Results!

If I had to chose one word for the last few days it would be productive. I've had way too much energy. I got all my laundry done, cleaned my house (twice!), baked bread, made flashcards for Ellie and even laminated them so she can practice writing on them, made Jacque's shower invitations plus stamped and addresses all the envelopes, and (don't hate me) I even started on my Christmas cards. I designed and printed the message part and I just need to go get me some green paper and we're good to go.


Saturday we hauled the big slide out for the first time this year and had a bunch of friends over for a BBQ. Dustin made the most delicious gourmet hamburgers. One of my friends made the kids' desserts out of Twinkies (they looked like fire crackers -- super cute). So Ellie gets her fire cracker and takes a bite. "OH MY GOSH! There's CREAM on the inside. WOW!" Uh yeah, honey, it's a Twinkie, of course there's cream on the inside. "WOW! I've never had cake with cream on the inside. This is the most delicious thing ever." On and on she goes and I suddenly realize, my 5 year old has never had a Twinkie before! Her amazement was worth the years and years of deprivation right there.

Today we've been taking it easy after my weekend of domesticity. We went to the gym and then had Tasha's kids over. We've been swapping kids on Mondays since the neighborhood decided to take the summer off from our Mom Day Out. I only get every other Monday off, but it has been so easy because our kids get along so well. I seriously didn't even see them for 3 hours.

Tasha's another person I've known since I was a baby (just like Meredith in the post below), and we also live about a mile apart. I seriously had no clue how close we would all be when we built this house. Even stranger is that we're all in 3 different wards (that's Arizona for you, I guess, the Ward boundaries are small) and all in the Primary Presidencies (Mer and I are Presidents and Tasha is the 1st Counselor). It makes planning Sharing Time and Quarterly Activities so much easier when you have people to share ideas with! I am super lucky to have moved close to such a great friends and even luckier that our kids get along so well.