Taking a break

and breaking the rules! Since I'm not doing the 365 right now here's a post with more than one picture! This weekend we watched my sister's kids and I mean "we"in the loosest sense of the word because Peter worked Saturday and took an OT shift on Sunday leaving me with 4 kids for a 48. Yikes. 

Overall though, it went OK. I took them hiking and to the park and to my parents for dinner. I think a good time was had by all and I felt confident handling all four of them. The only thing that surprised me was how much STUFF you need for 4 kids. For our hike, by the time I packed 5 water bottles, 4 jackets, 4 sunhats, lunch and snacks for all of us, sunscreen, the camera and the Ergo carrier (in case my niece couldn't walk the entire way) I was loaded down like a pack mule! And that's with the bigger kids carrying their and their younger siblings water bottles and coats. 

By the end of Saturday I was feeling good enough and desperate enough to take all of them into Starbucks just to get myself a lattee. Mr. T was a little appalled that I was only getting something for myself but man, did I need that coffee and it was the best freakin iced latte I have EVER had. 

 

My little hiking troupe. You get some strange looks when you venture out with 4 kids.

The gorgeous falls we hiked to.

My weary little hikers. Coincedentally, they all went to bed easier tonight than they did last night.

Miss E playing in the water, which she promptly fell in. Fortunately we were able to cobble together another outfit from random things we had brought.

Miss E and her cousin. 4 months apart - together these two are sweet and trouble and loving and trouble again.

Another firefighter died from Peter's department this week, bringing the the total for the month up to two. Before this, during his 9 year career, they have only lost one other firefighter. The one that died this week is considered a line of duty death because he died of one of the cancers that is known to be caused by firefighting.  It was known that his death would be soon but it doesn't make it any easier. As Peter said "there's something wrong about getting out your Class A and not putting it away for awhile".

It's been a long week. A wonderful and trying week all wrapped up into one. It has been nice to take a break from blogging and photographing and just concentrate on other stuff and start to put together a book of my last 365. I know for sure I'll do another one soon though, it's been too nice looking through our year and having such a great record of it.