All my little fish!

We've been at the pool almost every day this summer. Brett gets to come with us on his days off or in the evenings. The kids love it when their daddy can come!

Brooke has learned to swim and can now go down the big slides... which she is SO EXCITED about.

Madi wants to try out for swim team.

My little beach bunnies.

Ben and his diving stick. Those things have provided hours of fun.

Ben spends more time under the water than he does above it. He just comes up for air and then submerges again. (Sometimes it freaks me out when I am scanning the pool for him and can't see him right away).

Connor has no body fat to keep him warm... so he can handle about fifteen minutes in the water at a time. In between swims he likes to snuggle in his towel.

Hee hee! My little man and his goggles... he likes to wear them just like the big kids. It always makes me laugh.

Skeeter bites Aaaaahhhh!

I remember skeeter bites when I was little... they itched. And we used to make little indented crosses with our finger nails in them. But I don't remember them swelling so much that they restrict movement. And I am actually disciplined enough not to scratch them now. Sheesh!

For some reason, this summer, walking out our front door is the equivalent of heading to camp as far as mosquitoes go. I have to wear a bee suit or dunk myself in a vat of deep wood Off just to pull a few weeds. I am paranoid to leave my small fry out when dusk hits for fear of them being carried off by ravenous swarms of these blood thirsty winged vampires.

We went for a walk yesterday (in shorts and capris). I thought I had twisted my ankle when woke up this morning... it was hard to move and really swollen. Nope, just one skeeter bite. We look like we have ca-ankles now. Brett teases the kids and I about using the "after bite itch spray" stuff all the time. All I can say is: "Ahhhh" after I put it on. (The kids say it too now and I laugh every time).

After seeing Connor's reaction to a skeeter bite on his face (about three posts ago) I thought maybe he was allergic. Now I just think that the nasty critters have developed a mutated venom from all the bug spray they encounter. Love summer! Hate skeeters!

Too smart for his own britches!

YESTERDAY: Each of my children wanted the last cupcake. But since they'd all had their share it was for daddy. Ben, on tip toe and nose in the container, was eyeing the cupcake with longing. I turned to put a dish in the sink and when I looked again I noticed a hole in the cupcake the exact size of a little finger. Ben saw me studying the hole and said, "Some one must have poked a hole in it Mommy. Do you want me to eat it now?"

"No." I said. "I think we'll still let Daddy have it."

"OK, Mom, it was me... but since I already touched it... do you want me to eat it?"

"No Ben. It's for Daddy.

"But I touched it and my germs are all over it. I think I have to eat what I touched."

This is where it all began to make sense for me. Only touch what you are going to eat... or take the once you already touched... are not uncommon to hear at our dinner table as the kids are dishing themselves up. Little smarty pants!

TODAY: I was in the grocery store with all four munchkins in tow and was trying to expedite the process. Ben picked up a bottle of caramel ice cream topping and begged. I said we didn't need it and as he dropped it, I asked him to put it back carefully and was explaining the "You break it you buy it" thing. He proceeded to grab the bottle back off the shelf and throw it against the ground. (Thankfully it was plastic and just bounced without breaking).

I was baffled! This was not like Ben, even in tantrum mode. Madi had to clarify it for me. She laughed and said: "He wants you to buy it Mom." All I could do was laugh. This little boy and his thought process is keeping me on my toes.

Babysitting Houdini

One of my running buddies has a beautiful chocolate lab that my dog loves to romp with (frequently trying to trip us when we run). When my friend left town, she asked me to babysit her dog. "No problem." I thought, "The two dogs will wear themselves out and sleep the rest of the day in the kennel. I quickly learned that I am babysitting a Houdini.

I should have realized this the last time I had the dog over to romp with mine. She just happened to find the only loose board in the whole fence and slipped right through.

Well today, about 30 seconds after I put her in the kennel, she stood on the water dish and climbed up the chain link and was out. So, plan B: I put a piece of ply-wood over that half of the kennel and replaced the tall water dish. The dog looked at me like, "You've got to be kidding me!" It took all of two minuted before I had to resort to plan C. I was feeling pretty good about plan C: a heavy tarp tied over the top of the ply-wood and the rest of the kennel. I all but put my hands on my hip and mentally challenged her to "Get out of that if you dare!"

I could see her analyzing her situation and the new design as she paced around the kennel. I was too slow with the camera because I couldn't believe how fast she was up and squeezing through the weak spot in the tethering. (Give a girl a break! I wasn't an Eagle scout). I kid you not... that dog was strutting as she glanced toward me: "Is THAT all you've got?"

My kids thought this was the best entertainment of the day.

The next design: A piece of lattice on top of the tarp and the ply-wood. It looks really ghetto, but I'm OK with that for a little while. As long as my four legged Houdini is still pacing on the inside of the fence. A bit demeaning perhaps, but I am feeling a strange satisfaction at out thinking a dog! Its been twenty minutes and she is still in there... the funny way she is looking at the gate makes me a little nervous that my dog may have shared a little too much info on the latch mechanism.

Our Summer Fun

This summer has been so wonderfully busy and relaxing at the same time. We got a family pass at the local city pool in the hopes that I would be able to teach the kids to swim. It is relaxing to be in the sun and pool environment.... and really busy trying to help the three that don't swim, not to drown.

So almost every day we end up at the pool. My kids are turning into little fish and my honey actually said my legs look tan. (All that means is that I have now progressed from glow in the dark legs to a nice shade of white). I don't dare take my camera to the pool and since that is what we are doing... no pictures. Sorry. But I do have to share this fantastic site for modest swimwear. www.limericki.com I have two of their suits and I LOVE them!!! They are really comfortable and I don't have to keep tugging to keep things in place and plus, they are just dang cute.

Teaching my children

I am trying so hard to teach my little monkeys the meaning of hard work... or just work... or just clean one's own bedroom. Arg! One morning, when they were asked to clean the usual (starting with their bedrooms)... Brooke announced she was going to marry a rich guy. When I asked this six-year-old why, she said, "So I can have a maid."

I think my tactics are working, don't you?

Second annual Bingham Children Circus

For the second year in a row, my children have invited the neighborhood to their circus. They spent the last two weeks in preparation. Tickets were made and taken door to door. Posters were hung and costume boxes ransacked.

The girls colored this picture of a lion in a cage and hung it on Toby's kennel.

And here is our ferocious lion jumping though his flaming hoop. (I loved the kids creativity with the "flames"). The girls taught Toby this trick by themselves... It only took a few days.

The critics went wild.

The acrobats were great.

We all held our breath during the high wire act! And to think they did it with out a net!

The clowns juggles water balloons. They were getting pretty good... and then they got wet.

The girls were up at 6:00 am setting up the chairs. We love our supportive neighbors!

Brooke ran the concession stand with a flare.

I am always in awe of the way children's minds work. They created this all themselves and put on a great show! All I had to do was pop the popcorn. If you're in town next summer... it's a show you wont want to miss!