Advances

This post is out of order, has no themed title, but I am so excited.  I am writing this post from my new mini lap top. 
In my quest to be a good mom and a good student, we decided that a lap top could help.  Now I can bring my homework anywhere.  If the kids want to be outside, I can bring this out an work on a paper or post on my online class.  If they want to play a computer game but I have a paper due, I am can write my paper on here. If I am way behind on my school work I can lock myself in the bedroom and bring this with me to work on.  If it is in the evening and Aaron is watching T.V. but I have homework, I can sit on the couch next to him and work while he watches.
In the arena of "need vs. want" this is most definitely a want.  But man is it a convenient want.  I could totally do without, but I feel like it will super useful to have it.

Parenting Practices: Pets

I am working on "twitter-esque" posts.  Short and sweet so I feel like I can have time to maintain this blog.  So here I go.

Aaron's brother's rabbit had babies and we got to meet them.

I am pretty sure there is nothing in the world as cute and sweet as a 2-3 week old bunny

Add my beautiful children to the babies and my heart melts

Be still my heart, what a handsome boy...with a bunny in the crook of his arm....swoon (in a mommy love kind of way)

They needed a new home and all the kids, Sophie especially, REALLY, REALLY wanted one.

.

So I did what any kind loving parent would do.  How can I say no to those pleading voices and those sweet adorable faces (the bunnies and the kids.)  So we stopped on our way home and picked up a pet bunny.

He is settling into his new home very nicely

Reckless Recreation: "Fireworks"

In Vermont you can buy class c fireworks without a permit, but to shoot them off you have to have a signed permit.  Each town varies in it's leniency based on the fire chief or fire marshal in your town.  We have all of these safety precautions because of the risk of fire (this is of course a joke, I don't think these is a "moist-er" state out there.)  
This is my long winded way of saying that we bought some simple fireworks to use here at home.  SUPER simple fireworks.  They might not even be classified as fireworks.  Our favorites by far were the ginormous sparklers and the snap pops.  The smokers were kind of cool but over too fast and they kind of stunk too.  There was one called a cobra or a snake charmer; something to do with a snake, anyway that one was kind of gross looking.  I am having trouble finding a way to describe it.  I'll add a video.

Parenting Practices: Priorities

I have been out of my mind busy lately.  Between church, end of the school year activities, household life and college classes, I feel like I am floundering in all areas, most of the time.

This may be old news for some, new news for others, but here is an example of "floundering" in my life.  Last Thursday our family needed bread, I volunteered to make bread for snack at school, and I agreed to make blueberry cream cheese braided bread for an auction at church.  I decided to just dig in and do all three at once.

I went outside to open the chicken coop door and of course Noah came out with me.  I was anxious to get back into the bread, but Noah didn't want to come in yet.  I decided to let him stay out to avoid the fit I knew he would throw when I made him come in.  I added some ingredients and checked on Noah.  I brought food scraps out and checked on Noah.  I tied out a dog and checked on Noah.  I brought a dog in and checked on Noah.  By this time I had all two of the doughs rising and I was working on the third, the blueberry cream cheese braided bread.  It is a simple recipe but it does have lots of steps and I got sucked deep into it and didn't check on Noah.

Everything came to a halt when I heard the dog barking and looked out the window and saw a tractor trailer and a car stopped.  Time stopped.  Every fiber of my being cried out in fear.  I was so scared of what had happened that my teeth hurt.  I ran outside to see my friend Katie bringing Noah and his tricycle out of the road.  She handed me Noah, gave me a hug and said, "it's ok."  I started crying at this point and didn't stop for quite some time.  Even when I did stop, every time I would think of what might have been, I would lose it again.  I still feel it now as I write.

Katie had to go, but I spoke to her later and found out that Noah had crossed route 14 and was on his way back over when she saw him.  She also told me that the tractor trailer that was behind her had been pulled over on the side of the road just down the road.  Had he not pulled over, he would have reached Noah before Katie.  Most tractor trailer go about 60 to 65 mph and the visibility isn't great because of a curve in the road.  God must have been watching over my Noah because I wasn't.

I am still sick thinking that I allowed something that seemed so important at the time, to get in the way of one of the most important things in my life.  It has been a humbling week as I get my priorities straight.  One of my classmates said that he had studied hours every day for a quiz.  I studied maybe 20 minutes every other day.  When I first handed in my quiz I started to cry because I knew I had at least 3 questions wrong.  I have set my sights on perfection and I knew I wasn't making it and I knew I hadn't studied enough.  I got over it fast though.  I might have gotten an A- or maybe even a B, but my children are alive, clean, fed, educated and loved and I will take a F before I will let any of those things be compromised.

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So based on the title this is basically a combination of all the posts I have missed, all jammed together.  Actually it is all about our annual Memorial Weekend Camping Trip.  But I can tie it all together.  Just watch.

Parenting Practices:  Always make sure your toddler uses appropriate safety gear when handling fires.

Reckless Recreation:  Using bright lights to shoot parents is not advised (camera shoot, not gun shoot).

Wordless Wednesday:                                         (it's wordless!)

L.S.N.E.D:  Portable dog water bowls make good head coverings in a pinch.

Parenting Practices:  There are lots of extra adults at camp to watch the children while you relax and eat bonbons tend to camp duties.

Deep Thoughts:  Meet Sloopy, Dana's rescue dragon fly.  It takes a special soul to care about the health of a drowning dragonfly.  Do you have it in you?

Family Friday: Working together is what it is all about.

Family Friday:  My dad (on a Sunday)

Wordless Wednesday:

Bust a Move Saturday: Walking dogs can be a good motivation for exercise and I think this particular situation helped Mary Lou actually "bust a move."

L.S.N.E.D.: Multitasking is the key to success

Family Friday:  Everyone should be as lucky as I am to have a mother like mine.  This picture represents her stellar grandmotherly qualities as well (Ben gave her the crown).

Deep Thoughts:  Dad deep in thought

Reckless Recreation:  Doesn't this look blissful?

Family Friday:  Careful of this one, he's a charmer or a time waster as my grandparents say.

Parenting Practices: A good parent lets their kid swim at camp, in May, regardless of temperature and risk of hypothermia.

Reckless Recreation:  We call her the Dragonfly Charmer.  It is a gift the runs in the family I guess.

All jokes aside, we had a marvelous weekend filled with great food, even better people and amazing weather.  The only downside was the lack of loved ones who couldn't be there.  I really do feel privileged to be part of such an amazing family.