Predictible Children?

Elia Clara, Eden Ann & Eliezer Matthew

On Tuesday, I stopped by Lars' Head start Center for a sing-a-long of Christmas carols and a surprise visit from Santa.  I was supposed to be in two places at once, but called to delay my appointment so I could watch Lars climb up on Santa's lap.   That was a first for him.  (I know, he's four and I've probably deprived him of The American Dream in some eyes, but yes, this was a first for him.) 

I was smiling brightly because, even though he knew this was a big guy dressed up in a polyester red suit, I knew what he'd ask for.   The same two things he always asks for any time of the year:  Cars cars and John Deere Tractors.  I was prepared, having already wrapped them and hidden them under the tree.  

"What would you like for Christmas, Lars?" asked the Chief Elf. 

"A fish in an aquarium." said my Lars, without even a moment of hesitation.  

Santa's eyes cut to the back of the room where I stood with the other moms, chatting and visiting, taking photos with the center's camera, now suddenly speechless.  In a moment of panic, I made the neck chopping gestures, shaking my head violently from side to side and whispering "NO" as loudly as I could mouth it to him.  Santa, being wise beyond his years, got the hint.  

"Is there anything else you'd like for Christmas if you can't have fish?"  Asked Santa, sweetly. 

I smiled, sure I was out of the woods. 

"A Thomas the Tank Engine Electric Track Train Set"  said the boy.

WHAT????!!!!  You've got to be kidding me?  I know this kid like the back of my hand!!  Nothing changes with him, it's always the same.  What happened to My Lars?  What has Head Start done for him?  Possibly made him think outside of the box?  Now what was I to do? 

I pondered this dilemma as we went into the the next day.  Being Wednesday now, I went up to get the weekly newspaper, our Bridgeport Newsblade.  I knew that the Thursday prior, Eden's Kindergarten class had walked up to the post office to mail letters to Santa Claus.  They could ask for one thing only in their letter.  

Again, I was pretty much ready for Eden's response, as she's fairly predictable. 

Dear Santa, 

I would like a Stamp and See.

Eden Strawn

Mind you, I've never even heard of a Stamp and See, let alone know where to buy one.  Therefore, I enlisted some older elementary school friends into researching what this might be.  No one I asked had any idea, but Eden wanted one.  Bad.  

Several Google searches later, I got it.  And, if you order today and pay expedited shipping, you can have it by December 23rd.  Seeing as this rarely actually works for me, I debated.  

Then, I ordered it.    

Thursday came quickly and when Allen left to take Lars to therapy,  I gave him strict instructions to find an electric Thomas the Tank Engine track, to which he scoured the shops of Scottsbluff three days before Christmas.  He's much braver than I.  

He found one and, for the price of an arm & a both legs, he bought it.   (It looks really fun and I can't wait to see it put together tomorrow!) 

Back to thinking about Eden's Stamp and See.   When it wasn't at the Post Office on the 23rd, I went and got a secondary gift that I knew she'd love.  Only to find that UPS had delivered it to the house while I was out.  Thank you, Ron!!  

I was safe, on both fronts.

Fast forward to yesterday.  I had shared these stories with friends, relieved to know I was going to make it as Eden & Lars' Greatest Mom, at least this year for Christmas.  They thought, however, that it would be a great idea to follow through with the whole 'fish tank thing'.  We joked about finding a big shark, and low & behold, they came to the house a few hours later with three gold fish in a bag, an aquarium in a box, fish food and a tie died piece of resin coral for the fish to play in.  What are friends for?

The kids haven't stopped watching the fish swim.  They are yet to have firm names, though several have been tossed about.  I named three kids, so they're going to have to figure this one out.

As I wrapped the last of the gifts this morning, I came to the stark realization that I had not wrapped one single gift for Little Elia Clara.  I wasn't nearly as upset about this as the person I was telling, but, being the youngest of three myself, I could see the complex this could potentially have.  So, I jumped in the car, ran uptown to find some of the best last minute Christmas deals I've ever seen and came home to begin wrapping again.  I'll admit, it was kind of fun shopping just for her.  

All said, it's been a productive week.  And I'm ready for a nap.  

But first, showers for all, supper, candlelight service at 7:00, then kids to bed and Christmas socks out under the tree. 

Merry Christmas to all & to all a good night!

 

Sitting on the landing, waiting for Papa & Grandma to arrive in Bridgeport!

With the arrival of Papa and Grandma on Monday evening before supper, the Strawn house has been a buzz with activity, laughter and a lot of snoring during the overnight hours. 

Welcome, Papa & Grandma!!

After a ride and an all day event of cooking up a hefty pumpkin that gave us 10 quarts of pumpkin puree, Eden's school Christmas program, "Christmas at the OK Corral" was Tuesday night, and millions of people turned out to see it, including Santa Clause.  Ok, maybe not millions of people, but the majority of Bridgeport's population was there, which amounted to a full gym, at any rate.  My little pioneer girl was dressed in one of my old dresses & bonnet, with an apron found in grandma's cedar chest and a coat that initially was sewn for Aunt Meegan. 

