Thanks to Dad...

After Bruce's funny fake phone call about cars, my dad sent me this. It makes me laugh! The poor soul trying to park her car! Bless her and her 57 point turns. I'm glad it wasn't a mini-van or else you'd know that is what happens to me, but I give up and find a nice wide spot with no cars on either side... :)





Also. I may never drive over one of those oil change hole thingies again! Yikes!

We went to Hagley Museum today. What a cool place! The visitor center is filled with a floor of neat inventions from the 1800's and a floor dedicated to the cool things duPont has a hand in-- nylon, space suits, racecars, you name it, duPont does it.
Hagley is located along the Brandywine river, it is where E.I. duPont founded his gunpowder works. They have lots of hands on exhibits for kids, everything from simple machines and gunpoweder demonstrations, to the Sunday School where the kids practiced writing with quills.



We took a tour of this beautiful house, complete with beautiful china and crystal, eagles throughout, and a dumbwaiter. Cool! It was all fun and games. Till it started to rain. Some of you (Dad, Bev, Mom, Bruce) have been here when it rains. It doesn't sprinkle. Well, it does. But when it decides to rain, it RAINS! And today, it RAINED. We were soaked. Happy though!
Thanks for taking us along Roberts family! We loved it. Man, we got a lot of Bang for our buck ($1 Thursdays!). Get it? Bang? Munitions? Man, I'm a laugh a minute. :)

This is how we all feel!

Happy! Eve is home! Hooray! (don't you just want to smooch those chubby little flubbery armpits?I love chubby arms!)

So glad to have Eve home. So thankful for good doctors and good care. So glad to live near an amazing hospital that is so good at Kids! So proud of my brave little girl. So glad we had a nice private room (thanks MRSA!) with a view of the princess tower. So impressed with her siblings that love her so much, I really was reminded of the special bond my kids have, they missed each other dearly and Eve really needed their visits. So amazed at the immediate support we get from family near and far. So bummed that we can't go swimming for a while, but so thankful that this is the extent of our sacrifice for this bug. So freaked out by MRSA. So totally aware of what a little thing this is in the grand scheme, and how much worse it could be.

so so so. That is how I feel. So overwhelmed.
On Saturday the kids and I spent about 4 hours with Evie in her room while Dave took a "break" from being nurse/dad and worked in the peaceful quiet family resource room, the wheel chair was our main source of entertainment! Jane stayed for a few more hours with them to keep Eve company. Good sister bonding time!

Update...

Eve is still in the hospital with an infection in her knee. She is about a 2. Not bad. Antibiotics seem to be doing their job. Having hours with her brothers and sisters, and extra time alone with Janey today lifted her spirits a lot!

I'm about a 4. I don't sleep well when all my babes aren't under my roof! I worry. Dave stayed with her last night and tonight... I took the first night shift. Hopefully home tomorrow...

Thanks to Bruce...

Bruce sent me this. I laughed really hard. I hate dealing with mechanics. I always feel like they are ripping me of and they think I'm stupid --which I am about car stuff, but nothing else!

Anyway, I figured I'm probably not alone and we could all laugh about this! 2 Transmissions! Hah! "How often do you drive in reverse?" LOL.

A new look.

Before

During (what you don't see are 3 little angels sitting on chairs in the waiting room being so good they got to celebrate with Dunkin' Donuts. ;))
After
I'm getting used to Michael's new look. He was told on Sunday he looked intelligent. :) He is thinking for his next pair he'll go Harry Potter style. It all brought back memories of picking out huge octagonal frames in muted pinks and mauves... oh, those were the days.

Conversation with Lily.

I just got thinking... Lily is going to be 4! I wonder if she knows all the things a 4 year old should know? So I started asking...

Me: Lily, what is Daddy's name?
Lily: Dave
Me: What is my name?
Lily: Long long pause, Aunt, *long pause* Mom?
Then, this look.



I can see we have some work to do... so I ask.
Me: Lily, where do we live?
Lily: *enthusiastically* In California!
Me: I think it is time you learn the address song! Let me sing it to you:
My name is Lily Austin this is my address....
Lily: *interupts* Mom! I don't have on a dress.


Yep, plenty of learning ahead of us. Our goal for summer was the ABC's and name/address/phone number. I'm thinking it was a pipe dream. We need to learn Mommy's name first! (Kidding, she did tell me later my name is Aunt Melissa...)

You're a Grand Old Flag!

I love today! I love celebrations and Holidays and my Sweethearts Birthday!

We kicked off the morning with our annual pancake breakfast and parade. Four Vetrans from our ward posted the colors, and each wore the hat from their service. It brought tears to my eyes.

Next we had some entertainment! Dave and some other men in our ward sang for us. It was beautiful! (Please pardon my filming. In fact, if you are inclined to get motion sickness, just close your eyes and enjoy the second movie. Henry was in my arms and WIGGLY, then when I set him down he stood at my legs and shook me!)



Our family was asked to "do a little something". We must just be so entertaining to watch during sac meeting we were an easy target!



About these pictures--Yum! I think Henry ate more than the rest of us combined! Lily was rather annoyed when the parade started, with her in the center of the action, and all the kids rode off and she was left there with a cute new shirt, a fancy decorated trike and only one pedal. (Yes. Only one pedal. I knew it too... as soon as we got the church it dawned on me, but we weren't going back for it...) She was "just for looks", and what a cute look she is!



Now we are prepping for the next party for our own Yankee Doodle Dandy, then on to a block party and Fireworks!

Happy 4th of July! Hope yours is as fun as ours!

Summer food!

Don't you love summer food? Corn and watermelon and cucumbers galore?
I remember sitting at the dinner table with Jenny, Will and Amy and discussing who ate their corn left to right, round and round or totally random bites. The other night we were eating it and I realized I have one of each! Eve actually prefers hers in "corn strips" cut from the cob, she is missing too many front teeth this year. Henry always always always tries munching it while we are husking it, then he refuses to try it once it is cooked-- Silly Boy!

This week.

I'm pretty much too tired to type. Here is the quick week run-down. I spent today at Cub Scout Day Camp. I love little boys. What fun they are. Here is what I learned:

• Boys pick their noses, wipe their noses on their shirts and love potty jokes.
• Boys eat and get food all over their faces and don't notice/bother to wipe it off.
  
• Boys "adjust themselves" regularly. It is apparently normal.
• Boys drink water and then dribble it out to cool themselves. Ok.
• Boys are tender and feel sad when things don't go their way.
• Boys reach out and are willing to help a friend.
• Boys will eat things off the ground if it is yummy enough.
• Boys like to laugh, play and know they are loved. They love a silly den leader.
  
• My boy is just perfect and normal!
  

Best quote of the day: Scenario: One overly loving boy is hugging and kissing on another, the recipient shouts "Please stop! This is akward!" For some reason I laugh out loud just typing it. Is it as funny as I think? (Or am I just tooo tired?)
Other news: Evie read her first chapter book this week. A Magic Tree House book, she finished it in a day and a half! Hooray for readers. (and no, she doesn't have new glasses, both my girls WANT glasses so they'll wear anything just for looks!)
We started our Summer "Monday Mailday". Be watching for letters, we'll be writing and mailing every Monday... and watching our own mailbox... please respond. Please?
Oh, and in addition to having a major skunk smell in our basement for a week and getting a tad behind on my laundry (eww. stinky!) I've now decided I may never set foot in our "sunroom" (aka: the room where bugs go to die- but this one was alive.)


Oh, and for the few of you that noticed my kids in Sunday clothes making strawberry jam... I figured it was all washable... right?