What a beautiful day

Sunday is magical day. Don't let me create a false memory here- there is plenty of arguing over toys not shared along with whiny complaints about boredom. But the air smells better, the birds sing louder, and the sun is brighter on Sundays. Brad gets to be ours for the entire day on Sundays, and the boys hang all over him, making sure that they exhaust him before the work week starts again. And best of all, I get to spend 2 hours on sunday with my sweet, sweet primary kids. I love them all so much, and I can't wait to see their smiles every week. Today, my sunday was needed. I just sent Logan off to church with another family, and then watched a very SICK, yet persistent Austin beg and plead in his baby babble words to go "out, out, out, ouuuuuut."Once the shoes were on his fat little feet, he started waddling out the door and up the hill that leads up and then down to the house. After hiking to the tippy top, he plopped himself down on the concrete and gazed up curiously at the birds. He then squealed with excitement over a ground squirrel and ant piles.  I love seeing my children adoring creatures as much as I do. I have really, really grown to love animals. Except the ones that i'm allergic to. (Speaking of loving animals, we have 2 california condoors hanging out here. We also have about 2 gillion birds gracing us with their presence as they make their way toward a more southern exposure. Also, we seem to have a cat who has lived in the backyard on mice for over 4 months. He is u.g.l.y. Last, we saw the cutest racoon on the road yesterday. Dead, but still cute. I'm sure the condoors will appreciate him.) ANYWAY..... 30 minutes later, he was pale and weak, ready for more sleep. I was relieved to get back in the house and ditch the sweats for some cooler clothes. Just when you think it's going to start acting like fall here, the sun keeps singing it's long, hot song. Now i'm laying here imagining how my piano number would have gone if i had shown up to church for it..... ce sera sera, right? My fingers have been misbehaving this weekend anyway. Every time I try to play, they fall over each other like they are drunk. I think i'm just nervous to play in front of anyone. I guess having a sick baby and sleepless nights isn't all bad if it keeps me from some mild embarrassment;)

Brad has been out of town since Thursday. No business this time, just pleasure. To be specific, the pleasure of scoping the mountains in Mcall with Dad and the boys for that perfect deer, and then the perfect elk. Odd, the thought of Brad liking to hunt so much. I wonder how I ever thought that my husband would resist a hobby that is so tightly woven into my genetics.

 The only single thing good about the 8 day predicament is that once the kids are asleep, I can do whatever I want. The piano plays loud. Audrey Hepburn movies come out. I even watched me some Jane Eyre last night. But the cons definitely outweigh the pros. Logan is as stubborn as a bull when dad isn't around. He runs around doing project after project. Yesterday is the perfect example. He helped me with grocery shopping. Then he had to make a recipe with the new goods. Then on to building a fort with the grocery boxes. Next was rearranging all the pumpkins to fit around the fort. After that was a science experiment. Later, after getting home from a soccer game, birthday party, and a snow cone, he wanted to go rent a redbox and go to the park to play baseball. And I did it because I am a pushover with him. Iyiyi. Not only is he exhausting, but that creative little kid can hardly bear his momma telling him what to do. He is his father's son, after all. Trying to help him with the piano is like trying to boss around a bumble bee- its just not going to happen without someone getting stung. So I let him learn on his own, and he does astoundingly well. I've wondered this week what it might be like when he's a teenager. Then my head spins and I move on with my day. I love my boys and all the struggles that come with parenthood. I'm learning a lot about God's love through my experiences with them. I can't imagine who I would be without the direction that they give to me every day.