Happy Weekend!

This weekend, the very first work free weekend we have had in MONTHS, the S Family has decided to go a bit underground and play tourist in our own state.

It might sound lame, but we are having a blast. Our area has TONS of fun, kid oriented attractions that we don't often take advantage of.

Today we toured a cave and had a wonderful time, despite my claustrophobia and the boys' disappointment over the fact that there were no bats residing in this particular cave. Little boys love caves, it's just one of those simple facts of life.

We also visited a local dinosaur research institute. Little boys also love dinosaurs, another irrefutable fact of life. From the boys' perspective today was without question the most perfect day in history. Isaac has announced that his future career plans have changed from simply being a race car driver to being a race car driver AND a paleontologist. He thought all that digging in the dirt for old bones looked like LOADS of fun.

At this point, Anna loves pretty much anything her big brothers love so her day was perfect to.

We finished up with a swim in our subdivisions recently opened pool.

Mini vacation day 1: SUCCESS!!! No injuries, no ER visits, no illness, no accidents...AMAZING!

Coming soon: Vacation Day 2: Prince Caspian and an evening BBQ with our good friends.

Love to all! We hope your weekend is as pleasant and relaxing as ours!

PS I have recently been terribly saddened by the loss of the FABULOUS video camera Jesse gave me for Christmas. Hence the lack of video on the blog. Our adventures this weekend and an upcoming deadline requiring the use of a digital video camera motivated me to launch a hard target search of every diaper bag, purse, jacket or coat pocket, junk drawer and typical electronic device location in a 500 foot radius around our house. To my great disappointment, the search yielded nary a digital video camera. Discouraged, I resigned myself to the loss, got in the waiting car, opened my camera bag in order to check the battery supply for my digital camera and discovered the video camera, right where anyone else but me would assume they should find a video camera. I wonder how often I loose things by storing them where they actually should be kept?

Summer Fun

Technically we are a month away from the official start of summer, but when the temps soar to 75 or 80 degrees by 11 am it is summer in our book!

Dear God, Can we talk?

Dear God,

I love being a mom, I truly do. I love every single detail about the children that you have sent me, including Isaac's super sensitivity, Nathan's dare devil tendencies and Anna's utterly rebellious 2 year old phase.

However, is it REALLY necessary to keep dropping infant animals in my lap RIGHT in front of the super sensitive little boy that you have blessed me with?

Really, it is not so much that I minded climbing a ladder and wandering around on a neighbor's roof bare foot while wearing a skirt to try and locate the nest of the baby bird the neighbor I was chatting with discovered in the pile of clothing she was selling at her garage sale.

I did not even mind when I finally DID locate the nest in a next to impossible location and was forced to attempt to maneuver the tiny, fragile creature between the jagged hole in the screen in order to get it back into the nest.

I was ok after all that effort when the baby bird fell right back out of the hole that it must have originally come from and I was still ok when I repeated the effort of maneuvering it through the jagged whole in the screen in a second attempt to get it back in its nest, after plugging up the whole from which it has fallen.

Honestly, it is not so much that I mind these activities. I would very willingly mother the entire world if it would let me, but I do have to wonder at Your reasoning, considering that
You have also given me a super sensitive little boy who suffers far more than I think these little creatures do, every time we cannot save one.

I mean, the baby mouse DID die, but at least it died warm and safe and well fed. Isaac, on the other hand, grieves hopelessly each time one of these little critters does not make it. Thus far I have been asked at least 234 times if the baby bird will be ok after I put it back in its nest. I don't really think so and I hate to lie to my 6 year old, but the truth will break his heart again all over.

So I have to ask You, did I miss my calling? Is this an indication that I should pursue a career change? Or is this an effort on Your part to teach Isaac about the circle of life and should I, in that case, just follow suit?

I could use a sign before I contract some awful parasite from one of these creatures.

Oh yes, and for future reference, I draw the line at roaches. I don't care how little or helpless, I will NOT make any effort to save the life of one of those vile things.

Another First

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After

Happy Mother's Day!

My more than fabulous and a sucker for any chance to spoil me husband has treated me to an absolutely lovely day.

Honestly, Mother's Day is one of those days when I am reminded of what an honor it is to have such a title associated with ME. I love being a mom. Even when Jesse suggested, in front of my super sensitive little Isaac, that the baby mouse I caught and was on the way to a field to release would surely die if I did so and why didn't we just keep him as a pet? after which point the mom in me KNEW the only way to spare my 6 year old a week of agony was to agree to keeping said baby mouse as a pet...I still love being a mom. And oh my goodness I cannot tell you how many hugs and sincere thank yous I have received because I let him keep that darn mouse.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms and moms to be out there! May you all know the joy, the humility and the honor of being a mom.