Today we are struggling.  Dill is nothing but sad, sad, sad.  Sad and upset by the fact that I won't let her climb on the countertop and eat a whole jar of Nutella.  Sad, that she and Mo just aren't getting along.  I have some work to do where Dill is concerned.  Somehow, I have to get her happy, and with Dill that usually isn't too difficult.
     We only have two days left of school, and I look at the whole of summer, and panic.  We should be camping, and working, and that was Ryan's domain.  I don't know how to drag a trailer, or hitch up a tractor, and somehow I must keep the kids busy and doing good.  It really scares me.  Ryan especially could get Oak to work, and I just cannot seem to get him motivated.  He always had that desire to please his Dad.  I don't think he could care either way with me.  He just wants to fight with his sisters over every little issue, and be fed pretty much non-stop.  I am going to need heaven's help to get through the summer months, or maybe Ryan's.  I hope he gets released soon.  I might just go insane if he does not.
     We have had a busy weekend.  Last Thursdee Ivers graduated from high school, and so I took the opportunity to go down, and be there.  It is always so much fun to be with my brothers and their families, and they were all going to be there.  Laughfest 2016 was about to ensue, and I desperately needed to laugh for a few days.  So, I pulled the kids out of school on Thursday, and we departed Bunkerville.  The trip down was surprisingly kinda quiet.  The four older girls got into a knock-down drag out fight about the front seat after I stopped for lunch in Kingman.  It was so absolutely ridiculous, that I didn't want to get involved at all.  It went on and on with all of them being equally stubborn.  It is times like that, that I honestly do not know what to do.  I don't care at all where they sit, and if I take someone's side, then the other three are convinced that I play favorites.  I can't stand it.
     We drove on and on, and at one point I let Moroni out to go to the bathroom behind a large bush.  He chose to stand in front of the bush, and face the road as he peed.  This is so mind boggling that I don't even know what to say.  Needless to say, he doesn't care a whole lot about modesty yet.
     The graduations down there are always nice.  They are outdoors and casual.  The kids found a sand pit that is used by the track team, and began frantically making a very large mound out of sand.  There were a few boys that challenged my kids, and a few of Doug's to a mound building contest.  The dust just started to fly and turn part of the air around a nearby crowd into a dust cloud.  I walked over several times to ask them to keep the sand stirring down to a minimum, but it all fell on deaf ears.  They were determined to beat the boys with a bigger mound and they definitely succeeded.  I was flabbergasted a few times, when Oak and Mo would scale an eight foot tall, chain link fence to get a drink of water, but they are country boys and used to scaling fences...I don't know what else to say.
     The night was full of a fitful Mo.  He had a toothache, and I did everything I could think of to ease his pain.  I had an appointment for him to get it fixed, but that didn't help me at the moment.  He didn't sleep good at all.  The kids got up and hit the pool at like nine.  They stayed out there all day long.  I kept hounding them about sunscreen, and I kept the little ones covered pretty good, but Wams and Sags ended up getting pretty fried.  Wams had also borrowed my swimming suit because she had failed to bring hers for some odd reason.  That left me swimming in my clothes for the day.  I just can't be sexy or attractive, I swear.  That night, we had a barbecue at Gary's and that was a ton of fun.  My brothers all got telling mission stories and they were hilarious.  Huxti somehow got bit by a no legged dog...I am not even sure how that can be accomplished, unless you place your leg in their mouth.  We laughed over some of the funny traditions of Ecuador too.  If you buy a drink of juice or whatever, they ring you up, and want the bottle back.  They then pour your drink in a garbage sack, and stick a straw in it for you???  Yeah, I could laugh about this stuff for hours.
      Once again, no sleep for Mo and he howled so loud most of the night that I worried about getting kicked out of our room.  The next day the kids once again got in the pool, and then we went to Gary's for awhile, and we visited with Trevor and Angie.  They had just bought a new house and their pool had a slide...even Dill appreciated the slide.  I had a great visit with those two, and they have been a ton of help through our whole ordeal with Ryan and the other men.  Trevor has been doing his best to try and save Ammon's business from complete failure in Phoenix.  They also bought me a plane ticket to fly up and see Ryan.  That was a huge blessing.
