winter!!!

Like I said...it's hard to restrain the happy dance. I just gave my kids seconds on cookies to celebrate. They don't know what we're celebrating...but I don't think they mind.

Crazy, Peaceful Sunday

I'm torn. Was my Sunday crazy and peaceful or just crazy peaceful. Ya know?

I really consider it a triumph that all three children were bathed on Saturday night. But once they were down I had a ton of work to do. Our Visiting Teaching Conference was today and I was playing a major roll in several pieces of that - starting with loads of printing (70 two-sided pamphlets, 70 questionnaires, one talk, and one "VTing Reporting Sheet"). Then I had to make two dozen muffins and oh, did I mention I needed to write that talk I mentioned earlier. And add to the list "watch Relief Society Broadcast". (Thank goodness for BYU TV so I could listen and bake at the same time.) Anyway, the point is I fell in to bed exhausted around 12:30pm.

Then up at 6:30 to get dressed before the kids woke up. Somehow we miraculously all were dressed and out the door on time with minimal stress and hair-pulling-out from me. It was the Primary Program today so Naomi ran her "lines" in the car of the way there. She was ready and pumped! Not at all nervous - just excited. Fortunately, Richard's brother Kevin, his wife Kelly and MIL Margaret were all coming to see Naomi in the program so I had helpers to manage the boys during Sacrament Meeting.

Naomi did so great! Her line was "And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world." And she nailed it. She was also supposed to say "I am a child of God" in Portuguese at a different part of the program, but somehow that part slipped by her and she never did it. I think somebody forgot to prompt her to stand up. But she would have nailed that too. I was very proud of her. And, importantly, she felt that she did a great job too.

Then was the craziness of the VTing Conference. But even that seemed to go well. It was crazy and hectic and we ran out of time...but in the end I think it was good. I was a little worried about what I was going to do with Isaiah during that part (my helpers only stayed for Sacrament Meeting) but I had decided not to stress about it like I did last time. I just did my thing and waited for an opportunity to come up that would take care of him. And when nobody just miraculously walked up and offered to take my child from me, I took him to the Nursery. He's only two months away anyway.

When we got home I was exhausted. But fortunately, so were all the kids. So we had a nice naptime. And then the rest of the day passed peacefully! The kids watched a movie, we did some crafts together, we played in the basement, etc. And before I knew it the kids were asleep.

So, it was crazy. And it was peaceful. But it was also crazy peaceful. See? When I use the word "miraculous" in this post I mean it. I thank my Heavenly Father for another day of helping me seriously. He was right there beside me all day. He calmed babies, or sent someone to calm babies. He opened doors (physically), or sent someone to open doors. He gave me the Spirit so that I could do a good job in the conference. He calmed my heart and helped me not feel flustered or overwhelmed. And I firmly believe that he put my children to sleep so that I could take a little nap too. What a great guy!

Sad to be all alone in the world...

I haven't been very bloggy lately. But I have a feeling that's about to change. Richard is out of town until Thursday and I always get more bloggy when he's gone since I'm lonely. (Richard is in Boston doing the last of his "Location Presentations". All the rest of his thingys are nearby.) Sadly, Richard also took the camera. Which means no new pics and no old pics for posts that I had filed in the "when I get a second" part of my brain.

Here's a summary of the posts that could have been with pictures already existing on the camera:

Deceptively Delicious - I won the cookbook Deceptively Delicious from my cousin Jenny over on her blog. It took me a couple of weeks to get going on it because I didn't even own a food processor (which is key to the whole premise behind the book which is to blend up veggies really small and put them into normal foods without anybody noticing). Now we have tried three different recipes from it and they have all been a hit! (By "hit" I mean no more than one child refused to eat it.) We've tried Rice Balls (with sweet potato and butternut squash purees), Applesauce Muffins (with sweet potato puree), and Mac and Cheese (with butternut squash puree). Yes, they use more veggies than just those two in some of the recipes. But for simplicity's sake I picked recipes with the same basic ingredients to start with. I'll try adding a new veggie each time from now on. Verdict: I love it. The recipes are easy to follow and yummy. What could be better? Some of them are "get every pot you own dirty" type of recipes - but I need to be less lazy about that anyway. Two thumbs way up. My kids ate veggies every day this week! And that hasn't happened in a very ... scratch that ... ever.

