McDonalds mouth

Friday Jonathon and I went to the temple. It is easier for us to go on a school day than any other.
We dropped the kids off at school and hustled ourselves onto the road. With the time difference we made it in time for the 11:30 session. I don't think that I have ever had a more welcome greeting than I did Friday.

"Are you here for a session?"

"yes."

"Oh we are so glad!"

And on they went.

It turns out that there was only one other person set to go on the session that morning and they needed a witness couple. Before we were even out of the lobby we were pulled aside and asked to be the witness couple and given our instructions. It was 11:25.

It was a great session, except that I am always so tired after the four hour drive and then an immediately sitting and (trying to) give full attention is hard.

After we sat in the parking lot and ate our lunch and moved a little.

Back into the car. Four more hours. And we are home.

My friend picked up the kids from school. ( I love car pooling!) Took them to another friends house who then watched them until we got back.

7:30pm We are back! Jonathon drops me off at my friends house (She is 6 houses up the street!) and I ring the bell. I hear racing to the door. Cedar pulls the door open and smiles the biggest toothless smile ever.

He lost a tooth.

Fast forward.

Today (Saturday)

Kids finally put to bed with threats of staying put (or else!)

Boom, boom, boom. Down the stairs come little feet.

"Back to bed!" I don't even look up from the computer.

"It came out!"

The other tooth is gone now too. Cedar has a McDonalds mouth. Little pink arches grace his toothless smile. It is so cute!

Douglas Lake swim-a-thon

Today was the day! Jonathon swam in the Douglas Lake swim-a-thon in Dandridge. He did a great job finishing at one hour and forty minutes.

Look at that pull!
With his boat couple. Every swimmer needed to have a boat to take them out to the starting area and shadow along them in case they needed to get out of the water.

This was a fun event for Jonathon. All of the money went to 2 local charities. One lady said there were over 50 swimmers, almost twice what there were last year. It seemed to be a huge success. I wonder if it will be a tradition for our family?

Aspen's self portrait

Aspen drew this in her art lesson this afternoon. Wow!

And they're off...

It's 8:45am.

I am sitting here, in an unusually quiet house. I have the radio on to mask the silence. The breakfast dishes are done, the table cleaned off and I am straining my ears to hear forts being made upstairs, or someone swinging outside.

Someone should be coming to me in just a few minutes asking for a snack, or a drink, or to settle a fight.

But no one is coming.

Everyone is gone, and I am alone.
Olive will be home 3 days this week. They do a staggered start school year. I have never been able to figure out why they do it quite like they do. I always assumed it was for the teachers, though if asked I think that those in charge would say it's for the kids. But now, I think it's for the parents. Especially those like me who just left their babies at the BIG school and won't see them ALL DAY. For a few days I will be reveling in the time. The ease of getting things done. But there will always be the mornings alone in the house.

I wonder if my ears will stop straining to hear them.

3:00pm sounds like a long way away.

(I think I'll go make something chocolate. I'm going to say it's for the kids...)