We almost didn't go to the potluck last night.  Mari and Bri were helping Ben catch fish for a delivery, Kirby was in town helping Gramma Betty with a computer problem, Myra, Kendric and Logan were playing in the garden / sandbox...  It was Mari who remembered the potluck.  She used Ben's cell phone to call from the pond, "Should we come home pretty soon to get cleaned up?  How long 'til we need to leave?"  Kirby got home, we hurriedly made sure every child was dressed with socks and shoes, ate on the way, and made it to the church building just as everyone else was clearing their plates.

The parents were having their regularly scheduled conversations (re: home / time organization and Grown Children).  I had stepped out of the room (again!) to deal with Wilson (who was tired and just wanted to be in his own bed), so I'm not exactly clear on the details.  I heard a child crying.  "Hmm," thought I, "That sounds like Kendric."  Sure enough, Faith walked into the nursery to tell me that Kendric was hurt.  I put Wilson in the crib (he was almost asleep!) and found Kendric lying on his daddy's lap.  Apparently there had been a kafuffle among some boys about who sits where, and Kendric's head was whacked against the corner of a pew.  ...  Lots of people helping to get cloths, ice, bandages, offering assistance, etc.  ...  Held it together with a Band-Aid (and some extra tape 'cause Kendric thought it would help), and fixed it up for real when we got home:

Kendric had fallen asleep in the car; we were hoping he'd stay asleep, since he wouldn't be numb anymore.  I held Kendric in my lap while Kirby cut the hair to get the Band-Aid off, then shaved the area to make a place for the butterfly bandage:

He did wake up, and got a bit ... nervous / fussy when Kirby got the razor...  I let him sleep on the couch so I could check on him in the night...  As of this morning, he says it doesn't hurt anymore.

(Not pictured: the actual wound.  It's not a pleasant sight.  Approx 1. inch wide, rather deep.)

Wilson likes to dance.

*scream*  I need to do something different with my hair.  Begging for suggestions.

Mari discovered the first dogtooth violets (glacier lilies) of the year:

Kirby called before he left work.  "It's such a nice day, let's grill hot dogs outside for dinner."

Waiting for the fire pit to calm down to embers, the kids played baseball-ish:

It's not even summer, and I'm already tired of hot dogs.

The girls got the horses, halters, blankets out all by themselves:


Bri used the trampoline for a boost.  Fir doesn't mind at all that Kendric is hootin' and hollerin' all over the place:

(See what I mean, Katrina?  Docile horses.)

yesterday: I had to make a hurried trip (about an hour) to pick up Autumn . I put Bri and Autumn to work cutting bread with star-shaped cookie cutters . Wilson and Logan went down for naps without too much fuss . Mari picked daffodils for the tables . Connie brought extra tea cups (due to a recent mishap with some of our tea service - an unfortunate accident, so the party involved should not feel bad, not ever, okay?) . Somehow we managed to have everything mostly ready in time for our guests.

Danielle wondered if I was going to give lessons in Tea Etiquette.  Eh, I've thought about it in years past, sending with the invitations a list of behaviors to practice, but this isn't High Tea.  Naw, I told her, I've stressed out over tea parties before.  Good manners are always in order, but we're not going to push it with tense spines and stiff necks.

. Find the Thing . . tea . . ham and cucumber sandwiches . . apricot and white chocolate scones with Devonshire cream (a shortcut recipe) . . Russian tea cakes . . lemon squares . . forgot to take pictures . . Recollection . . a drawing version of Telephone . . Monkey See, Monkey Do . . forehead labels .

The drawing game seemed like such a good idea.  In practice, though, it was ... not.  Faith, in the back of the line, drew a picture on Anjeli's back.  Anjeli drew what she felt on Katrina's back, and so on, the idea being that Jemimah would end up with some crazy version of it at the front of the line:

Ideas for improvement:  fewer people in a line.  Might have been better to have two lines of five each, and "see whose end result most resembles the first drawing."

My girls agreed that their favorite game of the day was Monkey See, Monkey Do.  Hard to do with such a variety of ages, since the little girls basically stared straight at the lead monkey.  Also, the little girls' actions were much more, uh, active than the older girls'.  For example, one of the older girls started with leg slapping:

Compare, then, to small girls leading the group, when it's all whirls and twirls and jumping up and down:

Anyhoo...  It's probably more fun for me to plan and prepare than for the girls to attend.  It would have been nice to sit down and visit with Connie and Danielle...  Maybe the next time I do a tea party, it'll be for moms.

yesterday: Easter dinner at Gramma Betty's.  Prime rib.  Yummy.  Smashed potatoes, sauteed green beans with sesame, sourdough bread, Mom's super duper strawberry freezer jam.  We didn't really need the cream puffs after a spread like that, but we ate 'em anyway, 'cause it's a religious dessert. *hee hee*

Cory and Rikke brought candy for the kids:

Hay:

Mari and Bri went with Grandpa Rick and Grandpa Nancy for a fish delivery...

Impressed now more than ever by Josiah's bird photos.  Those things don't hold still for long, nor do they like to stand in clear view / good lighting:

Chick Days at Cenex:

Wilson graduated to a front-facing carseat today:

Trumpeter swans at the scenic turnout:

Logan's come a long way since last year:

Hot dogs for lunch:

Tucking Logan in for his nap, I heard Kirby yell, "Kendric, come in here NOW!"  As I was on my way out to see what was going on, Myra skipped in, "Mom!  There's a bear outside!"  (Myra had discovered the bear as she was riding her bike over by the trampoline.  She had looked up, and there he was on the other side of the fence.)

The bear was still there when I got outside.  Seemed to ignore us.  The phrase "Problem Bear" popped into my mind, but Kirby (or Mom) suggested, "Maybe he just woke up.  Maybe he's still groggy."  Kirby and Kendric finally hollered and waved and tried to chase him away.  After a few begrudging steps, he climbed up a tree:

He eventually shuffled along to the north.  We hope he kept going, but the kids aren't allowed to wander beyond the house for a while...

The IR photographer kindly gave Dad a CD with all the photos of Kendric.  Ha, he's eating candy in every one.  First Dad gave him a chocolate coin:

Then Representative Branae offered him a Peeps (...and you know how the marshmallows kind of stick together?  Kendric ended up with two, gave one to Logan...):

The picture that ended up in the paper -- after Kendric spotted the gigantic camera:

all photos by George Lane of the Helena Independent Record