My last couple of days ... let me show you them ...

Friday was the kids' last day of swim lessons (at least, for this session).

They had a great time. Thursday was the testing day ... and Friday was the FUN day.
They got to put on life jackets and ride in a canoe (which their teacher jostled around enough to turn the shallow end into a wave pool).

Then they got to play on the small slide. And, lastly, they got to ride the rope swing into the pool.

I have taken pictures of them in class. I didn't use the flash, since I was a bit away from them ... and mostly to not draw attention away from their teacher(s) (During the two week course, they had THREE different teachers! Crazy!).

The didn't pass Preschool-1 level class. Neither did their classmate, an ADORABLE three year-old, who was taking this class for the second time this summer.

But they've made progress.

After Michael got home (and we had made SOME inroads into cleaning the house -- since the missionaries were coming over for dinner) ... and we had dealt with the LATEST influx of ants invading the kitchen ... we loaded up and took the kids to the OTHER community pool. The one that's only open during the summer and has the play-area and a water channel (with current to swim with/against). And the kids had fun. Bruise did want to ride down the HUGE water slide. We told him that, until he can swim on his own, which he CAN'T, we couldn't. Since, it's true, you have to be able to not drown at the bottom of the slide.

After they finally pass Preschool-1, I really want to take the kids to Splash in Springfield. That's where my school always took us for a swimming trip. And it's a great place. ... In fact, I went there as an adult aid for my mom for a field trip for one of her last years teaching. When I knew that I was pregnant and hadn't told anyone except Michael (Once we knew it was twins, we started telling everyone. Moms first, then it was fair game).

Okay ... so we were at the pool for about an hour. Then we got dressed and headed straight to Home Depot to buy our arsenal against the ants. And I also was able to get a gallon of Simply Green (lemon-scented, since it's the BEST) concentrate. And some of the Liquid Plumber preventative treatment for the sinks. ^_^ Then to Safeway to get ice cream and root beer.

Then we came home and went into power-cleaning mode. Spray for ants (AGAIN), clean counters, do dishes, sweep, move all the laundry to be folded into the bedroom, pick up the living room and dining room, vacuum, sweep again, ... order pizza ... Michael went to pick up the pizza ... he came back home ... we cooked the pizzas. The missionaries came over JUST as the pizzas were coming out of the oven.

And it went well.

The kids got a bath and we put them to bed. They had complained that the bath was cold.

Later that night, when I was getting my neti pot ready, I couldn't get the water from the sink hot. Michael and I looked at the breaker for the water heater. It had turned off. We got it turned on again ... so we had a LITTLE hot water this morning.

We had to get out early for the Family Fun Run/Walk at the church this morning.
Bishop's goal was to have us run (or walk, emphasis mine) a marathon.

As a group effort.

Since not a whole lot of families had shown up, that rounded off to around 2 miles each. Obviously, some people are faster than others. By the time that we, as a family, had done five laps (0.3 mi each --- Bruise did sit out one lap ... which was fine, since he RAN 3 laps in a row at first. Little powerhouse! He made me run that third lap with him. I wasn't able to run the whole time. I'm not in great shape at present), the 11 of us there had tallied up 29.4 miles altogether.

Michael, Bucket, and I had done 1.5 miles each.
Bruise did 1.2 miles ... and recall that he RAN the first .9 of those.

On the lap that Bruise had me run with him, he was all, "Run Mom! Come on!" And when I loped up to him, he told me, "See, Mom? I KNEW you cood WUN!!!"
(Isn't he darling? Yeah, I have a good son. ^_^)

Also, shortly after that encouragement, as he was waiting for me to catch up to him again, he picked me a Queen Anne's lace and told me, "Wook, Mom! I picked you a fwower! I'm so good to you!"

It's true.

The kids had fun playing the games at the ward carnival. There was a system of earning tickets that could be redeemed for prizes. Bruise was pretty sad at the end, after he realized that he WANTED to earn a kite ... and ALL the BOY kites had been earned already. (He did NOT want an Ariel or a Barbie kite. He was hoping to get a Spiderman or a Bumblebee kite. Too bad.) So he ended crying off part of the Batman mask that had been painted on his face.

