Adventures in La La Land

I've been dieting for one week and have lost two pounds. So at least I'm seeing results, but every day, I feel like this:

We had another week full of activities to keep us busy while Justin was gone. 1. 4th of July Celebrations: on Sunday, we went to my Uncle Joel's house with the extended family. He has a huge, beautiful pool that Lucy loved . She swam for 6 hours  - with only one, 20 minute break to eat. I used to do the exact same thing in that exact same pool as a kid. Lena has a newfound fear of swimming pools, and she literally didn't leave my side the entire time we were there. She stood at the ladder screaming when I got in the pool, but refused to go in with me. My poor anxious children. She was also very grumpy all day. We stayed for sparklers and fireworks. The girls enjoyed the sparklers. But Lena and Levi were both terrified of the big fireworks. I ended up sitting in the house with them. Big shoutout to my mom, sister, and nephews, who helped me juggle all 3 kids all day. 2. On Monday, my immediate family came over to play cards. Lucy recently bought some water...

1. Well it's been 3 days since Justin left for Wyoming . . . and I'm ready for him to come home. Haha. Really, it hasn't been that bad. Bedtime is the worst. But we've been keeping our days pretty full and staying busy. Justin and I texted a little bit while they were on the road, but now that he's out in the wilderness he doesn't have cell service. It's so strange being totally cut off from him. They have some kind of satellite device that allows them to "check in" so I get an email once a day to assure me that he's still alive, but that's it. I hope he's catching lots of fish and having a blast! 2. This week was Niki's annual "Girls' Sleepover." Lucy's been going for a few years, but it was Lena's first year. Both girls have been sooooo excited and counting down the days. I was a little worried how Lena would do, but they did great! They got to play with make-up and go to the park and ice cream shop and sta...