(August) Jaws

I love how the big kids enjoy doing things with the younger kids and don't mind (too much) including them in some of their outings or fun things they do.  This past summer it wasn't at all unusual for the big kids to bring the younger kids to the beach with them or into town to the store or just sit around and have conversations with them, without being asked or prodded by me.  What I think is even cooler is that the boyfriends don't seem to mind the little kids either.  Ha, or maybe they're just trying to score brownie points, I don't honestly know, but it sure seems as though they're okay with the younger kids hanging with them occasionally.  Even past boyfriends of the girls were okay with Colter hanging out with them and seemed to tolerate his conversation and endless questions and they were patient with the little girls.  I just think it's cool how age segregation isn't that big of a deal with any of them.  So, thank you, girls and boyfriends and friends for that! You guys are all beyond cool! 

Some of the younger kids are always saying how they want to watch 'scary' movies - but in reality we know they really can't handle anything too scary, or certainly not scary by today's standards.  Laura had the idea to have a scary movie night with some of the younger kids.  So one night she and the kids set up the big tent, blew up air mattresses and carried out a dozen (or more) blankets and practically every pillow in the house, as well as the DVD player and an old television and an old end table to set it on, and then rented two of the 'Jaws' movies and had a 'Jaws fest.'  Colter and Marissa wanted to watch the movies and were all pumped for movie night out in the tent - and Ryan also came over to be with Laura.  I know Jaws isn't exactly scary compared to most movies today - and Colter has watched scary movies before so it wasn't that big of a deal for him - but this was Marissa's first time watching a 'scary' type of movie - and besides, it's kinda cool to watch those old (kinda classic?) movies.  And it's even cooler to watch them out in the tent, in the (very) cool night air with the freaky night time sounds all around you and the wind blowing gently, just enough to rattle the sides of the tent every now and again.  So yeah, they bundled up with blankets, got a little freaked out a few times when the dog growled and barked wildly at things in the woods, ate junk food and stayed awake until 2:00 AM watching those crazy movies...it was fun and pretty memorable for Marissa especially.  She truly felt like one of the big kids - and can now proudly say she's watched a 'scary' movie.  Ha!  As we all know, it's all about the little things!