missing...

Alex is gone at scout camp for the week. I miss him. Things are a LOT quieter around here, but I miss him. There is way less fighting and contention, but I miss him. I don't have to ask for permission to use the computer, but I miss him. I've got less laundry to fold, but I miss him.

I know he is having a ball. Dave went down with the scouts for the first 2 days and brought back plenty of video to prove that he's happy.

I worry, sending him away, with people I don't know very well. Scary things have been know to happen to scouts while they are at camp. I worry that he'll get lost in the woods. That he'll get hurt. That he'll be cold at night. That he'll miss home and won't have anywhere to go cry. That he'll get teased. That his leaders won't love him quite like Dave and I do. Here's the thing. His leaders are there for a reason. They were called through inspiration. The Lord loves Alex just as much as I do. He will watch over him. I need to trust more and worry less.

53...

53 years today. Joel & Mary Jane.

Aren't they wonderful?

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad.

Your children love you so much.

just for a minute...

I won't leave this up for long. It's a little creepy to have "you know who" on my blog. I just wanted to remind you of how amazing Alex is. He's got Harry Potter on his mind.

just keep swimming...

So this is where we have been spending a lot of our summer. Now that things are starting to settle down with our schedule, we can go every single day if we want. I don't really want to, but I COULD. I broke down and bought The Pass of All Passes for the kids and I. It was not cheap, let's just say that. There was a day back in June though, where Tara came by to bring me something on her way to Seven Peaks. The kids and I had been out back in the kiddie pool, cooling ourselves off with the garden hose. I was jealous. So we went and bought them the next day with our Amex refund. I can't say that I've regretted it.

I have put off buying any sort of swimming pass for years. It seemed SO intimidating to me. There was just no way I could keep an eye on all 4 (and now 5) of my kids. It scared me. Friends always wanted to go together which scares me a little bit too. I love talking to my friends. A lot. So much that I can get distracted and lose count of my children. Something just felt right this year though. My older 3 are very capable of helping me and are also capable swimmers. That left me with Molly and Margaret...and once I got them life-jackets, my worries basically disappeared. I still have to keep a close eye on them. I still need help from the older 3. I just don't worry as much.

The kids are LOVING it. I am LIKING it. I really like that it makes them happy...and tired. Margaret takes some amazing naps when we get home. I like that pass holders can go at 9:30 am. It's a tiny bit less crowded. It's no Fenwick Island, but it'll do.

the positive...

As soon as I'm finished being ticked about the fireworks going off outside my baby's window at 10 pm, I'll get on with this post.

OK. I'm in a crummy mood. Really crummy. I don't really know what's wrong. I was pretty sick earlier this week. Like, vomiting sick, lose 7 pounds in one day sick. Anyhow, not sure why I expected to be able to be running wonderfully fast and happy by Wednesday. Yesterday's run was a bust and so was today's. I'm very discouraged. I think I'm still sick. At least sick enough that a few days off wouldn't do me some good. I hate to cancel on my friends. I hate to bail on something that I enjoy, but here is the cold hard truth. I'm not enjoying it the past 2 weeks. I'm just not. I wake up in the morning, and I don't want to go...and I HATE that I don't want to go. I have a 1/2 marathon in a few weeks. The same one I did last year. Until I entered this funk that I'm in, I fully planned to beat my old time. By at least 10 minutes. Today, I felt like I couldn't run a consecutive 2 miles. At this point, I don't even know if I'll be able to do the darn thing. So, I'm taking a few days off. Resting my body. Resting mentally. It's been a long summer, with no time to breathe, so I'm going to take that time. Hopefully the 1/2 will still happen and it will still be great.

For now, I'm going to focus on the positive, like this freaking adorable picture. This was taken in ID last week. My 5 + Annie. Oh gosh, I love them. I love Alex's eyebrows. They say, "Seriously Mom? This is ridiculous." I love Margaret's cankles. Especially with her blue strappy sandles. I also love her pose with her hands on her hips. Aside from her tantrum over going to bed tonight, she has been an absolute doll lately. Everything she does is cute. We can't get enough of her. Especially Alex. He is constantly saying, "Ugh, I just love her so much! Margie, you are so darn cute! Oooo, I want to eat you!" I love it. I love Molly's sass in this photo. Actually, no I don't. She's been much less sassy lately and I love that. I love Lizzy's outfit. She's wearing a shirt of mine which is a little bit crazy. Could she possibly look any cuter though? Really? She is SO skinny...and long...and beautiful. I love how brown Annie is compared to my kids. She IS 1/2 Mexican in case you wondered. It makes for beautiful skin and a beautiful girl. And once again, I love Emily for Emily. She caught another fly for me today. Between her forefinger and thumb. Then released it outside. It is really pretty amazing. I see a fly, call her in the room, and within 30 seconds, she's got it. I don't understand. She does WHATEVER I ask. All the time. Lizzy does too, but Emily does it quite often before I even realize I need it. She relieves so much stress for me. She relieved a lot just today.

Even when I am stressed, defeated, sad...they are still mine. They love me. They hug and kiss me. They don't give a hoot if I skip a few runs.

mini...

Just because I felt like it, and let's be honest...this blog is really struggling lately. We just got back from a mini-Schofield reunion in Idaho. By "mini", I think they meant only 1/2 of the 13 siblings. That was seriously the ONLY thing mini about it. Tons of fun, food, laughing, and pictures! I really love Dave's family. So much. And I LOVE this baby girl...especially in a darling dress, at the farm.

brrrrrrrrrrrt....

*SPOILER ALERT!* We're going on a snipe hunt. Seriously, one of the major highlights of camp for all involved...at least those involved with the 14th ward. If you have never hunted snipe with Lisa Lee, you may want to. I have to write all of this down to remember just how much I laughed that night. I remember snipe hunts when I was 12-18, but nothing like this. Lisa spends days handcrafting the most amazing snipe you will ever touch but never see. This year she started with a dirty sock filled with mud and dirt. A funnel was widdled and sharpied and fashioned into a poiny beak. A mesh popcicle bag was turned into a scaley skin, covered by bits of frayed rope and hacked up door mat fringe for fur. I'm telling you, this girl is genius. And she loved every second of it.

There is a plan. A finely choreographed number. First, we would prepare ourselves. We all get toothpaste on our cheeks and peanut butter on our noses and at the end of our sticks. Toothpaste to keep the snipe away from our faces, and PB to attract them (???). No lights allowed, only sticks and our snipe call. See if you can hear it. Brrrrrrrrt. A lightly rolled "R" with a high pitch.

Lisa leads us out into the woods. We are to call the snipe...brrrrrrt...and point our stick at the ground, leaning heavily towards holes and dark spaces. Lisa fakes a few attacks. The girls scream. Then the real one comes. I drop the snipe that I've been carrying in my pocket. Cassidy shouts out that there's one following me. She jumps on top of it and knocks it out. Whew. Lisa holds it while all the girls take turns touching, but not holding it. They are amazed! Until it bites one of Lisa and Jerica's friends and is thrown off into the woods.

Seriously, you would not believe the chatter after this experience. The younger believers talk about it for days. A mile a minute. The non-believers laugh. Hard. The 1st, 2nd, and even some 3rd years tell their parents all about it when they get home. Even when told otherwise, they still believe. :) Isn't that what camp's all about?