Ok family, so much has been going on - and many moons have passed since any of us have logged on. We really should go back and post everything about big events (wedding!!! Camille! Canada! Kendra's little kit! Lots of trips! Lots of visits! Lots of birthdays!). We just had a great time celebrating Emily's 5th birthday as part of the 'Cousin Party' crew. Pioneer games, dinner on the lawn, admiring Lindsay's amazing garden and yard, and lots of play time and enjoy talking with the Baxters. Jared talked about it again today and went on and on about how he's so grateful to have a good family, how he liked Emily's party, and how much he likes playing with cousins - all of his cousins. He does have it really good in the family department, I must say.
Tom passed another big exam this morning, the series 24 exam. He is now licensed to run his own office, plus supervise investment bankers and specialists on the floor of exchanges. Way to go, Tom! Jared knows his dad is all about "totally conquering tests".
We have chickens! Our 3 little fluffballs have grown into large-ish birds with talons and pretty feathers. We're 5 weeks into this adventure and it's been a very good thing, even with the extra "babysitting" we do for them to keep their supplies and brooder clean. We figure they are very lucky chickens to be living here. The best benefit is that Jared has become very confident in picking up and caring for his animals. This is a big deal since he always recoiled away from animals (all types) before, always preferring them at a distance. Now he doesn't need anyone to reach in there to pick up whichever bird is wanted for holding and he's not afraid of them pecking food from his hands (which used to hurt). He remembers them first thing in the morning and is very diligent in making sure they are safe. Hooray for our first pets! Laura is always demanding, "I want to take care of Lady Brown! I want to hold her in a napkin on my lap!" Of course, Lady Brown is the strongest and most daring of all the chickens, so is least likely to stay put in a little girl's lap. But Laura doesn't give up!
The kids start swimming lessons on Monday - Laura's dream come true. Her two favorite things in the world are birthdays (especially her own birthday) and bathing suits.
Today we hit a garage sale jackpot. Not only did we have a great time getting our exercise in the morning (me running with the stroller, Jared rode his bike), but we got Blokus (the game) for $1 brand new! I've been wanting it for 3 years since we played with the Johnsons in California. And we came home with nice baseball gloves for everyone in the family! And the mom liked Jared so she gave him her boy's new roller blades for free. Jared said, "I'm not sure I'm into those things, but we can try it."
What are you all up to in the last weeks before school starts?
