I'll Follow the Sun

The forecast keeps threatening several days of rain. So far it has been an empty threat. Sure it drizzled this morning, but big whoop. That is hardly a threat, rain. You're gonna have to do better than that. Even though the rain has not actually arrived, the threat has had us living outdoors. I am not an outdoors person AT ALL but living here has helped me learn to take the moments when they are presented to me.

Yesterday I even caught myself outdoors laying on the trampoline singing I'll Follow the Sun by the Beatles. That was my first ever favorite song*. I have maybe one handful of memories from when my mom and dad were married and one is of that song. I remember waiting and hoping for it to come on. I remember one time when it did and I was outside, my parents were calling me in frantically to make sure I didn't miss it. Every time I hear that song it still takes me back to that moment.

So here we are, outside playing and singing and trying to catch the sun, for tomorrow may rain.

Monday we spent lots of time on the bike, and the trampoline. I thought putting Alex and Chloe both in the bike trailer was a good idea. That way I could ride faster than I can when I am trying to follow the kids on their bikes. Turns out, dragging 70 pounds of kids in a trailer slows the out of shape mommy down quite a bit. We took one ride this way, and one where Alex rode his own bike. And we jumped ourselves silly. I even took videos but my new computer will not let me transfer videos. It says I need some techy thing and it is over my head so I will just wait for Seth to notice and fix it. We do love Alyssa, but she was at school while the camera was out.

I am surprised Alex is jumping. He is very much like me and prefers to be indoors, and clean! The willow tree that hangs over our tramploine sheds like mad. He will not get on the trampoline unless I sweep it first and then wipe it off with wet paper towels, which I did but the tree sheds so quickly that it was covered again by the time I took some pictures. He reminds me of a little girl I once heard of who would not get out of the car at the park once because there was a used sock in the parking lot. Who was that child again? Mom, do you remember her?

Chloe in flight!

Here is one good argument for leaving at least one patch of dandelions unpicked in your yard.

Tuesday was more of the same, so I mostly left the camera inside but I did have to go back and snap this picture later because it was the view that I saw as I lay on the trampoline with the kids during our jumping break. They all had to lay right on me and this was the view above us. I wanted to remember that moment.

We relished a few minutes of peace and perfection, when what to our wondering ears did we hear?

THE ICE CREAM TRUCK!!!!!

The first time the ice cream truck makes its rounds each year, it is MANDATORY to chase it down. Our blissful little trampoline paradise turned in to a loony bin. We all ran different ways. I sent the kids to stop the truck and I ran to find money. The excitement was oozing all over the neighborhood.

This was at 6:30 PM. Due to an unfortunate, Mom forgot to start the crock pot until 2 hours before dinner time delay, we hadn't even eaten yet. So the kids had ice cream for dinner, and dinner at 8PM. I know, mother of the year...as always.

But check out these shots and you will be grateful for my poor parenting.

Alex thought he would steal a taste from Chloe.

If you wanted a bite, why didn't you just ask?

I guess he thought his sisters were both in the sharing mood so he leaned in for a taste of Alyssa's treat.

Apparently she was NOT amused.

I don't like ice cream. I know, hard to believe since I am a junk food junky but I like food I can bite. As luck would have it though, the chocolate truck came by too. Alright, this is actually just a tray full of goodies leftover from a meeting Seth had at work, but doesn't a chocolate truck sound just delightful?

And today when the drizzle cleared we were out again. No camera, but today's project involved Seth building a giant wooden contraption that looks very much like a swing set but is actually a home for our garden. We do not garden. I do not get along with dirt, so we are going to attempt to grow Topsy Turvy strawberries and tomatoes. If you are thinking about investing in a Topsy Turvy, don't be fooled by the bright yellow $12.99 sticker. Once you buy wood to build a home for your plant, dirt, and plants to install, you would be better off just buying a years supply of strawberries at the grocery store.

I'll keep you posted on how it goes though.

Also, since Alyssa was not too heavily featured in today's episode, let me tell you a few funny Alyssa lines while they are still fresh in my head.

Recently our old bishop was picking asparagus and Alyssa asked if it was a vegetable. When he said yes she told him, "Oh I don't eat vegetables". I had to laugh when they told me because you have probably heard me proclaim that I DO NOT eat vegetables.

So then, this Monday while Mike was helping Seth pick up our new freezer (we found one, at last) me and Jen decided to go out to dinner. If the guys won't be home we tend to find excuses not to cook. We were on our way to Culver's and Alyssa asked, "Can I get onion rings instead of french fries?" I agreed. She told me, "I don't like Culver's fries, they have too much potato. I like the ones that are mostly salt." Ha,Ha...mostly salt! I too have distaste for fries and always opt for onion rings. So if you want to feed us veggies, make sure they are heavily breaded and deep fried, because WE don't eat vegetables.

Except for Chloe, the bunny, who requests "leaves" (lettuce) with no dressing.

*Also, now that I have taken this post in a million different directions, can you guess what my current favorite song is? Actually for about the past two or three years, all songs by this artist have been in heavy rotation at my house, and cause great celebration and increased volume whenever they come on in the car. Can you guess? Take a crack at it, and we'll talk favorite songs soon.