today...

Chase and Jace at the pond with their popcicles! :)

Daija is a pro on her bike now! :)

Kyla and Chase hanging out by the water with the ducks.

Today has been eventful and so I need to remember it. This morning we walked/biked down to the duck pond. It's quite the walk...at least one mile one way... Every Monday we do something fun with Mom's in our neighborhood/ward/friends and this Monday was a bike ride to the duck pond. It's down hill the whole way there. It was hot even at 10am and when we were almost there and Chase was struggling I had a bad feeling about the uphill return home...(foreshadowing...) When we got to the pond there's a trail all the way around it for running/bikes. Daija was a champ on that bike of hers and went around and around. It's probably a mile around as well. She went at least twice. Girl got her exercise in today for sure! We had popcicles which were really nice and cold. Then the dreaded ride home. I walked pushing Collin in the stroller. Chase rode his too small for him red tricycle. Kyla on her training wheels and Daija on her bike without training wheels. We did ok. I kept telling the girls to ride ahead and wait for us in the next shady spot and I kept telling Chase to catch up to the girls and we could rest in the next shady spot. At one point someone's sprinklers were on and Chase and I walked right through them to cool off. yay spinklers! They helped give Chase a boost. I have the blessing of GREAT friends. 2 blocks from home my friend Ashley, who had been with us at the pond pulled up in her little white truck and loaded all of us and our bikes into her truck and took us the rest of the way! LOL It was sooo hot! We had no water. (My bad!) So I cannot express how grateful I was to not have to keep encouraging the kids to keep going. Blessing #1 of the day. It was evident how tired and hot we were cause when we got home we all drank a big glass of water and Kyla had a melt down over something really stupid.

After we cooled off a minute I tried to get everyone in the van to go school clothes shopping with Grandma Barrett. Went to start the car....nothing. After 3 tries I got it to start, pulled the van out into the driveway and out of fear of going all the way to the mall and getting stranded turned it off to see if it would start again. Nope! It just sat there mocking me silently every time I tried to turn it on. No attempt to even turn over. It was bizarre. No noise at all. I was freaking out. Called Chad - let him know. Called my neighbor to see if he could come help me cause he knows about cars. He came over and tested the battery. 75% Plenty of power to start. No starting. AHHHH! I stood back looking into the drivers seat and noticed a little key thing at the base of the steering column. Apparently I have an anti-theft system. How am I supposed to know if the key gets turned it means the car won't start??? So all that stress and bothering of neighbors simply because a stupid, tiny key was turned the wrong way! I turned it back to where it should have been and it started right up! I totally count this blessing cause we don't have money to fix that stupid van. :) YAY Blessing #2.

So we did get to go shopping, just a little later than we thought. Grandma Barrett spoiled the girls - getting them ready for school. I don't have to get them anything else besides jeans for Daija and shoes for both of them. They got several shirts, pants, and dresses. We are so extremely grateful!!! Big Blessing #3!

Lately I've been feeling bad for myself and a little selfish about not "getting to do what I want to do". So it's really important to remember all the blessings we have every day. I love my family. I love my husband. I love my friends and my ward/neighborhood I live in. I am so richly blessed it is rediculous.