7 Quick Takes Friday

1.

Lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my!

Okay, just a bear. This is what its claw did to the lid of our trash can the other night. The trash can - the large 30 gallon trash can - was crumpled.

2.

We went blueberry picking last Sunday when my mom and niece were here visiting. My memories of blueberry picking all involve Alabama summers with smoldering heat and oppressive humidity. I have to say blueberry picking in Pennsylvania when the temperature is around 73 is so much more pleasant.

Don't you love how her eyes match the blueberry?

3.

On the other hand . . . today, August 7, 2009. Current temp: 57 degrees.



Mornings are a tad nippy.

4.

The kids went to a Star Wars themed birthday party for one of their cousins last weekend. They were trained by Obi Wan and then had a chance to battle Darth Vader to become a Jedi knight.

Most of the kids swung their pool noodle light sabers around a bit, basically swatting at Darth Vader until he fell. Joshua, on the other hand, made an aggressive attack, and when Darth Vader finally fell, what did my six year-old do?

Pretended to slice off Vader's head with his light saber. Yikes.

5.

We loved having Gaga and Lesey here last week. On the way home from the dentist yesterday, Lauren said she couldn't wait to show Lesey the flower balloon she got at the dentist office. I reminded her that Lesey had gone back to Georgia. Lauren said, "No, she didn't. I saw her on the third floor." She wouldn't believe me that it had been a few days before. (She was a little confused from the sedative.)

We miss you, Lesey.

6.

The boys wanted to get out their soccer jerseys and have a backyard soccer game last week. They nicely let their sister and cousin borrow their "away" jerseys and helped Lauren get shin guards on her tiny legs. The preparation for this soccer game took at least an hour, maybe more.

The game? Ten minutes - tops - before it devolved into arguing over the fairness of the teams, the need for water breaks, whose turn it was and all manner of unsportsmanlike conduct.

7.

There won't be any Quick Takes next Friday as I am going - alone, as in without children - to visit my girlfriends in D.C. for my birthday. I'm not sure what I'm looking forward to most: spending time with my closest friends or driving 5 hours without listening to a single Veggie Tales song.