Updates

Now that it's been an entire week since my last post I think I'd better write a thing or two, though I doubt it will be interesting to anyone but me.

Well, this week my children have declared themselves to be fish.  We finally seemed to get enough summer weather to validate the purchase of a pool pass.  I bought it on Thursday afternoon and by Saturday night the kids had already logged at least 7 hours in the pool.  They just love it.  Their toes may be bleeding from the bottom of the pool, their eyes totally red and puffy despite the goggles, yet they will not be stopped.  It's pretty great.  Bundle is okay with the pool - she'll tolerate it for about one hour and then I have to beg for mercy from husband and friends alike to hang out with the big kids while I take her home.  You may be alarmed when you see my big kids - they are turning a lovely shade of golden brown despite the fact that I am slathering them in sunscreen.  Poor Bundle seems to have inherited my complexion - the pasty blueish white kind - and she and I can look forward to many years ahead of envying her siblings together.  Bitty has the cutest white "X" on  her back from her swimsuit straps and I love the sight of Stomper's trunks hanging just a bit low, the tan on his back ending abruptly and the top of his little white bum shining in the sun.

In other news, my dear father has begun the second year of his 8th decade - we celebrated his 71st birthday this week and it was fun to have my brother Adam and his family there with us to add to the party.  We ate pasta and salad and wicked wicked flourless chocolate cake.  Here's dad blowing out his candles - you may notice the smokey atmosphere from the fact that the only type of candles mom had in her drawer were the trick kind that keep relighting themselves - dad puffed and puffed on them until he just about collapsed.  And due to all the puffing I'm not sure the cake remained entirely sanitary, but hey, we're all family so we ate it anyway! Slather something chocolate in raspberries and whipped cream and I'm happy.

 

The grandkids, who were ecstatic to see one another, topped off the evening with a fantastic fashion show showing off quite the range of outfits: fancy ladies, Santa Claus, ninja warriors and ... what was Stomper?  An Evil Chinese Emporer?  I can't remember.  Something like that.  Oh yeah!  An Evil Egyptian King. He was wearing this long black sparkly skirt of my mom's and it was pretty funny.  Whitley is staying in SLC for a month or so with the kids and I'm looking forward to being together as much as we can.

Troy is recovering from his surgery well - he finally got his staples removed and is much more comfortable since.  I'm doing well in that the summer days are passing - I don't think this is going to make much sense but it feels like I'm trying so hard to be busy that I'm missing summer.  I keep thinking about summer from one year ago with my tiny new Bundle - she's huge! And cute!  And totally destructive!  But that's how 1-year-olds are, and by this time next year we'll be in a totally different place.  Hard to imagine, but time seems to pass whether we want it to or not!