Eden as Pioneer Girl

Wednesday, in between running to town and back, I spent the day sewing a Christmas wall hanging while Mom & Dad sat peeling, coring, cutting & bagging Granny Smith apples from Dad's tree on Farnsworth Rd.  This garnered us 21 quarts of sliced apples for pies, tarts, ice cream, cobbler, crisp and anything else I can think of to use them for.  Suggestions are welcome... 

Santa and Mrs. Claus?

That evening we went to church for an LYF sloppy joe supper and made it through the first half of the Advent service before having to leave with noisy & tired children.  We drove around the lake and looked at Christmas lights until they were almost asleep, then struggled to wake them for school this morning, despite the fact that snow was coming down to cover the sidewalks. 

Elia finally goes to Papa...and promptly falls asleep.

Mom & I are busy in the kitchen now making ice cream and hot butterscotch sauce, having walked Elia to story hour this morning with Dad.  Mom went to lunch with Lars at school today and decided to be a good example for the children by eating the food on her plate, even though she didn't really want to.  She decided she could eat a cheese enchilada again someday if she had to.... She's going to eat breakfast with Eden tomorrow, donuts and string cheese.  Dad and Al took Lars to therapy this afternoon in The Bluffs, along with a drive past the race track to show Papa where we go on Friday nights in the summertime.  

Eden will be done with school shortly and another walk to town in the snow will be in order.

Grandma reads a story to Lars

All too soon, Papa & Grandma will be headed back to Michigan, but not before a few more memories made, some Christmas presents opened, and a Sunday dinner with family & friends.

Happy Thanksgiving

It's a bright November day, sixty seven degrees and sunny.  I'm raking leaves in anticipation of turkey, pork & potatoes, warm rolls with butter, pumpkin pie,  apple pie with ice cream and all the love and fellowship that comes with a Thanksgiving dinner with friends and family. 

A Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving to you. 

 The photos say it all. 

Darling Daisy

Holly (The Chief Brownie) helps Eden & Delaney carry the Daisy Flag

Was I ever this little?  Carrying a big giant overgrown Girl Scout flag during an Investiture Ceremony?  Swallowed up by the fabric, yet so excited, it didn't matter?

Eden gets her Daisy pin, welcoming her (officially) to the world of Girl Scouting

Well, technically, yes and no.  I was that little, but Daisy's didn't exist when I was six.  I had to wait until first grade when I could become a Brownie.  And my mom was one of the chief Brownies, and that was so cool. And we sang the most fun songs.  Make new friends, but keep the old...remember that one? 

We got all messy with arts and crafts and we earned badges, doing good works for others along the way and leaving a place better than we found it when we came.  Which meant making a long line of little people walking, picking up every bit of trash that had been there for at least a year, crusted into the dirt. 

And don't forget the cookie sales.  Who in the world out there wouldn't kill for a Thin Mint when the mood strikes? 

Proud as a ... Daisy?

For Eden, she is a Kindergarten Daisy.  And they have more than cookie sales now, they sell nuts and candy before they sell cookies.  (I think it's practice for the BIG one.)  And in her little blue smock with her two little Daisy friends, she looks so little, and so grown up, all at the same time.  And she sings the silly songs and the sweet ones, too, and comes home with crafts and talks about her new friends.  And her old friends.  And even though her mom isn't the chief brownie, she includes me in every little way when we walk home together.

Delaney & Eden sing about life as a "Darling Darling Daisy"

And I love her for it.  

My little Daisy. 

Sweet November

Fifty Three days until Christmas and we had our first (sort of) snow last night.  The experts at The Weather Channel predicted a big snowfall with wind and hazardous conditions and the radar looked pretty scary and convincing of such a storm, but it fizzled out over the Laramie range in Wyoming and was piddly by the time it reached Bridgeport. 

Which made for happy adults but very disappointed children this morning.  Eden & Lars still wore their boots & snow pants to school and were melting by this afternoon's 40 degree weather.  Lars begged me to shovel the snow off the sidewalk this morning but it had completely melted by 0745 and there was nothing to shovel.  So we wrapped up in a fuzzy green blanket and waited for the bus on the porch instead.  That's way better than shoveling snow anyway, if you ask me. 

The day turned out beautiful with lots of sunshine & little wind.  Elia and I took our morning walk, delivering chocolate chip cookies to a couple businesses in town, I biked for a bit, and the moon showed itself as I walked the kids home from school this afternoon, which gave them something to talk about. 

