Fam-uh-lee Time

Today was a pretty good day and thus, it deserves to be documented. I know I've been the laziest of all lazy mommy bloggers lately so this shall count as my turning over of a new leaf (hopefully...I make no promises). 

We headed down to Provo for the annual Homecoming parade. We went last year too. We wanted to go the year before that but Cousin Andrew decided to get married that day so we had to miss it. The kids were 4 and 3 then so maybe they wouldn't have endured it well anyway. I certainly know that they didn't endure the wedding festivities very well so who knows. 

I took that picture up there just after the parade had finished. I made them get in the middle of the road (which Danny was a little freaked about because he is very big on rules and obviously a very big rule for a kid is don't stand in the road). Danny's making that face because he could see the policeman on a motorcycle headed our way and I'm sure he was sure that we were going to get in trouble for being in the road. Yikes. We didn't get in trouble though.

Have you seen those pictures of people recreating old pictures from their childhood? They float around facebook and they make me laugh. The people are dressed mostly the same as they were in the picture, in the same spot and same pose but they're 20 years older. Some of them are so good. I think I'll save this one and force Danny and Cate to recreate it in 20 years.  I can't wait.

Before the parade started (at 10:00 but it was more like 10:30 by the time it got to us because we sit near the very end of the route) we stood in a little line for some free blue pancakes. The kids scarfed them down while watching the ducks swim about.

We had left our chairs and blankets all set up to walk down a few blocks to the duck pond. Cate was so concerned that someone would steal our stuff if I didn't stay with it. She's funny.

The parade was good. The best part is the band of course. There's nothing better. Dan and I did some pretty good hootin' and hollerin' so as to get the parade guys to throw us lots of candy. We didn't get much, maybe because we sit at the end of the route. 

Just as the parade was finished Cate leaned over to me and semi-whispered, "Know what this is called, Mom? Fam-uh-lee tiiiiime." How cute is that? 

We walked up to campus for some bowling. Dan stood in line at the bookstore to buy a few Halloween books for me while I took the kids to get started. Danny won. 92. I don't remember Cate's score but mine was 88. I'd like to say that I threw the game so that Danny wouldn't be completely depressed (he really likes to win) but I don't think that would be very honest of me. I just sucked. No excuses. It was fun anyway. 

We drove to Cocolito's for lunch and then went across the street to a park to play. I pushed the kids in the tire swing enough to make Cate's tummy hurt. She told me that maybe she feels the same way about spinny rides as Daddy does now (meaning she thought she was going to puke). 

Next up for our day of fam-uh-lee time fun, back across the street for a cupcake. It was all their idea but by the time we got there, Cate just wanted to sit at the little kid corner and play with the toy kitchen stuff and Danny had no interest in a cupcake. Dan was too stuffed with Mexican food so he went out to lay in the car. I ordered a cupcake that I was in no way hungry for and sat there and ate it because I didn't think it was right to just sit on their couch while Cate played. The things I do for my kids, I tell you.

The rest of the afternoon the kids played outside (because the weather was perfect), Dan parked it on the couch (because fam-uh-lee time is exhausting and he had a homecoming football game to watch), and I made another stinkin' trip to Lowe's to buy drywall screw thingees so I could finally get my hallway makeover project finished. I've been working on this in my brain for 10 years and in real life for over a month. Doing stuff like this with a family to take care of is a joke. That's just the honest truth. 

But it's done and I am so proud of myself. 

I like to call it Operation Camouflage the Big Huge Fuse Box. We don't have a basement so there it is in the back hall. Big and huge and gray. I like it much better this way. I also painted all the trim and the ceiling. The trim needed it badly since our naughty kitties used the door frames as scratching posts. 

I made places for coats and backpacks because we were using the knobs on our cabinets near the side door for that job and it drove me crazy. Like super duper crazy. I feel so much better now. I still need to paint the new back door. Do I really even have to since it's white and I want to paint it white? Maybe I'll get around to it in another 10 years.

And I spray painted the doorknobs. They're oil rubbed bronze now instead of ugly. Cate was very disappointed though. She kept asking when I would take the black off so she could see the beautiful gold again. Oh, how about never? She's funny.

And then I made brown sugar cake for Sunday dinner dessert tomorrow. I swear I don't relax. Ever.

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It was a good day. I love BYU. I love going to a parade in October when the weather starts out chilly and then turns into perfection. I love being with my cute kids who are both big enough to not have diapers or strollers or bottles. I love that they remember when we came to the parade last year and that hopefully they're looking forward to it next year. I love Cocolito's and stuffing myself with chips and salsa. I love that Dan is happy because our team won the game too. 

I love a good day with some real good fam-ul-lee time.