shoot

I had a strange wake up call this morning.

It was to the sound of Robert pumping his bb gun.

At 6:15am, Robert walked through our bedroom and said, "I'm gonna get that woodpecker."

We have a woodpecker.

Maybe I should call it a metalpecker, because it doesn't peck on wood, only metal, and it only pecks at 6:00am.

I guess today was the day Robert had had it, and he was gonna show that bird.

I'm not sure what happened.

I went back to sleep for a few minutes, and when I woke up, Robert had gone to work.

I did hear a few gun shots, though.

So maybe we won't have our metalpecker alarm go off tomorrow, or maybe we will.

If we do, I am fairly certain Robert loves hunting crazy birds in our yard.

Queen

 Mimi and I went outside today to shoot some flowers with the camera.

Little did we know there was going to be so much wildlife out there.

We found butterflies, bees, and bugs.

We laughed and chased them until Mia announced she was sweaty and retreated for home.

I told Robert about our adventure and he commented on all the animals he saw this morning as well.

Who knew?

Maybe we should get out more often.

two-tailed swallowtail

she's a senior

so i did some canaling the other day....

Every person I know that does any amount of running has a story about tripping.

I feel like it is a rite of passage as a runner to trip and fall.

I can now be welcomed to the club.

Either it proves my prowess as a runner, or it proves that I am more clumsy than I claim to be.

I have a permanent lump on my derriere from falling down the stairs.

I blame that on being pregnant.

I have a crooked nose from breaking it during softball practice in high school.

I blame that on a distracted teammate.

I endured endless laughs after walking into a glass wall at a museum.

I blame that on poor floor markings and pregnancy.

The list goes on, but I am going to hold my head high and say that this is just my initiation into running and has nothing to do with being clumsy.

The excuse of pregnancy has been permanently eliminated.  (I did, however, use that one to its full extent when possible.)

I didn't even feel like running that morning.

I decided I would feel better if I just got up and did a little bit of something.

Wow, was I wrong.

Even though these are just minor cuts and bruises, they sure have made me appreciate having a healthy body.

 I was up, running along, minding my own business, and then I was down, bloodied, and sad, really sad.

 After it was cleaned up a bit.

 After a few days of healing, the scab started to look like Australia.

Maybe that's a sign we need to vacation more and stay away from the canal.

 With my wounds healing and a new pair of sneaks on my feet, I went out for a run.

I decided that the best way to be oblivious to the heat is to have a terrifying fear of falling again and ripping open your sores.

The temperature didn't even cross my mind once this morning, but you better believe I watched where I was going.

field trip friday

 When we left the house Friday morning, we were headed to BounceU in Gilbert.

We were ready to get our bounce on!

We were eagerly looking forward to their "awesome inflatables, fantastic games, and wall-to-wall fun."

We had our socks, and they were supposed to take care of the "music, snacks, and everything else!"

I ignored the recommendation on their website about calling to make a reservation, and as luck would have it, they were booked, and we were (literally) left out in the rain.

So there we were ready to have fun and no fun to be had.

We looked around the deserted shopping center for something to do.

And there it was, Creative Hands Studio, calling to us.

We thought we wanted to bounce, but what we really wanted to do was paint!

We had no idea how much we were dying to paint some pottery.

But once we walked inside the studio, we knew this was what we were meant to do.

And the choices were endless!

We finally decided on an owl, a soccer ball, and three plates.

Our masterpieces will be fired and ready for display in about a week.

The owner/worker at the studio thought Q was hilarious.

She kept wanting her to say words with an r.

She couldn't get enough of it, and every time Quinny would say she wanted another color the lady would comment.

At one point, the woman asked if she had grown up here.

Q was a little baffled.

 One thing I did know I wanted, and I was not going to leave Gilbert without, was Gilbert Pizza.

This place is so delicious.

I only wish it was a little closer to our house.

frosting

 I'm not sure what motivates this guy, but he makes me chuckle.

I was frosting a cake the other day, and when I looked over at Robert,

 I saw him giving himself a blue frosting manicure.

The fingernails coupled with his crazy thumb that won't straighten is quite a sight.

Sweet!

proof

swimming lesson 100+ degrees

There are many things parents do that show their love for their kids.

One of these things has to be the endless hours sitting and waiting, watching, cheering, cringing, hoping, and enduring the elements while a child participates in an outdoor sport.

The frigid temperatures almost overtook me in Ohio while watching Eric play soccer.

I cheered.

I froze.

I wanted to cry for little Eric as he sat there in the freezing rain waiting for his turn to get in the game.

I laughed.

Cheered more.

Blew on my hands.

Walked around a little.

Opened and shut my umbrella in unison with the other parents as the rain would start and stop.

And in the end, I was thrilled to do it all and would happily do it again.

And yesterday while sitting at Mia and Quinny's swimming lessons, I thought flames were going to burst forth and engulf me.

Same sports - different elements.

I'm fanning.

Drinking water.

Still cheering.

And still thrilled to be doing all of it.

So children, let me tell you how much I love you.

I will use terms that Quinny likes to use.

I love you more than Antarctica (-129 degrees Fahrenheit).

I love you more than El Azizia, Libya (136 degrees Fahrenheit).

That's a lot of love, kids!

a full week

 Haley, Robyn, and I went to Camp LoMia (LDS Young Women Camp) over the 4th of July week.

I believe camp gets a little shorter each time I go.

We stayed three nights.

Mia and Q woke up early to say goodbye and insisted on posing in the pictures.

It's cool with me.

The cute factor goes up about ten notches when they are in the picture.

Wait, scratch that.  

Mia recently decided that she does NOT want to be called cute.

So let's say the adorable factor goes up ten notches.

 This was Haley's sixth year at camp.

She was a YCL 2 - one of the youth camp leaders.

We got to go on a hike together.

It was beautiful, hot, and fun.

 Haley helped with the archery.

I got to see her in action.

 Apparently one must wear panties on their head and toothpaste on their face for protection while hunting snipes.

This little tradition is new to me, and I think it's hysterical!

Our first-year campers were quite the snipe hunters and more than a little upset when all they saw were the snipes laser eyes.

They wanted to continue the hunt until they bagged a snipe.

 I didn't see Robyn all week because she was a 4th-year camper and in a different camp.

Here she is with a couple of new friends on the last day.

From what I heard, they had a great time doing things like zip lines and canoeing.

I wonder how I can get myself assigned to be a 4th-year leader.

 When we got home, Cousin Allison thought we needed a little trip to Petter Piper Pizza.

Good idea.

Here the men in the family are sharing all of their arcade knowledge with the little ones.

Thanks guys!