Watching: Does the final 30 minutes of the US v. Belgium World Cup game count as watching something? How about a YouTube video on creating clipart in Open Office?
Listening to: Rend Collective Art of Celebration - I really love this band! And the kids like it, too. They also like to dance around the house to it while I'm making dinner. Jack's favorite song is "My Lighthouse." When he's watching the video he tends to yell "goldfish" every time he sees one on the screen.
Can't get off my mind: Arrows and feathers. I've spent the last few days creating graphics and working on the newsletter template for MOPS this fall. With the theme of "Be you, bravely" I'm practically dreaming of arrows and feathers and coral color schemes in my sleep. So you know it's gonna be good.
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As usual, my birthday kinda overshadowed Father's Day. They were even a week apart this year. But between my big surprise, Marmie and Poppa's visit, Julia's week at Grandy Camp and our just-returned-from beach vacation, we have some catching up to do.
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| We attempted fishing at Kinder Farm Park. |
So as if watching all four kids the night before wasn't enough, the grandparents took the three oldest to the local beach the morning after our night at the club. Meanwhile, Jon and I enjoyed a quiet morning at home with the family darling, nursing a couple cups of coffee in an effort to shake off what ended up being a very short evening.
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| I think the pond scum may have inhibited our efforts. |
We took advantage of being down three-quarters of our offspring and did some shopping for family birthday gifts and our upcoming vacation. And then we cleaned up around the house and I got to spend some long, leisurely hours making dinner in the kitchen.
The following day was Father's Day, which we celebrated with my parents and Jared and Kylee after church. I know I'm his only daughter, but I'm pretty sure I'm his favorite daughter after this Father's Day. After searching high and low for the elusive "Shenk Special" fly fishing fly that my dad used to buy from a supply store that went out of business several years ago and that he hasn't been able to find since ... I came across just what I was looking for.
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| Yeah, that's a dirty, stinky flip-flop she's chewing on... |
And in case you, too, have a father that enjoys fly fishing, I highly recommend www.murraysflyshop.com for all your fancy fly needs.
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| Pretending to solve a mystery in the backyard. |
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| Learning to follow directions! |
Hey, speaking of flies ... my kids got their daddy a fly swatter for Father's Day (don't worry, we got him a framed picture and new deck shoes too!). It sounds strange, but he really wanted one and I have not been able to find one anywhere! Until our trip to the dollar store the other week. Not just one, but TWO fly swatters for a dollar!! We've had a great time killing flies ever since.
There was a time, many, many, many years ago, when a family friend asked me what I was looking for in a husband (I'm guessing I was around 8 or 9 years old). So I told her I wanted to marry a guy just like my dad. Ha. For those of you who know both my husband and my dad, you'll acknowledge they aren't even remotely similar. Which is good, since I am the one very much like my dad. But if there's one thing these too do have in common (other than the hobby of fly fishing that my husband took up for 2 weeks in the summer of 2005 when he was trying to woo me), it's their love for their kids.
Not every guy can take on the "blessing" that is four kids in five years. And certainly not many can do it with such joy. Yes, Jon and I can whine and gripe about our dirty house and our lack of date nights. But we laugh a lot, too. Because life with four kids can be downright hilarious. So I'm incredibly grateful for this man who can not only tolerate the noise, filth, energy, and expense of our fantastic four, but just enjoy being a daddy, too.
I realized the other day that I could spend hours researching activities on Pinterest, and drawing, cutting, planning -- scavenger hunts, detective mysteries, baking projects... but if my husband comes into the room and announces that he's going to mow the lawn or workout in the basement, my audience vanishes in an instant. Nothing I do compares with a few minutes of doing push-ups or pulling weeds next to their daddy.
And I'm thankful for that, too. For a man that my kids actually like to be around, whether it's jumping jacks, driving through the car wash, or just swatting flies. Someday I'm not going to be able to use "Go find daddy" as an excuse to get some quiet time for myself. But I hope they always look up to their dad like they do now... and are still excited about mowing the lawn 10 years from now.
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