two boys, a pregnant woman, and something that is not a hundred dollars

Today we went to Wendy & Chris' for Ben & Sam's birthday. We had tacos for lunch and swimming afterwards. This is different from what we usually have when we eat at their house. Usually we have hamburgers or maybe steak. They surprised us by mixing up the menu a little bit. 

Greg decided not to go swimming this time, so he was the official life guard. The kids usually hang on him while he's in the pool. This is fine, but they don't practice becoming better swimmers while they are hanging on him. 

Here are the 4 kids in the pool. They got along well (mostly) and retrieved the toys from the bottom of the pool. I guess Ben got miffed at Heather because she put the retrieved toys on the cool decking within jaws reach of the dog. He had to go rescue a toy a time or two.

I took this picture after Heather got this little toy thingy off the bottom with her feet. She told me to make sure I blog this and let you know that she got that with her feet.

Don't let the overcast pool shots fool you. It was plenty hot out there and sunny more often than overcast.

Let's get another look at the hot life guard.

While we were there, I used my box of magic paint swatches to pick out colors for the baby's room. 

This is not Gavin's actual room, rather the room they are recreating. They don't paint that quickly. I helped her pick a nice green for the bottom portion of the walls and a blue for the top. Cute stuff, huh?

And here's a picture of the baby. Can you see him in there? Wendy says she feels him moving all the time now. The other night she watched her belly roll as he did a forward handspring.

Wendy's due in December. She still has a whole lot of growing to do!

And now for the something that was not a hundred dollars? I had to get gas today. It was not a hundred dollars to fill up my tank this time. The pump automatically stops at a hundred dollars when you use the card, which was being pretty close to full - within a gallon or so. Today it was full at just $94.81. I know. I should be appalled that gas is so much. But instead I'm feeling pretty thankful that it wasn't a hundred dollars! 

aprons, aprons, aprons

I got notification that my apron swap partner received her apron this morning. So it's probably safe to show you the whole thing.

Isn't it cute? I love the flounce on the bottom even though that was not easy to pin or sew. I used a pattern for this. Except I decided some parts would be in a contrasting fabric.

I hope she likes it!

I got my apron in the mail today too! I love getting mail.

Look how cute this one is! I'm not the only who had the contrasting fabric idea, am I? It even has a loop to hang a dish towel. Thanks, Tammy!

sneak peek

I finally finished the apron for this apron swap I joined. I've had the fabric & pattern forever. But in my true style, I'm finishing it at the last minute so it can be mailed off tomorrow. And now I'm wondering about the actual deadline. Was it the 30th or 31st? Well, I'm sure my partner will be understanding when she gets this really cute apron. I'll show you the whole thing in a couple of days when I'm sure it arrived at her house. 

maybe i am a little old fashioned

62 As a 1930s wife, I am Superior Take the test!

the quest of the brown sandal

In the summer I like the kids to have at least two staple pairs of sandals ~ a brown pair and a white pair. Well, let's face it ~ here it's more like spring, summer, and most of fall. These two pair will cover just about any outfit where sandals will be appropriate footwear. Any others we add to the mix will just be a bonus.

I have not been able to find the kids a pair of brown sandals for over a year. They are both out of the toddler shoe size and into the little girl shoe size. When I look in that shoe area I see many shoes with a heel available for them. These are just a few that I saw:

Ok, I'll admit ~ way cute! And let me tell you, I love a heel. But let's remember who these shoes are for. My children still RUN at recess. They should not be wearing a two-inch heel except maybe on Easter or if they are in a wedding! And even then, I don't know. I'm even ok with a chunky heel like some sandals have. But, this is so not appropriate! 

These sandals are cute and fairly appropriate. They really should have a strap around the back for proper playing. I would have let them get these, but they just didn't fit right. They complained about them in the store. Never a good sign.

These are so perfect for the kids. Too bad we are looking for brown sandals, not white. Why can't these come in both colors?

I know I can be overprotective and a little old-fashioned sometimes, but it just seems like foolish behavior to stick a 6 or 8 year old in a two-inch heel that is too high for some grown women. Why are the options so limited? We are not allowing children to be children. Where are all of the appropriate brown sandals these days??? 

I'm just saying.

we saved so much money

We tried to spend a fortune to buy tickets for the HM concert for Stephanie and Heather. We were poised on the computer the minute tickets went on sale. No luck.

We tried for days to win tickets from a local radio station. I still want to grab a phone and dial those magic numbers when I hear the song (a regular Pavlov's dog). No luck.

We considered going to the movie at the theatre but we were met with a $15 per ticket price (for a movie?) and the bad timing of the only week it was showing. No luck.

Finally! Just when it seems these children will never see the concert or the movie of the concert, they air the movie on television. All I had to do is go to the store where I refuse to shop and ask customer service for 4 free pairs of these cool shades.

Then Saturday night, after an all day (school clothes) shopping event, we let the kids stay up way too late to watch the 3D concert (yea for Tivo). It looks like Stephanie might be asleep, but she's not.

This one really is asleep. She feel asleep with the glasses on. I hope she won't try that trick in school!

Sure, being at the actual concert would have been so much more rockin' than laying on our living room floor watching Hannah and Miley. Seeing the movie in the theater would have been way more cool than the carpet too. But, you can't beat the price of this!

ch,ch,ch,ch

Remember those sprinklers that slowly make their way in one direction, then make a quick ch,ch,ch,ch motion back to the beginning? Greg got one to spot water the grass because the heat (yes, that again) is taking a toll on our grass. 

