The Great Number Eight!

Since Sam has been on the countdown for nearly 300 days, August 6th came slowly. It did come however, and Sam was very pleased to get on with the festivities. Up early, he woke Millie and coaxed her to gather eggs with him for his requested German Pancake and Egg-In-A-Circle breakfast.

Distracted on the way to the hen house

Planning the attack

One small treasure

Course one
He was sung to and showered with gifts he'd already found in my not so great hiding places.

The beloved Cal Ranch Muzz Loader

Legos

The only surprise --Scooby Doo
After the celebration we finished packing, and loaded up the car for our family vacation to Wayne county. We had a fairly good trip except for Max, who was certain that his increasing his volume would decrease the time he spent in his car seat. When we pulled into the Chuck Wagon Hotel in Torrey it was lovely and breezy. We piled out of the car and into the family suite where we unpacked and had a little food. Only a little food though --the swimming pool was calling.

Sam loves being goggle clad and in the water. He showed me his new "shark fighting technique." It was bold. It was aggressive. It was impressive. I baked a birthday cake and a Costco frozen meal while the baby slept, and cheered on the swimmers (I love having a kitchenette while on vacation).

The fearless shark fighter
That night we had cake and ice cream, and sang again.

In his new hat, Sam seems happy with his Loa-purchased cake topper (luckily the cavernous dip on the cake was perfect for the oreo marsh). (Clever clever Mama).
After tucking others in, I found Star in on the double bed with Sam in the boy's room. They were talking about how baptism would change things. Sam said, "Dad, you know how when you tell the truth, you're supposed to get a good feeling inside? Well I've tried it, and I didn't feel that way." As Star tickled his back he gently explained how the Spirit would feel different to different people. I noticed also that he carefully encouraged Sam to keep telling the truth, and he'd feel better and better.

With the windows open (no screens because there are no mosquitoes) and an evening breeze accompanying the quiet conversation, I felt at peace. My two blonde haired blue-eyed boys...