Isaiah and the table - Isaiah has learned how to pull out Asher's higher-chair from the kitchen table, climb up onto it, and from there get on the kitchen table. He does it ALL THE TIME. It's driving me batty. It doesn't matter how many times I patiently take him down and tell him why he can't climb on the table. It doesn't matter how I try to push the chairs in so that he can't get them out. He has discovered a whole new world on the top of the table and he likes it. It might as well be Shangrala up there. He's never gonna leave.

Fall Fashion for Four Year Olds - I had some cute pics of Naomi in her warmer clothes planned. It seem that at the change of every Season the kids look "even cuter in this style". You know, when Spring comes and they start wearing short sleeves you wonder how you ever lived through the winter without seeing their adorable arms and legs. And now that it's Fall and the long sleeved stuff and pants are coming out I can't believe how cute they look. I think Naomi looks FAR more grown up in jeans than in cute little shorts or skirts. Maybe it's because some of her clothes are so similar to my styles. And Isaiah is wearing the clothes Asher was wearing last winter! Good grief! Those poor clothes only get a break for one season! They don't even get boxed up in between. Poor, exhausted clothes.

Naomi the Artist - Naomi spends hours each day drawing. Literally. I buy her notebook after notebook which she just fills up in a matter of days. She keeps her notebook with her in the house downstairs or upstairs and wanders over to it every so often and draws for 20 minutes. Then she wanders away for a while but is back before you know it. During naptime I bet she spends at least one of her two hours drawing. She got a "how to draw" book in a Chic-fil-A meal and now she can draw Ballerina's and she is in heaven. The detail is amazing. I just love to watch her do it. And I love her big smile when she masters some new part.

Asher on Repeat - Asher thinks that if he asks me something and I reply "no", that means he should try again with a new tone of voice or volume. The same question can be heard again and again. Once normal, then low and slow, then high and slow and whispered, then high and fast, then silly, then normal again just to be sure I heard him, then high and fast and louder, etc. It's maddening. But sometimes it's a little fun to hear what "voice" he'll use next.

Hand With Pointer Out

If I were a professional photographer with skills and a fancy camera I would photograph Asher's hands today. I just love his little pointer finger that he uses so carefully. He doesn't do many things "carefully". But when he plays Hungry, Hungry Hippos, he loves to carefully push the button that makes the balls go flying. From the dirt under his fingernails to the perfect curve of his hand, I wish I could capture it all and put it in my pocket (or at least my scrapbook) to save for later in life when I will miss things like that so much.

Since I'm not a professional photographer I can more easily capture things like that with video. So here is a video of Asher playing Hippos.

And now, the news...

Toddler Toddles
Little Isaiah Worth was officially declared a "toddler" today by his mother, Mrs. Nancy Worth. Mrs. Worth said "he doesn't walk with his arms straight out anymore, zombie-like. He can really walk." Sources say there have even been a few attempts at running, but no success has been reported yet. We will keep you posted on this ever-changing story.

Man Celebrates "Black Day"
Richard Worth turned 30 years old this past week. His extended family joined him for a celebration on Sunday, but all continued to celebrate through Tuesday (his actual birthday). Tuesday, the Worth family ate by candle light on black plates and a black tablecloth. The meal was reportedly hated by all except Richard, who gobbled the Stroganoff happily. Richard is reported to have cried himself to sleep because of the onslaught of this horridly old age. As a follow-up story, check back here tomorrow for an in depth look into how teasing your wife about being "so old" when she is less than a month older than you can have negative consequences.

Also of note is that this same man spoke at the Library of Congress today. No report is yet available as to how the presentation went, as this man has not yet called his wife (despite the presentation being over for the past three hours).

