7 Quick Takes Friday vol 16

--1-- 

The highlight of this week and obvious winner of the #1 QT spot is no other than reigning in our freedom Phoenix style. (Technically Tempe... but let's be honest, if you're from anywhere near Phoenix you say Phoenix unless of course it's within a mile of somewhere in Scottsdale.  I'm pretty sure I've never heard anyone from Scottsdale round up where they're from by any other name).  

--2--

Yup, that'd be us with our 4 small children awake and out of the home late enough to watch fire works.  Which may have led to the biggest parenting fail of the entire week.  I'm not sure which part exactly was the worst...  

• The nearly hour drive in traffic it took for us to get there, find a pathetically overpriced parking spot and walk down to see the show.... 
• Or the fact that we picked the prickliest, dustiest, hottest spot under a bridge that we ever did see as our final watching destination.... 
• Or maybe it was realizing that the kids enjoyed approximately zero parts of the ordeal and asked to go home from the moment we got out of the car in the hot, crowded, sticky, expensive parking lot to the time we agreed to call it quits and head home.  

Oh sure, we'll do this again next year.  (Saaaaarcasm!)

--3---

Wait, #1 and #2 don't match?!   Don't worry my children's misery wasn't the highlight of my week.  Actually, the entire day of the 4th was a really fun family day.  I hesitate to reveal our secret, buuuuut since so many people read this I think it'll be safe.  The Children's Museum on a big holiday was a lovely ghost town just for our playing pleasure!  

We destroyed their art room (not ours yay!) making fire work pictures. 

Bash showed me all the better noise making puzzles he prefers to ours by dropping subtle hints such as   "I need dis" or  "Take hooom witch yoo" and "hab dis peaz?"

Sienna also tried to convince me we needed to have a motor cycle for Daddy.  Does he pay her to say those things? 

Jonah enjoyed having his "pick" on all the rides. 

--4---

We topped that fun morning off with a bbq and pool party at home with just our own family.  The kids couldn't believe it was just our own family for the "party."  If a table of 6 is automatic gratuity at a restaurant, I'm pretty sure every dinner with chips and dessert is considered a "party" from here on out at our house others invited or not.    

--5--

Speaking of good parenting and spending quality time with just your family... I discovered Joy Prouty this week after embarrassingly stalking one of my friends from Portland's instagram. I'm not surprised those two are friends.  I could've matched them up after 10 minutes with either one!  They're both so creative, free spirited and open people.  Clearly I know Joy Prouty after the 45 minutes (yikes, that's awkward to admit) I spent stalking her website. You should read up on Joy for yourself, but basically they are a family of 6 who all of a sudden decided to sell most of their possessions including their HOUSE, pile into a 1950s trailer and take to the road for at least 6 months.  

(image from Wild Flowers Photography) 

She said she realized there were too many moments of telling the kids they were busy working, to wait a little longer for their attention, no they can't play with them right now, please go somewhere else and entertain themselves.  Etc.  She decided to rid themselves of all those distractions and noise and just be together.  

I like being together with my family.  But all 6 of them ALWAYS together in one 150 sq foot trailer unless they are driving together in a 50 sq foot vehicle.  No baby sitters.  No time away.  No separate beds.  Do they even have showers?   This is my nightmare.  But one man's junk is another man's treasure.   

Ok, fine. I say nightmare only because I know I'd never be bold enough to do this and it is obviously amazing.  She writes how close her children are getting with each other. How much they've learned what is important in life.  How much they've relied on God and how they see His presence everywhere.   I'll stop.  You just have to read it!   Would you ever do this?  Could you?  

--6--

And while I'm comparing my life with others I'll share a few other proud parenting moments I've had this week:

Such as how much my children love being together and the time I ran for my camera to capture such a sweet moment between two brothers happily entertaining each other. 

As I began oooohingly snapping away I slowly realized what was actually happening should've been categorized as big brother torturing little brother who eagerly endures the pain in exchange for signs of acceptance.   He wasn't sharing a toy with him. He was clipping the toy to his eyelid.  When I finally put my darn camera down I realized it was actually, literally, clipped onto his eyelid!  Please don't tell me what it says about their mother who is so busy taking a picture she doesn't even notice what the picture is really of.  It wasn't even going to be a good picture. Lousy lighting and all out of focus.  

--7---

By the grace of elasticity he survived to pose for another day!  Of which evidence I feel compelled to share least you think I'm an entirely oblivious novice of novices mommy blogger photographer.

He was giving me plenty of smiles to work with and even a giggle or two to cheer me on.

And only got a little mad after I let Jonah give him a kiss....

Do you think it's post traumatic stress from the eyelid thingy??





Get ready Jen, I'm heading over to your place!