The Fun Starts on Friday

                                           Every one's shoes lined up inside the kitchen back door.


Kylie has wayyyyy more pictures on her camera but you have to have a special hook up thingy in order to download her HUGE disk thingy...and needless to say, my puny little camera and computer don't have the means to get the best pictures from her...BUT
Friday is my day off. But it's also the first day of the weekend and so any projects that I am hoping to get started or done on Fridays, I have to postpone, because....MY KIDS WANT TO PLAY on Fridays!!!!  I was able to get grocery shopping in before they all arrived in the early afternoon.  Preston went swimming with Chica and had a blast out in the water.  The child is a fish...loves to be in the water.  Kathryn has been so good recently to allow herself to get wet and a mess when Preston wants to play.  When he was done, Kathryn brought him in for a bath while the rest of us went to the kitchen and started on the makings of a great family barbecue....grilled chicken, yummy funeral potato casserole, Lexi made a massive new recipe Texas Caviar salsa, and a cookie dip, Kylie brought creamed corn and seasoned green beans - I had some munchies and a new corner of the kitchen now known as 'nana's candy corner' which is old antique bottles filled with different colorful candies.

There is a candy for everyone...chocolate, Skittles,(Mike and Lexi) Almond Joys (Del), Peanut Butter M&M's (Kathryn) and Jordan, just everything.  Jordan was the most frequent visitor of 'Nana's Corner' but I also saw a few others sneak by here and there. Wrappers were left everywhere.

The boys and Kathryn went out in the 'forest' to the shooting range and shot Jordan's Rifle and shotgun at boxes for awhile.  I have a feeling they are going to go through quite a bit of ammunition this summer which could get pretty costly, but they are having fun.  Kylie, Lexi and sat out on the porch as the night was beautiful...not hot, but of course, not even close to cool.  And we had our first campfire....Jordan built me this fire pit weeks ago...I love it.  So we all pulled our chairs down close and while I made coat hangers into marshmallow holders, we all gabbed and laughed.  I remember looking over at Del once or twice as he held Preston and sang to him...and chased him around and thought to myself, 'This is what Del has been dreaming of his whole life.'  And it was a dream.  Dinner had been fantastic...we had watched some Olympics together and then gone outside to enjoy the beautiful evening.
This is what we have waited for our whole lives...and it's worth it.  Family.  Laughing together, playing together and everything else you can imagine.  At one point, I whispered to the girls that we should really freak out our neighbors, who were also out in their backyard and think 'Mormon's' are a strange and peculiar people..and take the scene from 'The Proposal' where Sandra Bullock and Betty White chant and dance crazy around the fire...we all laughed thinking about it.  But we behaved.
Today, I worked in the morning, then came home and mowed the yard...took me longer this time as I was sooo hot and tired.  I actually took a few breaks, went in and sat in front of the fan, drank water and then went back out.  Del cleaned out the garage so that I can actually park my new washed and waxed car in there.  Then we have done laundry, cleaned house and a few other few odds and ends before Del now runs to Lowes and I do the finishing touches on my talk I have to give in Sac. Mtg tomorrow.  Del and I are both speaking...But that's not the worst.  The first counselor in the Bishopric, Brother Martino called and asked to meet with me before Sac Mtg.  HM.....most likely a calling.  He should maybe wait until AFTER my talk to actually extend the calling....just sayin'.
Tomorrow night we are having a big family get together over at Mark and Elaine's house with extended family - her kids and mine.  Should be fun with great food.  I need to finish making my potato casserole tonight