"When You See a Hole, Don't Put a Stick in it!"

Yesterday evening, Andrew and Logan were outside playing when suddenly I heard Logan's ear-piercing scream. I noticed Andrew was screaming too. I thought they were just playing around, but then Andrew came bursting through the door saying, "Logan has bugs on him!" A little confused, I stepped outside to see my little three-year-old screaming and crying hysterically with several black spots moving all over him. For some reason it took me a second to realize what they were - HORNETS! LOTS OF THEM!

Once I realized what was going on, I tried and tried, but no amount of flicking, smashing, or swatting would keep them away! They just kept swarming around him and crawling under his clothes! Logan was screaming, "They're hurting me, they're hurting me!"

By this time, I was in full "parent panic mode" (you know, when on the inside you are totally freaking out, but on the outside you have to keep it together and stay calm so you won't scare your kids even more). I grabbed the garden hose and just started hosing the poor little guy down full-blast. That took care of most of the darn things, but I still found three more trapped inside his shirt when I stripped him down. Logan was COVERED in stings all over his body - legs, tummy, back, chest, arms, hands, neck, ears, face, and even in his hair. They were all red and swelling up fast.


At this point, I still had no idea what had actually happened, so I shouted to Andrew (who was sitting petrified on the stairs inside), "WHAT HAPPENED?!!!"

"Well, I saw a hole in the ground and stuck a stick in it and pushed. Then all the bugs came flying out. I ran away, but Logan just sat there and screamed."

FINAL STING COUNT:
Me: 1 - on my shoulder
Andrew: 1 - on the back of his neck
Logan: 17!!! - all over his body, I kid you not!

Benedryl took most of the swelling down and knocked him out for the rest of the night (Thanks, Carissa! I really should keep some at my house at all times!) I watched him closely and slept near him on the couch to make sure he was okay (Bryan has been on-call at the hospital all night; he actually hasn't even heard this story yet).

After all this, Andrew probably summed it up best with his wise remark, "Mom, I definitely learned my lesson: When you see a hole, don't put a stick in it!"

The First Day of First Grade!!!

Andrew was so excited to start First Grade today! He woke up early all by himself, and by the time I got down to the kitchen, he was fully dressed in his new outfit, with his hair combed (by himself!), teeth brushed, shoes on, backpack on, holding his new Star Wars lunch box (Thanks, Nana!) all ready to go! I almost felt bad telling him that school didn't start for two more hours!

Picking out the "first day outfit" took some teamwork this year. Andrew chose the awesome Lego Star Wars t-shirt (of course), and as a compromise, he wore the red button-up shirt that Mommy picked out to make it a little "nicer" for school. He looked pretty cool!

Little brother Logan really wanted to go to school too! He carried his new lunchbox around and kept saying all morning that he was going to school today! (Notice Logan's shoes. He consistantly puts his shoes on the wrong feet. It looks especially funny when it's bright orange Crocs on the wrong feet! hehehe!)
This year, Andrew gets to have two teachers - Mrs. Bates and Mrs. Devine, who team teach. Andrew got to meet Mrs. Devine today and said she was really nice. Andrew was happy to see a few familiar faces from his Kindergarten class in his new First Grade class. He's especially thrilled to have his best friend, Noah, in his class again!


So how was your first day of First Grade, Andrew?

"It was easy as pie. No, it was easier than pie. It was cake! No, easier than cake!"

Tomatoes Anyone?

Last year, almost all of our tomatoes disappeared, thanks to the thieving sqirrels in our neighborhood. This year, I guess Bryan's chicken wire fence worked!!! Yesterday I seriously pulled over 50 tomatoes off the plants!

Much to Andrew's dismay (he's NOT a tomato fan!), we've been having BLT's for dinner several times per week- and LOVING it! YUM! They are so yummy, we've been eating them like apples!

So if you are craving tomatoes, you know who to call!

...Seriously, give us a call!

Don't Let This Picture Fool You...

Yes, there are three cars in our driveway, but only one of them is drive-able. Guess which one.

