Pirate Beach!

We went to a beach while the Church's visited. It was a beach that we had never gone to before. It was about 50 minutes away and we hit some traffic so it took well over an hour. The whole time I kept thinking this dang beach better be worth it! We have a beach in almost every direction that is only 20-30 minutes away.

When we got there though it was WELL worth the drive. There is a pirate park that is TONS of fun and from the park you walk down to the beach. The beach had hardly anyone on it! We had a BLAST!
The waves where "HUGE" to the kids and they all loved playing in them!
Dash loved running away from the waves!
Darby letting them rush over her.
Max almost got knocked over by them!

Juliet loves to play in the sand.
Kel, giving the kids a wave.
Mav just left that sand on his face. It was pretty funny because it was coated on there really thick!
Bret and Kel!
Dash and Mav!
The girls.
Me and B! I love that you can see my hand shadow taking the picture!
Darby and Indi acting like fools! I wish you could see their faces better because they were trying to "out ugly" the other person! Darby was really giving Indi a run for his money!
Dash is not a fan of being cold.
Indi and Jada! You can't deny that they are siblings. Such a cute picture!
Uncle Bret digging a big enough hole to bury a boy in!
Dash excited to be buried.
All buried!
Juliet made some sand "sculptures". Every night since this she has thanked Heavenly Father in her prayers for her sea horses and fish in in the sand.
Burying Dash!
Mav all buried! Both boys liked it because they were warm in the sand. The beach was REALLY breezy so it would get a little chilly if you were not in the sun and really chilly if you were wet! We had sooooo much fun at this beach. It's in Oxnard if you get a chance to go. I don't know what the real name is but we call it the Pirate Park Beach or the 1 hour beach!

A visit from the Church's

Once a year (I wish more) we get to see our friends the Church's! They are more like family! Kelly comes and does a Pampered Chef show for me and then we get to play play play! Here are all our kids before we took them downtown L.A. to the fashion district. I would not recommend ever taking 7 kids downtown. I was a bit of a stress case but the kids were good and Kel is great at staying calm! (Juliet thinks the fashion district is her own personal jewelry box.....not a good idea!) Dash, Maverick, Indiana, Max, Jada, Darby and Juliet! Kelly sang Juliet a song on the car ride home. (TRAFFIC!) Poor Kel had to sing it over and over and it was NOT a short song. It was a Christmas song about a doll. I really loved it and would love to learn it! That night Juliet didn't want anyone but Aunt Kel to sing her a song before bed. What a little stinker!
After Church on Sunday we caught Brandon "reading"! We were laughing pretty hard at him! Sound asleep.
Then we went to find Bret and he was straight up sleeping in our "reading nook"! So funny!
I don't know what we are doing here but it looks fun! We always have TONS of fun with them. Laugh hard, cheeks hurt, stomach pain FUN! more pictures to come!

Tyler Cowley....a true friend!

This is Tyler. He is who Max considers his best friend! Tyler is one of Brandon's young men at church. He is 14. He is a GREAT kid! We actually adore his whole family but this is a post about Tyler! A couple months ago Tyler's grandfather passed away. After the funeral his mom stayed back to help her mom. I had the privilege of picking up Tyler and his little sister (Jenna, 5th grade.....rock star status at the kids school and all around a doll to be with!) Instead of taking them home right away I held them hostage at our house. These kids played and played and played! It was so fun to see the older kids playing right along side the younger kids and having such a great time. (I don't think it hurts that girls mature faster than boys. It seemed like all the kids were on level playing ground some of the time...... Jenna, Darby, Tyler, Max, Austin also 14, Dash and Juliet....more of a pet!) They played Gypsy, and Restaurant, and video games. Tyler and Austin took Max around the corner where the ice cream truck parks by the Jr. High. Max felt like the big man on campus then! Tyler and his family travel a lot during the summer. Grandparents have ranches and horses and they get to do all kinds of fun things. The sad thing about that is that it takes them all away from us! Tyler came over a few days before leaving and when it was time for him to go Max broke down in tears because he wasn't going to see his "best friend" all summer. Tyler got out of the car and ran to Max and gave him a HUGE bear hug picking him up and everything! I cry just thinking about it. Here is a 14 year old boy who could have very easily just waved and not given my Max a second thought. Instead he embraced him and told him he would miss him and really made Max feel like a friend! Max decided to the only way to ease his pain was to make Tyler a "travel bag" full of treats and a package of legos for the drive to Utah. He put candies from a goodie bag that he had received at a party, vanilla cokes because that is Tyler's favorite, Legos, and I think a pirate eye patch. Max gave it to Tyler before he left and told him he didn't need to share it with anyone if he didn't want to! :) Tyler took pictures with both my boys and hugged them again! I just can't say enough about this kid! I am so very grateful that my son has someone to look up to and that someone is kind and thoughtful to others around him! Thank you Tyler for taking time out for my boys and Thank you Cowleys for raising him up right! We love you guys!

Kindergarten Culmination!!!