Eden is already thinking about next year's Halloween costume and how she's going to decorate her pumpkin for the contest that she didn't win this year.  Speaking of which, Lars went trick or treating this year as a Navy Sailor and Eden was a princess with long blond hair.  The photographer was absent Monday evening because she was busy fixing a feast for friends, some of whom are country bumpkins & come to town for the Halloween festivities, so you'll have to use your imagination on their costumes.

I had a great time playing Betty Crocker all day Monday, making cinnamon rolls & chili (a Nebraska combination), Artisan bread, wheat bread, and a huge salad.  I'm not sure how many people ended up coming over, but the house was pretty thick at one point.  The weather was perfect to sit out on the porch under a blanket, handing out candy treats & visiting with the ghosts & goblins that came by.  It always seems like Halloween night is the last night of the year that I sit outside for any length of time.  Once November hits, I watch traffic go by from the INDOORS.

And with that, I'm going to go enjoy my November....

37 years & counting???

First off, Happy 37th to the oldest Strawn of the bunch here.  After Lars ran up to him and said "Happy Birthday, Daddy!" at the end of church, The Rev announced to the congregation that he was one year closer to being dead.  That's one way to look at it, I guess...

In happier news, we celebrated with a grill out & cheesecake last night with friends and delighted in the warm weather we've been lucky enough to sustain out here.  I know winter is going to come quickly, hit us like a Mack, and it's going to be cold & windy & bitter & probably awful with no snow to boot, but we're holding on to 70 degrees as long as we can!~

I'm a bit ashamed to say I have no photos of last night's party endeavor, but I assure you, there was wine & good laughter from all!

This afternoon, in 73 degrees, the kids & I walked up to the football field for the "Punt, Pass & Kick" competition of the year.  This is an old Bridgeport tradition that apparently ended some years ago and is trying to be resurrected.  The idea is to see how far you can throw a softball, throw a baseball, pass, kick and then punt a football. Not all at the same time, thankfully.

Elia, in charge of the "T"...and the football...

Lars and Eden were in the group for pre-K/K together and I have no idea what I'm going to do when Lars will be in any sort of separate group of Eden.  They stick together like glue.  Eden said to me, "Mom can you find Lars a new friend, he won't leave me alone."  At one point, he was holding on to her shirt yelling, "Don't leave me" and she was yelling, "Lars I'm right here, stand out of my space bubble!"

Eden gets some air on a kick!

She really tolerates him better than I do.

At any rate, all the kids seemed to have fun.  A bee sting ended it for the one other girl in Eden's group, on the first practice for the first event, which left Eden as the token girl for the group.  I don't think she noticed.  She was unhappy, however, that she did not throw the ball as far as the other boys, and only beat out two of them, one being Lars.  She said she'd have to get working on that over the winter months.  I hoped we could practice with snowballs.   But I'm not holding my breath. 

This year's event was coupled with a fundraiser for a local toddler who was burned in a campfire over the summer, and it was a real joy to see her out getting around so well.  Her & Elia, 3 months apart in age, are becoming fast friends. At the end of the potluck, the girl was riding in Elia's stroller, and Elia was reaching for the football she had.  I told them not to worry, they'd get to know each other more before they went to Kindergarten together.  It is, after all, a pretty small town.

In the end, we came home with more than we went with, both in food (candy for the little kickers) & fellowship, having been able to get to know some more of the townsfolk. That's probably my favorite thing about doing community events here, I always seem to meet somebody, even after nearly 5 years.  One woman wanted to know if I made the enchilada's.  When I said that, yes, I had, she gave me her phone number & email, wanting the recipe.  I also got a bowl of hot sauce from somebody else and gave away my Sweet Pickles to somebody who said he normally hates sweet pickles, but loved these.

Good Food.  That's my kind of talk!  Beautiful weather. That's my kind of event!  Friendly people.  That's my kind of town!

Lars gets ready to punt!

Now I lay me down to sleep..... 

whoever may mind, whatever the reason, whenever I feel like it, wherever I happen to be, however I deem necessary, without a care in the world, dreaming happily about that next home run.

The love-hate relationship: Fundraisers

I don't know what happened to the simple days of selling Girl Scout cookies and calling it good, but now that my daughter is in Kindergarten, we have begun the age of fundraisers.  I have many, many thoughts on fundraisers, most of them negative, but I'm not going to be a stick in the mud parent who locks my child up in a closet during fundraiser time and shreds their fundraiser catalog when they are not looking then blame it on the dog. 

I first began despising fundraisers when I had a kid walk up to my door some years ago, ring the door bell and shove a catalog in my face as soon as I had opened the door, all while I had a screaming baby in my arms.  I'm sure the screaming baby had something to do with it, but I snapped.

Now don't hate me just because of that, hear me out first.

