A week of waiting

This week went by fairly slowly…I think that’s because we’re so close to going home and I’m getting anxious. I didn’t have enough ‘busy’ work to do this week to keep my mind off it. But, the excitement is half the fun.

Eden continued with her swim lessons. She prefers when I swim with her, but is slowly getting used to somebody else having her in the water. I’m sure she’ll be repeating Level 1 next summer, but I’m glad she is going this year.

Eden is also nearly potty trained. She cannot go to preschool this fall unless she is potty trained. Saturday, she told Mom on the phone, “I’m going to preschool on the potty train.”

I started putting things aside to take to Michigan. I have one suitcase packed and it weighs in at 42#. So far, so good. I also had the snack bag packed for the airplane, but Eden found it and had an awful stomach ache for the rest of the afternoon.

I ordered some artwork for my wall downstairs and it came in last week. This week, I was waiting for the frames to via UPS. I waited and waited and waited…they finally arrived on Thursday and I tore into the box and put them all together. I love it, it looks great and hangs by my desk. Al and I agree that I need one more to make the overall look be more symmetrical, so I may order another when we are able.

Thursday night, we had a fire call for hay bales on fire. I had just gotten off the phone with Laura, who was out driving the pick up, loading bales of hay. I called her and said, “Are your bales of hay on fire?” and she said, “No, they just left on a trailer and are on their way to our house. We’re just finishing up here at the farm”. A few minutes later, she called back, “Yeah, they are our bales on fire. Ninety bales (90) burning on the side of the road, catching everything in its path. The fire went down two county roads before being noticed, so everybody’s yard in between point A and point B were scorched. All toll, the trailer was burnt up, the pick up it was attached to, and a pick up on the side of the road. Oops.

Friday night, Daddy and Eden went back to the race track. She even went on the really nasty toilets at the race track instead of in her pants. That was a bonus!

Saturday was hot. I hurried and mowed the yard early. I finished digging out ANOTHER garden (I needed the sod to fill in some spots), and got my tools put away just as the sun was starting to get toasty. Eden came out of her room in long sleeves and long pants, informing me she was taking a walk to the park and could I please tie her shoes? I informed her that it was too hot to walk to the park and she said, “OK Mommy. Bye”

She made it to the end of the driveway and came back in, stripping her clothes all along the way, saying, “It too hot to walk to the park. I come inside.”

Lars has been happier this week (Praise God from Whom all Blessings Flow…) and has 8 or 9 teeth now with another one not far off. He’s going to be able to have a steak dinner on his first birthday. He is really a fun and cute baby when he’s not crying all the time.

Sunday is HOT. 101 degrees to be exact. We’re indoors on the couch watching the Brickyard 400 and trying to stay cool.

One week till Michigan!

Everybody but Mommy

New Toy

Out with the old and in with the new…ok, that’s not quite true, since we didn’t have an old one to trade in, but here’s the NEW. A 2008 Bronc Adventure, bright yellow for nighttime visibility. More or less to say, “Watch out world, we don’t know how to drive this thing!!” Al and I went to Scottsbluff on Wednesday to pick it up. Not only was the check un-cashable, but neither driver has a motorcycle endorsement and the bike’s license plate blew off on the drive home. It’s Nebraska…..who cares about silly laws?

Anyway, on with the rest of the week.

Monday and Wednesday, Eden had private swimming lessons. Her instructor is Jessica, and she is a wonderful girl who wasn’t sure if I’d be upset if she put Eden under the water, in case Eden didn’t like it and cried. I said, “Why do you think I’m paying YOU to do it?!” No, really, she likes it and is figuring out the concept of ‘Reach and Pull’and that if you don’t blow bubbles under the water, it stings the nose and burns all the way down. I was finding that when I took both kids to the pool, I could no longer hold on to Eden, so she had to either cling to the side, or wear a life jacket so that I could hold wiggly Lars. The lessons, I thought, would teach her a bit of skill and confidence, at the same time. She goes three days next week, as well.

