Education week.

A much-needed break. But oh, so much more than that. I chatted with the man next to me on the plane ride down. When I told him I had a girls trip planned for Education Week at BYU, he must have thought it crazy. I mean, isn't Vegas the destination du jour for that sort of thing? Not my friends. We served as missionaries in Taiwan together, after all. Our testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ lie at the core of our friendship. Though we made plenty of time to be irreverent, I spent all day every day for four days filling my canteen with lessons I'm convinced will stay with me forever. I came home a better wife, mother and friend.


As a side note, Tim stayed with the girls the entire week and although one week could never truly give him the full grasp of what I endure day in and day out (ie. He didn't have to do laundry, clean, pay bills, go grocery shopping, etc), he was amazing! His strengthened bond with the girls is delightful to see and I've noticed he's much more attuned to their needs, which, in effect, means I don't have to ask him to do as much. Nice little byproduct of a vacation, eh?

Mom or chauffeur?

I've officially graduated to the next level of parenting. After constructing a calendar of a typical week this fall so that I could wrap my head around who needs to be where at what time, I realized that I will be spending at least 6 hours and 15 minutes each week in the car. Just getting kids to and from. Not including grocery store trips, visits to the library, outings with the little ones at home, etc. Just the bare bones. Is it time to simplify?

More summer.

Our favorite summer treat:





Saturday trip to the farmer's market downtown:




A last-minute trip to Grandma and Grandpa J's house:











The girls' pet spider Charlotte (she's a little camera-shy, as you can see). They pick up ants, throw them in her web and happily watch her devour them:



Grilled pizza for dinner (incidentally, while slicing the tomatoes for this delight, we discovered that Rachel is the only person in our family who will happily take a big bite out of a raw tomato. Who knew Tim and I could produce one of those?):



At the employee summer BBQ:





At the World Center for Birds of Prey:

Table Rock revisited.

I think we're going to have to start training for this particular summer adventure. I have one child who, clearly dislikes exerting herself in any way. We heard fewer complaints from the three-year-old, who tromped up almost the entire way (and back down). Minus Lily's complaining, it was fun. A bit of exercise, lots of sun, great family memories, life lessons (rewards come after the hard work), a cool breeze, and lunch out afterwards. Thanks Tim, for letting me convince you, once again, that it would be worth the agony. It was.

August - the month of fighting.

There's something about August at our house. The girls erupt into the type of constant bickering, fighting, screaming, and scratching that actually makes me anticipate school just a little bit. I've seen families where everyone gets along. And I envy them. And then I realize that in spite of my best efforts to stifle the conflict, they're actually learning in the process. I mean, it's not as if their parents agree about everything. We just don't happen to kick each other when we are on different pages. And, to be honest, they are really pretty great to each other sometimes, too.

Someone holds the door for me and their sisters each and every time we get home. My two oldest find great joy in reading to their younger siblings. The whole lot work together to set the table every night before dinner. They play creatively with one another for hours often with nary an eruption.

But secretly I'll hope that better parenting (and time) will turn August into a more enjoyable month in the future.

And the glass is half full after all.

This past week I was carless - we had to pretty much have the engine rebuilt - a costly and time-consuming repair. A bit of a bummer, but when all was said and done, here's how I felt about the whole thing.

Thankful the car didn't break while I was miles from home. Thankful that we have money in the bank to cover such expenses. Thankful that in the three and a half years we've owned the car, we've avoided any major (or minor) repairs. Considering it was 9 years old when we bought it, that's no small achievement. Thankful that I have a next-door neighbor who is willing to help out in a pinch. Thankful that my kids mopped the kitchen floor today...together. I love my life.

Confessions.

Me: I have a confession to make.
Him: Yeah?
Me: I backed into someone today.

Later, as we walked into the house, the smells of Indian spices wafting through the kitchen...

Him: I have a confession to make.
Me: Uh-huh?
Him: I had Indian food for lunch today.

Who was more upset with the other? Me, of course. I slaved over Chicken Mahkani while he neglected to inform me that all-you-can-eat Bombay Grill was in the plans? I just can't compete with that.