Memorial Day

Monday: We worked all morning, picnic dinner at the park with Julie and Dylan and families.
(Devin's sis and bro) 

Graduation party. Best milkshakes EVER.

Spontaneous trip to the Veteran's cemetery with friends.  

Marsha brought flower for all the kids to put on headstones without any flowers.

We are SO glad we missed bedtime by 3 hours for that!

Izzy was one of my Activity day girls.  Doesn't she look like my sister.
Or could be?

It was touching and meaningful, a gorgeous warm night and totally a new tradition for our family.

McCall

We had such a great Memorial weekend.  Friday we went on a mini vacation to McCall.

It was rainy, calm, beautiful. 

Most all my pictures are instagram(phone pics) So blurry and grainy but get the job done.

We took it easy. Checked out the area by car and foot.

Cache chased deer and laughed like a crazy man.

Look Ben and Cindy! Freely flowing water! :) 

 Move here!

Warmed up in our hotel, swam and watched Star Wars with Cache for the first time.

 Saturday we drove around the Lake, found a beach.  Not a soul in site.  Gage walked straight into the frreezing lake with clothes, coat & shoes on.

 Engagement pose!

Devin took Naomi on a walk down the beach and I guess they were talking and Devin told her: 

"Naomi its so nice and quiet, you can feel the Holy Ghost here."

Naomi said: 

"I know what the Holy ghost smells like!"

Devin: "You do?"

Naomi: "Yes, it smells like yogurt."

She told me the same thing when they got back.

I'll have you know I fixed Naomi's hair in a Palm tree and didn't touch it again for two days.
And I braided my hair and wore Devin's clothes all weekend.  It was just that kinda chilaxed weekend.
Perfect.

 Icecream Alley lived up to everyone's recommendations.

Favorite part of the trip maybe.

Cache grabbed my phone and I was perturbed but I ended up really liking these pictures because he caught us interacting instead of posing. Well we posed once we knew he was taking pictures. But anyway. I just like them. It's a view of us that I don't get to see  :) 

Enough Cache!

   

Refreshing little overnighter.

 We decided we need to do some more mini vacations. They are good for our happiness.

***

Saturday date night.  I made Devin shop for himself.

 Sushi, Skor bars and Mission impossible III at home were Devin's choice to help recover him from the torture I put him through at the mall.

Sunday: Devin brought me a random breakfast in bed. He has some new omelet skills.
I guess I was a good date ;)

The Naomi rule

We have determined that Naomi came with a rule imprinted on her brain.
That is: "If it can be possibly broken, I MUST break it."

I'm trying to avoid saying, "She is CRAZY!" I don't want that on her recorded history, but man I say that a lot during they day.

Just in the hour. I sent her out to get buckled up while I grabbed my purse.
Gage followed her out to the car naturally.  I took only a moment and when I got out there I was surprised not to see Naomi in the driver's seat pushing every button possible and moving the seats. (She never listens and actually buckles up but I keep trying.)   Gage was standing at the wheel pretending to drive. I opened the door and he plunked himself down, made his eyes really big and round looking at me  and said:
"Uh OH. Mi Mi"  Translation: "Uh oh Naomi."
Then he handed me something black that I hadn't noticed him cradling under his arm.
It was the rear view mirror.
Naomi was curled in a ball in her car seat.
!!!!!!!

Maybe this isn't totally crazy.  But you have to know that in the last 24 hours she has:
1. Ripped every sponge curly we own in 2 if not 10 pieces.
2. Emptied yet another bottle of toothpaste completely, in 15 little blue mountains all over the bathroom floor and toilet and sink.
3. Tried to chew a hole in my shirt. When I was wearing it.
4. Taken every crayon at the restaurant and broke them each in two as fast as she could.
Got in trouble and said sorry then when Cache's bucket of crayons got within reach, hurried and snapped each one of those in two as fast as she could.  She can't help herself!
5.  Unrolled a whole roll of toilet paper into the bathtub.
6. Made other bathroom messes that are too gross to mention.
7. Ripped the sole of her dress shoes, WITH HER TEETH.

Just in the last little while she has wrecked and by that I don't mean she just ruined a little bit but totally obliterated:  The highchair, my yoga mat, potterybarn kids chair!, at least 4 other new pairs of shoes, the paint on the rocking chair,  toothbrushes, I even caught her trying to rip the carpet up.  I have to stop.
If I were to try to record her ruining in the last year it would make me cry. And you wouldn't believe me. IF this girl is ever quiet, RUN. Sprint to find her.


