Water Party!!

Today my kids had the first of what I hope will be many joint parties! I keep telling people that one of the reasons I needed a house this big is so that as my kids grow and become teens, I can have them and their friends over here all the time, and not have to worry about where they are. So each of my five kids got to pick two friends to invite.

This morning, to get ready for the party, the kids had some cleaning up to do! (Hey, their party, their work!) Then we jumped in the car with our "party money" and set out for WalMart for lunch and munchies. Pizza...check. Chips...check. Licorice...Granola Bars...Cookies...Check, check, check. All set...we head home and get all the food set up.

At about 10:45, I went out and inflated our slide to get it ready. In addition to the few holes I'd already patched, I noticed a new one. I deflated the slide and put a patch on it, but then it's supposed to set up for about an hour before you use it. Okay, we're flexible! We'll start with lunch!

My kids all lined up on the porch at 10:50 to wait for friends. It was 11:10 before anyone showed! They were all getting pretty nervous! In the end, Tiana showed up for Sydney, McKenna came for Megan, Thomas came for Tory, Rhett came for Spencer, and BOTH Michael's friends came...Jake AND Benny. (But Jake is really Spencer AND Michael's friend!) Whew! What a crew!

Inside we go to whip up some frozen pizzas and fill ourselves with junk food! While waiting for pizza, the little boys were all...well, boys. :D There was much running, yelling, wrestling, and chasing. Thomas and Tory were a little above that normal boy clamor. They spent their time tormenting the girls, but the girls were too cool for such immature behavior...they headed downstairs. Probably to talk about how lame boys are.

Food's ready, so I made all the kids and take the food outside. Then plates were loaded and sugar consumed. The kids loved the slide. It was a huge hit. (Although from the way it was sagging, I'm pretty sure we've got a few more holes!...but I think that makes it more fun to watch...As the kids climb the stairs side of the inflatable slide and they reach the top, they've got to get both their legs over to the slide side before the whole thing slowly loses air. It's hilarious, and the bigger the kids get the harder I laugh! Hee-hee!) There were face plants and somersaults, and lots of splashing!

Then everyone was too cold. Except for Rhett...he was still going after everyone else had given up and gone in to change into something dryer. Clouds were rolling in, and they were dark ones. Then I heard thunder. In honor of my mother-in-law, I herded all the small children inside so that we would be safe from the lightening. :D

All changed and dry, we began the process of getting 11 kids to agree on a movie. Ten minutes later, I gave up. We just put one on that NOBODY wanted...problem solved. The older kids...and Michael...were snugly wrapped up in blankets actually watching "Monsters -vs- Aliens". The others...Jake, Benny, Rhett, and Spencer were, from the sounds of it, pretending to be some kind of flesh eating dinosaurs. Again, there is much running/yelling/growling...and giggling. I love that sound! (Yes, even when it is preceded by all the screaming and running!)

What do you know, the sun is back out! So at 3:15, all the kids put on their soaked suits, and we reinflated the droopy slide. Then we played in the water again until it was time for the mom's to come. (Thanks, Becky and ReNae for driving all the way out here! I'm so glad the boys got to come!)

Party...Success! I'd say all in all, a good time was had by all. And I'd do it again! It was a great way to celebrate the short summer of the year round school student! (Their first day of school is July 26th! That's only 3 weeks off! We definitely have to maximize every day we get!)

A Life of Crime...

And so it officially begins! Really, it was only a matter of time.

Our sprinklers have been unable to run due to a clogged backflush. Lee, being the handy guy that he is, cleaned out the backflush this weekend...The as he was reassembling, he broke a piece. And are sprinkler stores open on holiday Monday's? Um...nope. That'd be too easy!

So my mission today was to get the replacement part, then go to Home Depot and get a screw so Lee can fix it tonight...You know, so our grass doesn't die! And so there I am, surrounded by all my fabulous children PLUS Liam...that's 6, for anyone who is trying to keep track! As I'm searching the wall-o-screws for the appropriate size screw, I'm on repeat saying, "Hands off!...Don't touch!...Stay right here by me..." Eureka! I found it! Quick...let's get out of here!

We buy our screws and hop in the car. We are almost home, and I hear Tory say from the back seat:

"Mom...Michael and Spencer took something."

Michael picked up a washer, and Spencer had a bolt...they just slipped them into their pockets on the way out.

So I "called" Home Depot with the boys in the room, and they heard me have a conversation about how usually they'd have to call the police in to talk to the kids. (At which point both my boys burst into tears! "Are they going to 'rest us?") I told them they were lucky...That if I drop the washer and bolt off they'll let it go this time.

I asked, "Is this ever going to happen again?" "No!", they both sobbed.

sigh. Hopefully we scared them!

A rare moment...

Today I was treated to a rare gift...alone time!