Mother Exercises and Then Does Happy Dance
A source inside the LA Fitness Kid's Klub tells us that a young mother who has been struggling with a crying child interrupting her workouts, was able to finish an entire 40 minute routine today without being interrupted. Our source added "The kid still cried, but not non-stop. So we just stuck him in a corner and tried to plug our ears." The mother is reported to be fine with this arrangement. Her "happy dance" was in the Krump style.

Boys Love Games
A new study proves that 2 year old boys love to play games. A favorite in one household is Hungry, Hungry Hippos. However, it should be noted that this study did not take into account playing the game properly. It is believed that most 2 year old boys would rather just play with the parts of a game than actually start and finish an organized game. For example, Asher, 2, puts the balls of Hungry Hippos into Matchbox Pick-up trucks, then enjoys scattering those same balls across the room with a swipe of the hand.

Girl Believes Mother is Cruel
Miss Naomi Worth believes that her mother is purposefully withholding school from her several days out of the week. Miss Worth believes that other children get to go to school every day and has no idea why her mother only lets her go three days per week. Miss Worth's mother refutes this claim several times each night that precedes a non-school-day. She was not available for comment because she was napping.

Stay tuned to this channel for further developments on all these important news stories.

Plastics

Background:
There's a lot of buzz right now about how BPA (bisphenol A) may be killing us all. BPA is a common chemical used in making plastics like most water bottles and baby bottles. Previously, any real evidence that BPA could harm us has come from animal testing, but a new study just came out showing a statistical link between humans with high levels of BPA and a higher occurrence of heart disease and diabetes. It would be jumping to conclusions to say that BPA has been "proven to cause heart disease and diabetes", but ...
A link to the Reuters story is here.

(Addendum: I just saw another article where the FDA disputes that there is any danger from BPA. An FDA spokesperson said "A margin of safety exists that is adequate to protect consumers, including infants and children, at the current levels of exposure,” The article also points out many "holes" in the study. Check that out here.)

My thoughts:
I admit that I've been pondering this for a while. When I went to buy a water bottle to use at the gym I got one that said "BPA free". Why not be safe, I figured. But I do still drink bottled water when I buy one at a restaurant out of convenience. But the biggest thing that bugs me about this issue is that my last two babies have been bottle fed out of bottles that are not BPA-free. When they are having children are they going to tell stories about how lucky they are to be alive since their crazy Mom fed them BPA from Day One of their lives? And then their friends will laugh about how clueless we were "back then" just like I do about my Mom not putting us in seat belts.

My questions:
Should I freak out and go on a BPA hunt in my house? Should I throw out probably $100 worth of baby bottles and start fresh next time around? (If you're answer to that last question is just to breast feed...no offense, but I don't want to hear it) Should I become vigilant about this or just live in an ignorance-is-bliss kind of state until there is more proof? What do you think?

A truly GOOD morning

I am so in love with Asher's talking right now.

This morning the first words I heard (as usual) were from the boys' room. It took me a while to decipher them, but after he repeated himself several times, with increasing urgency, I caught on. "I want my OWN xuxa!" he said. (Xuxa, pronounced shoe-sha, is the Portuguese word for pacifier). Last night at bedtime there was some confusion and Asher ended up going to sleep with Isaiah's pacifier, and then Isaiah had to go to bed with Asher's. So as soon as it was light enough for Asher to notice this awful confusion, he aired his grievances. I went into their room and switched the pacifiers back to their proper owners. Both boys flopped back down to sleep a little longer and I went back in to my room smiling. Too happy to sleep anymore.

Asher keeps a running commentary on any TV being watched. Right now he is watching Aladdin (yes, it was his choice). "Dat a tiger." "Where da tiger go?" "A bird!" "Dat bad guy." "Uh oh, dey get mad." "What dat?"

At snack time, Asher gets to open the pantry and pick his snack. He usually chooses fruit snacks. "I want fwuit nack, peas." "Can you open dis?" "Thank you, Mama." "Dis one orange." (it was actually purple) "I make a twain!" (he lined up the fruit snacks on the table)

The other day my cell phone rang. My cell phone was in my purse which sits on a little table in the family room near the kids play area. When it rang, Asher stood up, looked over there and very carefully said "Mom, what is dat sound?" I was very impressed with his complete sentence.

