Parades, Ceramics, Alarms, Oh My!

I have a better picture but I think this one really captures the experience.

   I'm still here! Just checking in! I feel like my adventures this week were probably the same as most of my friends back home, I thought about skipping the writing about it but I really like having it all written down. This was when I'm old and gray and I boast how I breezed through motherhood gracefully someone will have proof to say "nut uh!" It'll probably be my mom.
    Fourth of July was beautiful in Bayfield. I read in the newspaper that they have a parade through town and thought, we never go to parades, that would be fun!    Yes, well I found out why we never go to parades. I packed waters for Waylon's bottles, sunscreen and all the necessary things a baby would require. All the menfolk in the family, brought themselves (how clever of them.) So we get there and with half an hour to spare, my family spots shade by a dumpster and snags it. Not I! I am here to see the parade, so I sit my toosh on the curb in the hot sun and wait for it to start. Now it has come to my attention that in California there are a lot more rules, for instance I'm pretty sure you have to stay out of the street during parades. We found out when it started (can you hear the whining already  coming from my family, it's hot, my legs hurt, I need water!, where's the bathroom!) that the kids are as close to if not in the middle of the street as the parade goes on. So yeah my perfect spot in the sweltering sun was overcrowded but, I should've seen that one coming. As long as everyone is  having fun. The highlight for me was Ian pointing out his foreman in the beginning of the parade riding the largest mule, I have ever seen. You just don't get to see your coworkers on mules very often in California. I also got a kick out of seeing the owner of the True Value sitting behind us, he was kind enough to offer me his chair. I finally broke down and scouted some food and drinks for the family.When I got back, Wrex was a light yellow color. It was clear he needed some shade and a cool drink. We ate pizza, drank our cold waters and soon everyone was ready to jump on the bounce houses. They had a really nice small town festival afterward, where firetrucks were hosing kids down and people were walking around with giant turkey legs. It seemed everyone knew each other and after a while we felt like we had  enjoyed enough festivities for one day. It was really great though, I don't think I'll go to many more parades now that I know that the menfolk don't really appreciate them, but hey, it was an adventure!
    That weekend Ian had to drive to Salt lake city after work on Friday to go to class. He has class once a month and the drive back to Salt Lake is about seven hours. We were suppose to have thunder storms so I planned on taking the kids to this paint your own ceramic place that I had heard about. My mom use to take us to kids and paint all the time as kids, I think I know now why we were always broke! My kids painted their first creations within 20 minutes. Wrex painted his mug mostly black and Houston painted a rainbow monster (one of his specialties) on a cereal bowl. I was in the process of painting a mug with Waylon's foot print on it when they informed me they were finished. I told them to pick out something small so I could finish....so when I checked out my bill was roughly $24 each. I almost had a heart attack. This little collection of mugs and bowl cost more than my dining set. Awesome. I felt sick to my stomach. We had yet another errand that day, we had to go to walmart. That errand ended with the boys somehow setting off Ian's truck alarm (Ian had my car to get better gas mileage.) The thing was I didn't know you could set off the alarm with out the key less entry. Or how you could stop it. I tried putting the keys in the ignition, the truck started and died immediately. I called Ian, he answered but we didn't have a clear connection....After several minutes of honking and Waylon waking up terrified, the truck stopped. When Ian finally got a hold of me, I didn't feel like talking. I was overwhelmed. We went home, it started to pour I fell asleep to the parent trap, and Wrex and Houston in my bed. At about midnight, Ian came in and jumped on all of us. I would have been scared senseless had I not been in a strees induced coma.  He wasn't suppose to come home till Sunday evening. Class had been canceled Sunday and he sensed I needed an extra hand. He's a good man.
     So you can see why, it took me a few extra days to write this. I had to re coop. I am happy to say that this week I found a day camp that I registered Wrex and Houston for. They are there right now, rollerskating!  I have had the most peaceful week. Waylon is really not so tough, when it's just you and him. It turns out, he really will nap if his brothers aren't here to poke at him. I've even been reading a book, it has been lovely. So I am off to pick up our ceramic creations. I was also waiting to post this so you could see them. They better last until my kids are in college.