Kashann and Clan

Marcus is all better. And after all the throw up, I'm thinking Spit Up? What's the big deal?
It did help to put things in perspective. And I am thinking it is all a valve problem with him not a diet problem with me. However, he has picked up a new habit. Yesterday he stumbled onto his bottom lip, and now he just can't let go of it.

Brent is back in school, after a summer of fun that never stopped. Brent and I had some different goals this summer. As I anticipated the summer months I wrote up a point system for our girls and told them that we were all going to be in Reform School for the summer of 2008.

Breakfast and scriptures at 7 a.m., 3-4 hours of chores, a couple hours of fun, then service in the community, and bedtime at 9 p.m.

I posted The Routine on the first day of summer break and heard "You are ruining our summer!" all morning. This just made me more determined that my city kids needed some serious reform. I was going to have them working in the yard without complaint, a lot more parental respect around the home, and everyone was going to have a clean room every night when they went to bed.

Brent thought it all sounded good and was completely supportive in word. But not in deed. He distracted us repeatedly from the reform school for the past six weeks with the morning question, "So what are we going to do today?" That question either led to Boating, kickball in the park, bike rides, concerts, or my personal hatred -cell phone or computer games. So much for reform school. Pretty much all we did was play, play, play. No one earned any points and my house has been the messiest ever.

But the miraculous thing is that somehow the kids seem like they need less reforming after I have been playing with them all summer. We all like each other a lot better.

My messy house needs some serious reforms though. Brent is back in school so I think it is time to take another stab at reform school and get on a schedule.

But of course we can't just skip the free concerts that are still going on this summer.

Last night we went to Art Park in Lewiston. It is a beautiful spot on the Niagara River Gorge. We love it because of the:

Kids Crafts (last night they made their own dinner plate and painted it)

Kids Costumes and Face Paint (tons of racks of stuff and the kids just help themselves to costumes and apply their own makeup)

Concerts

Great view of the gorge

All of this is FREE every Tuesday during the summer at Art Park!

We have seen Little River Band, Kenny Loggins, Kansas, and last night Leahy -( a Canadian group we had never heard of, but they were great) And we have missed tons of others because of all our darn vacations.

When I look back on the past 6 weeks I think we did the right thing. Next year things will be way busier for the future dentist. We just experienced the very last summer in our lives where we had almost zero responsibilities. I am glad we didn't squander it by working. But oh, how I hate a messy house!