Stick a fork in me, I am DONE.

As late June arrived and I had only to survive a few more weeks of deployment, one would think I would be filled with excitement. However, I found myself really struggling with the girls and in desperate need of some sanity. Anabelle responds really well to my Mom and loves to follow her around the Motel playing her Kindergarten games. I thought maybe the namesake connection might snap Anabelle out of the world of sass and whining in which she had taken residency. So we hopped in the car and went to St. George for a week. The girls had a crazy amount of fun at Katasha's house. I however, can only recall being the most frustrated with Anabelle that I ever have been. And then Tim & K-tosh took my kids to the motel, allowing both my Mom and I temporary freedom. Maybe because he feared for the safety of my children, not a completely unfounded fear. We ate at Cafe Rio. We went to a movie. We went shopping. We've never done that before. It was one of those times in your life when you know you are experiencing something precious that you will likely never have the chance to replicate. I think I'll always be grateful for that day with my Mom as long as I live. The next day we had the terrible idea to take said rascally kids to the apricot orchard. And it was a pretty horrendous experience. BUT- we did get hundreds of apricots and then Tim, K-tosh, Mom and I made jam together the next day. And that was fun. And I decided jam making should be our new tradition. Replacing our old tradition. Of......not making jam together.