I asked Asher if he was silly. His response: "I not sillyey. I Hasher!"

Oh how I love those little words. And the sweet little mouth they come out of.

Learning Heaps

As I un-cluttered the kitchen table this evening I came across some of Naomi's art work from school this past week. It occurred to me that she really learned a lot! Here are some examples of the ground-breaking things she learned this week:

Below is an example of the new kind of "people" that she learned how to draw today. She used to just draw stick figures. Also note on this drawing the details like eyelashes, eyebrows, cute little smile lines on the mouth, ears, and fancy shoes. Those are all new talents for her. The thing she was most excited about with this new form of people was that now she can decorate their dresses.

Here is an example of the first time Naomi wrote the entire alphabet. Apparently she attempted this at school but wasn't able to complete it. So I helped her with this one once she got home. She was so proud of herself.
You can't really see the best part of the below pic: she cut on the lines of the stars. She did a great job of cutting straight and stopping when she got to the stars.
Today I was excited to see on the schedule that Naomi was learning "Line Dancing". I thought that would be lots of fun for her. I was picturing something a little more Garth Brooks than the example below. Apparently it's "Dancing Lines" not "Line Dancing". She learned jagged lines, wavy lines, loopy lines, etc. Very cute.
I know that this is not a post that will excite anyone but maybe my mother, but this blog is also a family journal of sorts so I had to do this. Now I can throw most of this away and not feel guilty about it. (I think I'll keep the Line Dancing. I really like that one.)

New Impulsive Do

I went out the other night to get groceries, and here's what I got instead:

A little impulsive, yes. But I am very happy with how it turned out. I've had my hair cut short many times before, but this cut is a little different from my normal "pixie" cut. I think if I go too deep into trying to describe it I'll sound like a complete moron, so I won't. I just felt like I had to post a picture because if I didn't I know several people who would say "well, how come you didn't post that on the blog?!"

Girl Interrupted

Anybody out there got any tips for me on how to help my 1 1/2 year old to stop hating the gym so much? ARGH. Four times in a row now the poor child-care people have had to page me mid-workout to come get my children because Isaiah won't stop screaming. ARGH! All I want is a full cardio workout, weight lifting, cool down and stretching! Is that too much to ask? Well, apparently, yes. I haven't made it longer than 30 minutes in way too long. At least this time I was prepared and worked my butt of in that time. I made it 2 miles before they paged me.

But seriously... what do I do? I've tried staying to play with him for a little bit first. I've tried talking to the care providers about how to help him. I've tried with and without a pacifier. I guess all that's left is doing all that stuff some more. But it's getting so frustrating. My workout is supposed to be an all-about-me time. Knowing that I may be interrupted at any moment by a humiliating page for "Mrs. Worth to come to the Kid's Club" is totally killing the buzz that I get from working out. Argh.

Super Baby!

Super Baby to the resuce! With his cape billowing behind him, he fly's across Dreamland making sure babies everywhere are getting adequate rest. His duties are difficult...but he's willing and able. Three cheers for Super Baby!


Sweet Super Baby.

Nursing Necklace

I was talking to my brother, Mark, the other day and he mentioned a problem that his wife, Kelly, was having. Really, I guess, it's a common problem that many mothers have with their young babies. That cute, little, sweet baby's hands while nursing. They're busy little hands. They grab Mamas shirt. They grab any blanket you try to put up for privacy. They grab Mamas...body. They're just busy.

I recently saw, on fabulous Etsy, a solution to this problem. A Nursing Necklace! The idea is that the necklace hangs low enough that the baby wants to play with the interesting textures and shapes of the necklace instead of... anything else. Some are even so cool that they double as a teether.

