Oh, Those Summer Nights!

To tell the truth, I'm sleeping those summer nights away!  That's because Dovie has some kind of vendetta against sleeping past 6 a.m.  I have slowly gotten him to shut up (but not totally relax - I have to take his collar off so I can't hear him rattling around) between the time he wakes up (5:30) and 6, when I'm willing, though not happy, to roll out of bed.  This means that if I get to bed after midnight, he gets severely and crossly reprimanded in the morning when he begins his whining that tells me he wants to play.  Ugh.

So, he has single-handedly (pawedly) helped me better fulfill one of the commandments: retire to thy bed early, and arise early too.  Yep, he's a blessing.  I just keep reminding myself of that.  Of course, doing anything with friends in the evenings is almost impossible - if I don't wear him out from the hours of 6-10 in the evening, I can forget sleeping!  And traveling is difficult - always have to get someone to watch him.  But in reality, I am still glad to have this boy, and he is very good.  He has a bladder of steel!  He sits in the bathroom for ten hours three days a week, and he doesn't pee!  I certainly can't hold it that long!  When I get home, he gives me a quick love, then races downstairs and pees for about 60 seconds.  That has to be a record of some sort!

He does get bored in that bathroom - poor guy!  Every day when I come home, he has pulled all the towels down.  So far, that is all he has done.  Except for the day he found the toilet paper up on its perch on the window sill.  And when he found it, he made sure to destroy it completely!

Dovie hates the water, but he sure does seem to enjoy mud!  After a particularly gratifying splash in the mud, on one of our runs, I tried to give him a bath by spraying him with the hose outside.  I had tied his leash to the fence, and (with some kind of sadistic, cruel delight) proceeded to spray.  He became so entirely panicked that he broke free of his collar and ran like Shirkan, the tiger, from The Jungle Book.  It took me a full 30 minutes, and his favorite treat, to get him to come near me again.  Then I broke that little bit of trust by throwing him into the bathtub to finish the job.  He behaved better there.  But he still hated every minute, despite the wonderfully warm water and gentle massage I gave him.  He glared at me sullenly the rest of the afternoon.

All the girls in our group.

My WHOLE life doesn't revolve around Dovie.  I went to Young Women's camp as a counselor earlier this month.  The girls were such a delight!  Much more pleasant than I anticipated 13-year-olds being.  I was the enforcer in our group.  But my nightly threats of making any of the loud girls sleep in our cabin seemed to work - I know our girls, and we as counselors, got more sleep than almost any other group.  Miss Taylor still has the look.  So, among the four counselors, I was the hero.  And, surprisingly, the girls liked me too.

Girls Camp never was complete without doing each other's hair, right?

Prepared for the pic.

Unprepared.

In the never-ending search for ways to stay on Clara's good side, I had a stroke of brilliance one day.  One of her FAVORITE things to do with me is to sit with my computer and look at my pictures.  Really.  She loves any and all pictures that I'm in.  So, I thought, maybe she'd like to take pictures and look at them.  Boy did she ever!  We went on a walk, and I (rather daringly, I thought) let her take my camera and shoot at will.  I made sure she kept the string around her wrist, and, remarkably, she didn't drop it - although there were some close calls!  If you ever care to know what you look like from behind as you walk, give the camera to a three-year-old.  I know this is not news to anyone, but that is not my best angle.  But she captured it plentifully.  Along with about every pebble, tree, ant, and her own toes along the way.  I do have to say, however, that she sure wasn't bad for her age!  In the spirit of full-disclosure, I have opted to include some of those shots for your viewing pleasure (sigh).

This is not from the camera day - this is Zoo day.  But I couldn't resist a shot of Clara doing "silly fingers."  She can be so cute!!

And tell me this is not just about the cutest (and drooliest) baby you have ever seen!

By far the happiest news I have to report is that James is currently working on his mission papers.  You may need to go back and read that again.  James.  Yes, God is a God of miracles.  Not that James wasn't always a good kid at heart.  But after what we have been through over the last three years with him, this is truly an Alma the Younger story.  My heart is so full of joy.

Cisco is also making his own positive waves.  He is ranked the #1 overall high school basketball player in the State of Wyoming.  I know, for Wyoming that's not saying much.  But he does have some colleges interested in him.  Unfortunately, his height and less-than-brawny build seem to be a major hang-up, but we're really hoping he can get a scholarship offer or two.

Tyson has come a long way as well.  He is struggling to find his way in the world, but he has become a man in the last couple of years.  He recognizes the value of our family, and the troubles that his biological family have caused him, and has been a good influence for Cisco.  I feel like so many blessings have come to my family this year.  Part of me is a bit frightened that the precarious balance will only last so long, and at any minute, something is going to go crashing down again.  But for now, I am so grateful and feel so happy for where things stand.

That's all for now.  Next blog will be from Wyoming.  Until then, I hope you all are getting more sleep than me!