The Way We're Wired

Last night, we feasted.

And so did the mosquitoes. On the limbs of my children. A memo was sent to inform the local swarm. It read:

A mother has neglected to shield her offspring with a solid dose of bug spray. ATTACK!

Alerted to their unprotected flesh, they shamelessly helped themselves. Eliza is paying the price of my mistake today. Poor thing. I feel terrible.

"Mommy, I've got an itchy right here!" Scratching in vain, she points to the swollen bite on her ankle. Praying for the "placebo effect" to take root, I apply another layer of Hydro-cortisone cream to her 'angry' (as a Southerner would say) looking welt.

Despite the battle wounds incurred from the weekend festivities, I can confidently say the 4th of July Andrew and I shared this weekend was easily the best we've experienced to date. Before I hurt feelings (Hi Mom), allow me to continue with this year's recap.

With the patriotic sentiment still stirring in my heart, I'd like to begin by saying two things:

1. God Bless America

(and secondly)

2. God Bless the Blaser Family

Every holiday, you can count on me to redundantly explain: (*cue violins)

"Holiday's are difficult when you're 1900 miles away from family. Blah, blah, Sob, Sob, Sob (sniff, sniff, sniff)"

The remedy: Awesome friends.

With that being said, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the Blaser family for taking us on as their charity project this past year. This last week Michelle brought over a mouth-watering casserole, homemade zucchini bread, hauled my kids and me to the zoo and invited us out for a an outing at the lake. A casserole! Can you believe it? Nobody even died. I didn't have to give birth either! She's just awesome like that.

Friday morning we took the ten minute drive out to the lake with a boat. The boat was designed to house fishermen; small fishermen, that enjoy cruising at leisurely pace. After establishing a "rescue plan" and securing life jackets, I felt better about our snug situation. The adults humored me as I assigned each adult to a specific child to save in the event of our boat cap sizing. I was further comforted when I experienced first hand what our boat's max speed (or lack there of) was. The ride was delightful.
We enjoyed a spot of fishing before we returned to our original quest for a beach. Acknowledging that the lake was pretty well dotted with homes, we knew the odds were slim. Knowing two of the residents personally, we (meaning Andrew) mustered the courage to knock on one of their doors. Having recently participated in a service project with the Scouts on their property, he felt it was alright to ask if we could spell our children for a bit (ward members).

"They're restless." he explained. "Would it be alright if they stretched their legs and played in your sand for twenty minutes or so?" Their generous reply,

"Stay for ten hours if you'd like!" They were thrilled to have people enjoying their property. Andrew and Jimmy returned the favor by repositioning one of their docks. Feeling better about their service, we had a most relaxing visit. We took their kayaks out for a spin, devoured melted chocolate chip cookies, celebrated Eliza's willingness to go pee in the lake (a huge milestone - something I'm still reluctant to do) and waded in the sun-warmed lake water.Other than Andrew's glasses falling off his face while he was swimming with Henry, the day passed by without a hitch. His glasses were recovered and we made our way back to the marina. The kids had a race to see who could fall asleep the quickest. Colby won! Henry was a close second. That afternoon, we took our kids to the movie theatre for the first time. Eliza was transfixed, elated and totally into the movie. Henry, who was a little bit intimidated by the whole process, sat still for the majority of the film. Dinner at Costco (Andrew's choice!) followed and then we hurried home for bed.

The morning of the fourth we woke early; too early if you ask me. We made plans to attend our ward's annual holiday breakfast. I informed Eliza that we were there to celebrate America's birthday. Eliza is always up for a birthday party!
Tearfully, we recited the Pledge of Allegiance, sang hymns honoring our country and then raced to our spot in line (my children were proclaiming stravation) for breakfast. Bubbles, games of Duck, Duck, Goose and bad mitton followed.

That evening, our friends the Fletchers were kind enough to have us over for a BBQ and fireworks. Eliza was thrilled with their playground and trampoline. Being completely outnumbered, the little boys were quite chiverlous in their attempts to keep her happy and safe while jumping on the tramp. It warmed my heart.
The men folk were unable to contain their enthusiasm. When asked why they were so excited, Andrew simply explained, "We're just wired that way."

That phrase has been adopted into our ever day conversation. It's an "excuse" we both fall back on. I'm a worrier by nature (ie: our boating excursion). Andrew likes to blow things up. We're just wired that way.

We obliged their request to move the party to the front yard while we waited an hour for the sun to set. It was as if they shared a need to be near their explosives. Andrew was giddy. The fireworks we acquired are illegal in Utah. Seeing as how they are totally legal here, the showing we had was quite spectacular. And loud. The demonstration was enjoyed by all. Well, almost.

Eliza, frightened by the noise, made herself comfortable under a pile of blankets.She'd catch a glimpse occasionally as she re-situated the blankets. Accidentally, her enthusiasm would escape into a wide smile. And then, as I'd pretend not to notice, she'd hurry back into her fortress to wait out the next round of "BOOMS!"

Until next year, God Bless America & God Bless our Troops!