So off I went to the craft store (because you know I love a good beading craft!). I wasn't able to find something that would easily double as a teether (no glass, no treated woods, nothing that could break in baby's mouth) but I did find some interesting textures and things groovy enough that I thought Kelly would be pleased to wear them. I put the necklace together on satin cord with a knot between each bead so that if, by some unlucky chance, the baby is able to break the necklace, only one chocking-hazard-bead flings across the room. And then I went to the fabulous world-wide-web and learned how to do a double slip knot so that the necklace could be short-and-cool length or long-and-in-baby's-reach length with just a couple of tugs. And here is the result (which is in the mail to Kelly today!)

What do you think? Cool enough that I should make more and sell them in my Etsy shop, or a thoughtful gift but nobody would pay for it? Be honest - I'm not just fishing for compliments.

New Schedule OR Our First Schedule

In previous years I admit to having felt a little jealous and left out at all the posts and excitement at the beginning of the school year. It was fun to read, but didn't really touch my family. Why would our schedule change at all? Nobody went to school! I even had a couple of really-hating-it days when I did things like schedule our family photo shoot for mid-day on a day I thought the mall would be empty, when really it was packed because it was some random school holiday.

But this year, it all changes. Naomi started Preschool yesterday! So now I too have all sorts of plans, schedules, and hopes for the coming year. I hope that Naomi will grow and learn not necessarily in an academic way, but in a social way. (I guess I hope that Naomi will grow and learn academically also.) I hope that Asher will benefit from one-on-one time with me while Naomi is at school and Isaiah is taking his morning nap. I plan to put myself in a more regular routine of cleaning, laundrying, exercising and quality-timing. I hope that our entire family will reap the reward of happiness from these new changes. I plan to have this be a memorable year.

So, in the spirit of joining in all the fun of back-to-school, here are some pictures from Naomi's first day of school and some of what Asher and I did while she was gone.


(I did not tell her to pose that way. She just did. What a cutie.)



I realize you may look at these pictures and wonder where the heck I stuck Isaiah for the day. The fact of the matter is, Isaiah was only asleep for less than half of the time that Naomi was in school. He was around. But I am planning on focusing on Asher during Naomi's school time because it seems to me that he needs it. I am really, really, really hoping that some one-on-one time with me will help Asher feel loved and special in a way that will affect his attitude and behavior for the rest of the day and possibly the rest of his life. I love Asher so much and it really hurts me to think that part of his "problem" is that he feels unloved. But, I'll remind you again, he was replaced as "the baby" at the young age of 13 months! He has reason to feel... set aside. But that ends yesterday. He is now the only child who gets regular, planned, one-on-one time with me. (The plan is also to do this without Isaiah suddenly feeling that he is... set aside.)

Nie Nie Recovery Auction

The blogging world is all abuzz over the airplane crash that Stephanie Neilson and her husband, Christian were in. Stephanie is burned over 80% of her body and Christian over 30% of his. They have four young children. Their recovery will not be a fast one. Many fundraising things are being done and I wanted to jump on the bandwagon. So I, by way of Chic Made, donated a necklace to be auctioned off. The proceeds will all go to "Nie Nie".

So cruise over to Today's Creative Blog and check out all the fabulous, creative, things being auctioned. I'm not even going to link directly to the necklace I donated in order to encourage you to check out all the stuff.

Just get into that holiday spirit of giving a little early this year. Their family could really use it. And while you're at it, send some prayers their way. (There is also a link on T.C.B to just donate money straight to the cause through PayPal.)

**These auctions end Tuesday night!! So don't hem and haw too long - just bid!**

Leap of Faith

Oh my goodness! I am so nervous all of the sudden! I just signed up to sell my Chic Made jewelry at Sterling Fest 2008! It's just a small community-activity type of thing but it will be the first time Chic Made will be available in person. They estimate that about 8000 people will come. And I'll have to stand there selling my stuff and watching people's reactions to my precious hand-made babies. What if they don't like it? What if I don't sell enough stuff to even make back the small entry fee? What if my booth falls apart? What if it rains!?! The rain date is a Sunday, so do I break the Sabbath to sell my stuff or just back out and loose my entrance fee? Should I get a really professional sign made or attempt to make one myself (to save money)? I need to get business cards made and tags for each piece of jewelry. And what kind of bag should I get for purchases? And should I accept checks? How much money should I allow myself to invest in this endeavor? How am I going to display everything? Should I only sell jewelry, or everything that is available on Chic Made? Am I going to go crazy in the next month?