Bucket rocked a pink nose and whiskers as a kitty-cat ... and she was thinking of trying to earn a kite, too ... but we really needed to get back home and work on the water heater. Michael took it apart and found that the newer heating element in it (as opposed to the probably 20-year-old one) that we had replaced last year --- drumroll, please -- was burned. Enough so that the element had a HOLE in it. WHAT????

So we loaded up the kids in the van, put the cat in her carrier in the shop, threw the bug bombs under the house, and headed to Home Depot (AGAIN) to pick up a new element. We did opt to buy two, since they each have a lifetime guarantee ... and replace them both .
(PHEW!!!! I finally spelled guarantee correctly! I can be taught!!!! :P)

Michael and Bruise replaced those elements as Bucket and I read magazines and catalogs in the van. Then we went to Costco and ate samples and bought kitty litter, milk, yogurt, and the prequel trilogy of Star Wars (episodes 1-3, if you have no idea what I'm talking about. You know, the ones with Ewan McGregor and Samuel L. Jackson ... those ones) on DVD. ... Which the kids watched ("Revenge of the Sith") as soon as we got home.

Best quote from the children as they watched it?

SCENE: (as Anakin has turned into Darth Vader and has been delivered VERY. BAD. NEWS. [If you haven't seen it, I'm trying not to spoil it. Though, really. It's been out for how many years? I'm sure you know the news. Whatever.)

Darth Vader: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! 

Bucket: *pleased* This is a GOOD movie.

Well, I took a bath ... the hot water was HOT ... but didn't last very long. I'll get Michael's verdict of the water heater fix when he's done with his shower.

Oh! How could I forget to mention this fact: I got new shoes!

Mom and I had ordered some from Crocs.com ... some good sales. And they arrived Friday. They were waiting on our doorstep as we got home from swim lessons (which made finding the newest invasion of ants a bit better). I have three pairs of sandals. One is brown leather on cork wedges. One is a pair of silver dressy flat thongs/flip-flops. The last is a VERY COMFY pair of brown flip-flops. If you really need to see them, here's a link: Facebook Album

... I THINK that covers everything ... I'm so zonked at this point that I really don't recall if I've forgotten anything. ... My lungs are pretty clear. I'm not coughing so much. The neti pot is doing wonder for my sinuses. I'm taking my allergy pill every day ...

I have had some CRAZY dreams. The latest of which ... I only remember little bits of them.

• In one, we were traveling someplace. Like as secret agents or something (I think I was watching too much Chuck, huh?) and I had my (mom's old) sewing machine. And I did NOT want to forget it. I had set it down. (Srsly, it's HEAVY) And I was WORRIED about it.
• In another, I think Friday morning, I woke up enough (in REAL LIFE) to ask Michael before he left for work if the garbage disposal was okay ... like if the fuse breaker wasn't flipped or burnt out or anything. Yeah, my dreams are NUTS.
• The one that TAKES THE CAKE is where I was in some kind of time-travel romance ... I found myself in ... I think Victorian England. And, as a (in my dream I was single and younger) lady on my own with NO way to make it in the world. At least not in any modest or proper vocation, if you know what I mean. And I think you do. We're talking about a FATE WORSE THAN DEATH for my sensibilities! ... The only hope I had was for the bachelor of the house to fall for me and take care of me (as in marriage). And it was Daniel Radcliffe.
  I don't like him all that much in that way. I think he's a fine actor and I love the Harry Potter films ... but I always think of him as being so young ... Michael had to break it to me that I'm nowhere near old enough to be his mother (so I shouldn't feel like a pervy creeper that he was playing opposite lead in the dream), but rather he could be my brother.
  Still ... it was a weird dream.
  
  But I had a great wardrobe in it!
  Yes, I AM that shallow.

Okay, I think that THAT's everything pertinent for the time being. 

I hope.