It's the two-door Ford Escort!

Ugh! I really HATE cars right now!!!

Camping Trip

Last weekend was the annual ward campout. The weather was perfect and we had a great time! It was so nice to be away from the world and enjoy the beauty and peace of nature. And guess what? There actually ARE stars up in the sky here in Cleveland! Who Knew?!

Top Five Best Things About Our Campout

#5 - Pioneer Trail Camp

This place is awesome! We're talking rows of bathrooms with showers and flushing toilets and rows of sinks with mirrors and running water (cold and hot!). This is where the YW around here have their Girls Camp each Summer. A FAR cry from my Girls Camp years at good ol' Lake Lyman (right Mom, Jen, and Amy?)!

#4 - Sleeping in a Tent

The boys couldn't wait to get into the tent! They kept asking us, "Is it time to go to bed yet?"

#3 - FIRE!

Andrew, our little Pyro! We had to keep a close eye on him around the fire! Every time we turned around, he was throwing something into the flames and watching it burn.

#2 - Bryan's Cooking

Here's one of the very best things about camping - Bryan does all the cooking! He does such a good job too! This time he made tin foil dinners with glazed sesame chicken, seasoned potatoes and veggies! YUM! Great job, Babe!

#1 - S'MORES!!!

Need I say more?

I was kinda dreading sleeping in a tent with a 6 month old, but Hannah did pretty well! Our only issue was around 1:00am when she wanted to eat. I had pre-filled her bottles with water, so I thought making her formula would be easy, but by that time, the water had gotten a little too cold for her liking and she screamed whenever she took a gulp. We had to somehow make it warmer, so Bryan got up, lit the camp stove, boiled some water, and then let the bottle soak in the water for a few minutes to warm up (yes, Hannah screamed through this whole process - so sorry fellow campmates!) Eventually Hannah got her bottle and settled down for the rest of the night. It wasn't until the next morning that one of our friends reminded us of the warm running water in the bathrooms right next to our camp site - DOH!!! Yeah, I felt pretty dumb!

When it was time to pack up and leave after breakfast, Logan "hid" behind a tree, hoping we wouldn't find him and take him home. I guess that means he had a fun time, right?

Garments?

A couple weeks ago, we went to the Mayfield Drive-In to see the movie, WALL-E. What a cute movie, by the way! Loved it! Pixar never disappoints me!

Anyway, afterward, I asked Andrew what his favorite part of the movie was. He said, "It was really funny when WALL-E put the Garments on his head!"

I didn't have the heart to correct him and explain the concept of a bra to my six-year-old son, so I just said, "Yeah, that was funny. I liked that part too."

They Give a Merit Badge for That?!

This week at Family Home Evening, we were talking about standing up for what is right even in the face of peer pressure. Bryan related a story about a time at Scout Camp when some of the boys made homemade cigarettes from tree bark and offered them to him. He knew it was wrong, so he said, "No."

Andrew looked troubled for a minute and then said, "So I guess you didn't earn that Merit Badge, huh?"

We DIED laughing! Sadly, Bryan never did earn his Cigarette-Making Merit Badge!

Breaking Dawn

This morning at midnight, I went with some friends to the release of the fourth book in the Twilight series, Breaking Dawn. The release party we went to was not nearly as packed as what I heard the Utah parties were, so we didn't have to wait in line hardly at all. Most of the small crowd were goth-dressed teenagers. We Twenty-something Mormon Mommies were definitely the minority!

I got my hands on my copy a full two hours before my Mom and sisters in Utah, and of course, had to call and rub it in. They were a bit jealous. I think it was the first time I've ever heard my Mom admit that there might be advantages to living in the East!

Well, I'd better get reading. I gotta find out if Edward and Bella live happily ever after. Hopefully I won't neglect my family too much the next couple of days!

Holly, Summer, Rachel, and Cathy at Barnes and Noble for the Breaking Dawn release. Okay, we're nerds. But it's kinda fun to be a nerd every now and then!