I should be napping

I don't have a lot of time left this afternoon and I wanted to post before the day got away from me. It's been crazy around here and computer time has not come in big chunks. So today I'm stealing time from my nap to give to my blog. I'm sure I'll regret this as soon as an hour from now.

The weather has gone from cold to hot to cold again. We were in the upper 80's earlier this week and now we're back down to the 50's and rain. I like rain. Not to fond of COLD rain...except for that it makes hot chocolate taste even better!

We got some yard work done. I found some neglected rose bushes, irises and a tiny lone tulip. There are also several bunches of perennials that are about to bloom, but I don't know what they are. I do know that ants like them. Every beginning bud has medium-sized red/black ants on them. I guess I'll just have to be patient.

We got our sprinklers to turn on. As we understand it, they haven't been used in about 3 years, so we were expecting a lot of problems. We have 3 missing heads and two spots where water just gurgles up from the ground (likely are busted tubing that we'll have to dig out and repair). Right after we watered the yard really thoroughly, it rained and hasn't really stopped. So I'm not sure if it was good timing or bad.

I haven't worked on my curtains for the dining room for a while. I've been having a hard time getting the chance. But they are very close to getting done and will probably be up as soon as we get more rods for the windows.

It was Nathan's last day of Kindergarten today. (Daniel's last day is tomorrow. He goes for a whole 90 minutes.) They had a little graduation program where he received a diploma and a certificate for outstanding attendance (missed 3 days or less). But truly, isn't it the parents who deserve that award? Daniel had a little awards assembly at school yesterday. He didn't get anything but everyone else did. He had a good cry over that last night. I checked with his teacher this morning (just before Nathan's program started) and she said that it was a horrible oversight and that the principal gave him something in class where everyone clapped for him. So I'm pretty sure he's feeling much better. I can't believe how badly I felt for him! Must be my mother bear instinct.

Anyway, I have pictures of Nathan, but I'll have to put them on later.

I do have this little gem to show you. It's Leah in all her glory...again. She is really mastering the tantrum, believe me. Watch this one and you'll see what the big deal was this time. It's a common one for us. I was a little surprised to find Rebekah chewing on the table when I viewed the video. It must have been yummy. I know it doesn't get washed under the corner edge very often. She hasn't fallen ill, though, so it must not have been poisonous!

I am going to visit my friend, Kristi, in Vancouver this weekend. I'm really looking forward to getting away for a bit. Joseph is "getting away," too, so I don't expect to get any more sleep than usual. It will be fun anyway! Chad drops us off at the airport tonight so I've been trying to get the house ready. I've never flown with Joseph before, so I'm crossing my fingers for a calm baby, if not a sleepy one. I'm really just hoping that he doesn't explode mid-flight and create a big problem for me. He already did once today, so I'm hoping the next one or two (they're kind of like aftershocks) will stay within the boundaries of the diaper.

We were down in SLC for a family birthday last weekend and made a stop at Tracy Aviary where the kids got to hand feed some birds. The sun conures are 4 months old and look like little parrots. For $2 each, the kids got to hold out a popsicle stick with an apple chunk on the end. The birds would land on the stick or their hand/arm and eat the apple. Leah took the hand-feeding concept a little further and when the apple fell off her stick, she offered the bird a bite of her finger. Actually, she didn't offer and everyone heard her displeasure at being tasted. Luckily, I had a band-aid (Nascar no less) and fixed her up - lickity split.

I'll put the pictures of the birds and the birthday party on when I get back. It will be a little like a photo essay. Be excited!

And now I must return to organizing and preparing. I'll have even more pictures when I return!