So, it seems that I am either on or off, no in between...and I have been dragging my feet adding anything, mostly because I have dragged myself into the ground by not getting enough sleep. Mike and I have had a pow wow on this issue and it should get better,...for a few days. :)
We have actually been pretty busy around here. We have been delivering Girl Scout cookies, volunteering at school, doing the usual shuffling around and last but not least I did a three week stint as a part time babysitter. How did this happen you may ask? Well, the kids wanted to have our neighbor girl over to play finally (after months of them living there). Both families were getting out of their respective cars after the school pick-up. They ran over to ask and we got the okay. Then the Dad asked if I could take his daughter to school a few days a week as he would be working during the day too now (that's right he would be doing a night shift then a day shift...let's just say, their lawyer tenant renting their house in Chicago is only paying enough to not get evicted). So then I asked who would watch their youngest, as the mom taught school during the day too. He looked up at me and asked if I would be interested in that part time position. Their situation touched me, even though we really didn't know each other well. One must be desperate to ask a neighbor they don't know well. As the girls have AMAZING manners and were so well behaved that day at my house I said yes. The longest the babysitting would have lasted was until school ended, but the dad's health couldn't handle being awake for 36 hours that often for some reason (yeah, right, I can't handle life without close to 8 hours every 24). Now he is looking for a job to fill in the other nights he wasn't working. Hopefully they sell their home back there soon! The cool thing is, is that we now know our neighbors really well (peeling that artichoke skin off... :), and they are really neat. Here is an okay picture of the two younger girls. I would also watch the older one after school until the first parent or 12 year old sister would get home.
Katie fell in love with Jolee as a friend right away. They are only a year apart.
Our kids love playing with theirs and we really feel that the Lord has surrounded us with some amazing and humble neighbors. Our neighborhood has had its
interesting times, but I feel home now.
A few weeks ago, we went out the Riparian Preserve, next to our beloved Library, and had a fun time seeing what desert nature could look like if we didn't make the mesquites into trees and we didn't have so many houses around. Here is Katie with her dad, so sweet.
Here is Katie trying to get as close to the little bunny as possible. She loved it!
And of course, we have to have a picture of Christian in here too. He was being silly with Katie's dress up stuff awhile ago. He almost didn't let me take the picture, but I convinced him to let me. He thinks it was such a funny gag. He is a bit of a ham.
Later, I went looking for Katie as I had promised to take her on an errand with me after I finished cleaning up some of my baking messes. When I called for her, no one answered. Finally, Christian pipes up, "She's in the box, Mom!" And so she was. The first picture is how I found her and then what she was up too. Ah, the majesty of youth, the price of admission for one great imagination, is a box.
On Saturday he introduced us to "Ra" a really fun game that takes a little learning, but totally worth it. I think we may have been slightly entertaining to Brian with this one, but it was great.
Our friends, the Gunters, who also moved from Idaho a few years ago, got to come all the way from Mesa to join us for games on Friday. We played a survivor type game of alliances and back-stabbing. It was a good time. :) (Right Lynn?)
