It was bound to happen...

I knew that it was inevitable that I would have to deal with a gum-in-the-hair fiasco before I could truly be called a mother. Well, my day arrived last week with a bang.

This is the "I just got a lecture about falling asleep with gum in my mouth" expression.

She has no idea what's coming...

For all of you who will have to deal with this at some point...Peanut Butter really does work.

Yeah! Just relieved we didn't have to cut it off!

Cut my hair...

Yep, I did it. It was only a matter of time...

I tried to get Tal to take a picture and this is what I ended up with so I had to do it myself...

Not the best pic - but you get the idea :)

First (sniff) Day (sniff) of (sniff) School (sniff)

No - it really wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I am not a public crier and so surrounded by the hundreds of other moms in various stages of panic/celebration I was able to keep it together. A few highlights from Tal's first day.

As we got to the front doors Tal turns to me and says, "Mom, maybe I should walk by myself now." Um, I don't think so. Hello? I have earned some privleges as a mother and one of them is to walk my kids in for the first day of school thank-you-very-much.

After school as I was yet again trying to keep it together when I asked Tal how it went, "Great Mom! Just really really Great!" Okay. I guess that clears it up. No, I was not missed. No, my little baby did not spend the day wondering what his clever, witty, fun mom was up to. He just had a "really, really Great" time!

Naomi also started school. She gets to go to pre-school three mornings a week and she LOVES it. It's the great thing about having a big brother who makes everything look so exciting!

Practicing his "cool kid" stance

Getting ready for the send-off

Can you tell that Naomi wasn't quite ready to let him go?

In his class - ready to go. Wondering what his lunatic mother is doing.

Ready to go!

Calvin was definitely sad to say goodbye.

I'm such a baby - I was tearing up over this one too!

Island Park and Yellowstone

We had the best vacation this summer! We were able to spend a week in Island Park with our families. We stayed in a cabin right on the lake and spent the first few days with Andy's family and the last few days with mine. We had so much fun...eating, catching up, catching bats and just relaxing.

After watching a six disc PBS documentary on the National Parks, Andy decided we were going to visit them all. We took a day trip from Island Park and spent some time in Yellowstone with the fam. Check.

Here are a few of the highlights from the trip. (Thanks to all those who took great pictures - it seems like I was always forgetting my camera!)

Around the campfire with Grandpa Great.

Beautiful...

It is honestly a small miracle that we didn't tip over :)

The family that tubes together stays together?

Elisabeth and I at Mesa Falls.

Mesa Falls again

Daddy and Elisabeth chilling in the hamock

Naomi attempting to waterski. She didn't actually get up but no one ever needs to know that :)

Cousins - Naomi and Abby they had so much fun!

Elisabeth and Aunt Sadie - don't they both have great smiles??

Uncle Spence giving Elisabeth her first ice cream - she'll love him forever :)

Ice Cream at the Old Faithful Lodge

Naomi helping Calvin cover his mouth while he coughed...love it.

Old Faithful

Old Faithful

Such fun.

We made a detour and drove by the house I grew up in. I hadn't been there in over 15 years!

Bad Day.

Yesterday was a bad day. Okay, maybe not the worst day ever but bad enough that by 5:00 I was ready to take a shower and crawl in bed. It was just one of the those days...you know the kind when things like this happen:

• 3 of the 4 kids were sick. Not stay in bed sick...more like scream-at-mom-until-she-wants-to-cut-her-eardrums-out sick.
• My house smelled like poop and I couldn't find the source...not a good thing with 4 small kids and a puppy.
• My car smelled like poop - I knew the source (mildew from a killer rain storm) but it didn't help.
• I had to pay a bill at Wal-Mart (need I say more)
• While attempting to pay said bill I realized that I didn't have my credit card and I had no way to pay...I had to get Andy's credit card and wait in line AGAIN.
• Had to wait behind the world's slowest man at the redbox when I was just trying to return a movie!
• While unloading my groceries from Wal-Mart a guy backed up and hit my cart...luckily I had already taken the kids out.
• While fuming about the idiot who hit my cart - I cut my finger on the cart
• My doctors office calls to "give me bad news" (never start a phone call this way) about some blood work they had taken...they lost it and I have to go have it drawn again. Did I mention they had to stick me three times in both arms? And I have to be fasting?
• I go thru the ATM just as the bank experiences a powersurge and the ATM machine eats my debit card...did you know that can happen?

Anyway, I feel a little better after putting in down in bullet point...

Really?

I was just asking Tal about kindergarten. He was telling me about how some of the girls talk when they aren't supposed to...

Mom: So does your teacher yell at them?
Tal: No, she doesn't really yell at us because she cares about us.
Mom: Okay, well that's good (sheepishly wondering if he knows that even though I yell I still care)
Tal: Only, she does do mean things...kind of like a mom.

Thanks kid. Nothing like a healthy bit of perspective with your dinner.
Turns out, the "mean things" he was referring to were time-outs - so I guess I am a mean mom :)

Out little Ansel...

The great thing about Tal turning into Ansel Adams is that he catches the beauty of everyday moments that I sometimes miss...