Hard/Cute

The past little while has been a little rough with the kids, so we've resorted to locking them in the trunk of the car. See?

Just kidding.  But that doesn't mean we haven't felt like it some times.  I'm not going to count down the number of pairs of dirty underwear I've scrubbed out or tell you how many times Annie has thrown tantrums today.  I've already told my neighbor Sariah and she helped me feel a little better.  Suffice it to say- it's a lot.

You know what?  Sometimes kids are hard!  It's just the way it goes.

You know what else?  They are also really, really, really cute.

They are especially cute when Will mentions the "nipple" in his eye, or when Annie pedals her little heart out on her trike.  It's a billion little things that add up to something wonderful by the end of the day.  We're all just doing the best we can- and that goes for the kids too.

Between tantrums and accidents, we've had a lot of fun, too.  Dallas is most interested in the steam cleaner we picked up for free at a yard sale.  He's a focused man- we have clean baseboards, dashboards, and door jams to prove it.  He also finished another semester at the U!  He's a smarty pants and received a 3.6 GPA this last semester.  I'm so proud of him.  He works so hard for our family and is such a good example for our kids (and me).

Last night we had a campout... in our back yard.  If you ask me, it's the best kind!  Dirt is minimal and you can walk out your tent door and have an entire kitchen at your disposal!  HUZZAH!

Annie has latched on to all of her little animals again.  I love it!  She calls them by name now and works hard to take care of their needs; she's such a little Mommy.  Here's the crew:  Kitty, Teddy, Kate, and Penguin.  (Have I introduced Penguin yet?  He's our favorite.  Penguin is the orange triceratops that meows.  He's a treasure in our family, no doubt.)

Looks like I've included everyone but the woman behind the camera....  I've spent as much time as possible swinging on my swing and falling asleep while attempting to read in the afternoon.  It's a charmed life I lead.  I've recovered well from my marathon last month and am looking forward to my favorite race- the Wasatch Back- in only a couple of days.

Summer.  Oh how I love thee.