weekend pictures and news

This past week has been eventful as most summer weeks prove to be.  The younger boys are in swim lessons again and Andrew's swim team is shortly coming to a close.  Steve is busy with work and even busier with his calling at church.  I am holding down the fort by being the official taxi driver-cook-nurse-maid-gardener.

Obviously we are soaking up summer for all it is worth.

However, no matter what happens during the day, I think summer nights will always be my favorite.  Idaho nights cool down as soon ans the sun starts to set.  And when the sun goes down, the marshmallow roasting comes out.

We are addicted to smores...and fake propane campfires that don't make you smell like smoke.

I've told Steve that this counts as camping, because campfires are the best part of camping and we still get to sleep in our own beds.  He isn't falling for it.

Friday morning we cleaned the house.  Well, I cleaned and the kids used the chairs and stools misplaced while I was mopping to make a four person starfigher.  

Here are the four heroes protecting a galaxy far far away.

-Colby One Kenobi

-Car 2D2

-Drew SkyDixon

and Princess Sayla  (but with that sweet hair I think she is better named ChewSaylor)

Nobody wanted to be Han Solo, so I guess that would have to be me renamed Scrub Solo...because that's what I was doing...scrubbing the kitchen floor all by myself. 

Friday night we had the Wards and the Travellers over for dinner and RC car racing.  The food was great, the kids all got along and the weather was perfect.  Once again, summer nights are the best.  We let the kids stay up until after 11pm making smores and playing night games with dark hoodies and flashlights. (I had enough dark hoodies for seven little boys. Those clearance purchases are paying off.)  I think it was a night my kids will remember as the definition of summer.  

Unfortunately, Colby woke up Saturday morning around 2am with the stomach flu.   He has been on the couch ever since.  This picture is cruel, but depicts my poor little boy perfectly- wiped out.  If you look close, he is even sleeping with one eye open.  

He is finally keeping liquids down tonight and acting more like himself.

(Please pray Carter does not get this.)

While the non sick kids were at church with Steve, I made my first batch of garden zucchini bread.  Saylor helped by keeping the sugar and flour buckets from flying up and hitting the ceiling- her favorite job.  She also mastered what I thought was a pretty sweet skill...eating mini chocolate chips with a huge mixing spoon. She was surprisingly good at it.

And she also mastered the word "cheese".  

In other news, Andrew competed in his first swim meet Saturday morning.  I was sad I couldn't go because of poor sick Colby, but Steve was able to watch him race.  In the individual races, he raced with the 11 and 12 year olds.  He turns 11 next Monday and wanted to compete with the bigger kids.  He came in 5th in the backstroke, freestyle and butterfly.  He got third in the breaststroke.  For the relays, his coach wanted him to race in the 9 and 10 year old division.  His team took first in both relays.   Andrew was truly happy with all of his results and will be competing in the final meet of the season next Saturday in Woodriver.  His coach wants him in the 9 and 10 year old division for everything.  I agree...even though he will be 48 hours from being 11.