Technically, I wasn't alone. Spencer was napping, and Sydney and Megan were outside playing, but the house was quiet...I was alone! AND I had just cleaned my house, so I had no "to-do" list waiting. (Oh, sure, I could have thought of something...but I didn't!) I ate my lunch while enjoying my book in peace, finished that and played some "Touchmaster" (thanks, Heather!), dozed a little on the couch...it was completely indulgent!

Then, as if this wasn't a big enough gift...When Lee returned from the store, he handed me a bag. Inside was a wall hanging with this saying:

Every story is

Beautiful, but

OURS

is my favorite.

I didn't come up with the saying, but I am totally OWNING that! :D

Lee, thanks for another sweet entry on the pages of MY favorite story! Love you so much!

FREEDOM!!!

I love this country! I'm proud to be an American, and live in a country where women are respected. I love living in a place where I am free to love my Heavenly Father and worship him the way I choose.

I am so grateful for people, both past and present who fought, and are still fighting for those freedoms. I am thankful for the families of those people. Those that sacrifice fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, daughters and sons to go and fight for us. They are all heroes...Thank you!

I hope I can teach my children to love and appreciate this country that they were born into, and to respect and be grateful for all the sacrifices of others!

God bless the USA!!

Once upon a time...

So it occurred to me that perhaps many readers will not understand the "kick in the door" reference in my previous post...I shall share a story...

Once upon a time, in a cute little house in West Jordan, there lived a cute little family. (It really was little...I think there was only 1, maybe 2 kids at the time?) Anyway...Someone had dropped me and the kids off at home, and we had opened the garage so that we could get into the house. We said goodbye to our ride, and after they pulled away, I turned to enter the house through the garage.

The door was locked. Deadbolted.

So we sort of waited for a while, trying while sitting inside the garage to decide what our next step would be. (Obviously, the "we" was really just me...Babies are terrible problem solvers!)

Then came the potty emergency.

So did I calmly go next door and ask if we could use their bathroom? Or hang out until we could get our door unlocked?

No. I, with only TWO KICKS, kicked in the steel, deadbolted door to gain entry into my house. (That door was never the same...)

Makes you question the security of your own deadbolts, doesn't it!

(Where did you say you keep your valuables again?...)

Running smooth...?

I dropped my car off at Tunex this morning. They told me it would take a little less than an hour to diagnose what was going on. Okay, no big deal. Spencer, Michael and I decided rather than waiting there we'd head outside to walk around.

What a fun adventure! The three of us walked across the skywalk across Bangerter Hwy, since I needed to go to Zion's Bank anyway. My kids see people on those bridges when we're driving, and they are always talking about getting to cross one...so we did! Walked over to Zion's, where we made a deposit...and found out that today was customer appreciation day! We helped ourselves to cookies and drinks, and each of the boys took a giant flag. We went to Kohl's to look at their toys for a while. (I also may have bought a shirt...hey, it was only $6!)

While we were at Kohl's, Tunex called. The car isn't going to be ready until early afternoon?! Um...okay. That's potentially problematic. My older kids are getting out of school at 12:55...right now it's 10:00...I'm pretty sure we won't make it home by then, not with these two little ones dragging me down! (We averaged 25 steps in 10 minutes...not super progress...!)

Hooray for Anna!!! Thanks to Anna, my fabulous, heroic sister-in-law, we made it home via A VEHICLE...I did have the presence of mind to take my garage door opener to avoid any "kick in the door" issues that may have arisen from being locked out...

Anyway...Thanks again for the ride, Anna...You saved my feet...And my EARS! Those boys were not excited about walking all the way home!...from a long walk!

Uniting, or dividing? Hmmm...

Yesterday my relief society group had a picnic get together at the splash pad. We picked up Spencer from school, came home and changed and made lunches, and took off for the water! It was great getting to know some of my neighbors better, and I love the way this particular park is set up. The splash pad is semi-fenced and surrounded by grass, with a sidewalk leading over to a playground. But the playground surface is the same as the water park surface, so as the kids decide they're wet enough and want to venture over to the playground, they can safely do so with their little bare piggies. Genius. They should build them everywhere...or you all can come and play on mine! :D

I had to laugh, though.

President Hathaway, our relief society president, had come early to snag a pavilion and set up an awning-tent. As I was scanning the park looking for familiar faces, I saw them in two places. The pavilion area, and then another tree shaded area on the other side of the splash pad area. I headed toward the latter, because I recognized my visiting teacher and a couple of other women. I was intercepted. Pres. Hathaway was totally cutting people off at the pass, redirecting them toward her pavilion. I was chuckling to myself...like she was darting out and gathering us up! It was fun though...she's great at making us all feel welcome.

But I still spent time in both groups. Nobody tells ME what to do. :D
I'm a rebel like that.