On the other hand, she is hilarious and I love her completely to pieces. She never does things out of spite or to be mischevious. She just does them matter of factly.  Most often in just her undies or bare bummed and singing while she works at it too.   But she really is so sweet.  When she prays it is 10 mintues long and all thank you's, never asking for anything unless we remind her to "bless the food Nay or bless us to sleep good."  She tells story after story after story and laughs.  She giggles and plans ahead what fruit we will buy next time we go to the store.
"Nee-rember Mommy, we MUSH buy Cherries for me tomorrow!"
Then she giggles through the fruit pointed at every fruit that she thinks are: "So cute!" And "So yummy!"
 I already  get glimpses of the lovely young lady she will become. Maybe those quick glimpses I get are mercies from Heavenly father for HER so I don't kill her sometimes.  I do love that she is crazy even.   But my goodness we can't have nice things!

* As I'm typing this I had to stop and chase her down because she somehow got hold of a can of spray paint and was chasing Cache and spraying him with it.  I'm beyond being upset. I just have to remove the danger and walk away to calm myself.

I only meant to write two sentences.  Can you imagine living with me?

Taking every precaution

Lunchtime can be very dangerous.

You dont' even know.

Yadda yadda yadda

Here are some pictures that make me laugh!

Above: Gage loves this GIANT bear at Coscto. 

He calls it "Baby!" Hugs and kisses it and we can't resist but let him hold onto it for awhile around the store. I always have to talk myself out of buying his "baby" for him.

                                           Devin had me take a pic of this cute mini sun chair.
                               Every time we see it at Costco he wants to buy it for Naomi.

She would look killer cute lounging in it with her new shades and pineapple cup she drinks out of all day.

...

When I came out and saw this happening,

Gage did. not. move.

I actually panicked after a minute.

I had to check his breathing.

Naomi ran him in circles for a good 20 minutes.

Totally fine, just taking it easy sunning his belly. 

We probably use the plasma car as much as our children.

Cache ran 2 miles with me the other evening.

What a THRILL as he was joggin right along with me keeping pace.
This boy is so special to me.

  We've been helping with a few funerals at church lately during the day.  I have to take him with me before and after school to help set up or clean up.

We were the only ones to  clean up one time.  I walked into the gym after the family left.

There were about 30 chairs.  Cache says to me. "Mom I got it, I don't need your help."

Even put away one of those giant round tables. I was impressed. I need help to put those away.

What in him triggers this? I'm glad he seems to have the drive to work.

Naomi helps too for the record.  But only setting napkins and spoons and then spinning in circles. 

Everything else makes her "Too sleepy."

We purchased a slip and slide.

So many laughs.

Naomi is terrible at it but has no idea. 

I love that.

Gage always gets soaked before I can change him into his suit.

He runs as far as he can on the slip n' slide till he biffs it SO hard. I cringe. He laughs.

 Our neighbor waters his lawn at 6:30pm daily.

I need to set an alarm at 6:25 and lock Gage in his room or something.

Each night Gage sees them before anyone else, escapes the front door and

I see him out the front window running and laughing

Soak n' wet jammies.  

He is so happy you can't get mad. Frustrated though. Yes.

Devin came home late one night from teaching and said "To the roof!"

So we did. 

Pretty sunset.

Devin kills me.

Volunteered on Cache's Kindergarten field trip to Albertston's.

So fun to see him in interact with his class. 

Always with boys.  

He didn't hold my hand like all the other kindergartners did with their mom's. 

That's just Cache. He was really happy I was there and kept telling everyone.

"Guys THAT's my mom!" 

Aunt Ashley came for a stay.

Gage parked himself on her lap with his favorite Cars book any moment he could.

He wouldn't let her stop.

She obliged.
He is very serious about his cars book. 

Naomi and Aubrie doing Pilate's with aunt Ashley.

Saying good bye to Aubrie.  They became such good friends over the last 8 months that I've watched her.

Our weeks wont' be the same, but we are ready for a new life chapter.

Started following 100 days of real food website. 

Like it a lot.

Gage's hat of that week. He wore it all day.  Meals etc.

Thinks everyone is trying to take it.

They're not.

She is hard to get to nap at home.

Easy peasy in a shopping cart though.

Side note: Gage makes me the happiest Mama shopper zooming around the store as he spins the wheel back and forth as hard as he can and yells "BEEP Beep!"
I absolutely LOVE it.  This baby fills me with joy. Constantly.

Phewie. Memories recorded. I can rest easy now. Mission accomplished.