At the church voter’s meeting on Monday, the people approved to go ahead and accept a bid on the new building project. So, a year and $786,000.00 from now, we may have an bigger church building. The blueprints call for handicap accessability, including ramps, bathrooms, and a lift, plus a secretary & Pastor’s office in the church, more pews in the sanctuary, a cry room across the hall, extra classroom space and a new kitchen. Sounds exciting, let’s hope they don’t argue now about the color of the carpet and the design of the ceiling tile…

On Friday, Jason and Lisa came for supper. They were en-route to Scottsbluff for a wedding on Saturday. We had a choice of grilled lemon-lime chicken or beef short ribs with Al’s magic sauce, mashed potatoes, freshly frozen fruit and a green leafy salad. Eden, of course, ate the mashed potatoes and said, “I all done”.

After supper, the Dads took Tyler and Eden to the stock car races in Gering and Lisa and I took Lars & Samson for a walk around town.

Saturday, Lars was up and laughing by 0600. He went down for a nap before Eden had even rolled out of bed at 0900. When everybody was awake and (so I thought) happy, we went to the Pool, where Bridgeport was hosting this week’s traveling swim team meet. Lexi and Kyra were swimming, along with a few others we knew. I packed up a cooler with appropriate toys, drinks, snacks and sunblock. But, after about 15 mintues of our arrival to the pool, Lars was seriously unhappy and everybody around us was suffering. We watched a few heats, then came back home, where Lars happily played by himself in his crib for an hour. Argh.

I made it home just before the thermometer hit 100. It’s always good to be indoors when that happens.

Sunday is the church picnic in the park, so I made up a Farmer’s Strata casserole and packed up our picnic basket and yesterday’s cooler. It’s only 95 today, so hopefully, we can stay outside for a bit longer.

TWO weeks until Michigan!!!

A Drive Thru the Game Farm

Puking, Parking, Picnicing and Playing

Monday: Lars continues to cry. He has a new tooth and another one coming through. Eden skipped daycare because of an upset stomach. She slept on our floor that night.

Tuesday: Lars cries. Eden wakes up and eats breakfast, pukes. Load into the car for a much anticipated trip to Scottsbluff for ‘stuff’. Al has a visit with a parishioner and also has to record for the radio station. Eden throws up in the blazer on the way out of town. Lars continues to cry. Drop Lars at Carla’s daycare. Continue on to “The Bluffs”, as they are commonly referred to around here. Eden sleeps all the way over. Al drops Eden & me off at the store, where she pukes again. I get our ‘stuff’, Al picks us up & we head home. Eden sleeps all the way home.

Wednesday: Lars cries, unless you hold him and let him squirm nearly out of your arms. Eden is feeling like a new toddler. Busy day at home, putting ‘stuff’ away. I drag out the suitcases and put them in the spare room to get ready to go home in August. If I don’t start setting things aside now, much will be forgotten. For date night, Al and I head over to Scottsbluff (twice in one week is unheard of, let alone two days in a row!). We are making a down payment on something fun, practical and bright yellow. Feel free to make guesses…next week, I’ll have photos. We then go to Applebee’s for supper. Not usually my favorite of all places, but they’ve updated the menu since my last visit & have a smaller portions section that I enjoyed. I could go there again. They even have a Weight Watchers menu now.

Mom pushes Eden "HIGH" on the swing

Lars loves to swing!

Time for snack

Thursday: Spent the day indoors and got ready for a short camping trip to the State Lakes, 5 minutes from our house. When Al got off work, we drove the kids to Laura’s house, then went to the lake and set up camp. We then went to collect the kids. That’s the way to set up camp!

Friday: Woke up at 0730 to 80 degree weather. Ate breakfast, took a walk, went to the swimming hole and jumped in. It felt nice and Eden had a blast, playing for almost 2 hours. We had a picnic lunch there, and then headed home to beat the heat. Took naps, watered flowers and went back at supper time, when our camp site was in the shade. We made pizza pockets, Eden played on the swings and by 0230 the next morning, and we needed to turn the furnace on.