I am over fundraiser-ed at this point because it was my 3rd door bell kid of the day and it was still very early.  I asked him, "What do you want me to do with this?" and he looked at me, bewildered, and shrugged his shoulders. He said, "I don't know.  My teacher gave it to me and it says on the paper what it is.  I think.  Somewhere."   He says this as he turns the paper in several directions, flipping it over 3 times in my hand.  I asked him sweetly, "Child, what is your name?" and he said, "I'm not sure I'm supposed to tell you because I don't know you."  I tried something different, "What grade are you in?"  He stared at me.  "Fair enough, I don't want you breaking any house rules.  Where is your mom or dad?"  His answer?  "At home."

So, let me roll my eyes and get this straight:  You are a nameless child wandering the streets without a parent, coming to MY door, (a stranger, no less), to throw a catalog in my face and stand there like the confused child that you are.  Then, when I ask you a simple question, you are terrified.  Probably because I spoke and you weren't expecting any questions.

Why wasn't he expecting any questions you may ask?  Because we have so trained ourselves to expect this kind of behavior from cute little kids who come to the door with a catalog, selling something or asking for donations for a good cause.  Like, jump rope until you have a heart attack and give me $5.00 while you're at it.  Or maybe you just want to get them to leave, so you put a quantity in a box as quickly as you can, whip out your checkbook, and send them on their way.  I'm not sure your reason.

Personally, I just like to support the locals.  Educational trips, new band equipment, football jerseys, boy scout camps, and the like. I'm all for it. And I love chocolate, and pizza kits, and cookies, and wrapping paper.  It has nothing to do with the current economy at all, or kids having to pay their own way in life, or parents not having enough money.  Like the years of the Depression were any better, and they got along just fine without fundraisers.  I really like the way polite, well dressed kids come to my door, knock, smile, introduce themselves, make small talk, tell me about the trip they are attempting to take and so on and so forth.  I'm happy to look at your cause.  It's the cute but rude, clueless ones that irritate me.

Anyway, I digress.

I now have a cute little kid of my own, begging me to go door to door.  I compromised.  I told Eden that she could go ask people that she knew.  And that she had to be polite and tell people exactly what they would be supporting if they chose to purchase something.  And if they said "No, thank you" that she couldn't pout or look like she just got slapped.

So, we practiced.  I told her if she shoved the paper in anybody's face, even once, she was done. 

"Mommy, My name is Eden.  Would you like to buy some chocolates to support the Girl Scouts?"

"NO, GO AWAY!"

She looked like she might cry, then thought better of it and smiled a little grin and said, "huh?"

Fast forward to this evening.  We are at a JV football game, working ambulance, and here's Eden with her pen and catalog in hand, big smile on her face, walking up and down the sidelines, trying to sell to the kids on the bench.  I shooed her into the stands and told her to find adults that she knew to ask.  Politely.  And then I hid under the stands until she was done.  Until a child found me with her OWN paper, saying, "Hey.  Do you want to donate money for me to play basket ball for your heart?"  After a 5 minute dissertation in which she knew more than most, I dug out 9 quarters and two nickles from my EMS pants and put them in her envelope, signing my name in the appropriate spot on her paper. 

While I was cowering, and complaining about all the fundraisers that kids are expected to do to raise an unreasonable about of money for every club known to man, a wise one enlightened me with the thought that in this process, if parents care to teach them, kids are learning to present themselves to people in a proper way, and it'll teach them important life skills as they grow up.

I'll admit, I'd never thought of it that way before.  Thank you.   

"Well OK Eden, let me see your catalog"

"Mommy, I'd like you to buy these, because they look really good and I want to eat them."

"Eden, you can't tell people what you want them to buy, they get to pick for themselves"

"Well, I was just trying to help.  I helped others."

"I know, dear child, I know.  I love you. Fundraisers and all.  Forever"

Eden's first Girl Scout Event: Learning Archery

Now, who's selling Little Ceasers pizza kits?  Those are my favorite.  You know where to find me!

To Lars with Love

To my now four year old boy; the one and only Lars,                                                     18 Sept 2011

To the one that Papa called a Bulldog from the moment he laid eyes on you at 6 hours old.  To the little boy who never emptied cupboards, drawers, closets or the refrigerator.  The one who never took clothes that I just folded into their drawers and spread them all over the room, or took towels from underneath the sink and unfolded them all into a pile to lie on.  The one Who never took the stack of Dixie cups from the sink and crushed them each one individually and rendered them useless.  To the one Who never found the Tupperware shelf absolutely irresistible, or the bottle of soap a sheer necessity to squeeze all over onto the counter. To the one who didn't dump the bookshelf daily or empty the blanket box just for fun. 

To the one Who is never too curious about anything, really, or too mischievous to get into much trouble.  Who is no longer stuck to my hip, but is away at Head-start now, learning to conquer the world without me.  

To the boy who cries a lot, cuddles a lot & knows every part of a John Deere tractor.  To the boy who loves Cars Cars and can call each character by name & sight from 10 meters away.  

To the little boy who can hear a train, plane or automobile 45 seconds before anybody else can.  

To the boy who has a memory that would rival brilliance.

