Oh, The Joy...

We have a local nutrition store that carries herbs, essentials oils, vitamin and mineral supplements, health food and the like. They have a little play room that's about 5' X 5' with walls all around it, no roof, and a 3' - 4' door with a knob that only opens from the outside.

Everytime we go, Kate plays in the little room full of toys. She never shuts the door so she can run in and out to see me and show me the toys that she is playing with. We were only there five minutes or less and I had all my purchases ready. I went to the play room to tell her that it was time to gather things up because we would be leaving as soon as I paid for my things.

I peeked over the short wall and Kate was crouching in the corner.

I had to ask what she was doing-Duh! Looking back, I can't believe I didn't even guess it, she was pooping!

She was wearing a little cotton dress and panties. I could imagine the bulge that was in her panties. I sternly told her to get her kitty and get out of there so we could take care of the mess in the bathroom. I ran to the checkout to pay for my things. Meanwhile, Kate says, "Uh-oh, Mommy, one fell out." A second later she came to me with her fist gripping the renagade poopie as she reached out to hand it to me. Of course, I made sure she held on to that until we got into the bathroom so she could put it in the potty. And the silver lining - I had a backup pair of panties in my purse and we threw away the soiled pair because I wasn't about to clean it off and haul it home.

What a smelly mess. Joy.

Melancholy

I feel horrible that Melancholy is the best word that I can use to describe myself right now. I should be so happy. Everything is so great. I've never had the summer blues before. My blues always seem to come in the winter, but nonetheless, here I am, glum.

BLAH.............................

I need to snap out of it and show Kate a good time. But I just can't. But here are some pictures of the last week or two in hopes of cheering myself up.

Kate's cousin, Zac, took this close-up of Kate. I love it. I was watching him and his two sisters and I gave him the camera while the girls played dress-up. Earlier that day, Scott and I were working in the yard and Kate found this Christmas wrapping paper and played with it for over a half hour. First it was a map and in the end it was a fortress. I'm not sure how many things it was in between.

We had some more cousins over another day. These girls played so well. Kate was in heaven.

Later that week the girls came up to the cabin with us and some of my family. I love this with all of them cuddled together and little Presley holding her Barbie doll.

Here are the girls ready for a ride, my mom, actually in the picture and smiling-amazing, and the tall guy, Jake, is a really great guy who Jill is dating. This was a first meeting for many of us and it went very well.

Jill's dating is really the only fun thing going on in our family. It's almost all we have to talk about. I think we are all living through her. I hope she is able to get through it. I'm sure it's driving her crazy with all of us telling her what we think she should do-too many cooks in the kitchen for her, I'm sure.

And of course Kate. She LOVES going to the cabin. Because of a lack of fundage, we've spent every free moment we have up at the cabin. Scott has really enjoyed sharing his special, most favorite place with his girl. "Go Faster, Daddy!"

Here's my Dad and Samantha. It's really nice of Scott's parents to share the cabin with my family. We really had such a great time.

Highlights: marshmallow fight using blow guns; meeting Jake; celebrating Jeni's birthday; playing Pounce (a FUN card game that Jake taught us); playing Lucky Unders (another fun card game that we taught him); playing two truths and a lie; playing the ten finger game (but Jeni had to get home early so it was the five finger game); seeing the kids have fun; having everyone together; getting home in time to meet Jeff and Anna's new baby at the hospital.

The Ball & The Dance

The Ball: Kate with her neighbor-friend, Kate



These kids played so cute. I love when they get all dressed up for "the ball".

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The Dance:

The other day, Kate and I were at the store to buy some sesame seeds. We grabbed the seeds and we were at the self checkout when Kate told me she needed to go potty. I was about to put the money in the slot when she told me again with a little more insistence. I was starting to put the change in when she said, "Maah-meee, I'm doing the potty dance!" And boy was she ever dancing like she had ants in her pants. She was all over the place. I was laughing so hard. I grabbed my receipt. I was gathering my things when I turned around and saw that she had found the carts that have cars in front, which distracted her from her intense need to go potty. As she climbed into the car. I told her, "Okay, we need to go so you can go potty, quick." Then with a look of horror, she looked up at me. She had leaked a little bit in the car. As she got out, she leaked a little more. I repeated, "Quick, we gotta go, Katie. Hurry!" And then more and then... "uh-oh."

Kate wanted to go back in the car even though both her dress and the floor were all wet with her pee-pee. When I told her again that we needed to go and I tried to pick her up, she went boneless and told me that she didn't need to "go" anymore. In her mind, the urgency was over.

I managed to tell a bagger that my daughter had an accident and he just stared at me. I looked at him to do something and reiterated, pointing to the mess and he just stared at me and looked around for someone else. I turned to scoop squealing, kicking Katie from the floor and he was gone. She cried and kicked all the way out. I told Kate how sorry I was for not getting her to the potty in time. And that she could ride in the pretend car another time but that we needed to get cleaned up first.

I hope they got the spill all cleaned up. I'm sorry that my negligence contributed to the unsanitary nature of grocery carts.

Rivals: Christmas and July

Ate a big breakfast at Dee's-California Omlet, mmmm.
Went to Thanksgiving Point.
Set out chairs for the C-ville parade the night before.
Ate BBQ with the fam'.
Walked to the park.
Had front row seats to the fireworks-didn't mind the ashes.
Got lots of candy-some from the floats, some from Aunt Jeni who brings her own candy to throw from the crowd.
Drove to the cabin.
Read some of a good book about World War II and part of The Gettysburg Address.
Cried reading about Kitty DeRuyter and how she got her special dress for the dance.
Hung out, looked for animals.
Went to church in a SMALL town ward.
Ate delicious food.
Thought 4th of July has got to be the greatest holiday ever!

Setting out chairs the night before the parade has to be my most favorite event ever. I loved seeing people camping out, just chilling in their chairs as if something was supposed to happen soon. People had the street lined with chairs much earlier than the city allowed so when we got there, we took the second row in front of city hall and I waited for Scott to bring the car over with all the chairs and things. While I waited, I got talking to someone else who was chilling in her staked out spot and found out that I knew her family and what a small world... I love small towns. I love the energy of Independence Day and what it stands for. It's something that we can all agree on.

My Debut Art Exhibit

Last night's art exhibit was really fun! I feel like such a dork that I forgot my camera. My favorite picture would have been the sidewalk sign with vinyl lettering that said, "Come see local artist Julie Bangerter painting live tonight from 6-9." How vain is it that I love to see my name in print like that. Well, it was a thrill. I never hope to be famous but it's fun to get a glimpse of it.

It was cool to see people come and to get a chance to talk about what I do and receive some feedback. A wonderful opportunity. Very fun! For those who wanted to go but couldn't make it last night, Repartee will keep some of my art on display through the 4th of July weekend so if you're already at Costco or having dinner at Texas Roadhouse or anything out that way, stop by and check things out.

And a little plug: Repartee Gallery is my favorite framer. I love everything about that place and it's not more expensive like you might assume when you go into the place. It feels high-end but it's priced right. Plus they have a better selection of frames, they get the framing job done fast, and they are much more artistic with the way they frame, too. So, if you have anything you need framed give them a shot.

Friday, June 26, 6:00-9:00 pm

Come see me at Repartee Gallery Friday!

Yes, this Friday.
Right now, Friday
TONIGHT!

6:00 - 9:00 pm

I'll be there working on a collage and I'll have some of my art on display all week. So, stop by, check things out, say, Hi. I'd love to see some familiar faces.

175 N 500 W Bountiful

Zorro

-Zorro, with our neighbor Markus.