Tuesday Mornings

On Tuesday mornings while my big kids are off at swim team, I have 10 little kiddos playing here. 10 kids under 6! CRAZY...trust me I know, I'm in the house with them. To be honest, it's really not as crazy as it sounds. They play so well together. And I have been super picky about what kids I watch...not just anyone is allowed in my daycare.  For things to run smoothly this is what I do.

 I have to keep the shoes lined up so they don't get lost

The babies stay upstairs in the living room so they are protected from the other little "mothers".

And the other Crazies play downstairs or outside. Today we were having a dance party.

(I am missing one in this picture...potty break...glad she made it!)

Lunches are all planned out for the week, so I know exactly what I need from the store.

Most of them take naps from 1-3:30. A few of my big kids have rest time with pillows and blankets downstairs and get to watch a movie.

We also LOVE music time and coloring time.

I'm exhausted by the end of the day and feel like it should be Friday already, but the rest of my week isn't so bad. Busy, but not as busy as Tuesday!

With all the "homemade, from scratch" baking I do (and I do A LOT), this little pink cupcake is still my favorite. From a box.  Betty Crocker. Cherry Chip cupcake with her cherry frosting. It's the only store bought frosting I like. I have loved it my whole life. It brings out the kid in me.

Tonight we had dessert before dinner...gasp...because I couldn't wait. Don't tell me you've never done that before. And it just might be my breakfast...before the kids get up.

Resurrection

The other day during lunch I overheard this conversation between Halle age 4 and my day care boy age 5.

H: Did you know Jesus died and came back to life and now lives in Heaven? That's resurrected.
B: I think He's my Mom's Dad...Papa. He died and went to Heaven.
H (looking VERY confused): Papa is not Jesus!

We try our hardest to teach truth to our kids so they gain their own testimony. I was proud that Halle knew and understands (on her level) this simple truth. And apparently she's doing a good job teaching others!

4th of July

I love small town 4th of July Celebrations. We started out with my near death experience at the 5K, then headed out to the parade. It was short and sweet (and HOT) and the only thing the kids really cared about was the candy that was thrown. We have mastered parade candy collecting over the years. The key is to sit towards the beginning of the parade, that way the participants are excited to start and they throw lots. If you sit at the end...the candy is gone.

Our patriotic little group

Did I mention Aaron was working...again?! He misses out on all the fun.

For fire works we met up with the Allans and found a great grassy area outside the park grounds where we could see perfectly, but not be squished by too many people.

I'm grateful for our freedom and I am honored to be an American. I am humbled by the sacrifice and service so many men and women give to keep our country free.

My Big Race

Like I've mentioned before, I'm trying hard to like running. I'm not there yet, but I'm trying. This might just be one of my life's struggles.  I told Isaac I would run in our town's 4th of July 5K with him. When you run on the hottest day of the year, even when it starts at 8 AM, it still too hot! Let's just say I was ill prepared for the heat and the monthly cramps. Those two are not a good combination! It did not go as well as planned, I had to walk a few times, but I finished and I can cross it off my bucket list. I'll keep working on it and do another one in the fall.

Isaac kicked my tail and beat me by 8 minutes (or more). He said he struggled with the heat also. So I didn't feel like such a pansy. The fun part about this race was we had about 30 members of our church volunteering (checking in, passing out water, pointing people in the right direction, and cheering the runners on). It was fun to see my friends along the route cheering for me, maybe next time I can make them proud...or join them in the cheering section.