To the little boy who takes my bible every Sunday in church and flips the pages just to hear the 'swoosh' sound it makes, but will cover his ears to the 'hiss' of an oxygen tank in the distance.    

 

To the boy who has now become so self aware, it makes me wonder if he's not just a little bit smarter off and better grounded than all of us combined. 

To that little blue lifeless body that didn't have much hope about him four years ago, Happy Birth Anniversary.  

You're going to have to work a little bit harder in life than some, but you'll be Ok.  I love you very much.

Mommy

Sarah goes racing

Allen and I had a deal: If he went to my high school reunion in Michigan, I'd go racing with him for a day. He went to Michigan with me in August. Saturday, I went racing.

Don't pay attention to that clenched fist, Brent.  It's all good.

Driver? Check.

Fire suit? Check. 

Helmet? Check.

Hans neck brace? Check.

Five point seatbelt? Check.

Emergency shut off valve?  Nope, no idea where that went.

Slow down button?  Non-Existent.

God be with me? Check. Check.

The Rev, The Driver, The one who talked me into this...

Now, I've always said that I'll do anything once and I've kept my word on that in just about every equation. In this case, once was definitely enough!  Or maybe I just need to try my hand at driving instead?? 

It started out faster than I was comfortable with, but I soon got used to that.  I kept telling myself it was like an amusement ride that would soon be over and I'd feel that rush of, "WOW!  I want to get back in line and do that again!"  

And then I was reminded that, unlike an amusement ride that has been designed, engineered & built by professionals, a ride that goes through vigorous maintenance & safety checks throughout the day with empty cars, is operated by people with lots of training (or so I pretend) and people who get paid to be safe, this was an amateur driver (sorry honey) in a type of car he'd never been in in his life, let alone driving one, and that I was essentially a guinea pig. I closed my eyes at some point, praying for safety. It was at this point I really wanted to get out.  

All my yelling, "honey, can you slow down?!  Can we take a break?! Can you stay away from the wall?! Stop the car! You're tires are slipping, and We need to go home!" fell on deaf ears due to the ROAR of the engine..... and then, as quickly as it began, it was over. 

In the end, I walked away in one piece with a smile on my face.  

As my mother will say, "Cross that one off your Bucket List!" 

In good spirits and with a smile, no less!

Thanks to the Holliday's for a fun afternoon, Grandpa and Grandma Strawn for coming to watch, and my dear Allen, who would never put me in harm's way without a really good reason.  143.  Thanks for bringing me home to my children.

My Kindergartener!

Eden, my first Kindergartener!

Eden has gone off to Kindergarten now. Day three today. A full day. And I'm pretty sure she really doesn't need me anymore.

The first day was a half day last Thursday, and wasn't half bad. Kind of quiet here, but nice. Daddy got her off alright and brought her home all in one piece. She wasn't worse for wear when she got home. In fact, she had a smile on her face. And lots to talk about. She sits at table #1 with Gabe, her buddy from Head start last year. And she had stuff to show me. And papers for me to sign (LOTS!) and send back in her backpack. She told me how she ate her lunch with the other kids, but ran out of time before the Peanut Butter Sandwich. Was it OK that she ate the cookie first? I told her it was, but just this once.

We then spent the weekend doing our normal stuff; Race track on Friday night with our yellow shirted #66 friends, watching The Rev take the plaque for quick time, the trophy for the trophy dash, the checkered flag for the heat, and 2nd in the Main event. I usually fill up on peanuts during the race, but had enjoyed a couple tacos from my now favorite taco joint in Scottsbluff, Taco De Oro, aka TDO, before we arrived, so I spent the majority of the night digesting, only to go home and gorge on a mudslide with homemade vanilla ice cream. Man, there's no better.

Saturday was Bridgeport's Motor-cross race at the fairgrounds, as well as Safe Kids Day in Gering. Al took his race-car to Gering and I took the ambulance to the fairgrounds for the day. It was HOT, nearly 100 all day, with a slight breeze and lots of dust flying around. By the end of the day, I'd passed out 2 ice packs, 3 band-aids, a piece of tape and some Neosporin. The rest of the time, I napped on our new cot, took a walk and enjoyed a chocolate milkshake, all while 'working'. That was the extent of it, really. Hope to do it again next year, if only for the nap!

Sunday afternoon was a Girl Scout Rally to Register at the pool here in town, so Eden & I biked up in another 100 degree day to enjoy an afternoon of swimming and paddling in the pool with almost the entire community population of Bridgeport. I'm pretty sure Allen and the two little ones were the only people NOT at the pool. I'm glad to see that it's a well used place, however. Once she was signed up, she was telling everybody that she was a Daisy now and could eat GS cookies anytime she wanted to. We celebrated this newly acquired (her first, really) extra curricular activity with ice cream cones from the Karette. "Let the activities begin" said her Daddy. "Right-e-o" says I!

