Milkshake...yum

A few weeks ago the kids and I were in the Library(one of our favorite places) and I got the most hypoglycemic I have been in a very long time. Everyone checked their bags for a snack and found nothing. We had to leave and go look for something for me to eat...right away. It was scary. Anyway, I drove through Wendy's and ordered 3 milkshakes. I think the kids were liking the fact that Mom was extremely shaky and about to pass out. Yay, milkshakes! They didn't even care that they had to share. Anyway, long story short....yesterday we dropped off books at the library after an hour of violin lessons. As we are driving away, Victoria said in a very distressed little voice that " I feel really, really sick." "Mom, I feel really sick...you know the kind of sick you felt when you got a milkshake?"

Victoria makes me laugh. I love it. We didn't get milkshakes though. Maybe another time.

Nothing too Big for Kirk!

Since Kirk lost his job in July, he has taken on his new quest in life full time. He has been out at Desert View Bible Church painting a mural in a 100 foot hallway in their Children's Sunday School area. Anytime someone hires him to do such a job they get far more than they ever imagined! He pays such special attention to details. He has encountered adults as well as children who are not familiar with some of the Bible characters. His paintings are truely a ministry in itself. So take a look at his website even though it is under construction. It has pictures in various stages of development. It is really awesome. Go to http://www.liquidairstudios.com/ to check it out. By the way, that is Noah water skiing on alligators behind the ark.

Camping on the Rim

We went camping this past weekend on the Mogollon Rim where it is much cooler! A fine way to beat the heat. In fact, the weather report showed rain all weekend. We were prepared but only had rain the first hour we were there. Of course when we were trying to crank up the tent trailer. After that we had beautiful weather.

Here Henry is refusing to move out of the drivers seat. Every time Kirk got out Henry moved into his seat and then refused to move. I think Kirk is trying to reason with him without progress. Kaleb was determined to catch a fish this weekend trolling in the canoe and only caught a crawdad. Darn. Doin' a crawdad dance! Daphne and I had this great little spot where we hung out and read books while the boys and Victoria went out in the canoe fishing for a few hours. This was a nice flat rock that we managed to commandeer twice. It was so pleasant nestled in the bushes overlooking the Woods Canyon Lake. Where there is water and mud/sand...you will find Victoria. There were some little kids who came up to the waters edge and wanted to play in the mud. Their mother quickly said no playing in the water...you'll get dirty.... Victoria came up to me later and questioned why that mother wouldn't let her "kid have any fun". If only Victoria knew me about 15 years ago. I may have not let her play in the water either. I guess that's the proof that I have let go of some things as she walks up to me with mud streaked across her forehead and all over her arms and legs. We made a special trip to the showers that night. Kirk is the greatest Dad. He just lets the kids do whatever they think they can do. Victoria was insistent on steering the canoe. So Kirk got in the front and let her go wherever she wanted to go. Notice the back of the canoe is up in the air. A little problem with weight distribution. The current did most of the maneuvering but she had a great time and felt like she was really doing it. We hiked near Willow Springs Lake and found all of these little baby horny toads. They were the cutest things. Some were reddish and others were grey. They looked like little frogs running. Jared looked very inquisitive when he saw this water canon at the dam. You could just see the gears working in his head as he scoped out where the water jet would land when it hit. We hiked the trail around Woods canyon Lake. One map said 5 miles and another said 3.5 miles. So it was somewhere in between. There was fern all over on the East side of the lake. It was beautiful. If there is anything that Jared is really good at is the canoe. He has become certified in boyscouts in canoeing and kayaking. He just really likes getting out there exploring and never tires of it. Daphne and I decided that we think we need to acquire another one so we can all go out at the same time. Though it is a perk to get alone time for a few hours with everyone gone...Hmmnm, I may rethink that idea. We have a rule with Victoria...walk for half an hour and get a ride for half an hour. She is so accustomed to riding on shoulders that she actually makes it pretty easy. Daddy and I would trade off to give each other a rest. Here is one of the side branches to the Lake. Kirk and Kaleb took me in here in the canoe. It was neat seeing it from a different perspective...from on land and then in the water. The water was like glass. A couple of times a fish jumped out of the water and scared me half to death. I just wasn't expecting it to. Daphne loves taking pictures of clouds. She likes painting them too. A dreamer at heart.

