Even the RAINBOWS!
Last night, David and I went out to dinner. When we came out of the restaurant, it had just stopped raining. On the drive home, I saw the coolest rainbow I've ever seen. I could see it from end to end, and it was HUGE! Pretty cool! Too bad I didn't have a camera.
David and I almost never go to the movies. I mean, when it costs the same amount of money for a whole month of Netflix as it does for us to go see one movie at the theater, what's the point? The last time we went to the movies (before last night) was last July when we saw Harry Potter 5. Anyway, we really like X-Files, so we decided to pay the money to go see the new X-Files movie. It was definitely not worth $18. As a fan, I'm sorry to say that it just wasn't good. There were X-Files TV episodes that were FAR, FAR better than this movie. It wasn't horrible, it just wasn't good. Had it been an episode, I would describe it as mediocre. Not exactly what you expect for the big screen. Oh well, the next time we go to the movies will probably be for Harry Potter 6, and I'm sure that one will be worth $18.
Ginger Clinton, the beautiful wife and mother in this picture, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday morning, leaving behind a husband, 4 small children, 10 siblings, numerous nieces and nephews, and many friends. I didn't really know her personally, but she is the sister of my dear friend, Kate. Being the blurker (blog lurker) that I am, I often read Ginger's blog and was impressed by what an upbeat person she was, and by how much she loved her family. My heart aches for all her loved ones, especially for her husband and children. I haven't been able to stop thinking about them this week. I can't imagine how they must feel, and how very much they are going to miss her. As I reflect on Ginger's passing, I'm reminded how precious and fragile life is. I'm so grateful for every day I have here on earth to be with my family and watch my children grow (now I just need to remember that, and stop wasting so much of my life being frustrated, annoyed, or depressed). I'm thankful to Ginger for her example, even to people like me who didn't know her. My prayers are with her family. I have faith that the Lord will bless them and they will see her again.
David and I decided a couple months ago, that it would be good for each of us to take one of the kids out on a date once a month (an idea I got from Rebecca G. Thanks!). So, one month David will take Noah out and I'll take Isaac out. The next month we switch (by the way, we're not including Emma because she's really too little to care, and once school starts again she gets 2 days a week alone with me. We'll include her when she gets a little older). Anyway, right away Isaac asked if he could go ice skating for one of his dates. On Saturday, I finally got around to taking him.
After bringing the crabs home (and reading a little bit about them on the internet), I felt bad that their cage is so small. So, on Monday we went to the pet store and bought a cage that's a little bit bigger (not pictured here). So, now I have the daily task of giving food and water to 3 crabs that I'm too scared to pick up (they can pinch). Oh well, at least the kids are happy!
Absolutely nothing! And I think that's why I love it... On Saturday our Ward had a "Pioneer Day" Celebration breakfast. Basically we all met at the sprinkler park and ate a bunch of yummy food and watched the kids run around and have fun. It was very low key, which I think is great! And did I mention there was lots of yummy food? Good times.
So, Emma and Noah have decided to ban Daddy from doing anything for them. They only want Mommy. So, if Daddy tries to change Emma's diaper, take Noah to the potty, wipe Emma up after eating, bathe either of them, dress either of them, help them brush their teeth, sit by Emma at the dinner table, get a snack for them, tuck them into bed, hold them during Sacrament Meeting, etc., etc., they refuse. Emma, in particular, will throw a huge screaming fit if Daddy even attempts to do something she thinks Mommy should do. The other day he changed her diaper and she cried about it for about a half an hour. It's absolutely crazy! Where did this come from? They have a Daddy who works at home and they see ALL the time. He has always helped take care of them, especially at bedtime. I think I'm going to go insane if they don't get over this soon!
Luckily, Isaac is not involved in the anti-Daddy campaign (although on Sunday he refused to let Daddy read a chapter of "Harry Potter" to him, because he wanted Mommy to do it). He even asks Daddy to brush his teeth for him every night to try to make him feel better because the other two won't allow it. Still... it's the younger two that I need more help with! I don't want to do EVERYTHING for them. That's why they have 2 parents!!
And on a side note: this "Mommy Only" phenomenon is completely arbitrary. Yesterday, Daddy took Noah out to lunch at McDonald's, and apparently that was acceptable.
We had a nice 4th of July. The kids got dressed up in the Patriotic attire to participate in the annual neighborhood 4th of July parade. It was a lot of fun, but very hot!
Noah's scooter won First Place in the scooter competition and Isaac's scooter won Third Place (I think if there had been a perspiration competition, I would have won). They both got ribbons placed on their scooters and gift cards to Target ($20 for First Place and $5 for Third Place). They were pretty excited. Isaac says he wants to ride a scooter every year in the parade because there are way less scooters than bikes, so his probability of winning a prize is greater. That's my little mathematician!
The rest of the day, we relaxed at home. Stefani, Quentin, Haley and Julian came over for dinner and the kids played on the water slide. I told Isaac and Noah that they could stay up for fireworks, but Noah got tired and decided to go to bed. So, once it was dark, Isaac and I walked down the street a little ways and set up our chairs where we could see the fireworks. We had a pretty good view, and the show was really cool. Isaac was so excited that he got to stay up so late, and he especially enjoyed the grand finale of the fireworks show. I have to admit, it was quite spectacular!
All in all, a much better 4th of July than last year (click here if you want to read about that). I hope you all had a great 4th too!
Isaac can swim!!