Today, the first Monday (all day) of a full week of school, I sit with my phone in my pocket, waiting for the teacher (our across-the-street neighbor, what a blessing!!) to call and tell me Eden is crying & homesick and that she needs me to come pick her up. Of course, school is over in 15 minutes and I'm not thinking the phone is going to ring anytime in those next few minutes. But I hold onto hope, at any rate.

I guess I can still hope that she needs me for something, albeit minimal, tonight.

Happy 6th Birthday Eden!

Happy Birthday Eden!

Yesterday my oldest baby turned six. And yes, I know exactly where the time has gone. Partly to joy and partly to work, but always with thanksgiving to God for her life and the tears and smiles that have come along with her.

We celebrated with a family gathering in Michigan (a pool party at Uncle Chad's house!) and again with our Nebraska family on Sunday evening here at home. It was nice to be back into the swing of things here, and have friends to gather with and play catch up on all the late summer activities.

Our end of vacation events revolved mostly around the cousins being together, which was so fun to watch. I enjoyed friends that stopped by (thanks, Mickey for helping with laundry!), and Allen & Lars went to fell some trees with Dad, Chad & Josh in Marlette for firewood. We took the kids to Grandpa and Grandma Strawn's house in Auburn for a family and friend gathering there one afternoon, stopping in Birch Run to shop along the way. Spent another couple evenings in Uncle Chad's swimming pool.

The weekend included my 15 year high school reunion, where I learned that the old barriers that come with teenagers and hormones had been replaced with laid back conversation, both with old buddies, band-mates & sports-mates, and with those I never thought I had much to talk about with back in the day. Some people, I found out, had not left the teenage lifestyle, and instead were 33 year old seniors who needed to find a job and throw away their beer bottles. Others had grown up, straightened out, stayed out of the pen, and were extremely pleasant to have conversation with. Yet a few others were simply the same sweet and caring people they were when I knew them 15 years ago.

Naturally, the obligatory 15 pounds had found most and I realized that I'm not the only one feeling a mid life crisis coming on...

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend of events, and I'm so glad we made the long trip. Allen, who was unsure about the doing this whole thing from the start, came along and stuck by me, making friends with mine and by the end of the night was dolling out invitations for people to stay in our guest room here in Western Nebraska. Maybe it was the alcohol? Or maybe he really had a good time with my old mates? I know I did.

Now I must keep up my end of the deal and strap on a fire suit and helmet for a ride in his race car. I need another martini, please!!

Eden woke up on Monday morning and said in a whisper, "Mommy, am I six now??"

My now 6-year old will start Kindergarten later this week and we will officially have school aged children to contend with. Scissors & glue sticks & crayons, Oh My! Does this mean lunch boxes or school menus? I'm not sure yet. Since we are only a few blocks from the school house, Daddy will drive her every morning on his way to work. All day Kindergarten here means that Mommy and little siblings will be walking to pick her up in the middle of nap time...which could be a good routine, at best, or a transitioning nightmare, at worst. Time will tell.

But, for the next two days, I'm going to enjoy my 3 little rugrats immensely here at home!

Michigan part 1

Coming to you from Michigan this day, I am happy to announce our vacation is in full swing now and everybody is having a great time at Grandma and Grandpa Kenny's house. Our time has been full of cousins, aunts & uncles, food, food and more food, swimming at Uncle Chad's house, and a few friends thrown in for the heck of it.

The train ride east took a bit of creative thinking when we got into Chicago 5 hours late and missed both connecting trains to Michigan. I had to wait in line another hour to get return tickets and that went badly when I got to the agent and didn't have a photo ID on me. Things quickly went south, my freedom was threatened with a security guard and I had flashbacks of being in Frankfurt, Germany some years ago with the Green Police and a tiny interrogation room....

Mom and Dad drove across the state to pick us up, borrowing Chad's van on an instant notice. We arrived in Lapeer at 0300 Wednesday morning, 36 hours after setting off from Bridgeport, and decided to sleep in.

All toll, we have toured Chad & Marie's new place, went swimming in their pool, tried the kids' feet at walking on stilts, spent a day at my grandma's house in Marlette, went on an all day shopping spree with Meegan in Romeo, purchasing, among many other things, a rain barrel that Allen is in town putting together for her. I also found a pair of shoes to wear with my dress tonight, thanks to Allen's keen eye! Meegan and I went to town this morning to get our nails done. Let's hope after 2 hours in a chair, I can keep them looking fabulous for the next 12 hours! Not an easy task for me. I was told, "No tree climbing this afternoon and no random hikes in the woods"..... what fun is that??

Last night was a get together at Louie's bar before our class reunion tonight and I have to say, I had a great time. Allen & Jonathan (yes, I brought two dates) hung out in the corner, snapping photos and chatting the night away, while I mingled with my increasingly drunk friends and caught up on 15 years of lost time. I didn't know I had so many friends, then or now. We are all a bit older and some of us wiser and I was glad to get to be a part of it. Looking forward to another great evening with even more past friends.

