2 pictures you're glad I don't have...

from today's activities...
1) me running around the pond with a baby in one hand and a bug net in the other trying to catch dragonflies

2) me playing soccer with other adults from the ward. I had one goal - to not pull any muscles. Mission accomplished. Lofty goals, huh! I am going to have a good sized bruise on my leg - my badge of courage. I seriously have not done any sustained running since I've had kids so I was going to "take it easy" tonight. Not possible. I'm too competative, plus I love the rush of running fast. I can't say I was good tonight but they put up with me and it was fun. Okay, walking back to the car with horrible jello legs wasn't great but I actually swept and vacuumed when I got home so that's not too bad, right?

The big girls are busy working on their collections. M has loved catching bugs since she was 3, especially butterflies. In the past she has fed them to the preying mantis she's also caught but we don't have one this year and so I suggested a bug collection and she loved the idea. Our friends came for dinner the other night with styrofoam and bug pins and helped her get started. She had just caught her first dragonfly and is really excited. We went to a pond today to try to add more bugs. She saw a gorgeous type of dragonfly and spent the morning trying to catch one, but no luck. I promised we'd come back.

E decided on a dried flower collection. She enjoys bugs but doesn't have an interest or patience to chase them but wanted a collection. She decided on flowers and is really excited about it! She found her first one last night. We had hoped to find more at the pond today but there weren't any flowers. Thankfully on a scooter ride back to her friends house she found several. I read today that pansies dry the best so I told her we'd go get some to plant if she would take care of them and she's really excited about that. I'm glad the girls have something to be excited about. I think Mg is starting a rock collection :)

***Bragging Moment!*** Last night our ward had a service project where we were moving mulch from a big pile and spread it around the sides of a bike path right behind our house. Since Daddy is one of the people who helped set it up we were there a little early and stayed until everything was cleaned up (which I didn't realize was way after the girls bedtime!!!) Our sweet E was out there working the entire time. She used rakes and shovels to help spread the mulch around and worked so incredibly hard!!! All the kids were hanging around me waiting for otter pops but I had to call E over to come get hers (and she got an extra one at the end!!). When she was done she went right back to work!!! M worked hard too but also enjoyed being with her friends while E just kept right at it! Daddy says he remembers being that way at service projects growing up - glad he passed that trait along, and way to go E!!!! I love my girls and am so proud of all of them!