Labor Day weekend

 Pictures: Making homemade tortillas, playing a board game, 

popcorn in the tent, grilling out, 

chillin' with Garrett, Garrett "studying"

We have been doing well.  We started our preschool co-op today and Abby loved it.  It was at our house, so Ellie got to participate too which she just loved.   There are 4 girls in the group and it's going to be a really fun year.  

We had a great Labor Day weekend at home.  Saturday morning, Garrett went out shopping and came home with a grill!!  His parents gave him some money for one back in June for his birthday, and on Saturday he finally got around to shopping (and taking advantage of the Labor Day sales).  He also came home with two big steaks, which we grilled for dinner that night.  We are excited about the grill.

We also watched the BYU football game, of course.  Let's be honest, it was a pretty ugly game, but our defense looks great this year and we eked out a win in the end.  Go Cougars!!  I am so excited for college football to be back.

 On Monday morning we store-hopped, looking for a patio set so that we can start enjoying our screened-in back porch.  The weather is starting to cool down and I would just love to be able to start lounging out there more often.  I was hoping to score a great Labor Day sale but unfortunately, we came home empty-handed (patio furniture is almost as expensive as real furniture!) but I'm still scouring Craigslist regularly.  I really hope we can find something soon!  For a while I had a dream of Garrett building me two daybeds to put out there, just like this:

but that's probably not going to happen.  Isn't it so cute, though?  

Anyway, back to our Labor Day weekend.  After furniture shopping the girls had "quiet time", then we headed out again to the playground at a nearby neighborhood.  We came home exhausted and hungry, so we grilled some pizzas for dinner.  They came out pretty well - the crusts were pretty crispy (unfortunately), but the leftovers were amazing.  Chewy crust, smoky pizza-oven taste.  Yum.

 So, life is good.  Garrett was sitting next to me on the couch the other night while I checked my email, and he glanced over and noticed me reading an email about upcoming play dates.  There was a list of the upcoming dates, along with what pool we would be meeting at each time (each neighborhood has its own pool, and we rotate around.  Some pools are really nice and feel resort-ish, and some are just normal pools [ours]).  Anyway, Garrett read this email and said, "Wait a second.... so, while I'm at work all day, you just hang out at the pool with your friends?"

I'll be honest.... I've been waiting for the day to come when he would catch on.  Sometimes I feel guilty when he comes home after a long day and asks what we did that day, and I say things like "Oh, we hung out with so-and-so", or "went to the pool", "the library", "the park", "play dates", or something like that.  Because we do have fun.  I love hanging out with my girls, seeing friends, and having time during the day to do things that I enjoy (sewing, reading, working out, etc).

But then I remember: going to the library, going to the pool, shopping, etc.... none of these things are relaxing or easy when you bring little kids with you.  The pool is exhausting because Ellie needs constant supervision, and she refuses to sit in a floating thing, so she always needs to be held.  OR, she just sits on the steps the whole time, but I still need to be a foot away so she doesn't try anything (like getting out of the pool and running around, or jumping off the stairs, or swinging from the railing, etc.).  She is crazy.  I also need to constantly have an eye on Abby, of course.  She has water wings but all her friends can swim pretty well so I get nervous that she will feel too confident.

The library is also no easy feat.  I can't even tell you how many times I have "lost" Ellie for a minute or two, even though I thought she was sitting right next to me.  The children's section is on the completely opposite side as the adult section, and even though we get the kids' books first, she will not sit and look at them while I look for my own books.  She prefers running down the long rows of books and screaming.  So, I usually walk out empty handed (for myself).  Someday I'd love to go to the library alone.  (I will say, though, that our library has one huge redeeming quality: there are no late fees!  I'm not sure how this is possible, but I sure love it!)

So anyway, long story short: nothing (nothing!) is easy or relaxing when you drag kids around with you, even if those things are geared towards kids.  Plus, between the play dates, pool times, parks, and library, there is also laundry to be done, grocery shopping, beds to be made, noses wiped, books read, meals planned, meals prepped and made, dishes to be done, tears wiped, floors to be swept and mopped, lawns to be mowed, bathrooms to be scrubbed, fights to break up, toys to be cleaned up, marker to be scrubbed off the walls, and furniture to be dusted.  There is still a strict budget to keep, still whining to be dealt with, still milk to be wiped up.  Doctors appointments, annoying phone calls to make (the DMV, ugh), coupons to clip, bills to pay.  On top of all that, you have to make sure your kids are learning enough, eating the right things, and will eventually grow into well-rounded, socially mature, spiritual, financially responsible adults.  And I don't think Garrett is too jealous of any of that, day after day after day...  Luckily for me, I love it!  It's a job that challenges me every day and I'm grateful for the ability I have to stay home with my kids.  There's nothing I'd rather be doing right now with my life.

Wow, this post got really long, sorry!  So, life is good, and busy.  We are loving the cooler (read: bearable) weather, and hope it sticks around so we can enjoy the outdoors a bit more often! Hope you all had a great Labor Day weekend, too!