Uhhhh, Where Was I?

 I'm having trouble remembering where I left off!  I know that I was going to do a few more summer recpas--so these will all be jumbled up together.  The Seahawks started their preseason and we resumed blue-Fridays.

 Henry enjoys wagon rides, but he requires a person in the wagon with him as a safety belt.  Would you look at those thighs?  I think they've already slimmed down a few inches as a result of walking/running.

 We held a garage sale one weekend.  What a lot of work! I made enough money to fund us going to a Mariner's baseball game a few weeks later.  I guess all the sorting and lifting and talking to the local crazies was worth it. The kids held a bake sale and used the garage sale to bring in customers.  It was supposed to be a huge learning experience.  The kids were going to help with all the baking.  They would use their cash register to take in money.  Make their own signs.  Do it up all cute.  But then they started getting sick.  One by one.  It was also vacation Bible school week.  Ugh.  It turned into a disaster.  We had all these baked goods and a bunch of sick kids.  I made the signs and set up the sale.  They sat there and tried not to look sick.  They handed customers a bag and had them pick out their own goods so that no germs would be exchanged.  Their goal was to make enough money to go to the zoo.  They accomplished their goal, so I suppose it was a success.  It was so sad, though.  They took turns going into the house to take naps.  Ezra just passed out in the shade of the table a few times.  It was a really hot weekend and their fevers made it feel really hot.  Turned out that they all got hand-foot-mouth disease.  Ezra and Caroline had had it when they were little so I didn't think they could get it again.  Unfortunately I learned that there are a dozen or more viruses that cause HFM.  Also--I learned (through Henry's experience) that you CAN get it twice in a row.  I learned a lot this summer.  Caroline has lost three fingernails and one toe nail from her HFM.  Henry lost one fingernail and is now losing another.  And they had HFM over a month ago.  I think I'd like to be done learning now.  Don't you wish you could've bought a cookie from them? 

 Moving on from one gross subject to an even grosser.  When we got home from Idaho we found evidence of rats in our garage.  Lots of evidence.  We keep a "pantry shelf" out there since I don't have much storage in the kitchen.  The rats were very thankful to me for my pantry goods.  My personal exterminator has fixed the problem.  He's cute, huh?

 Henry met Ezra the second for the second time.  This time they interacted.  It was stinkin' cute.

 Until Henry tried to maim Ezra.

 Ezra's siblings carry him everywhere.  All.  the.  time.  They never put him down.  He loves it.

 Nora thought she should carry her baby around too.  It doesn't look so graceful with these two :) 

 Being with Sarah (Ezra's mommy) makes me happy.

 Also this summer we had fun play dates with friends.  Nora wanted to match Jeremy. 

 And evening camp fires with s'mores.  Mmmmmm....

 There was some water fighting going on along with marshmallow roasting.

 And photo bombing.

 I'm getting  hungry looking at these old photos.  Too bad it's rained two inches in the past 24 hours.  I'm afraid late evenings around the fire pit are simply a memory at this point.

 And so is the wading pool.  And a baby who can't walk.