Things of interest this week

Spencer gave a talk in primary today. I may have teared up listening to my eldest read his whole talk with naught but three or four words he needed his dad's help to read. Learning to read has been one of my favorite milestones to day in my kids' lives.

It took me 34 years but I finally got stung by a bee, probably a wasp, yesterday while mowing the lawn. I didn't realize what it was until today. I thought I had gotten hit by a piece of wood kicked out by the mower, but it felt like a needle hit my ankle. There was no stinger so it didn't occur to me until this morning when it was all red and puffy and obviously a small allergic reaction. Thankfully it turns out I'm not deathly allergic to bee stings. Check that type of dying off my list. 😁

We took the kids to the lake yesterday afternoon. They loved it, of course. Chloe was delighted to float around in a little baby inner tube. We came home dyed red from the clay soil. Thankfully it washed out because our poor swimsuits were pretty worked over before I washed them. 

Friday I took the kids hiking at one of their favorite train tunnels nearby, and then blew their minds by taking them to a waterfall they didn't know is in the same place. They blew my mind at how capable they were at climbing mountains. Aaron especially. Spencer led out and did a fantastic job leading. Aaron was ultra confident, but smart about it. He's not quite three, so he's still pretty short. Whenever he couldn't reach going down the steep slope to the waterfall he just turned around and slid down holding whatever handy root he found. That's not a skill that always comes natural to kids. I was impressed. We'll be doing more hiking this summer. They loved it. 

Chloe has decided she's a full time walker as of this week. She's adorably slow and looks like a pint-sized frail old lady walking, which is adorable beyond reason, but she walks as often as she can. She'll still crawl if she's not certain of the footing, but she's doing it less every day. 

I just finished making my own face cream. Not oil with just a blend of oils, but genuine lotion with a water and oil blend and a preservative and all sorts of fun powders. I haven't put it on my face yet but the little bit I put on my hand mid process feels amazing. 

Bill and I went on a real live date Friday night! I think that would be a first for 2017. It's been a rough year folks. Our anniversary and my birthday were overshadowed by my kidney stone surgery. But our good friend came over after our kids were in bed and we spent a quality couple or three hours away from home just the two of us. It was heavenly. And we took this picture. Obviously we had a great time. Haha!