Saturday: Ate breakfast, played on the swings and in the rocks, and decided to break camp and clean out our camper at the same time, since we just sold it. We emptied everything into totes and headed home by 10:00. Al went to Mark and Laura’s to put the camper in their garage, since they are the new owners, and I took the poopy kids home. I had just pulled into the driveway, when Al called for me to come help him.

It’s nice to be needed, but even I couldn’t help this situation. While Al was in their garage, opening the door from the inside, he heard a loud crunch. Looking out, he saw that the parked truck and camper in tow had lost its grip in the rocky soil and slid down the hill, jackknifing in the process and slamming the upper left corner of the pop-up into the rear left corner of the pick-up, locking them together into a crushed mess. I called Mark at work and he came home with his pick up to pull the two apart. We all left and decided to come together at the end of the day with supper, alcohol and ideas on what to do.

Neither looks too bad from this angle

But if you look at it from this side...not so great

Saturday evening, I packed up the fixing for some amazing Chimichangas and Al brought his working hands. The guys worked on the camper and the ladies worked on supper and margaritas. All in all, the camper is salvageable and the pick up is drivable. Neither looks to great at the moment.

Sunday was hot. Lars was happy at church and cried as soon as we walked through the door at home. Al and baby are napping and Eden is watching Noggin on TV (Pre-school cartoons all day and night).

Life is good.

Camping at The Pits

I love my children, I love my children, I love my children, I love......

Today (Sunday) is hot and sticky here, so instead of being outside and productive, I am sitting in front of the TV, watching a race and enjoying the air conditioning while Lars sleeps and Eden entertains herself with her dolly. I missed bible study after church this morning b/c of a huge 5 alarm fire south of town. An oil tank caught fire and started everything else around it. It burned hot and fast and then it was over. Hoping after nap time that we can take a family trip to the pool.Last night (Saturday) we waited for Daddy to get home and went to a block party across the street in our neighbor's back yard. They were having a Mexican fiesta, so I made homemade chips and salsa for the occasion. Lars was crabby and tired, per usual. I eveuntally walked him home and put him in the crib, then brought the monitor out to our driveway and turned it up real loud. Eden had fun watching all the other kids play games they had set up for the kids, including an egg toss, a sombrero game, and a pinata to wack at. After enchiladas and margaritas, we visited for a while and headed home.

The 4th (Friday) was Al's first day off in a long time. We went to the park in the morning and enjoyed the playground until the sun made everything too hot to play on. We walked home, attempted naps and got Eden ready to go to the races in Gering with her daddy. I got to stay home and enjoy the quiet once Lars went to sleep. I managed to scrapbook 2 pages! That's a record of late.


Thursday was day one of the annual Bridgeport Rodeo. It's a huge event here, put on by the National Rodeo Association, that draws bull riders from all the surrounding states. I've never seen anything like it. The very first rider got bucked off, kicked in the head and knocked unconscious. Needless to say, all of us EMTs were kept busy. After the wild horse race and before the final bull rider, the firefighters set off the fireworks to a cheering crowd of about 2500. It was an interesting experience, but once a year is enough for me.Wednesday is too far back to remember. I do remember having a fire meeting that night, now that I think about it.

Tuesday is way too far back to remember. Al had marriage counseling for yet another couple jumping in to marital bliss. Monday was Monday, which is to say, I REALLY can't remember. We had an evening visitor come after supper, who stayed way past Eden's bedtime.

One of us had something every night this week. Lars cried a lot. More than usual. One day, he cried all day w/o stopping to eat or sleep. I think that was one of those days I'm choosing not to remember.

Eden was naughty this week and spent much time in her room, refusing to apologize for any wrong-doing. I think she was bored b/c I was holding Lars all week long.

I do love my children. Some days are just harder than others to be away from grandma.

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P.S. In honor of Independence Day this week, check out the YouTube Video below. Comments welcome!