This was seriously the cutest day ever! Dash wanted to wear a shirt and tie. He was the only little boy that did! SO sweet! They sang some super cute songs and said their favorite things about kindergarten. His was the Turnip play that they did. They also said what they wanted to be when they grew up! There were fire fighters because they wanted to help people. Nurses because they wanted to help people feel better. Secret Agents so they could catch bad guys. Dash stood up loud and proud (a saying we use all the time) and said "I want to be a pet store owner BECAUSE I LOVE HAMSTERS!!!!" cue applause and laughter!
They also sang a song that made me cry! It was to the tune of "New York, New York"! Went like this........ "Start spreadin' news! Culminating today! We're gonna be a part of it FIRST GRADE FIRST GRADE! We learned our ABC's and our 123's so weeeeelllll, we learned our sounding out words and stories to teeeeellllll. Don't ask us to rhyme, we'll say tens and pens, WE want to be a part of it FIRST GRADE FIRST GRADE! We want to be a part of it with all our FRIENDSSSS!! If we can make it there, we will make it anywhere, SO we're on our way FIRST GRADE FIRST GRAAAAADDDDEEEEE! YAH! (cue mommy crying over her big first grader!)

Natural History Museum

We went to the Natural History Museum one Saturday and they had a special for a family pass for the year that was only about 20 bucks more than the fee to enter. OF COURSE we will buy that! That gets us into the butterfly exhibit and the spider exhibit in the fall. It also gets you into the La Brea tar pits and discounts on the sleepovers that they have in the museum! Very exciting especially since the Dinosaur exhibit will be up and running this month and we get the v.i.p. showing of it as "members"! We had a great day and I see many more trips with friends and family in our future! Juliet DID NOT appreciate the bear!
I don't know what it is but I was impressed that there was really something like this not just in the movies!
Not the best picture of the giant dino in the lobby but we are so excited to go back and see the rest of the exhibits. We came home this night and watched "Night at the Museum II" and had a blast seeing some of the things we just saw! (even though this is L.A. and that was D.C.)

Written by ALison Parker STOLEN by Suzy Jeffords

I have a really cute friend Alison that I envy a lot and try to emulate more than not. I wanted to write something kind of like this but didn't have the time or the energy. SO instead I copied and pasted it so I would have it forever in one of my blog books!!! (I literally stole it off her blog!) I know as mom's we have ALL been here! Read her words of wisdom and laugh and cry like I did. Then enjoy your summer! Thank you Al! I love you more than my luggage! Muah! If you hate that I stole this just give me a call or even better blog about it and I will steal that one too!!! :) (you could also follow/stalk her blog for more amazing stories and gorgeous pictures she takes.... 140 fingersandtoes...... links on my blog!)

"Ship Shape" by: Alison Parker

There are two stories I want to tell.

First, and I imagine almost all of you have seen this one before, has happened on more than one occasion in my least favorite of all stores on Earth.

Wal-Mart.

It's 10:30 at night, I've finally gotten all the kids down, I'm exhausted, but I drag my body out to run errands that would be exponentially worse with "help". I'm in line at Wal-Mart with whatever it was that cannot possibly be found anywhere else or costs 10 times more at a decent place. Anyway, I'm in line, I'm fighting to stay on my feet, I'm not the most patient person at this point, and I notice the cart in front of me has kids in it.

Kids.

Dirty, sad, whining kids.

At 10:30 at night.

"What kind of mother brings her children to Wal-Mart this late? Those kids should be home in bed! They probably had McDonald's for dinner. I'm a way better mother since my kids are all tucked in, teeth brushed, with bellies full of vegetables, and clean jammies on. Those kids are going to grow up to be horrible people."

I don't say this out loud, but it runs through my brain all through the rest of my shopping trip. I have horribly uncharitable thoughts about these people and decide I'm better than they are.

Story number two:

We have very recently moved to Texas, where we know not a soul. I'm 8 and a half months pregnant in the middle of July. I have a very fast running, sneaky 2 year old, and it's Friday night. Jake has been gone long hours all week, and I'm running on fumes. Honestly, I'm having difficulty moving my arms and legs. Our house is trashed.

Trashed.

I have taken Tate swimming at our apartment complex pool for the 3rd time that day in an effort to burn off some of his energy while allowing myself to cool off and float like a giant tomato (red maternity suit.)

After Jake arrives home, he meets us at the pool, jumps in, does a few laps with Tate, and we walk back to the apartment. I proceed to flomp (you heard me. It's the action of a walrus landing on the beach) down on the couch. Tate picks up a piece of his discarded dinner from a paper plate on the floor, and starts to gnaw on it.

The door bell rings.

"Who in the heckola could that be? We don't know anyone!"

Home Teachers.

Well, for those of you who don't speak LDS, in the church, each family has a set of Home Teachers. Two priesthood holding men, assigned to watch over your family. They come once a month, teach, work, give priesthood blessings when needed, just generally be there to help.

Well, we had a new one.

A member of our Bishopric, Ted Lewis, was at the door with our brand new Home Teacher, Chip Cannon, and I'm wallowing in my own personal pit of despair. I can't even hide because they can see me through the window.

This is one of the most humbling positions I've ever found myself in. EVER.

