This And That

So me again. I haven't blogged in ages. It's something I want to do more of. But sometimes I realize I only have an audience of maybe 5 so really I could just cinch this up in an email to each of you. But I'll humor myself and continue with the blog.

We went hiking on Saturday. We went up to Great Falls, Virginia which is a place we try and get to at least once every summer. It's really pretty up there. I think I'm starting to take Virginia for granted. It's just such a beautiful state and I love it and I've been in love with it since I moved here. I always discover something new and I think it's the most awesome state. But now I'm like "meh....trees...so what". I don't want to feel that way. I love Virginia. I know the kids love it. But when you live in a place for so long...you start to take everything for granted. You stop noticing the beauty and the amazing features that God has put here for our enjoyment.

Laura got her first tooth this weekend. Well, it's been there but it hasn't grown in. And so she asked me if I could get something out of her teeth that she couldn't get out and it was driving her bonkers. I asked her to go get a dental floss stick and she did. She showed me where the lodged item was and it's a tooth. Only...her baby tooth isn't loose. It's coming in behind it for some odd reason, which means she freaked out and I told her we were going to have to take her to see the dentist. She said she would be brave. I know she'll try. Cute thing. Her baby bottom front teeth are so tightly packed in already. I know without a doubt she'll need braces and I already told her she would. So I don't know how these adult teeth are going to fare down there in tightsville. But I guess that is something to wait and see on.

And lastly, I'm hoofing it this week. Well okay I just said that to garner sympathy. Our van needed its yearly plastic surgery and adjusting. With that, we have rented a van. It happens to have 2 DVD screens in it. Rob was like a kid at Christmas. He popped in a DVD and away we went on the road. The kids were like total zombies. I half expected drool to run in pools as they all sat transfixed to the screens. I have to admit it's kind of nice. There's not "she's putting her foot one inch into my foot space" or "he's trying to beat me with the ice scraper". Now it's just pure silence and I keep having to check back to make sure they're still thriving. They want to trade our van in. I told them maybe once a year we'll get it out of our system and rent a van with a DVD player in it so Mom can have a break. But you miss a lot when you have a DVD player. No imaginations at work. No funny commentary or crazy fighting over who is breathing who's air space. It's not as much fun but in its own right, a blissful change.

Happy August everyone (all 5 of you).