May the force be with us!

I can't wait until Jonathan comes home! My body gets tired sometimes. I don't think women were meant to lift coolers up three flights of stairs multiple times. I'm glad that I didn't buy the largest cooler they had. I don't think women were meant to do a lot of things. This summer has ignored that fact. I've unplugged toilets, I've checked the fluids on my car many times. I've driven from Utah to California with five kids in the back seat without another adult and no DVD player. I've taken my five kids to too many grocery stores. I hate shopping. Now I send the two older ones to do the grocery shopping without me. I've taken them to church. Eeeeek! I've bathed my 9 year old son who broke his arm and can't bathe himself. EEEeeeeeek! I took all five camping for four days at a National Park by myself. I bought myself a new telephone and set it up by myself. (For those of you who don't really know me, I hate phones and most types of technology so this task was really difficult for me.) I bought a dresser at IKEA and told my son I'd pay him 15 dollars to build it. I baked brownies twice this summer. (That's usually something my husband does.)
  All of the above tasks I usually expect help with from my husband. All the other things I did this summer were things I usually like to do anyway and will do them gladly by myself. Such as:   

  Collect pepper from a pepper tree with the kids.

 Teach Helen and Hector how to wolf down chips and salsa at a lakeside.

 I did NOT teach Helen how to do that.

 Pull Cinci's loose tooth out.

Take pleasure in watching Atticus do something he genuinely loves. I do think he'll be a builder of some sort.

 Enjoy delegating the labor: Cinci cooks dinner, Sherman practises knots, Helen sits on the table, and Hector walks on the bench.

 Force Atticus to take a picture of me in Kings Canyon National Park. Hey! If I don't make him, I'll never remember that I went here cuz no one takes pictures but me. Notice how my head is chopped off.

 Love the fact that it is totally acceptable that my kids are filthy on a camping trip.

Love that Atticus is smiling in a sort of intense crazy way. But at least he's smiling.

 

I've really loved talking to my kids more this summer. Not that I'm happy that Jonathan is gone but I have had Atticus sit next to me in the car so that I speak with him more. He loves red and black Camaros. He checks the car gauges for me and knows what they mean. He has learned about freeway lanes and which ones are for what. I've learned that he likes skiing above all other things. He doesn't expect preferential treatment because of his cast. He eats a lot of food. He's keeps a dumpy bedroom. He's sweet to his littlest brother and sister and tries to help them when they need it. He managed to come out of the dentist appointment without any cavities. That's a miracle because he eats the most sugar out of all my kids. He must brush his teeth really well.

Well, school starts in two days. I hope my kids absorbed something this summer. I executed every one of my plans this summer. Thanks to the assistance of my in laws and mother I was able to do this. On to another school year. May the force be with us.