Friday night he turned it on and let the kids run around in it. 

They ran to and fro, in and out of the water, shrieking all the way.

The neighbors may not have appreciated the squeals of delight, but we love the simple fun they are so easily amused by.

They made up little games ~ like running toward the center of the spray. Their hands? I don't know ~ diving maybe? A shark? A rudder?

high ponytail

When I put the kids' hair in a high ponytail, I find it easier for me if they look up toward the ceiling. It just is.

Anyway this morning, Heather complained about looking up while I was ponytailing.

Me: Stop complaining. Just do it. It's not going to kill you.

H: Yes, it is. Kiss me good-bye!

nothing to say

Apparently I've not had much to say this week. Well, that's not true. I have plenty. When have you known me to be without words? But did you really want to hear:

• It's hot - Africa hot.
  
• I'm pooped.
  
• I can't wait for this school year to be over.
  
• My students are testing the limits of my sanity. I'm gonna win.
  
• My children tried to test the limits of my sanity. I won.
  
• All children I spend time with on a regular basis have received "that look" lately.
  
• Did I mention it's hot?
  
• I'm behind on the laundry (no surprise there).
  
• I'm behind on the dishes (what's new).
  
• The house looks like a tornado came through (again).
  
• Oh, yeah, it's hot. And that drains my energy.
  

Right. I didn't think you wanted to hear all that!

i had something

important to say this morning. But the thought came to me after I used up my carefully allotted morning computer time. The little gem of insight came to me in the shower.

Then:

• I ironed (duh!) and got the kids & myself all gussied up for the day.
• I went to work.
  
• I sweated buckets at bus duty.
  
• I shepherded small children all day.
  
• I made sure everyone washed their hands, got along nicely with each other, had silent reading time, and even taught the beginnings of multiplication.
  
• I stayed after work and pretended to work more. I just ended up straightening my class room a little. 
  
• I went to a class. It may or may not have been a line dancing class. And if it was, no, I will not do a dance for you.
  
• I cooked picked up dinner. Thank you In-N-Out.
  
• I combed a 6-year old's freshly showered hair and tried to con her into combing mine. I was met with mediocre results.
  
• I wondered where the 8-year wandered off to after her shower and found her in her bed.
  
• I watched a little t.v. while waiting for my turn on the computer.
  

And now? I forgot it. But let me tell you, it was brilliant.

hey ~ where's my shorts?

Did you look in your drawers? Did you look in the laundry? Uh, maybe I used them to make this.

Check it out here.

lettuce wraps and garlic snap peas

We went to PF Changs for Greg's birthday lunch after church today. As the title indicates, lettuce wraps and garlic snap peas are some of our favorite menu items. Heather is in love with those snap peas. Greg even eats the peas. Hmm. Maybe Greg likes more vegetables than he lets on.

Besides the four of us, Mom, Danny, Grandma & Grandpa Smith, Tony (he's in the picture way in the back) and Gianna were there.

We had a very nice time which included tickling the littlest person and Stephanie's hand motions to one of her favorite church songs. To put a great ending to the lunch, we walked outside to find it was not blistering hot. It was a little cooler, humid, and seemed like it might actually rain. We did get a couple of sprinkles on the way home.

mended

Just before Father's Day, Gianna fell and broke her arm. She sported a fancy purple cast and proudly showed it off to us when we saw her one day for lunch.

The cast was just about bigger than her!

We saw her today for lunch. The first thing she said to us was that her "elbow came out" as she showed off her cast-free arm. She engaged us in a whole conversation with us about her arm and woes of being in a pack-n-play when you're too much of a big girl for one! Well, ok, maybe she just said the pack-n-play "went away."

She is such a doll! We wish we could see her more often.

an old hymn

From the time I was in the 5th grade to the time I left Arizona in my twenties, I attended a Baptist church. Very traditional. Organ, old hymns, pews, and all the pomp and circumstance that goes with established, conservative churches. Week after week we'd sing the old hymns ~ sometimes at a pace too sluggish for my taste. I only wore dresses or skirts to Sunday morning services. The church did not approve of dancing. The decons took the offering and served communion. The deasons were, of course, men. And there was no hand-raising of any sort during a song that may have moved you to do so. Like I said, very conservatively traditional.

Now we go to a nondenominational church that is very modern. We do not sing hymns. We sing upbeat and often rockin' worship songs. I often wear jeans to Sunday morning services, even though it somehow feels a little wrong. Dancing is just another expression of worship or fun. Anyone can take the offering or serve communion. I've done both. Those who feel moved to do so, raise their hands in praise. Very different from how I grew up.

Every once in a while, we sing an old hymn ~ How Great Thou Art ~ with a different arrangement. The tune is the same, but the song is more modern with quite a livelier beat. When we sing this song, I am strangely transported back to the days in the Baptist pew. I feel as if I am stradling a line of who I was and who I am now. I feel like I have roots that allow me to grow into a more colorful person. I am glad I know the old hymns and their familiar tunes. At the same time I am glad that some have new arrangements that meet the needs of a more modern church.

mornings well spent

This is how the kids spent their morning before school a few days ago.

Making a birthday card for Daddy that says, "You Rock."

Catching up on classwork from being absent from school for a week.