Our Family: Week of 6/30-7/6

On Monday we worked around the house and I went on a major grocery trip.

By myself.

Mike took a short afternoon nap, but didn't sleep all afternoon.

That evening, when it got a little cooler, we had Family Home Evening.

People!

We have struggled to have Family Home Evening for 2 years.  Sunday - Thursday were out with Mike having to sleep, Scouts, and mutual; Friday and Saturday Mike usually works late.  We have tried a lot of things (including me just doing it by myself), but it never really worked.

So having Family Home Evening was pretty epic.

We had a lesson, went to Luv-It Frozen Custard (which we had never heard of before, but has been around forever apparently... we shared the Western sundae and it was as amazing as everyone says), and then went to the park together.

And as I watched Mike run around with Adam and Josh, push Grace on the swing, and the kids laugh and soak it in, I was so thankful that he got fired from that stinkin' hotel job.

(On Saturday, our camera mysteriously disappeared... so no photos).

***

On Tuesday, Mike went back to work, I got Adam and his friends to swim practice, and my sweet friend brought them all home.

I got Sam down for a nap, and snuck in a shower.

While I was in the shower, my stinkin' naughty kids broke the rules, and opened the front door.

Which, turned out okay, because Nate and Jess stopped by for a visit on their way to Idaho!

We loved hanging out with them for a little while.

Grace had been pretty upset about them moving, so I was so thankful she got to see her best buddy again.

***

On Wednesday Mike was supposed to get off work at 4:30.  At 6:30 I assumed he had to work late and went straight to Young Men's.

I got a text from a friend, asking me if we had seen our van.

I sent the kids out front, assuming someone had vandalized the van that our friend had given us.

Instead, they all saw Mike down the street.  With a smashed-up van.  And an ambulance.

They all started screaming and crying that Dad was hurt.

I sent them in the house and walked down.

Mike was walking around, just fine, but the entire front of our van was gone.

Some guy had ran a stop sign.  Mike had slowed down for the previous car who had ran the stop sign in front of him, but didn't see this guy.  I am so thankful he was going slow, because if he had been going any faster, the jeep would have hit him going crazy fast on the driver's side.

We took these after we found our camera.  The jeep that hit Mike, hit him, then crashed into this wall on this house, sending the brick flying all over that van (which had just been bought 3 days prior by the family living here) and bending the stop sign in half.  The man had a television in the back of his jeep, that flew out and hit the other car in the man's driveway.  This guy was going fast.

We are so blessed.

But out of a car.

Not the best of weeks for our family.

***

I had offered a reward of a box of Pop-Its to the person who found our camera.

Josh won!

Our sweet Relief Society president, Sister MacKay, dropped off the fixings for root beer floats, to help cheer these guys up.

Which it totally did.

We had our sweet neighbors came by and try to diagnose our dead van out front.  The same friends brought Mike to/from work.

We had so many people offer rides and help.

We are so blessed.

***

On Friday, we celebrated Independence Day!

We made homemade ice cream (our tradition), the kids + Mike walked down to buy some fireworks, and we got all decked out in out patriotic shirts.

Our friends had invited us over for a BBQ.  They graciously picked us up, and we had a wonderful time eating, talking, lighting fireworks, and enjoying some rain.

Grace had a very loose tooth.

Which she lost (and swallowed) while eating a piece of watermelon that evening.

Swallowed tooth aside, we had a wonderful evening.

***

On Saturday Adam had his very first swim meet, which my friend graciously drove us all to.

We have the best friends.

Seriously.

It was crazy hot and humid, and Sam had the worst time trying to nap, while we hung out in the sun for 4 hours.  Josh snapped this darling picture of us, which pretty much sums up how Sam and I both felt.

But, Adam had a blast.

He came in dead-last in all 4 races he was in... but is getting so much better and is determined to get better for the next meet.

Mike came home that afternoon to all of us sleeping.

That sun wore us out!

***

On Sunday we had a wonderful day at church.

Followed by Mike taking a short nap.

Having dinner as a family.

And playing games.

It was a horribly hard week.

But, that night, eating dinner as a family, laughing, and talking while we played, I looked around, and I have never felt more blessed.