Day 5 -- Snakes and Lizards

Today was the first library show of the summer and it was all about reptiles. We did some stuff at home and then picked up our cousin, Ryan Hollister, to come with us to the library. It was an interesting show. The kids were so interested that they did not start getting antsy until an hour had passed, but then they started the petting zoo. The kids touched snakes and a crocodile. It was fun for them. After the show we got lunch at McDonald's and then had Ryan stay to play until his Dad was done at work. They love their cousin and they love playing with him (even though he is 11). He plays great with them. We even went outside and played wall-ball and tv-tag for about one and a half hours. Everyone was super tired by the end.

Day 4-Rain or Shine

Well, we did have a successful swim lesson this morning. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and are excited for more swim time. It's been a few days, so I can't remember what we did the rest of the morning, but I'm sure I tried to get in a few errands. We did have plans to play tennis after dinner. We had a playdate with our friends, the Castros and ended up setting up a tennis date later with both families. We ate dinner and then headed up to the high school to play. We got there and unloaded the bike for our little guy and a ball for the little girl and then started hitting balls. Then, of course, it started raining. Just sprinkling really, so we kept playing. Our friends showed up and and I hung out, talking with Lariza, and Luis (their dad) got the bigger kids playing a game during which it began to really rain. But, we live in the northwest, so we played it out until I realized it was almost 8pm. My favorite moment was when I turned around to find Ammon lying facedown on the tennis court, lapping up water from puddles. Geez, just say your thirsty and I can get you a drink of water!

Day Three...

I actually slept well last night AND got to sleep in until 6am. Brooklyn slept in for awhile and then woke up and refused breakfast. She said her tummy hurt. She never did eat, but she did have a little diarrhea. I decided to take a trip to Portland to returna book to Deseret Book and then stop at target on the way home. As we were shopping, Brooklyn suddenly had to go to the bathroom. I left Maya in charge of the cart and told her to follow and catch up to us. I grabbed Brooklyn and we ran to the bathroom. Still, we better practice a little more because we ended up with the underwear and the pants in a plastic bag and Brooklyn wearing a diaper with no pants for the remainder of the trip. We got home and I started getting lunch for everyone. Brooklyn went upstairs and laid down for a few minutes, then reappeared. She snuggle up to me and suddenly her neck was hurting her. I turned her around and she lurched and this time we made it to the bathroom so she could puke. Nice. So, we folded laundry and watched movies this afternoon. I wish there was some sort of litmus test you could give kids when they say they don't feel well. Something to tell me if they are really sick or just feeling off. Well, tune in tomorrow (or the next day) to see what our next adventure will be. Good night!

Day Two of Single Parenting

Yes, so day two started bright and early like my days usually do. I thought I had everything all planned out. The kids were super excited because it was the first day of swim lessons. They all were signed up and ended up having class at the same time. I know, lucky me! All three at the same time. They were all dressed and ready to go about 8am. I figured we had time to grab some produce at the store and then head to the pool. We got there about 7 minutes after 9am. I had brought our Book of Mormon and decided to use the extra time to get in our scriptures read. We finished reading, went in to use the bathroom and headed into the pool. The class before was finishing up and Brooklyn walked close to the pool. I called her name and she stepped back, but the teacher in the pool said she was in her class. I said yes, at 9:30am and she said, no, at 9am! What the heck!! Yes, I am that much of an idiot. We sat in the car reading during most of their first swim lesson because I remembered the wrong time. UUUGGGGHHH. The kids really took it rather well. They jumped in the pool for about 1 minute until class was over. I forced the kids to have quiet time after lunch and then do some school work. They weren't too happy at first, but they went with it. We had a nice family home evening and went to the park for our activity. A better ending than it started.

Day One of Single Parenting

Yes, it is the on year for Logan to travel. He has taken a group of students to Costa Rica for 2wks. I thought I would log how my time as a single parent goes since it has been, um, interesting. So, we woke everyone up at 5:30am to take Daddy to the airport. The kids were excited for this early morning ride and seemed fine about him leaving. I had been asked several weeks ago to speak in church on that same Sunday (that Logan left for CR), so I brushed up on my talk and prepped myself for church. When Brother Baldwin asked me to speak I told him I couldn't do it because who would watch my kids unless he wanted to volunteer. Yea, he knows my in-laws, so he just offered their services. Well, they are so nice and always willing, but Ammon didn't even last long enough for me to walk up to the stand. Ken kept him outside until I spoke and he had been so good that Ken thought he could come in and listen to me. He looked away for a moment and Ammon was running up the aisle to get me. Despite that, the talk went well, then the drama started. Parker and Brooklyn did their stuff in Primary and we made it through Sunday School. RS started and we headed back to Primary for Maya's part. Yes, all three kids got called to help out in Primary. I got to Primary and Maya was not there. The leaders told me she was out in the hall crying. I found her and she was sobbing because she missed her dad. Brooklyn saw us in the hall and asked why Maya was crying. I told her and sent her back to class. A few minutes later she comes back out of her class crying because now she misses her dad. They were both sitting on the couch with me crying away when a helper in the nursery came around the corner. Yep, Ammon was poopy! Good thing Brother Brown is so willing to help. He sat and spoke Spanish to my crying girls while I recused the nursery. The rest of the day was fine.

picky, picky tooth fairy

So, Brooklyn fell about two weeks ago and smashed her mouth on the bathtub. Her mouth bled a little, but no teeth were loose. Well, I was talking to her this past week and noticed that one of her front teeth looked a little gray. I called the dentist and they said it was fine for now as long as there is no swelling. Well, she overheard my conversation with the dentist and talks all the time about her dead tooth and how she wants to take it out. Then she started talking about putting it under her pillow. Parker kindly informed her that the tooth fairy doesn't take dead, moldy teeth! After some assurance she is no longer worried about her dead tooth getting moldy.

Alternate use for your cutting board..

We have always joked about Parker and Ammon being twins born four years apart. They look so much alike and Ammon even has the same brown spot as Parker, though he only has one and Parker has nine. They have the same eyes and have both sucked various phalanges where the girls never did.
The most recent similarity to appear is the death defying, I want to go to the ER tendency. Fortunately, we were able to avoid a true incident with Ammon, but it could have been bad. If you have forgotten Parker burned his hand just shortly before he turned one. Right around the time Ammon turned one he was learning how to navigate back down the stairs. At our house he uses the solid wall to tell where he is and when he no longer feels the wall with his feet, he knows he can start sliding backwards.
Not so at Grandma's house. They have live in this house for 30 some years and she swears this has never happened. In an attempt to prevent further death defying stunts that we might not live through, Grandma found another use for her cutting board.

I was up at the top of the stairs on the landing putting toys back in a closet. Suddenly I hear Brooklyn say "No, no, baby!" I turn around to see Ammon slipping between the banisters up to his armpits. Look in the upper right corner of the picture. The white thing between the brown banisters is the cutting board she put over the opening that he was sliding through. The shiny stuff is saran wrap that Grandma put up in case Ammon got curious about looking through anywhere else along the way. I don't want to imagine what that fall would have been like if no one had been up there with him to haul him back up. We are just glad he didn't go through with it.