Against all inclinations....

I am going to attempt to resume the blogging.

I just took a huge step by clicking on the "sign in" button rather than just lurking in the blogs of friends, family and those I have never met but whose lives make me feel better about my own. (I know you know what I'm talking about). And, no, I'm not referring to YOUR blog. It's that other lady.

So, things are going just swimmingly around here. We are down to less than two weeks of summer...but who's counting? As I type, Laney is screaming at me because she wants a drink of my orange juice. When I offer it to her, she promptly screams again and says "NO!", simultaneously trying to grab and throw the cup on the laptop. So I put the cup back down and we repeat the whole process. Its superfun!

Despite my current predicament, I feel comfortable stating that this has officially been our most relaxed and fun summer to date. We have mastered the art of sleeping in (something that has eluded us for 9 years). I have come to accept that along with the trips to the pool, fun times in Kansas City, outings to the library, going to the movies, bike rides, bbqs, dance-offs, neighborhood baseball games, and an excessive amount of rice krispie treats....there are bound to be fights, time-outs, boredom, sunburns, mosquito bites, an alarming lack of baths, WAY to much tv and an unhealthy number of trips to Walmart.

It's the way it is.

I'm okay with it.

And all in all, I'm sad to see it all coming to and end. I will have 3 of my 4 kids in school full-time and I'm not really sure what Laney and I are going to do with all that free time. But as always, we are loving the "back to school" process. New clothes and backpacks....crisp, clean school supplies. Wonderful! I'm mulling over holding a family back to school fashion show for our activity next FHE. The boys will HATE IT and Megan will bask in the glory of it all.

In other news, despite all efforts, we haven't had much luck in selling the house. We are staying here until we do, and it looks like that won't be any time soon. I'm grateful that for the time being we are in a place we love and I feel like that's all we can ask for. So our Kansas City plans are on hold until further notice. Mark is dividing his time between his responsibilities here and in Kansas City. 2 weeks in Arky - 2 weeks in KC. A total bummer. If you happen to be a blog-reading burglar/murderer, may I remind you that I am the half of this couple that grew up in Payson, Utah? I went on dates in which we shot skeet, for crying out loud. Don't even try it. I'll shoot you. Or I'll claw your eyes out...whichever.

On a lighter note, the blackberries did eventually ripen. This led to the discovery that I have ALOT to learn about growing blackberries. The rest of the garden was also bordering on pathetic this year. It seems I am periodically "blessed" to learn about the various blights, pest and diseases that can occur when trying to grow one's own fruits and veggies. Grey mold in the raspberries, scrawny cherry tomatoes, bean-less bean plants, and spinach/lettuce/cilantro bolting before I could eat it. But we ROCKED the beets, onions and peppers. Whoopedy doo!

There's always next year.

Until we meet again, little blog.