This summer has been going so fast. It makes me kind of sad because as soon as school starts Travis will be in school five days a week and then we will have to plan our fun around school and homework. I've been kind of a slacker on taking pictures this month. I have a few, but won't upload any now only because the camera is in my bedroom and the kids are in bed.
Ben went to Boise a couple weeks back for his annual school Boise trip. He was gone a week. I managed to keep pretty busy with the kids. Natalie kept me on my toes as usual. One of the days that Ben left Ashley came over with her kids. We decided to take the kids to the park. We went to Brooklyn's Playground because it's my favorite. It's large and there is only one exit and one entrance so it's easy to keep track of the kids... or so you would think. We ate lunch with the kids and then they were anxious to start playing on the toys so with our permission they ran in. I followed behind and watched all four kids run in. I didn't follow inside though. I continued on my way to a nearby tree that was right by the entrance and exit so we could keep an eye on it and watch for runaways. I set our stuff down and then sat down and Ashley followed right behind me. We were sitting down for about one or two minutes then Ashley went in to do a head count while I held Macie. It was taking longer than a head count should take and I suddenly got this panicky feeling that Natalie was gone. I got up and went inside and Ashley came over and told me that she could not find Natalie anywhere. Boy did the panic set in. I rushed inside the playground and did a quick run through and didn't see her so I went to the bathrooms while Ashley and other people looked for her on the inside from the playground I should have went over to the parking lot, but I went back and met up with Ashley and handed Macie off to her. She rounded up the kids and went looking for Natalie while I went back in the playground. I was just minutes away from calling the police when I heard Ashley yell across the field. Some lady found Natalie out at the parking lot near our car. That was by far the worst feeling I've ever felt in my life. I have no idea how she got past us. The only thing I can think of is that she went right in and the came right out as we were walking to the tree. That was the only time our backs were turned. Needless to say we have not been back to the park since. I am so glad that Heavenly Father was watching over her. So many things could have happened and gone wrong.
Lately I've felt like Sunday is just another day of the week at our house. We don't go shopping, but we do other things that we would do on any other day. I've struggled to find ways to make Sunday a special day because it should be. It's hard not to veg out and watch tv all day because after a while it can sometimes get boring and there isn't much to do. Well Travis has been earning some money doing chores around the house. He sets a goal of what he wants to buy and then saves up for it over a month or so (depending on how expensive it is) pays his tithing and then buys it. Well yesterday I brought home a piggybank for Travis so that he can keep all his money together without losing it. He counted up all his money before he put it in there and he was seven dollars short. He's been dying to get the Skylanders Swap Force. What he didn't know is that Ben and I bought it a week ago because it was on a good sale and they only had two left. We didn't show him, but Ben decided to pull it out yesterday. He showed Travis that he already had it and that he could use his money and buy it from us, but he couldn't have it until Monday after Ben wakes up and he could not watch tv or play the I-pad until Monday. Travis agreed and he was super super excited. I was a little skeptical because I know how that tv bug gets. I was suspecting that after Ben left for work that he would be hitting me up for the tv, but he stayed true to his agreement. I then decided that he would forget this morning because every morning Travis wakes up an hour before everyone else and I let him watch tv with the volume down while people start waking up for the day. Well he didn't watch it. In fact Natalie came in my room this morning tattle telling that Travis wouldn't turn her on a show. When I asked him about it he reminded me that there was no tv today because he couldn't watch it or play the ipad until tomorrow. This is where the Sunday part fits into the story. After church we spent the whole afternoon and evening together up until bedtime. we cleaned the kitchen together and played a couple games together and went out back and threw the ball for Charlie and played catch and spent some time with Chelsie and Troy and Travis practiced wrestling and read the scriptures together and a chapter of our Goosebumps book together. It was a lot of fun. No tv and no ipad today made us be a little more creative than we usually are, but it was a day well spent. It definitely made this Sunday a little more special.