So many questions whirling around in my head. So many worries. And so much excitement! In case you haven't read before, I really love making jewelry. So the idea of having a good reason to totally obsess about it for the next month (oh, yeah, did I mention this is just over a month away!) is fun, but oh the stress!!!!!

I am so excited! And worried! And stressed! And excited!

Friday Night Traditions

Most Friday nights our family can be found eating the following:

I highly recommend it. These are carefully selected items and brands. Why? Because they cook for the same amount of time and at the same temp! 15 minutes and I'm done with dinner. Another quick Friday night tip: Put tinfoil on the baking sheet you use for these items and you don't even have any dinner-prep-dishes to do!!! Not a single one! (Unless you get all crazy and decide to throw a veggie in to the meal but I try to not feel guilty about that on Friday nights. I figure we could be at McD and if we were, we certainly wouldn't be eating veggies, but we would be spending a lot more money.)

*No real pictures since Richard took the camera to his conference today. BTW - he says his presentations went well and he's getting some great feedback. What a stud.*

Lessons Learned:

Making cookies with Asher is not as easy or neat or calming as making cookies with Naomi is.

Naomi gets very jealous when I make cookies with Asher instead of her, even if she was very happily doing something else 2 seconds ago.

But the cookies still taste just as good!

Updates on us

Naomi and I went to her preschool today to meet her teachers, get to know them, learn the rules, etc. A little orientation really. The teachers seem great and Naomi is so excited. She starts school for real this coming Monday. Wow!

Asher is getting a molar and it is really hurting him. When it first started he was all feverish and drooley and his face was red. He was clearly miserable. Now, four days later, he is just drooley and slightly miserable. Poor kid. He's living on Tylenol.

Isaiah is a pro at walking now. He must have just not tried until he was sure he could do it. And now he's walking all over the place! He does look a little like a zombie while he's walking because he puts his arms out straight in front of him.

I made some new things for Chic Made. Go check out the Sun Catchers! (And let me know if you think there is another name for them. I want to be "searchable" on Etsy.)

Richard is crazy busy getting ready for the first of his presentations that he is to give at a steady stream of conferences in the coming months. The first conference starts tomorrow! I am so proud of him for working so hard and for becoming an expert in his field.

Facebook: I'm a believer

I am totally converted to the fabulousness of Facebook! Today - just today - I was reunited with TWO long lost friends. Totally un-related to each other and from different pieces of my life - but they both found me today. Is that not the coolest thing ever? Both of these people were my best friend at one point. Both of these people totally shaped my childhood and/or youth. Both of these people were lost to me UNTIL TODAY!!!!! WAAWHOOOO!!

I big-fat-juicy-red-heart Facebook.

And if you are one of those two people and here you are on my blog visiting for the first time...email me!!!!! (That's you Richard and Natalia!)

Labor Day in PA

It seem like I've begun several posts lately with: we're back! And we are...again. Our weekend in Pennsylvania was great. My kids get along so well with cousins Ashby and Avery. The three girls are inseparable and, as a fun little twist, 6-year-old Ashby has decided that Asher is great fun so he gets included now too. The drives there and back were fine. Exhausting, but fine. Actually, when we got home yesterday around 6pm yesterday I laid down on the couch and was asleep within seconds - even with the kids running and yelling all around me.

Here are the girls, with Asher circling nearby, on their way in to church on Sunday.

Here are the girls, with Asher circling nearby, after a water balloon throwing contest.
Here are the girls on the jungle gym at a nearby playground we visited.
Here is Asher, Naomi and Avery playing in the rocks on the ground of the playground. They were all so dirty after this that when we got home we filled up the kiddie pool and they played in it until the water was totally murky from the dirt.
Here is Isaiah enjoying a snack while on the merry-go-round.
Here is a beautiful shot of Asher on the merry-go-round. This is one of those shots that makes me wish I had a really fancy camera because it would be so perfect...if it was perfect.