Sunsplash!

The kids and I made a "bucket list" of things we wanted to do this summer for fun. It wasn't very big. Spending a day at Sunsplash was one of them. We have only gone twice in the past few years. This time the kids wanted to share it with their Dad. We had a blast. We thought we would only stay a few hours with it being hot and all. Well we ended up having a blast and stayed until they closed. I had only been down one waterslide in my life that my cousin Kathy got me to go down in Utah. After Kaleb and I went down the first one together...we were hooked. Even Victoria liked it. Jared talked his Dad and I into going down the Half Pipe. You ride a double inner tube straight down and curve and go straight up the other side. I was feeling a little gutsy and Kaleb said he would do it if I did it with him. The girls said no way. Okay...can't be that bad. Of course Kirk made us go first. He said it was polite to do so. So Kaleb and I drop out of the shoot...now anyone who knows Kaleb is aware of his high pitch scream...Kaleb screamed all the way down and up the other side and down again....It was so funny...the look on his face...I couldn't get up out of this raft I was laughing so hard. Everyone that was standing around waiting was laughing. We went to walk away on the other side of the slide down the walkway and a guy asked him if he was the one screaming the whole way. It was really funny. Later that night I woke myself up in my sleep laughing to myself. I can still see his face.

He is so cute.

Look Who's Ice Skating!

Victoria had a very busy week...She learned to Swim and Ice Skate all in the same week! She thinks it is because she is almost 5! I think she may be right.

Jared loved the thought of wearing his sweatshirt to irritate me. He had to dig way deep in his closet to find his beloved sweatshirt that I would love to burn. He has over worn that thing. In the past I have had to pratically rip it off his back to run it through the wash! Geez. I am glad that taking them to go ice skating with friends gave him an opportunity to bug his mother!

I couldn't keep up with these two. They were having so much fun they were purposely falling. I was doing everything to make sure I didn't fall and these two were sliding on their knees every chance they got. Good thing they don't have very far to go. I kept envisioning something break if I fell so I just made sure I didn't. This is Daphne's proof that she did ice skate. She looked so cute inching around the rink as Victoria and the other kids were passing her up. She is always such a good sport and just keeps plugging along. Kelly or I would give her our arm to help her along and then she would be off on her own again. She only let Jared help her once. Jared has his own style of skating. I could never get a good picture of him. I think he figures the faster he goes the easier it is to stay up. Daphne didn't do too well and fell when he tried to help her. So we decided that before he hurts her he should probably stick to skating solo. Kaleb and his pal Zach. Kaleb refused mentally to wear long pants. When it is 110 degrees outside it is really difficult to wear long pants even if it is 50 degrees inside. He just couldn't do it.

Kaleb being Creative

Kaleb has always been fascinated by the sewing machine. From the time he was a little guy he loved to sit in my lap and watch me sew. It always made it difficult to maneuver what I was trying to sew but he got such enjoyment out of it I would let him. He has sewn bean bags in the past. Here he is sewing flannel towels for us to put under the dishes on the counter. (we have alot of dishes...and needed more space.) He did an awesome job. He sewed this little alien all by himself. He got the pattern out of a library book and scrounged around my fabric stash. He is a true Headley. He could have chosen easier fabric to sew. He chose all difficult fabrics and did very well. I am always impressed with his ability.

Friends!

Victoria and Hannah always have a great time together. They may be two years apart but are very similar and play non-stop when they are together. They are always planning out their next play date. I hope they will always be friends.