Aug, pt 1

Monday- We stayed home.  I've been going to bed late at night and the kids all manage to wake me up.  The kids surprised me with "Mr. Squash" and they won't let me cook him.  He is currently hidden somewhere in the house.  It's fun to watch their imaginations.  While on the couch Elena said, "Mom, we are playing school and now we are reading!" (5 min later) "Now we are going to have a looooong nap time." It's funny how I think I need to plan out an eventful day, and here they had a much better plan. (They never really slept, but it was cute watching them pretend.) We've also got a giant blackberry weed taking over.  The kids enjoy picking the berries, but we really need to get rid of it.  Our grass is dead, we don't water it, and hope it comes back in the Fall.

Late afternoon we went on a little bike ride at the local park and stopped at the community garden.  The kids showed interest in having a plot of land, so we will have to look into that for next year.  We had an FHE lesson there.

Tuesday- I took the kids to Seward Park, and they biked the 2.5 miles around the perimeter while I hauled Charlie on my back.  Cora's getting pretty fast, but she did start to give up by the end.  We played in the lake afterward.  Elena tried so hard to pass the swim test so that she could swim in the deep end, but didn't make it.  That night we had the Fanenes and the Waylands over for dinner.  We planned to eat chicken in the backyard, but the wasps attacked us!  (They live in our neighbor's attic.)

Wednesday- I don't remember what we did... Maybe the library?  And I bought a wasp trap. We are currently watching them die, because the trap is dangling outside our living room window.  It's a little disturbing.  That night, we drove to Angle Lake and let the kids cool down from the heat wave.

Thursday was Free Museum Day!  I met up with Genoveva (with kids) and Lindsay (with kids) and we meandered at the air-conditioned MOHAI (Museum of History and Industry), taking a break from the heat and the unfortunate smoke filled skies from the forest fires in British Colombia. We watched a strange and humorous musical video about how Seattle burnt down in the 1800s.  Afterward, we let the kids play in the water fountain to counter the heat. That night, we had our old neighbors from Nevada St, Kathleen and James over for dinner, with their kids Elenor and Jimmy. 

Friday morning, I signed the kids up for swim.  However right before, Elena and I had a funny conversation:
Me, "Elena, instead of doing swim lessons, how about we swim in the lake everyday!"
Elena, "I want to take lessons."
Me, "Swim costs $$$ and the lake is FREE!"
Elena, "If I go to the lake, will you give ME $$$?"
After sign ups, we went to Georgetown and played in the splash pad with Janeece and kids.  A couple of blue angel jets flew overhead in the hazy sky.  That night, we had the Mapes kids over to watch a movie while their parents went on a date.  Poor Davis fell from our tree, fortunately with no broken bones that we are aware of.

Saturday morning I took the kids to Davis's baptism.  It was embarrassing to meet her grandparents who said, "Oh, it was YOU with the tree!"  Yikes.  Dan stayed home and worked on the roof all day. On the left, he prepped it a couple days before, and on the right, he brushed this protective layer on it, blinding his eyes.  That combined with the heat, he got prepared...

I left him to labor, and took the kids to the zoo.  While at the zoo, I texted our neighbor/friend:
Me-  Are you guys home?  If so, can you check and see if Dan is alive?  Ahhh, he's been on the roof all day and he isn't answering his phone.  He's probably fine.
Neighbor-  Hey!  Yes!  Haha give me five minutes and I'll head over :)
Me-  He's probably on a high cause he isn't wearing a mask and he's dealing with chemicals.
Neighbor-  Ha ha he's alive!  but the fumes definitely got to his head...that outfit :)

And Sunday we went to church, and Elena bore a sweet testimony.  I can't remember what she said, but it came from the heart.  She just went up there on her own will and did it.  As a parent, I often wonder if anything is stirring in their hearts, when it comes to the gospel.  So this was very heartwarming.  After church I took a much needed nap.  My friend "Auntie Hola" unexpectedly dropped by with a plate of cookies.  What a great way to end the day!