The 1/4 of July

Friday {July 1st}:
Zac has been super busy getting two new stores up & running, bringing the total to 6 and I can't say enough how amazed I am at him.  He is handling everything and it's more stress than I know or can express and he's still faithful, positive, and reassuring despite his stress.  He gives the boys & I unconditional love and constant compliments.  I am so grateful for the great man and good friend he is to me.

A small miracle today.  Discovered I have a CHERRY tree!  Wow, huh?  Went out and it was blooming over with beautiful ripe red cherries.  Delicious!  I picked a bowlful & LOVED every single one.  This is very good news!

Saturday {July 2nd}:
We worked fast & hard to get lots done this morning so after lunch we could leave for McCall!  We were both so needing a break from the daily grind, so the trip was perfect timing.  Zac has a bit of anxiety anytime we have to be away from the stores, so it's nice that he's so wired in away from home and can check in often without stressing too much.  Generally our boys are great car travelers, but this trip was quite an adventure.  We kept saying that if the trip there was an indicator of how the weekend was going to go, we should turn around and go home.  We laughed out loud quite a bit, too, though!  Grayson was just out of sorts.  He kept saying he needed to throw up and was crying and we told him to hold it until we got to a rest stop {I can generally tell if he's really going to}.  He said he had to throw up right then, so Z pulled off & we got him out {mumbling that there better be some puking going on} and of course he didn't.  He wouldn't pee either which I thought might be part of the problem.  I had a sneaking suspicion he really needed to go #2 and was confusing it with throwing up because his stomach was being crazy.  We stopped at a gas station in New Meadows in hopes he'd go, but it wasn't productive.  We fueled up with water & candy bars-yes even though he was a pill, he got a candybar-don't judge us, and then made it to the house with two ready to be out of the car kids.  Beckham is always pretty easygoing, but even he had reached his breaking point.  We unloaded and instantly things were better.  Grayson used the bathroom, felt much better, and we started having fun.

I wanted to get my workout in, so Gray and I went out to the steep driveway.  Bex & Zac chilled on the upstairs deck outside watching us.  I ran down & walked up the driveway 22 times and then ran about a mile.  It was a great workout & I was definitely sweaty by the end.  It's much steeper than it looks in this picture, I swear!  Grayson would run about halfway down the driveway & meet me each time and at one point he said, "I'm not so sure about this exercising."  Haha, me either, buddy!

I got showered and we all headed into town for groceries.  Quick trip & Gray was panicked that we were heading back home instead of to his beloved McCall house.  The rest of the night was spent getting dinner ready, kids to bed, and watching Hoarder's.  T&T and Doll joined us around 11:30 PM, talked for a while, and we all headed to bed.

Sunday {July 3rd}:
We had the best intentions today.  We got up & all got ready for church-thinking there was a ward that started at 11-and drove to town.  The 9:00 ward was already going and the next ward didn't start till 1!  Bummer!  Drove back to the house and Mom & Dad, and Lance, Kelsey, and Jaeger were there waiting for us.  Grayson was in Heaven because we were in his favorite place with his best friend.  Totally cute.  We ate a yummy lunch, chilled & played games, and chatted.  Zac and I left to go back to Sacrament meeting and the boys stayed with the rest of the gang.  I'm glad we did.  It was PACKED!  So many visitors and we were in the very back on the side of the gym, but it was a great testimony meeting and fun to see so many people-even a few we knew.  We drove back and spent the day relaxing and enjoying each other.  Everyone made fun of my badly spray tanned feet-I have scrubbed those things & it won't come off.  Haha!  Mom & Kelsey made glow in the dark chalk which was cool, puzzles were done, games were played, the regular routine.  We took Jaeger & Grayson on a walk that ended up with Gray crying because he didn't want to keep going, so L&K picked them up on the 4wheeler and Zac and I finished our walk together.  The boys went to bed super well and I took a dip in the hot tub that evening which was wonderful. 

Monday {July 4th}:
We had fun today going on family four-wheeler rides, playing games, watching shows, eating good food, and having all sorts of imaginative parties & games on the deck.  The boys looked adorable in their matching shirts from Grami and we were all sad when Grami and Grandpa Alan had to head home a day early.   Mom had lots going on to plan for EFY this weekend, so we understood, but it was a bummer.  The boys especially missed them.

