Shareholder Concerts: Lifehouse and Train

Shareholder's week is super fun. Last night, we went on our first date without Sloane. I was really nervous and called Aaron to cancel twice. In the end, we left the kids at home with a babysitter and I pumped a bottle for little Sloane and she went over to Kasey's house. We skipped dinner and arrived at Bud Walton arena just in time for Lifehouse's first song. Excellent timing. 

There's an indescribable energy during shareholder week. I love the crazy cheers and dances from the different international sections (shown above in varying colors). It's a warm feeling of togetherness and excitement. And nothing beats the swell of patriotism that rises inside you when you join the crowd in "U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!". Great fun. Shareholder week really is a rally of encouragement. 

Lifehouse was good. Train was incredible. What a performer! It was a good show, and songs took us back to the year we were dating and engaged, when both Train and Lifehouse were blow in' up the radio. We had a nostalgic trip down memory lane, and really liked the new stuff and cover songs they performed, too. 

Kasey gave a report of "perfect baby!"  When we picked up Sloane. This was a relief, since she had cried and coughed a lot that day. I'm glad she was an angel for Kasey and took her bottle no problemo! Thank you Kasey for keeping my baby happy!

School's Out, Luau's In

I'm so happy summer is here! 

We celebrated this evening with a luau.  I found some dance along hula videos online, we donned dollar store hula gear and got jiggy. The kids had a blast with some inflatable beach balls and requested "tropical" smoothies tomorrow for breakfast. I even have straws with paper flamingos on them. It's going to get wild up in here. 

Yes. I am wearing a coconut bra over my shirt. The spirit of Aloha is strong with this one.

Daddy Daughters Date

Reese and Quincy are at the annual Walmart Shareholder Meeting, this morning. They woke up at zero dark thirty to go and texted me this photo. They're having a blast!

Baby Boredom

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The blogger app on my phone isn't publishing any of my posts. Thumbs down.  So I'm slumming it on the laptop, which I have no time to do unless I ignore my children, which I am doing right now, which I am very aware that it's a bad idea. A makeshift ping pong tournament is happening behind me involving beach balls, fly swatters, paddles, wrestling, and a lot of tattling for cheating.

It's so good for the kids to be out of school. They need opportunities to just be kids while I sit here and blow my nose 100 times. They found a lizard on the porch. They got bored. They ate popsicles for snack. Soren learned how to put his flip flops on without help (way to go, Saunchy!). They did chores. They made mudpies and "dirt water smoothies" the other day. I was informed that dirt water and mud are not the same thing. There you go.

Also, two big, fat, gigantic thumbs down to this killer cold! I sound like an 80 year old smoker.
The children are enjoying my lack of a voice today and laugh when I have to repeat myself. I'm not finding it very funny.

Summer Break is here and I am so very happy about it.  I am thrilled that my children love school, but I really love having everyone home.   Higher temps and humidity arrived yesterday just in time for summer to feel like summer.  If my phone cooperates, there will be an onslaught of posts about graduations, awards, garden updates, Walmart Shareholder's Meeting 2015, kid journals, summer adventures, and life at Fort Willy.

Now, little Sloane and I reeeeeaaaallly need to get better so we can enjoy it all as much as everyone else. I feel like I'm operating at 30% capacity with this icky cold and little sleep....but I suppose 75% capacity is my new 100% capacity so I shall embrace my new normal and press forward, looking forward to the day when 150% energy is 100 again.  Illness has a good way of humbling me, and reminding me to create realistic expectations. I've accepted both.

There are two in my lap. Blogging will wait.  Fingers crossed the app starts working again. Out.

Sloane is 5 Months Old

Happy 5 months, baby girl! 

Sloane is 12lb 9 oz. She loves to coo and flirt with people, and has a killer smile that gets her everything she wants. She's fighting her first cold and has been very miserable for days, not nursing well at all then crying for hours and hours in the middle of the night and then and coughing and gagging no matter what I tried. I've spent a lot of time walking and bouncing and rocking and singing to try to soothe her. The doctor said its a virus and will pass, and while she seems to be getting better during the day, the wheezing and coughing is getting worse at night. If she doesn't appear to be getting better by Friday, I'll take her back in. She's such a trooper. Poor sick baby! 

Aside from the cold though, Sloane is a sparkly little gem. She's like a favorite accessory for everywhere I go. She loves to roll around on a blanket and gum her toys. She loves the exersaucer and has pretty much lost interest in the swing. Who am I kidding though, I spend a lot of time just holding her because she's so cute and squishy. 

Pet parade

We are now into the make up snow days. Kids and teachers alike are ready for summer, so it's field trip, party, and activity overload around here.  The Cooper pet parade was this morning and the children were begging to participate. 

Only a mother will chase down a chicken at 6:45am, put it in a pet carrier and take it to school. And when the chicken freaks out and poops all over itself in the crate, only the love of a mother is enough to take the hen out, clean her up, then wrap her in a towel and carry her around the parade so 500 children can pet her. Reese followed behind and gave everyone that touched nugget a squirt of hand sanitizer. 

The kids were so excited when they reached their own classes. 

There were cats, dogs, bunnies, guinea pigs, ferrets, and bearded dragon lizards, but Nugget was the only chicken!  She was a big hit. I was surprised how many kids recognized her as a barred rock, and how many Bella vista kids said they, too, have backyard chickens. 

It was an adventure. We finished just in time for Reese to join up with the 4th graders for the Kona ice truck, then I met Aaron and sent Sloane with him for her doctor appointment, came home to feed Soren lunch, return Nugget to the coop,   clean the chicken poop out of the pet carrier, throw a load of wash in, then go back to the school to check kids out an hour early for a dentist appointment. Now I'm siting in the