End of Summer Fun

Summer ended in a bit of a flurry for us. We had the pleasure of having lots of fun guests in our home. Barry's cousin Carmen and her daughter Etni stopped by as they were moving to New Mexico. The next night my sister Jeni and her family stayed while they were on vacation. The next week Grandma and Grandpa Jenks came and helped us out while Barry had minor surgery to remove a cyst in his throat (he's all better now!) After they left Grandma Packer and my sister Shari came with her kids to help me keep my sanity while Barry was bed-ridden. Quinton and Clara loved having family to play with and we always welcome fun visits from those we love!

We went and fed ducks at the park with Grandma, Shari, Triston, and Connor. They always have a ton of fun together.

It was really windy and the ducks were a bit aggressive, but the kids loved it!

Clara was a little nervous and sat on the bench until the very end (see above picture.) But then she got brave and threw her bread with style.

Barry hasn't had much luck with the fishing here in Mountain Home yet, so on labor day we went and checked out a reservoir together. No fish, but lots of rocks to throw!

Barry has been working hard and doing great at his job. It's nice to know at the end of the day he's still a kid at heart.

Barry and I were also lucky enough to go to Lagoon on Labor Day weekend and have a ton of fun. It was the first time we've been able to go together since I've been pregnant or nursing every other summer we've been together. It was nice to be kid-free (thanks to his parents and niece Emily) and not have to worry about diapers and sippy cups for a day. We met my sister Jeni and her family there. The lines were short all day and the weather was beautiful. 

Last weekend here in Mountain Home was Air Force Appreciation Days. We went to the parade and I have never in my life seen so much candy thrown in a parade before. We left half-way through and still got a huge bag full. Quinton and Clara really got into it and were taking on the big kids for the best pieces of candy. Clara refused to let hers go, though, so her hands were always stuffed to capacity as she tried to pick up more. Then they had a free barbecue and lots of activities in the park. The kids were exhausted by the time we got home that day.

Camping

We decided to be brave and took the kids camping twice this summer. It turned out really nice. The first time we went by Anderson Reservoir at Ice Springs Campground and the second time we just found a spot by Smith Creek. We kept it short and just stayed Friday night and left early Saturday. The kids loved being able to run around and play in the dirt. They even slept okay. We were all pretty exhausted by the time we went home, though.

Nothin' beats chowing on Doritos by the campfire.

Quinton and Clara loved the tent. Sleeping next to two kicking toddlers in the cold, dirty mountains isn't my idea of a vacation, but at least we made some memories.

One of those days

Today is such a lovely day, lovely enough to write about.
We have had some hard days on the home-front lately.
But today is one of those blissful, I-remember-why-I'm-a-mom kind of days.
I slept until 7:00 without any interruption, which makes a person feel new inside.
The kids ate the healthy waffles I made for them this morning - and they didn't yell at each other through all of breakfast.
They didn't fight me when I put their clothes on and they played nicely together for about 2 hours. TWO HOURS!!! (Sure, they sneaked into the yucky gutter water out front, but by that point I hardly minded.)
Then they let me cook lunch in peace. Ahh. They ate their vegetables and the made-from-scratch-to-eat-better meatballs along with yesterday's whole wheat zucchini bread I dared to try. And they asked for MORE. If that doesn't make a mom feel successful, I don't know what does.
Then they went down for naps and I didn't have to lock my rambunctious boy in the laundry room while I scrubbed his poop out of the carpet when he should have been sleeping- a bonus on any day of life.
Now they are peacefully dreaming and my house is mostly clean and I am ecstatic. I can hardly remember why last week I was pulling my hair out and in tears and wondering what in the world I thought I was doing becoming a mother. I have no idea what this afternoon will be like when my little cave people awaken, but at least I feel like I can face it.

As a side note - a conversation between Quinton and his parents a few days ago:

Daddy: "Quinton, you're a handsome boy."

Quinton: "No, I not handsome. I a monkey."

Daddy: "Oh, a monkey?"

Quinton: "And Clara a princess."

So far, everything fits pretty darn well.

Mommy: "So what is Daddy?"

Quinton: "Um, Daddy a sunfish."

Well, okay, that's fair considering we went fishing that day and the reservoir was supposed to have that type of fish.

Daddy: "And what is Mommy?"

Quinton: "Umm... (thinking really hard)... Mommy a shark."

A shark!?! Really? Really?! I didn't think he even knew what a shark was, but I guess I fit the description, at least on some days.