A Fourth of July Tribute

Sam: "Tommy, will you help me wit dis?"

Tommy: "Yeah, but only after you say, 'Give me liberty or give me death.'"

Take Me out to the (T - ) Ball Game!

I was worried about entertaining the three other boys during Joey's t-ball games twice a week these past two months, but we've actually had a wonderful time cheering on Joey, playing soccer and catch on the sidelines, eating snacks, talking with other families, and just hanging out.  And Joey has had a great time, too, and gotten a lot better as the season's gone on.  Here are a few pics:

Just Hanging Out

A good time at Target....What????

A couple of days ago, in a moment of courage and desperation, I loaded up the van to go to Target.  I HATE taking the boys to Target.... But we were desperate for dinner ingredients, so there we were.  The boys were so amazingly good, with Tommy pushing the cart while I checked off grocery list items, that I stopped to snap this once-in-a-lifetime-in-Target photo.  

The goodness continued when a few minutes later, Jon called me and announced that he was ALSO in Target at that very moment!  Funny surprise!  If only every Target experience could be this sweet!

Joey's Temporary Best Friend

Joey bestows the word "best friend" on a new person almost every day.  But I thought this particular instance was funny:

The boys caught this baby grasshopper, and after it hopped off Joey's hand, he began holding it more tightly.
So I said, "Joey, don't hold it like that.  I don't think it likes it.  It might hurt it."
Joey's reply: "I have to hold it like this, because I want it to be our prisoner.  I love it so much.  It's my best friend!  And if I don't make it our prisoner, I'll never see it again!"
Joey (continuing to catch and hold it tightly a few more times): "I just love it so much!"
Tommy (trying to reason with him): "Joey, if you love it so much, don't hold it like that because it might die!"

I'm not sure what eventually happened to the grasshopper, but it was better than the time last summer when they caught a big one, brought it inside, and then were too scared to take it back out again!

Anyway, that was just a short piece of a long day, but I thought it was worth remembering.

Another Week of Adventures

"Muddy Mundy" we biked / walked to Wintercrest Park.  

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"Take-a-Trip Tuesday" we visited the Springbrook Nature Center.

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"Wet Wednesday" we visited Minnehaha Falls with my cousin Charlyn and her family who had a layover in Minneapolis.  The boys also spent the afternoon flooding the sandbox with the hose.

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"Thinking Thursday" we went to the library.

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And today, "Friendly Friday," we met friends at East Lake Park in Blaine for a picnic lunch. I'll never forget how cute it was watching our large group of kids playing together happily, or how we all made a mad dash to our vans, drenched and laughing, when a few sprinkles turned into a downpour.   

A Trip Well Worth It!

Last weekend Nathan and I took a short trip to Boise, ID for the first ever Atwood Family Reunion. I was sad that my entire family wasn't able to make it, but at least Nathan and I have a marvelous time!!!!  I tried to take some pictures to capture the highlights:

My parents picked me up at the airport, and we drove straight up to Logan where we stopped at Aggie Ice Cream (yum!!!), enjoyed a visit from my friend Natalie and her DARLING kids, and spent the night with my aunt Mary Anne. It was a great evening.

 The next day we met at a park in Nampa for a picnic lunch and an afternoon of swimming at an old-school community pool.  It was GREAT.  My parents babysat Nathan, so I spent the afternoon doing funny stunts on the diving board with my siblings and cousins.  In the evening we met at the local church building for dinner and a variety of fun activities, including this "photo booth."

 We also enjoyed the "Shake-em-Down" game, a family tradition that results in a lot of laughter and good times.From left to right: Jan Myers, Julia Atwood (my grandmother), David (my uncle), Pat and Melissa (my cousin and her husband), Becky (my cousin), Debbie (my aunt), Angie & Lynn (my cousin and her husband); and Miles, Jerry and Michalann (my sister and her family).  In total there were about 41 people at the reunion, and it was SO worthwhile to be together.

 

The second day of the reunion, we had the traditional kids' party hosted by Sally and Debbie (which my kids would have LOVED--I wished they were there) including swimming pools, shaving cream, and a massive egg hunt; a wiener roast (delicious and fun); and then my girl cousins and I went on our annual outing to a local candy shop.  Yes, we're all adults now...but we couldn't resist.  The eight of us piled into my cousin's van, ate way too much candy, and had a great time.  We also went to Winco--an awesome grocery store--where we stocked up on more candy and tried to figure out if the bee boxes REALLY contained live bees.

That evening we met back at the church for a delicious dinner and more fun events.  There were three babies about Nathan's age--this darling is my cousin Angie's little girl.  The babies had a great time playing together and occasionally sharing binkies. ;)  But Nathan was pooped out by the end of the night, so I set him aside for safe keeping, as you can see below.

People we love who we don't see as often as we'd like: Michalann, Debbie, Ellis, Jan, and Roxcy (of course, the list is much longer, but I didn't get pictures of everyone)

 We didn't get home from the airport until almost ten, but the boys still had plenty of energy to enjoy their "prizes," including Idaho Spuds and a headlamp (courtesy of the Shake-em-Down game and Uncle Ellis).  And way to go, Jon, the house was clean and the kids were happy.  He's a GREAT husband / dad!

It's a good thing I love him...

That's what I was thinking today when Sam got so mad that he took off his diaper and threw it at me.  Oh, Sam.  In the battle of Sam versus "Order in Our Home," Sam took the cake today.  He squeezed my makeup onto the carpet; broke a brand-new light bulb; emptied out a box of office supplies; left the patio door open...like 20 different times; hit everyone including the baby; put the clean clothes back in the dryer along with about 100 dryer sheets; and plugged the toilet with paper then flushed it.  Yes, it overflowed.  What a day.

Just reminding myself of what a little angel he was...

and still is when he gets the attention he needs.