More to come from this trip....

Bound for Michigan!

T minus 2 days and counting until we leave for the train bound for Michigan.

That's all Eden & Lars have talked about today. The snacks they're going to eat on the train (goldfish, mostly), the movie they're going to watch on the ride to the station at Ft. Morgan (Cars), the blankets and pillows they're going to use to sleep on the train floor, the fact that Daddy is coming this time and, since neither of them remember ever traveling with him by train, all the things he's going to see out the window for the first time. They are excited to show him the lobby car, where you "can bring crayons and coloring books and use the tables to color on and look out the big windows!" Both are concerned with the loud whistle while we wait for the train on the platform and have asked for their race track ear muffs again. Eden will not forgive me for forgetting hers on the last trip.

Thanks to loveable Kalli, they have a new used CD player and case to hold CDs. I picked up two pair of headphones at Wal-mart Thursday and they've been lying on Eden's bed, listening to music for 2 days. Which I'd have discovered something like that at the beginning of the summer! But this is perfect timing, and it's already packed in the kids backpack.

I pulled out the suitcase yesterday and opened it up on the guest bed. Within an hour, Lars packed all his John Deere tractors, John Deere books, Cars stuff, Little Tigger and a large rock in it. Eden, feeling left out, came in with her array of items to go to Grandma's house, along with a few toys & diapers for Elia.

Though I'm not fluent in Yiddish, I can say "Oy vey"!

After UNPACKING the suitcase and kicking the kids out of the room, I managed to fit all three kids clothes in it, with room to spare. The Girl Scout in me said, "Bring an empty suitcase, always be prepared". So, I'm bringing along another suitcase so I can go cloths shopping with my sisters while I'm there.

Though it's going to be a short trip home, it'll be packed with fun times and filled with memories. We've got a couple family parties planned, and two nights at a B&B. I've got a few restaurants on the radar that I like to hit every time I'm home. I'm anxious to see 50 of my high school classmates, most of whom I've not seen in 15 years. I'm excited to have my kids home with their cousins, romping around and getting to know each other. Elia will be walking all over the place by the time we get there. I'm looking forward to spending time sitting on the couch, talking to Mom about nothing important, or being outside in the garden with Dad. It's going to be a good time and a perfect way to end our summer.

T minus 2 days and counting....

Lightening McQueen at Hiway 92

Kalli & Mia
Lars, Eden & Seth
with Lightening McQueen!

Lightning McQueen came to the race track on Friday night! Once again, I forgot my camera. It's been a long, stressful and crazy week, so that's my excuse. At any rate, one of our newly devoted fans brought hers along and shared this one with us. All the kids in front of Lightening McQueen. We hope he returns to the track for a future race so I can get a photo of the car, too!

In other news this week, Elia has another tooth coming in on the top, making a grand total of 3 coming at once. We were up all night Thursday night nursing it through. All I can do is hold her, love her and smother her with kisses. But it makes for an awful long day following!

Since our sprinklers don't work, I'm back to watering the grass and wasting gallons of water on dry spots that never quite turn out right when I'm done with them. I'm going to rake and re-seed this fall, I've decided, in hopes of turning what Eden and Lars call, "the picky stuff" back into the lawn we once enjoyed. But it still has to live until fall.

I am also starting to think I'd better pull out a suitcase for our trip to Michigan and start putting some thing in it. Eden tells me we have 8 days left. Being as we'll be on the train for over 24 hours with three children, it's a bit more of a strategically organized event with several back up plans in the wings than it is the simple task of packing a couple bags. My philosophy is one of this: if I forget to pack it, Meijer has it to purchase. And Meijer has frozen cokes, so several trips is not out of the question. However, that doesn't help me on the train. Which, need-less-to-say, does NOT have a Meijer on it.

My sister, Meegan, and I have been scheming activities to do while at home. McKenzie Marie (my niece) called to tell me the carnival and county fair will be going on the week we will be home and would we like to go. Also got an invite to go tubing on the Rifle River, which I'd love to do without children. Would like to get up to Auburn and show the kids where their Daddy comes from and walk around his childhood house. Eden was a baby when we were last there. Maybe have a dinner party with some of his old friends. The possibilities are endless, I suppose. But, in six days, hard to know what will be crammed in and what will wait for the next trip. I do hope I remember that we're going home for my 15 year high school reunion. Now that I think of it, I haven't seen any tickets....

On top of that, I need to find a caretaker for the gardens (I'm not losing my tomatoes at this point in the game), and somebody to feed & water the dog in this 100 degree heat every day. I did make a list of things to do, but I'm not real motivated. I think the extended heat is zapping life from my very being. Not to mention motherhood.