     I was able to go to dinner with my brothers that night, and it was so absolutely funny.  We had such a good evening laughing about stuff from our past, and it was worth the whole trip.  When we went to bed, once again, Mo struggled. 
     The next morning, Mo was in so much pain, and none of my temporary fixes were helping.  I decided that I just needed to get him home.  We attended sacrament meeting, and he bawled from Mesa to home...seven hours straight.  I finally got in touch with the dentist, and even though it was a holiday, he agreed to meet me first thing in the morning.  I had done everything that I could think to do to help him, and it was so hard to be patient with all of the crying.  I got thinking that I really needed to get him a Priesthood blessing somehow...just to help him get through the night.  I was wondering who I could ask, when my home teacher called.  He felt that he needed to check on me.  Coincidence?  I think not.  I tearfully told him that Moroni needed a blessing, and he agreed to come over as soon as I got home.  He arrived as soon as I texted him with his son-in-law.  They gave Moroni a beautiful blessing, and I cried the whole way through it.  I needed a witness that God cared, and I definitely got it.  Mo fell asleep within the hour, and slept all night, until I roused him early the next morning to go and meet the dentist.  He had a great time getting his tooth fixed.  He loved it, and couldn't wait to go back...over this, I am way confused.  If a root canal can get him all kinds of happy, I fear that he needs more fun and excitement in his life.
     Ok...so that evening, I made some taco salad for dinner.  I have tomatoes out of the garden, and the salsa is just so out of this world.  Chloee frowned when I cooked it all though.  She didn't want any of it.  I tried to talk her into just eating some meat and cheese but she continued to frown.  As I was sitting and rocking Dill she came over with the carton of eggs.  She begged me to cook her one.  I get way frustrated with all of her food nonsense, but an egg?  It is way good for her, probably better than the taco salad.  I agreed to cook her one as soon as I had a second.  Well, for whatever reason, she took the eggs up to my room and set the eggs on my bed to wait for my arrival???  I still have no idea why she did that.  Anyhow, in the mean time Dill had toddled back up the stairs and climbed up on my bed to see a wonderful surprise in her little world.  She took all of those eggs and proceeded to crack them in various and strategic areas all over my bed.  I am still mad about Chlo over that whole situation.  Gooey eggs and shells everywhere.
     The next day when I picked up the kids from school, it was so hot and miserable.  They begged me to take them to the headgate to swim.  I finally consented, and the kids, especially Dill had a ball.  She would just jump in the sand and splash.  When we arrived back at home, some kind soul had dropped dinner off.  Spaghetti, bread, salad, and donuts.  Donuts are not something I usually buy and the kids were so excited.  Well, Chlo was just not ok with eating the spaghetti.  She just wanted a donut.  I explained, like a good mom would that she needed to eat some dinner first.  With Chlo it just all falls on deaf ears.  She bawled and bawled and howled.  At this point, Mo had finished several plates of the delicious spaghetti and was just orange-all over his face.  He had also selected a nice donut, and was loving to show it off to Chlo.  In fact, he chased her all over the house with the donut, as she bawled and bawled.  I finally got her to eat some garlic bread, and then she could have a donut of her own.  Here is another kicker.  The kids all got in my bed to watch Arthur after dinner.  I had just changed all of my bedding because of the lovely egg incident.  They got sand from the river all over in my bed, and all over in my bathtub.  I thought that perhaps I could sleep in my sandy bed and dream that I was on the beach...yeah it didn't happen.  I just need to change my bedding again.  And the sandy bathtub?  Totally not a beach simulation either.
     The next problem that occurred is that Jamie took something of Oak's.  Some prized possession.  He was frantic to get it back, and went in her room, and threw all of Jerusha's shoes everywhere in his frantic search.  Jerusha was naturally upset about this, but he refused to put her shoes back, until Jamie gave him his possession back ( I think it was a squirt bottle?)  What kind of convoluted sense does that even make?
     Another problem that I had with Dill this week, was that she got into some pudding...the boxed powder.  She opened it up and dusted herself with it.  She also dumped it in the drain tray on the fridge.  A mess that I forget about until I go to open the fridge, and then see it there...again, and not cleaned up.