I waddle to the door, wishing I could just move out of state, and open it to two very surprised men who tried not to gasp at the sight of the biggest pregnant lady they've ever seen,in a massive soggy red tent, smelling of sunblock and grilled cheese, sunburned, sporting "swimming hairdo", and surrounded by Oscar the Grouch's house.

I let them in, cleared off two spots on the couch, and went to find Jake.

Two minutes later, Jake comes in, all fresh and clean and sparkly to sit beside Jaba the Hut for a nice little chat.

Now, I have to say, these men are two of the kindest people I've ever had the privilege to know, however, at this point they're strangers. I would have gladly killed them both and hidden the bodies, just so word of our sad state wouldn't spread.

At some point in the conversation, Chip starts to tell us about his wife, Cynthia.

"Cyn is a great cook."

I glance at the cold grilled cheese in Tate's hand and my head drops.

"She is always so put together. Really she's a trophy wife if ever I've seen one."

Really? I sink into my chair as far as I can.

"You know, our house is always immaculate. She runs a very tight ship."

At this point, I'm just trying not to cry. I'm remembering the Me from California, who mopped every day, who's house always smelled like lemons and fresh cut flowers. I'm remembering the Me who never left her house with a dirty baby or her hair not done, who read 10-20 books to her child every day and cooked wonderful meals with only the freshest ingredients.

That Alison is dead.

And if Chip keeps going, I'm going to add this Cynthia person to my hit list.

I don't remember what I said, I only remember offering some excuse to leave the room, fleeing to my bedroom and crying for an hour.

Fast forward 8 years almost exactly.

I have 4 more kids, I live in a different state, and I've since become very good friends with Cynthia. She has often mopped my floor, folded my laundry, or wiped down my counters.

Why have I shared these two stories?

Well, at certain points in my life, I have been both of these women. I have, over the years, gone back and forth between Troll Alison and Martha Alison.

It always depends on what else is going on in my life.

And on occasion, I have taken a child for a midnight run to Wal-Mart. It's always the kid who has been asleep for 5 hours and won't likely go to bed on their own until Midnight, or the kid who needs an hour of Mom, all to themselves. But nobody around me knows that.

So, when I see these other mothers, who aren't doing what I think they should, I try to remember my first meeting with Chip. I don't know if their dog just died, if their husband just left, if they just lost their job, if their son fell asleep for a 5pm nap and slept for an hour before anyone noticed, or if their child is part vampire and just doesn't sleep. I'm trying to judge a lot less and instead, offer to sweep a floor or change a baby.

This Summer, I'm not Runs-A-Tight-Ship Alison. I'm desperately trying to get it all done, and I'm failing in many areas. My floor is sticky. Nobody's doing their summer reading. One kid lost his toothbrush several (okay, maybe 7) days ago. I made hotdogs more than any other food last week.

I know this will change when school starts. I will only have two kids at home all day, the muddy Summer clothes will go away, popsicles will be a distant memory, and Ship Shape Alison will be back. For now, though, I'd rather spend two more months playing with Miles before he goes off to kindergarten to learn potty humor and finds a friend he likes more than me.

So, you're welcome to stop by this Summer, but be prepared. Don't expect Runs-A-Tight-Ship Alison, because you'll be sorely disappointed to find Hanging Onto a Life Raft by Her Fingernails Alison.

But come in, have a popsicle, just watch out for that sticky spot on the floor.

homemade drive in movies

We found a drive in here in L.A. but it was 45 minutes away. We even considered going. When you factor the drive, with the time the movie starts and gas money and the possibility of traffic, and chasing Juliet all around, it seemed like a lot of work and we would be getting home LATE! SO we decided to do a drive-in movie in the back yard.

1st thing, design your car. (lucky kids, daddy is an artist or you would be sitting in a box that I let you color with markers. :)

I was in charge of concessions. I made the kids sing for what they wanted. Dash sang Grand ol' Flag. Max sang Baby by Justin Beiber and Darby and Brandon sang You are My Sunshine together. I went with my good ol' back up On My Own from Les' Miserable! The kids were howling and saying that I shattered their windshields. Ungrates!

They all had such cool cars.
Darby designed hers after a "slug bug".
Dash's looked like a boot. His looked the biggest but really had the smallest cab to sit in.
Max's was a "Tron-mobile".
Daddy cutting a little windshield out so he could see the movie!
The BIG screen is up!
DUH DUH DUH du nu nu nu nu DUH DUH DUH. DUH DUH DUH. DUH DUH DUH. du du du du DUH! (20th century fox theme)
Tonight's feature "Diary of a Wimpy Kid....Rodrick Rules". (SO cute)
Now just sit back and enjoy! They stayed in their cars the whole movie. It was a great time and I hope a memory they will have forever! WAY better than any ol' drive in!

Diaper baby bums!

The kids thought it would be really funny to put on Juliet's diapers. Juliet thought it was hilarious. First it was just Dash......They are soooooooo funny!
Then the other 2 ran out with diapers on too! I have no idea how they got them to fit! It was hard not to laugh! They are pretty funny! Darby's legs crack me up! They are so long and skinny!