Other Summer Happenings

The week after school let out, my mom and Mimi came over to visit us on a Wednesday. It turned out to be a pretty fun day. I had to fill about sixty water balloons for a Young Women/Young Men Mutual activity later that evening. Mom and the children helped fill up the balloons and it didn't take too terribly long. Of course, we all got pretty wet in the process, but it was a perfect afternoon for it: just hot enough for the water to feel good, but not too hot. We filled a few extra water balloons so that Skylar and Bart could have a mini water balloon fight in the front yard. Most of the balloons bounced harmlessly off and busted on the ground, but they had a good time anyway.




On June 24, we attended George's department picnic. It was held at Glenburnie Park, at a picnic area overlooking the river and part of the Frisbee golf course. It was pretty scenic. I made a double batch of mac n' cheese, which George loves and apparently raves about, and everyone else seems to love, too. It's funny, because while I think it's pretty good, I don't consider it my tastiest dish. However, I get a lot of requests for the recipe or to make it for an event. There was lots of good food and ice cream bars. It was really hot out and the flies were pretty bad, which boded ill for the ice cream bars. The boys weren't deterred, however, as you can see. Drake ended up covered in chocolate.



Skylar and I had to hurry off right after we ate so that we could do a jewelry show at a friend's house. It turned out to be a good one, and I ended up getting two bookings from it: one open house and one catalog party. George kept the boys at the park to play with some of his co-workers and their children.
It's really neat to be able to do "girl stuff" and "boy stuff" with the children. It's also fun to do mommy-son and daddy-daughter activities. Right now, I'm reading the second Harry Potter to Bart and Drake while George reads the Lord of the Rings to Skylar. The surprising thing is that Drake is enjoying Harry Potter as much as Bart is. We have a little routine. After pj's and family prayer in the boys' room, George and Sky leave and turn off the light. Then Bart turns on the two torch lights under his loft bed. He and Drake open up the Thomas futon and recline on it, side by side, sometimes with a blanket over them, while I sit beside them and read. Drake even has his own word for reading Harry Potter, but it's hard to render in the English language. It's like we're in our own little room at Hogwarts, with the torch light and the cavernous feeling of being beneath the loft bed. I think the boys really get into it.
Of course, we've been doing some fun things for the entire family, too. George and the kids really like going out to the fields beside the elementary school to fly planes or drive the remote control car. Sometimes on Sunday afternoons, we'll head over there and Skylar and I will sit and watch while George flies and the boys play in the dirt.


















On this particular outing, Skylar and I got bit by several fire ants while we were trying to find a safe place to put our blanket down. The boys were mostly out in the sand, so the fire ants didn't bother them too much, but Sky and I eventually had to sit in the car and watch. Apparently, there wasn't really a "safe place" to put the blanket down in the grass. The ants were swarming that day, for some reason, and they took it out on our poor, sandaled feet. I think that's why Skylar looks so offended in the picture above. Thank goodness for Benadryl spray.