Survived.

We did it. We survived our first double birthday party for Asher and Micah (not claiming there will be more double ones or anything like that, lol, just stating a fact). It went pretty well...considering we had 16 kids here (ranging in age from 2 to 9) and that it was hotter than we'd anticipated so kids ended up inside for much longer than we planned for. But. Still, pretty darn good and all is well. I'm exhausted, though, so pictures and more details will have to wait... ;)

Two thumbs up.

So we were riding in the car a couple days ago and I hear Asher muttering to himself in the backseat. I stopped to actually listen to what he was saying. Are you ready? He was acting out a fight between his thumb and his pinky. Apparently, his pinky was jealous because his thumb was so much bigger. Really. And then Micah joined in...except his two thumbs fought while his two pinkies cheered. I don't know why. I'm not making this stuff up, folks. :)

Yup, that's pretty much how life's been here lately...disjointed yet funny. Asher finished up soccer camp yesterday. (Noah finished last week.) Both older boys have started swim lessons at the nearby gym (which, based on the two lessons so far, are better than the first ones that only Asher ended up taking). I've actually been going to the gym as "scheduled" through this QuickStart program (it doesn't hurt at all that Noah and Asher are totally motivated to remind me about and guilt me into going, as they want to play the Wii and other games in the kid area)...feeling rather good about it, though Micah's not yet a fan of the whole thing. It helps, too, that I'm already going there twice a week for the swim lessons so just getting there an hour early isn't too bad.

That garage sale find from last week (the slot car race set) was a huge hit and, I've since learned, a stinkin' fantastic deal. Totally pleased with myself for that one, and the boys were thrilled. They set it up by the end of that day and played with it all weekend. Then, I made them move it upstairs to get it out of the main traffic area. Noah's still trying to figure out how to make the track fit in the upstairs room that it's now in but they have plans to tackle that with Nathan tonight.  

Piano lessons continue through the summer. Noah, in particular, has been practicing heaps better lately. Of course, this also means that we've been listening to a LOT of "Six Little Ducks that I Once Knew"..."The Saints Go Marching"..."America the Beautiful"...and others like that. (We switched Noah to a "favorite songs" book/course for the summer and it's made a world of difference in his approach...he's such a perfectionist that he needs these songs where he can more easily hear if he's getting it right.) The boys have also been singing a lot more lately as a result...but they make up their own versions and, while funny, it gets a wee bit old after the 82nd round if you know what I mean.  :)

I've finished up three or so scrapbook assignments (10 or so layouts/projects)...looking forward to when you'll be able to see them! That said, I've not done as good a job writing letters this week as I'd hoped. Maybe tomorrow? Going to work on cleaning up my office today and finishing two more layouts then need to get ready for Asher and Micah's birthday party this Sunday. (Oh! That reminds me. Micah's taken to asking me at bedtime "what time is it?" as he looks at the clock in our room. I tell him. He sighs and says, "not party time yet?" ;) I'll have to remember to tell him to look at the clock on Sunday so that I can inform him that it's finally party time.)

We have this whole house fan upstairs that we use at night to cool off the house. It's in the ceiling in the hallway. We noticed earlier this week that every time Micah goes under this fan while it's on, he holds his head with one hand. When we asked him why, he replied that he had to hold on his hair. He's so funny.  

So. That's a bit about what's been going on around here lately. :) Busy but good. Sorry this post wasn't more exciting. Maybe by July we'll have this summer thing down, LOL! 

I don't know why...

Oh, and, for reasons completely unknown to me, Micah has been chanting the following all morning:

"Bonga, bonga...my hair is freaky...bonga, bonga...my hair is freaky..."

Weirdo. :) 

My morning finds that will fill the afternoon...hopefully.

So. Noah finished up his soccer camp this morning. Whew. :) Asher starts next week...same dealio, just different age group. On our way home, we were distracted by a 10 family garage sale going on a few blocks from our house. Had to stop obviously. ;) And, somehow, even though I've been cleaning house recently and declaring that we truly have too many toys (almost all of which are either vehicles or building toys), we picked up two electric race car sets...one for just $2 with questionable odds of actually working or having all the pieces (which has been thoroughly explained to the boys)...and one for $8 that still has some of the pieces in plastic and came with complete instructions and the owner's word that all the pieces were there and work (it looks to me like it was used maybe a handful of times and then relegated to storage).

After explaining the "rules" to the boys (no fighting...no fits if you discover we're missing pieces...etc), I set them to figuring it all out on their own. Should keep 'em occupied much of the afternoon:

 

Okay, off now to try to get some layouts done while they're busy... :) 

A small plea.

Okay. Seriously, folks, is it really necessary to spit gum on the street/in the parking lot/on the sidewalk? And is it truly too much to ask that you clean up after your dog in public places? I'm not pointing fingers or saying *you* do this or anything. :) I'm just saying I'd like that half hour of my life back from this morning. That half hour spent explaining to Micah why he should not step in the fresh doggie doo at the park where Noah's soccer camp was taking place and scraping a glob of gum off my shoe and the floor of the car (from me having stepped in to buckle up boys, not noticing that there was a glob of gum on my shoe). Argh.

I mean, it's not like I go around changing my kids' diapers in public places and leaving them open on the ground for people to step in and smell (and right in the middle of the grassy area, might I add)...and there was a garbage can *right there* in the parking lot where I picked up the gum on my shoe.

Sorry. Bit miffed and felt the need to vent.  So. Please. Do me a favor and don't contribute to these ongoing unnecessary breaches of manners, okay? ;) Thanks.