Happy Thoughts from the Past Week

Happy Thoughts from the Past Week:

• Angel's first steps
• Busy Lizzie's first birthday!
• Micah earned his second & first class ranks, and has completed all the merit badges he needs for his Star badge, so just has to get his service hours & wait the 4 month time period
• late night walks with James
• mosquito repellent
• Lizzie dancing to the beat of the wedding video I made for the Alexanders
• baseball!
• swimming & diving has come to an end -- Micah passed level 5
• a singing Rebecca (life is an opera)
• the summer reading program at the library (more about that below the photos)
• fiery entertainment at the movie theater
• boys who adore their little sisters
• memories of a tiny baby and 2 broken arms
• my hurting foot & aching knee seem to be getting better
  
• hiking with cousins
• water fights, water balloons, and dunking booths
• a bishop who's a very good sport
• Cameron wasn't in the ambulance (more about that below also)
• the twins didn't burn the house down (ditto)
  
• Teancum helping Rebecca dress the Barbie on her Mariposa video game
• a complimentary note from Ian's summer school teacher saying that Ian had helped another child with math
  
• there's a kitten in the house!
• we'll be in DC tomorrow!!!
  

Classic Quotes from the Past Week:

• Teancum: "Did you know that sometimes boogers are pokey?"
• Cameron: "Tonight at young men's we're doing break-down dancing." Now you see how hip, or groovy, or whatever the current word is, that we are at our house!
• Teancum: Watching the Alexander's wedding video that I was making, he said, with a disgusted look on his face, "why does he keep kissing and kissing her?"
• The most-used quote of the week: "MOM!!! I'm out of underwear!!!" I was so excited for the DC trip that I've been packed for over a week, which explains the aforementioned statement. Who needs clean underwear anyway? It's highly over-rated!
  

SUMMER READING: Last summer after Micah earned the most AR points of anyone in his grade for the 2nd year in a row (AR is Accelerated Reading -- the kids read books and take tests on them and the teachers & librarian track the AR points throughout the year. They all have goals they're supposed to meet and various rewards for meeting them or for exceeding them. The top reader from each grade has his name put on a plaque on the wall outside the library), he refused to read all summer because there would be no AR tests. So he literally went all last summer without reading.

So this year when he won the top AR reader for the 3rd year in a row, I was sure he would put his books (and brain) away for the summer. But then he found out about the summer reading program and the prizes he could win if he was the top reader (most minutes read). One Saturday Micah read for the entire day. Many nights he stayed up late reading, and many afternoons he laid on the couch reading. Each week we went to the library summer reading activity and he would check out more books. He even had some books ordered in from other libraries in the state. This week was the last activity for the summer reading program -- a picnic. I was sitting happily at Gannett Grill for the ladies' birthday lunch, when Therese mentioned that Kris & KimberLee wouldn't be coming because it was the summer reading picnic. I said, "doesn't that start at 1:30?" "No," Therese said, "it started at noon." I called Micah, who was home tending all the kids, and asked if he knew the picnic was at noon. "yeah," he said. "Are you coming to get us?" (I had told him I'd pick him up for the picnic, but I thought it was at 1:30!) So I raced out of there before I'd even had one bite of my lunch, picked up the kids, ran to the pool to pick up Cameron, and raced to the library. I knew Micah would be so disappointed if he missed it, and unfortunately, he did miss hearing them call his name as the top summer reader. But he still got his prize, so I guess he forgave me (he never said a word to me about being late). Thank goodness for the summer reading program, that kept my competitive little Micah busy reading for half the summer, and kept his brain from evaporating. It's over, now, so have you seen him crack open a book? You'll have to catch it on video if you do because otherwise I'll never believe you!

AMBULANCE: On Elizabeth's birthday I was heading down to Main Street when I saw an ambulance speed by with siren blaring & lights flashing. Whenever I hear a fire or ambulance siren, I always say a quick prayer that none of my family members are involved. This time all of my family was at home except for Cameron -- he was at diving. Suddenly I had a sick feeling, thinking that he could have been trying to do a backwards dive (the dive he said his teacher insisted upon for him to pass the class) and hit his head on the diving board, falling unconscious to the bottom of the pool. I did consider following the ambulance, but decided instead to go to the pool and make sure Cameron was still there, safe and sound. When I first got there, I couldn't see him (it was the last day of swimming -- free day). Finally I spotted him and felt such relief! I know it's crazy and paranoid, but what if he had been in that ambulance???

FIRE IN THE FORT: Most of you know about the fire that Ian started in my parents' back yard last year. Yes, that boy does love fire. I thought we had all the matches, lighters, and other fire-related items hidden away. Last Christmas my mom gave us some emergency supplies, and I decided the most useful place for them would be in our van. Ian had been assigned to clean out the van a couple weeks earlier, and one day this week I was looking for Lizzie's shoes in the van and found 2 empty boxes where our emergency candles had been. Ian was at summer school, so I immediately found Ethan and asked him where the candles were. He told me they were in the tree fort in the back yard. I sent Micah to retrieve everything from the tree fort. He came back with several of James' tools, an empty book of matches and what was left of the candle. Ethan said he and Ian had been burning the candle in the tree fort, but he couldn't remember when. James later found more empty books of matches near the trailer in our back yard. We still haven't found the other candle. The twins claim they have no idea where it is. I am glad they didn't burn our house (or neighborhood) down. I guess I need to search more thoroughly for any other matches in the house or garage!