I'm sleeping with the Scout Master

Well, he is my husband, so it's all legal. I just had to make a headline out of it, because it looks hilariously scandalous in print.

Chris has just taken off to Six Flags with Harrison (who earned a free day pass from his school for a scholastic achievement). It is going to be 100 degrees today, but I think they'll still make the most of it. I am interested to hear what rides they venture on.

I will be taking Christian and Emma to a nearby bounce house for a few hours. Sabrina will come too, but she won't be running and jumping herself silly. It is worth the $$ to have a change of scenery, and to have them worn-out at the day's end.

We are having Christian's b-day party on Monday - a backyard water fun (sprinklers, water guns, water bombs, etc.) party. We invited 7 little friends. I still need to get goody bag fillers and some snack foods. I may make cupcakes this year to save some money. There is a HUGE party store nearby, that I need to explore to see if they have cupcake toppers - its amazing what the grocery store bakeries charge for those little pieces of plastic!

Harrison will be celebrating by taking 3 friends to a Fort Worth Cats game on Friday the 21st - our local minor league baseball team. There are fireworks at the end of the game. Chris will be the chaperone for the evening, and will probably be smuggling in some treats for the boys. Emma will get to tag along, too, since she has been promised a baseball game before summer's over.

We are within days of hitting many "year" marks - a year since we moved, and a year since we welcomed Sabrina to our family. I am amazed - and thankful - that we've made it. A year ago, it was so daunting to think of managing a school year, a new home, a new ward, and a new baby's needs, yet here we are. We were definitely blessed - many tender mercies all along the way.

I am looking forward to school starting. Harrison and Emma are definitely ready to be back among friends and peers, and to be busy. They've begrudged the pages of summer bridging schoolwork I've had them do each weekday morning, but they'll be glad when they're sharp and ready to roll. Harrison has been taking piano lessons this summer and is doing well (grumbling all the way, but nonetheless progessing).

Christian will also return to his 2-day a week preschool. He is only there from 9AM - noon, but we can opt to leave him until 2:30 for a small extra fee. They have a great little curriculum, but when I ask Christian what the best part of his preschool days were, he inevitably says, "playing outside". Honest!

I am looking forward to returning to my gym. It is easier to be regular without all the kids to keep happy, and the ladies in my daycare love Sabrina. I am going to try to train to complete a Thanksgiving Day 5K/10K here in Fort Worth. http://www.fwtrot.org/

Our babysitter is slowly growing out of babysitting - she's hit the magical age of 16, and her life is getting full of many great activities. Our kids adore her - she's been sitting for us for 3 years! We've been through this transition before with another beloved sitter, so we know we need to scan our options for a new babysitter to "cultivate", who will hopefully be around for a few years. Now that we have 4 kids, it is a challenging assignment (we probably need to pay more, too!). We try to leave on dates either during Sabrina's nap, or after her bedtime at night, so that the babysitter really only has 3 for most of her time. By next year, when Sabrina is nearly 2, she will be much less "needy".

That's it. Nothing momentous. But that's sometimes a very good sign.