Of course, as usual, I really messed up the sequence of all of these things....but just hang in there. First, last weekend we got to go to Jackson Lake with Jason's family. We had so much fun. The kids (especially Ella- she was surprisingly daring) LOVED this tube/float. She would love it as we would all get flopped around while Lincoln would cry and say he wanted to get back on the boat. Ella couldn't go fast enough on the wave runner either. Her favorite riding companion (besides Jason) was her cousin Megan because she always (and I have about ten pics to prove this) had her thumb up indicating that she wanted to go faster.

I had to put this picture on because it was just another one of those funny daddy moments. I was sleeping in (hey...it was my turn) and I got up just in time to bolt out the door to the lake. Jason let Ella dress herself (which I let her do with some guidance and discussion). She decided that proper lake attire would be her etnies with socks and long capris and a t-shirt. No Ella. Try a sun dress. Cute girl. She was so happy with herself. Jason claimed that he didn't see anything wrong with it. I am a nag, I know.

The other night we went upstairs just to check on the kids before we went to sleep and I immediately smelled something rank. Of course Jason didn't....my powerful nose doesn't let things go by. It was Quincy, stinky as ever and just sleeping through all his nastiness. So I got him up and this is how he was. Sleeping hard as a rock on my shoulder. This never happens. So precious. Wide mouthed and everything.

Then we saw lincoln asleep in his bed just.like.this. We have found him in some very weird sleeping positions. This one takes the cake.

The kids took swimming lessons this past week. A success.

Can't resist taking a million pictures of Quincy. He changes everyday. He is officially crawling. I have to say he was the slowest. He started trying at 6 months and now finally at 8.5 months he finally did it. I was saying for 2.5 months straight , "He's almost there." These pics are all of his attempts. Taken about two weeks ago I was quite entertained one afternoon just observing him. I tried to capture one moment in particular where he kept on putting his bum high up in the air and trying to lurch forward. He tried several times and then in defeat he laid flat on the floor, face to the ground. I barely missed the discouraging moment with the camera but was glad I took a moment to watch him. It was darling.

You know this position...they all do it.

Here we go way back to July 4th. We spent a really fun day at the Allred's riding four wheelers, swimming, riding horses, eating, and then Ben's friend, Danny, lit off a slew of fireworks that would have rivaled any city show. He lit them right over the Allred's lake.

The Peachtree City fourth of July parade with Hayden and Izzy- cousins.

This was our pre-fourth firework show taken mid June. These are Ella's pj's only- promise. And if anyone cares, I bought this little outfit in St. Thomas. There really wasn't a lot in this one market place. I thought they would be ok pj's. Little did I know it was a little belly shirt. Oh well. The girl can pull it off. :)

The cutest roundest bum ever. Even he has cellulite. Thank you Quincy for making me feel good about myself today.

Now we are really going back. All the way back to the week of June 11. It was the first of four weeks that I totally took advantage of the kind-hearted Christains around here and sent my kids off to the free Vacation Bible schools. My mom did the same thing- to all ELEVEN of us. Poor Dunwoody Baptist church. Anyway, we were on the VBS circuit. We hit everyone within a 20 mile radius. There were a few other familiar faces at all of them too, besides Cooper. Some other mothers look to VBS as an escape. I have to say we were all thrilled. They learned all about Bible things and sang cute outrageous songs about weird things while I got a break from 9-1 everyday for four weeks. Emily and I would switch off taking/picking up. It was perfect. This week's theme was "Saddle Ridge". Ella wore her cowgirl boots everyday. And at every VBS, at the end of the week they would have a performance on Friday night for the parents where the kids would sing all the songs they learned. That's what the above picture is. I think it's funny because Ella is of course doing exactly what she is supposed to be doing and singing with exuberance while Lincoln is looking bored and mischevious as ever and practically pushing his neighbor off the stage and then our friend Maggie from our ward (on his right) is giving him the "pay attention look". So funny and totally characteristic of these three buddies.

