June 2, 2017

(click here for today's pictures)

• Campbell was the first one in our room this morning. She did lay down beside me for a little bit but then she was gone. On my walk through the house after waking up, Campbell and the big boys were awake. Everyone else trickled down the stairs.
• Even though we had a slow start to the morning, soon all of the chores were finished and school work was done. Before 10, I had also worked on my French braiding practicing by braiding all of the girls' hair. Reagan really wants me to figure it out and that is just not my forte but I am trying.
• We had quite a few blackberries and not many people around here eat them so we needed to do something with them. First Reagan made blackberry scones which were pretty good and then she created her own recipe for blackberry popsicles. Reagan couldn't get anyone but me to eat her scones and we ate about 1/3 of them as soon as they came out of the oven.
• Campbell waited patiently for her sister to clear the kitchen and then she started on her baking-blueberry muffins. Now, I don't know what is wrong with my crew but Graham is the only one who liked his muffin at lunch. They are absolutely delicious but I think that Graham and I will have to finish them up.
• My Keaton was quick to notice that she didn't get to cook anything so she is already working on what she wants to make tomorrow. No wonder my treadmill time doesn't seem to pay off-I am living with 3 girls who love to bake!
• Reagan offered to make grilled cheese for lunch and I snuck in to spread mayonnaise on their sandwiches. No one seemed to notice which made me happy-actually I delighted in this since they wouldn't eat the blueberry muffins or blackberry scones but little did they know, they were eating mayo! Ha! 
• The kids were in and out most of the afternoon. The neighbors didn't come out but everyone is enjoying playing their two new games. Anderson invented a game involving kicking a beach ball and the garden hose/volleyball net is still hanging so they are playing lots of volleyball.
• This evening, Robby and I were working in the yard and gave the kids a 10 minute warning that they would need to come and help us work in the yard. It was mere seconds after this that the neighbors finally did come out and off the kids went down the road. That was fine though because Robby didn't need their help and he and his new mower didn't even need much help from me.
• He has discovered that our huge piles of leaves can be mowed over and mowed over and mowed over again until they just about disappear-I possibly may never have to hold a rake again! However, I did end up holding the leaf blower which is quite a bit heavier than a rake so I am not really sure which I like better.
• Everyone was down the road but Whitman and after Robby and I talked to him in the front yard, we walked down to the burn pile. By the time that we made it back to the house, we realized that he was gone. Robby looked inside, I looked in the backyard and we switched places but still no Whitman. He doesn't wander and he was mad at us (we wouldn't let him ride on our tarp full of leaves) so I figured he was just hiding. Finally, I walked to the neighbors and called out to see if he was over there. He was! 
• About 10 minutes later, back down the street came Whitman flanked by big sister Campbell and big brother Graham. They were both patting on him so even from far away I could tell that something was wrong. I could see no blood or scratches and he was walking so I didn't sprint to them. When Whitman came up to me, he told me that the neighbor dog bit him twice and also bit Graham.
• Graham shook his head "no" at me and they explained that the dog did knock him down or maybe it was a football that knocked him down.  Either way, once I offered him a movie inside, he said, "I'm okay now." 
• The evening was pretty perfect outside so Robby and I sat watching the fire burn as the kids played outside down the road. When we did call the kids home, we loaded them up in the car-it is national doughnut day after all.
• We picked our free one and then sat down to eat. Reagan and Anderson began their second doughnut, just like their first, and immediately turned their noses up at them. They kept telling us that their doughnut tasted like mint. I tried it and it didn't quite taste right. When Robby tried them, he took the box and found the manager.
• She was polite and knew exactly what had happened-they have a mint doughnut and the cremes were mistaken for each other. (Note to self-avoid that mint doughnut at all cost.) She did give him a box of glazed so saying something did pay off in the end. We usually never say anything but toothpaste tasting doughnuts weren't what we had bargained for.
• We headed home with our extra box of doughnuts and threw everyone in the shower. By the time showers were finished, it was after 10 and we told the kids they could sleep in their living room fort or in just the living room. They quickly made their spots and then Robby lost his ever loving mind and started a movie! It is now 11:40 and they are finishing their movie-Keaton, who is sitting at the end of my bed, said that Campbell is asleep and I sure hope that Whitman is also asleep. We now hope that they stay up late and are exhausted in the morning and sleep in a bit!