More Park Fun and my mom’s quilt

We are having as much fun as we can this last little bit of summer (one week left!) by playing with friends and having picnics, playing in the water, going to parks, and enjoying the nice weather (it’s not too hot, but when it is a little hot, there is usually a nice breeze too-perfect.)

Today after the kids finished swimming lessons, we met an friend of mine from our days at Stake Girl’s Camp and the good ole Quad Stake Dances. I really liked that our stake had girls camp mixed up between the wards and levels with tent moms from different wards too. We sent letters to other girls in our ward and got all excited when we saw them walking around camp. We were able to really get to know others in our area and make good friends (many of whom I am still in contact with today-14 years later.) I think the camping in your own ward is nice too and I know the girls in our ward like it, but I think it makes you kind of stuck in a rut a little because if you are the quiet one in your ward, you will still be the quiet one in your ward camp, although it is a little more personal maybe because your leaders are your tent moms and they already know your quirks and strengths. That’s my 50 cents worth of opinion for you. =)

Anyway, we met up with them at Howard Amon park (down by the gorgeous Columbia River) and took picnics and swimming stuff (for the kids-I had enough yesterday) and hung out for a few hours playing. Her daughter and son are nearly the exact same age as Olivia and Vincent with one day between Olivia and Lydia and two days between Vincent and Carter. Pretty perfect, I think. They all played nicely and we chatted (everyone knows how I like to chat.)

Lydia and Olivia. They are both going into first grade as the nearly youngest kids in their class (both will be six next week.) That’s the ‘Mighty Columbia River‘ in the background.

The boys playing on the edge while the girls play in the water. The boys were in there a good part of the time too. I just tried to take pictures without all the rest of the strangers in them and caught the window of opportunity when the boys weren’t in the water.

Vincent playing with his new buddies.

The five big kids. They had a great time together and are already asking to play again.

They even have a concession stand over there by the park that’s open during the day in the summer and there is a snowcone shack next to it, so the kids got their promised snowcones (and they were only a buck! I know it’s much less to make it, but most places charge more.)

Eating their snowcones. Flavor picks were Bubble gum, root beer, and blue raspberry for my kids.

The always present funny face picture from Vincent. He shared his with me. I love blue raspberry. =)Abby wanted some too, so Vincent shared a little.

As soon as we got home Vincent and Olivia got in the bath and Elizabeth wanted to help Abby instead of taking care of them, so I did that and she got Abby out of her car seat and started carrying her through the house before realizing that there was some leakage onto her arm so we had to trade again. We’ll see if this outfit gets completely clean after that. Yuck!

Naps for Vincent and Abby followed while the girls relaxed and I made the pizza dough and downloaded these pictures (I’m obsessed). By the time I laid down to rest a minute, Abby was up and at ’em again. Seriously, she does not stop moving! I think that’s why she’s so little still! Elizabeth helped me roll out the pizza dough and folded down the edges of the crust to make it puffy, put on the sauce, cheese, olives, and Canadian bacon, and it turned out awesome! Olivia was keeping Abby entertained. A family in our ward gave us some cucumbers and summer squash that I steamed up to go with dinner too. Abby ate almost a whole slice of one, about two quarters worth of squash (without the seeds in the middle).

Andy got home a little late, so pretty much as soon as he walked in the door, I left to go to the movies with a few friends of mine to see “The Help“. I read the book and really wanted to see the movie and it was a really good portrayal of the book, I thought. I don’t remember quite as much swearing in the book, but it didn’t have the main naughty swear word, so it wasn’t too bad (by movie standards these days). The movie made me chuckle, cry, cringe, and celebrate.

And as a bonus, Abby slept a while for Andy and was mostly happy while I was gone. The three older kids were asleep too. Always nice.

My mom’s quilting challenge is going again after a month off to make the latest design. There are now just 15 people in the whole country in the contest and MY MOM is one of them! This is her newest design. She calls it the Beribboned Asterisk.

There is just one more challenge after this one to determine the winner of a feature article in the McCall’s Quilting Magazine with her designs, an embroidery machine, and a quilting cabinet. VOTE for her, please. Once a day (ending September 9th). Thank you!!!

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