In the afternoon, everyone except our little fam headed into town to hang at the beach.  Bexuber under-prepared, but it was a lot of fun.  Zac took a walk to get ice cream with T&T and Doll, and Beckham happily stole a neighboring family's paddle boards, pushed a random person's stroller, and took a Mike's hard lemonade out of someones beach bag.  Yeah, we have a clepto on our hands. (:  Everyone thought he was darling, so he got away with most of it.  I made him put the hard lemonade back though.  He's hyper enough without it!  Grayson loved the water and was an absolute joy the entire time we were there.  He was sweet and shared with Jaeger-he gets better about this all the time-and enjoyed the whole experience.  As it got darker, I thought we'd leave and put the boys to bed & watch the fireworks from the deck, but Zac wanted to stay.  The beach was packed, but we had a good spot.  We didn't have sweatshirts or long sleeve shirts on, so we were cold, but we all bundled up together and it was really a good night.  I'm glad we stayed because Grayson totally lit up with the fireworks. Here are a few things he said:
-I never seen that one
-It's like an alien, shining in the night
-It's crazy how it gets so big, Daddy!
-Fire's so cool and I ne'er seen it shine
-This is a crazy night...like we were staying up longer
-I like green suckers too {after a green firework}
Toward the end he stood up and put his hands in the air saying, "America ROCKS!"  Haha, thanks Aunt Doll for teaching him that one!  It was so fun to listen to him & hear/see his excitement.  Beckham didn't know what to think, but was completely still on Taylor's lap the whole time.  We waited till the end and packed them up to go back to the house.

 
 
 
We listened to Michael Buble' super loud the whole way home trying to keep them awake-they were all sandy & I was hoping to bathe them-but they both fell asleep at the gate and were completely out by the time we got to the house.  Oh well, a little sand in your sleep never hurt anyone.  And by the way, I am totally, completely, absolutely smitten & in love with the two littles and one bigger guy in my life.  Wow, so blessed.

Tuesday {July 5th}:
The guys-including Grayson got up and went fishing this morning.  They had a great time and Grayson caught his first fish all by himself!  He was pretty proud.  While they were gone, us girlies got to work cleaning, packing, making the house look spic & span.  We feel so grateful for the opportunity to stay in the house and for our parents and Bob and Alison for making it possible.  It really was an incredible weekend and we were all sad to leave & go back to reality! (:

We got on the road after lunchtime and the trip home was MUCH better than the trip there.  The boys chatted with each other for a while and then both fell asleep.  I stayed awake and kept Zac company the entire trip which is a rarity, but we had fun talking.  I was pretty stoked because today was the day for my giveaway on Becky Higgins' blog and I was excited to go home & see the progress.  We spent the day after we got home relaxing and prepping for the rest of the week.  Fun days!

Wednesday {July 6th}:
We got to watch Jaeger baby for several hours this morning which we all enjoy.  He and Grayson play really well and he is talking so well and such a sweetie.  I love hearing him call my name.  They both played pretty well with Beckham too, which helped.  I got lots of work done while they played as well as house stuff.
He loves to fold his arms & be reverent.  I think it is the cutest thing ever.  He'll do it on demand and usually stays pretty good during the actual prayer, too.  I was playing on the floor with both boys-tickling, laughing-and Grayson started to climb on my back.  He thought about it and then came around to look at my face and said, "Mom, do you break easily?"  I wanted to laugh, but kept a straight face & told him that yeah, I do.  Zac has {sweetly} taught him to ask me that before wrestling/climbing/pouncing on me and I love it because he's so tender with me.

Zac worked in Boise today and I put the boys in bed about 7:15-7:30, so he wasn't home when it was bedtime.  He pretty much hates when he doesn't see the boys all day-can't blame him-so I try to send him pictures often.  This was one I grabbed right before bedtime after prayers.  Beckham backed his little bum up and sat right on Grayson's lap.  They were both laughing and Grayson kept hugging and loving him.  I really adore these little guys.

Thursday {July 7th}:
Dropped the boys at Taylor's this morning while I ran some work errands in Nampa.  I also got a spray tan which I love {last month I got a great deal for four}. Grabbed the boys on my way home and we played the afternoon away.  Grayson has been given some chores lately and is quite the good helper.  He is a great task master & I appreciate his willingness to help.

Boys were asleep by 7:30 and Zac picked Terren {Becca's oldest} up for an xbox game night which Terren had been dying to have.  I let them hang alone while I went and got my workout done.  Got home a while later and it was so cute to hear Terren giggling and giddy and Zac joking & playing with him.  I love that Zac did that.  He is so busy and the little time he does have for relaxing is pretty precious, so it was a sweet gesture and made Terren's week.  He took him home around 10 and I got a bit more work done.

Becca called to thank us & we chatted for a bit-we've kind of established a late night phone call every other night or so just to check in and I love it.  Even if it's just 2 minutes, I'm glad we are staying involved & know how she's doing.  Zac got home and he and I were talking around midnight-still up on our computers beside each other-working and leisure together {haha} and I saw Doll had posted something about a car wreck involving kids at EFY.  My mom is in the Stake Young Women's and they had organized a Quad stake Youth Conference that was happening this weekend.  It had started tonight and after a Jericho Road concert & dance, everyone went home.  4 kids from Weiser were in a wreck at Anderson Corner and three girls in the car {the driver & two passengers who were sisters}, were killed.  The 4th passenger, a boy named Benson, was life flighted & in critical care.  It was an incredibly horrible accident and instantly made both Zac and I feel sick.  My first instinct was to say a prayer for their families and my second thought was for my mom.  I knew she must have been a mess and my heart ached for her.  We couldn't do anything because it was almost 1 AM at this point, so we continued our conversation in bed cuddled together, said prayers, and realized we can't take one minute for granted.