A few tender mercies

Most the time tender mercies come to me in small moments. Moments that most would consider insignificant. But really, they are the most significant. These moments are rare becasue they are soft and tender. So unlike the chaaotic and busy world we live in. I am so grateful for these tender moments in which I remember the most important things.

Moment number 1: I have recently had the most intense ache for Quincy. For him to be a newborn again. For him to stop growing. I remember my dad was talking about addictions one night....there had been a fireside on that very topic and he was discussing the things he had learned. He mentioned that there is a certain hormone that is released when you partake of certain addictive things...thus pulling you toward that addicitive thing again. That hormone is the very hormone that is released when a mother gives birth and the result is the instant "motherly bond/connection". I felt that automatically for Quincy. I felt an insatiable appetite for his sweet smell and for his cuddly body. This week especially I have wanted to wake him up and hold him in teh middle of the night. I am so lucky to be able to feel that way and to be reminded of the important things...

like this important thing....

Moment number 2: I was profoundly grateful for my husband this week and that feeling came in such a small moment that I am sure he didn't even realize it. I was crying and aching emotionally. My husband stopped what he was doing and simply held me and told me I was his best friend and expressed his love for me. Nothing compares to that. I am so lucky to be able to feel that way and to be reminded of the important things...

like this important thing....

Moment number 3: This past fourth of July luckily landed on a Sunday....a fast Sunday. I was able to bear my testimony of the great principles that this nation was founded upon and the inspiring men who founded it at a great cost. And the brave men who protect our freedom presently. I am so lucky to be able to feel that way and to be reminded of the important things...

like this imortant thing....

And people think I am blunt

I have serious foot in mouth disease. Always saying the wrong thing or WAY too much. Some people love me for it and some people hate me for it. Whatever the consensus is- its probably not changing any time soon. Goal 2000-2030: Stop foot in mouth disease. Anyway, I have had two recent experiences at the gym that have led me to believe that there is hope for me. There are people out there worse than I! Just on a side-note- both of these experiences happened with black males. It led me to wonder if that culture in general is more "out there" with their information.

Experience One: Several weeks ago I was running on the treadmill. This really nice black guy just happens to always be on the treadmill the same time I am. I usually run two-three times a week and he walks everyday. At the time I was training for a half marathon and so i was on a long run and was working on running seven miles that day. We don't really know each others names, but we are "gym friends"- we know each others' faces. So I am running and almost to the end of my seven miler and it DOES seem like an eternity to me and apparently to him too. He turns to me and asks a question. He had to ask me several times because I would've sworn I heard him wrong. After all, I had one ear bud in and the noise of the treadmill and gym music was bombarding my available ear. There was no way he was asking me what I THOUGHT he was asking which was: "Does running like that give you the craps?". After the third time of saying, "What?" I finally chopped it up to bad hearing and just laughed and said, "sort of". The answer that can satisfy a lot of questions. Then I was reassured that I had heard him correctly when he went into describing that he gets the runs when he runs. *** I am thinking: Really? Are we that good of friends to be sharing that kind of information.

Experience two: This experience happened today which reminded me of the above experience. I am in cycling today at the gym. I have just gotten back into it because I was training for several weeks. It's an hour long, very intense, very hot, and to add insult to injury, I had gone on Tuesday too. Those fellow cyclers out there can probably guess what part of my body was hurting from this bi-weekly regimen. My butt. Anyway, about 3/4 of the way through I was just adjusting like crazy and must have shown my discomfort in my face. I am good friends with the instructor so she said, "What's wrong?". I told her my butt hurts. You know you can say those things in a cycling class because EVERYONE can relate. I look around and everyone nods their head and laughs a little. I endure and thankfully class ends with my rear in tact. I am walking out not with but next to another gym acquaintance. Again, we are "gym friends". No names are known. He says to me, "You know that I do when my butt hurts after cycling? I put Vaseline on it and then let it air out- I walk around naked." First of all, its not that kind of pain. It is bone pain. Who shares those kinds of things with someone that is nameless????