We just got home from picking Aspen up from school and running a few errands. I was putting a few things away and the kids were outside playing. It almost sounds blissful... Aspen comes in from outside and says
conversationally while chewing her new piece of gum. "Mom, Olive is pooping on the grass." She wanders off like she had just told me that the sky was blue and I am left to digest what she has just said. Olive, pooping on the grass??? "What?" I say. "Olive is pooping on the grass." She adds, turning around but still showing no interest in this bit of news. "She has her
underwear off and is pooing on the grass." She looked up at me and I'm sure that it was my expression that finally caught her interest. After a few more seconds of stunned delay I finally start to move. I walk out the back door and no one is in sight. By this time Aspen is finally interested in the events that are happening. (Not being one to miss out on someone else getting in trouble.) She is right behind me. "Where is she?" "Over here." She leads me to the side of the house where sure enough, there is Olive with her
underwear and shoes on the grass, holding her dress up and just getting up from a squat. "What are you doing?" I ask, thankful that as I look around I see no fresh (or not so fresh) poop. "I'm pooping on the grass!" My cute little three year old says happily. "Cedar did too!" She adds. She really sounded like she thought I would be pleased that my two
youngest children were saving me water and toilet paper by
coming up with the
genius idea to relieve themselves outside. After looking around and
coming to the happy conclusion that our lawn is poop free, and explaining that sometimes dogs poop on the lawn, but even then we don't like it, was I able to admit that they had done it again. They came up with a new and totally unexpected way to keep me on my toes. I have to admit that they are good!
What a fun Weekend! I haven't stayed up late every night and been so busy every day for a long time. My Dad and Louise came Thursday night. Just in time too. I think that I had just got the last of the essential cleaning and setting up done. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control the basement has sheetrock, but none of it was hanging up. So we put up the "tent-mahal." (Thanks to kim for letting me borrow it!) Early Friday morning (like, 2:00am!!!) Seth, Julie and the kids arrived. Cute little Alex thought that it was time to party and wasn't going to let the fact that everyone else wanted to sleep disturb him. 
Friday was play at the park and splash pad and then fishing in the evening. The kids started off thinking that fishing wasn't all that great, and then ended up deciding that swimming was the real treat of the day. We caught several blue gill and even a large mouth bass (go first timer Louise!) After falling in the lake I decided I had had enough and was ready to go. ( I start to get grumpy with multiple bruises and a wet, muddy bum.) Once the kids were in bed the games began! It was fun even though I got my wet and muddy bum kicked. Saturday we went strawberry picking in the morning while Jonathon made his
famous crepes for the masses. YUMMY! After a quick clean up and packing of food, we headed to the Smokies. We got to feel a bear skin, hike to a waterfall, and have a nice picnic at the Sugarlands visitor center. After that we explored Glatinburg looking for a nice place to eat. If you can believe it, we got all 12 people out the door to church and sitting down BEFORE church started. I can't even do that when it is just my family! But, it was done and Sunday was a nice not too busy day. We took a walk at the state park and played games again. Monday was Dollywood day. Even though it was crowded we had fun. The biggest adventure for me was forgetting to take my keys out of the ignition all day so by the time I got back to my car, not only was I worried and feeling stupid because I didn't know where my keys were, but once I found them, my battery was dead. On
the way home we decided that taking our tired worn out kids to a restaurant didn't sound so fun, but getting a babysitter and going to a restraunt with out kids sounded great! We put the kids straight to bed, (Alex never woke up from the car and the girls were so tired that they fell right to sleep. Except for Alyssa who was happy to dance the night away!)