Friday {July 8th}:
The boys got to play with Grandma Wendy for a few hours this morning while I went into the Youth Conference.  My cousin Casey was speaking and I wanted to listen.  It was a somber, but peaceful feeling when I got there.  The kids are amazing.  Their testimonies are incredible.  I got to see & hug my sweet parents and visit with several people.  Taylor was with me, so we listened to Casey's talk first.  He is a crack up.  He was hit by a semi at age 6 and lost both his legs right below the hip.  He is hilarious.  And strong.  He has never let the fact that he doesn't have legs affect the way he lives & does things.  He can do anything anyone else can and will prove it to you.  He is positive, funny, and sweet, and I'm glad we got to hear him.  He continually inspires me.  We went to listen to Jericho Road speak afterward.  They did a great job and we chatted with Abe who we were introduced to earlier that day, and Justin, whom I've known since I was little, for a while afterward and they are great guys.

Headed back to get my boys.  Beckham was exhausted, so we headed home for naptime.  He slept for almost four hours and Grayson and I colored, rested with a movie, played outside, and cleaned.

Zac and Todd were spending the evening doing IT work in the stores, so Amber and girls came over for a sleepover at our place since the guys would be heading back to Todd's to play games.  The kids had fun playing and we put them to bed around 8:30.  The boys went to bed within 15 minutes, but Ella had a rough time since she was out on the couch and could see and hear Amber and me.  We were looking at stuff online and watching Drop Dead Diva on my computer and Ella didn't want anything to do with Amber {because she knew she wanted her to go to sleep}.  She kept asking for me and I was cracking up and telling Amber it was so nice to be wanted! (:  Around midnight little Miss Ella was still not sleeping and totally wired, so Amber just packed the girlies up and drove home since she knew E would fall asleep in the car and hopefully sleep in a bit.  It was fun to have them here and I talked to Zac for a few minutes before heading to bed myself.

Saturday {July 9th}:
Zac got home early this morning and watched the boys while I went to my friend Sydnie's bridal shower for a little bit.  She is cute and I am so happy she's happy.  She deserves it and her fiance Aaron is a great guy, too.  After the shower I had a text letting me know we were invited to Lance & Kelsey's for a BBQ.  As I was passing Becca's road on the way home I had a prompting to stop & check on her, but I ignored it and drove past.  Then I thought I should invite her to the BBQ, so I turned around and went back.  Turns out it was a great time to act on a prompting {it always is, FYI} because she & the kids totally wanted to come.  The three kiddos were in the tub and I talked to them for a bit, too.  After I got home, Bec called back and said Preslie had gone to pour water on Terren's head and he'd put up his arms to block it.  Pres ended up getting a cup through her mouth and biting through her tongue!  Bec took her to the ER while her sister took her boys.  I felt bad for her; the third trip to the ER since Tom's passed.  Poor kids and poor Mama!  She had good spirits though.
And, they still came to the BBQ!  That Preslie is a toughy!  The BBQ was a lot of fun.  L&K had great chicken, corn on the cob, salad, watermelon, and desserts.  T&T were there, Bec and kids, and us.  Grayson was so happy to be playing with Treyce and the kids all did well together.

The adults just visited and laughed, and toward the end of the evening we realized the lawn mower key was missing.  Grayson has this thing with hiding remotes and his glasses.  Usually those are the two things he sticks to and he doesn't get creative.  He always hides them under the couch-maybe a different part of the couch-but always under the couch.  He even hid or helped hide the remote at the McCall house in the couch.  Hmm...we're working on this.  Anyway, I asked him if he'd seen the lawn mower key.  He said yes.  I asked him where he'd put it.  Nowhere.  Then he said under the lawn mower.  We moved it and it wasn't there.  I asked him again if he'd had it.  He said yes.  I told him he wasn't in trouble, but that Uncle Lance really needed that key to be able to mow his lawn and we shouldn't hide things or take things like that away.  I asked him again where he'd last had it.  He said, "On the grass."  Uh, great.  I asked him to lead us to the place and so all the adults and kids follow our adorable 3 year old to the grass.  He gets to the point where he thinks it's at, gets distracted, and starts talking about the cat.  Then Zac said, "I found it!"  It was right there in the grass where Grayson had dropped it.  Stinker!  We're definitely working on that, but thankful we found their key.  It was a fun night and I'm glad the kids got to play and that the Houston family joined us.