You Know When You Look At Other People’s Lives….

and they’re like:

we went hiking for 15 miles with twelve kids, eight of who belonged to a neighbor but I just love kids! and nobody cried

we had a silly string war with just the boys {hi Jamie!} and it was so FUN

I whipped up matching outfits for four children and did a photo shoot and I didn’t cause bodily harm to anyone

my husband reno-ed our whole bathroom while I was away on a girl’s weekend

or

my kids have willlingly given up TV, video games, and sugar because they really want to be better people?

And you’re like:

my kids are jumping on the trampoline that I begged off of a neighbor four years ago and I bought them a cheap bottle of dish soap to pour on it so when the sprinkler is on under it it’s like a red-neck slip and slide

and you’re pretty sure your child’s runny nose was caused by sneaking a piece of candy from off the carpet under the vending machines at Toys R Us where you were because you were kinda tired of your kids destroying your house

and you feel pretty lame?

Me too.

So, in an effort to rally my self esteem, Bryce and I took our kids down to Ashland

{note: any pre-conceived notions you have about Oregon being over run with hippies, mullets, bare feet, children where you’re not really sure if they’re male or female, free-gans, vegans, or people who play the accordion for a ‘living’, can all be found in Ashland.}

for a kid friendly International Talk Like a Pirate Day get-together.

One of the local bookstores hosted it.

There was a treasure hunt where we had to go to various shops and the kids did things like: find the mermaid, get tattoos and mustaches, walk the plank, declare their pirate name, recite the pirate anthem, and make a pirate flag.

It was actually really fun.

The kids eventually warmed up to random pedestrians talking to them like pirates and soon learned to respond with a growl.

We even received a $20 gift certificate to the bookstore for the best pirate family.

{It probably didn’t hurt that we had the largest numbers…by a.lot.}

And in case you thought I might be home-schooling my children this year.

Which I’m not.

But it’s fine if you do that sorta thing.

I just don’t.

But embrace it if you do.

But don’t expect that from me.

But I totally support your efforts…

Back to school pictures.

And so it’s just me and these charmers.

 

And Libby cut her first tooth.

I know you were all anxiously awaiting that announcement.

Spencer wearing the ‘itchy’ wool scarf he and I made while doing his workbook.

Katie