Allen & I decided this week that we needed a date. So, on Wednesday, we got a sitter & headed to Scottsbluff for a steak dinner at Whiskey Creek (I love the free peanuts you can crack and throw shells on the floor), followed by a night at the theater. Theater West presented the musical, All Shook Up, and the whole crew did a wonderful job! It was a musical based on the recordings of Elvis and the plot was based on love and everybody in the cast was chasing everybody else, looking in all the "wrong" people for true love. In the end, everybody got with the "right" person and lived happily ever after. It was fun to forget the real world for a bit, fun to see a happy ending. It was fun to laugh. It was fun to be back in the theater. It was fun to be with Allen and just Allen, even in a crowded room. I'm pretty sure I heard Lars, however, calling for Mommy, somewhere in the rows and rows of people.

Tonight we await Daddy's arrival from work so we can enjoy some homemade pizza & drinks, Oreo cookie dessert and a bike ride with all the kids. We also eagerly await a 20 degree drop in temperature!

Camping ...

As you can see by the photos, our camping trip to Smith Falls State Park (east of Valentine, Nebraska) was full of sunshine, family, friends, and fun. Not to mention 100 degree heat every day.

Other contenders during the trip? Ticks, (Lars had the most), biting flies (Sarah took the prize here), gnats (Al is definitely allergic and swelled up like a boy scout at camp), heat (Samson took to the shade under the picnic table, and mud, which made setting up camp Wednesday evening somewhat challenging. Thankfully, there were not a lot of people in camp in the middle of the week, so we had lots of space to spread out to get done what we needed to.

After we made camp & Allen cooked chicken on the grill, it was too late to walk over the bridge, so instead we took to a campfire with S'mores and a whole lot of relaxing. The kids went to bed without a hitch, and the adults sat up and enjoyed the quiet crackle of a camp-fire.

Thursday started out with sausage & egg burritos, followed by a walking trip to the Falls, in which the intent of taking shoes and socks off to get our feet wet was met by a full fledged climb all over the rocks and half way down the falls, being completely soaked for the walk back. And, oh, was it worth it! Allen was the photographer this time. Even Samson had fun.

After a quick bite to eat, we loaded up the Ford and went to town, stopping at a hat shop before renting canoes for a 16.2 mile float down the Niobrara River, stopping once to eat and twice to swim in the rushing water. Lars was a bit of a crab after the 1st half hour, then fell asleep for a good duration, only to wake up and drop his pacifier overboard. It went downhill from there for him. Elia enjoyed standing up on the edge of the canoe and dragging her hand in the river, sucking the water off it and repeating the process over and over and over. With a bit of nursing, she, too, took a good nap, making the trip bearable for all. Eden sat in the middle of the canoe pretty well, but did try to tip us over a few times by trying to reach the water. A 35 pound shift in weight can be the beginning of the end when you're in a canoe! She was a little bored after lunch, and tried her hand at paddling, only to realize she was too short and was happier to sit and look at the scenery. By the end of the float, I think everybody had been in a canoe with everybody else at some point, and nobody capsized or got stuck in a log (there were none), stuck to the bottom (too deep), had to portage or get pulled from the weeds, so we considered it success!

Came back to camp for pizza pockets & S'mores over the campfire. The sky was clear and the stars were out in great numbers. I was pointing out different constellations to the kids, I forget how much you can't see them where we live in town with the street lights.

Friday after pancakes, we headed back to play in the falls. This time, Allen joined in the fun, getting drenched under the pouring water between the rocks. Samson tried to climb the falls, which didn't work so well for him, and the kids all played in base, with the water slapping off the rocks and sand below, moving them from their place with the rush of the water. After a while, we started down the falls into the dripping falls that led to the Niobrara. The water from the falls was cold, and it felt good in the already hot day. Eden & Daddy had to turn around just before they reached the bottom, due to a lack of shoes and sharp rocks on the bottom. The rest of us continued down the 8 foot drop off and into the mouth of the river, where the water went from cold to warm in a matter of about 12 inches. Samson's leash got tangled in a log and he about hung himself, but waited until I could untangle him, and all was well. At 8 years old, he still has a bit of adventure in him. We then floated down to the campsite, but not before Lars lost his hat and it sank to the bottom as it floated downstream at a high rate of speed...

Went back to camp, had a snack to tide us over, then a long hike on a nature trail, picking up a couple loads of firewood on the way. Naps were in order after this, and Elia was the only one who didn't comply, so I took off for another hike in the woods with her. Thankfully, the generator worked to run the AC in the camper and Allen & kids crammed in there to rest, which made for a much more peaceful evening. After a supper of Hobo dinners, Allen & I took a walk to the water, spotting a nanny goat down stream, which made for an interesting discussion of what exactly he was doing there on the bank. I never did find out.

Saturday was a breakfast of bacon & eggs, then time to break camp. We were out of there by noon, and headed to Crawford for a picnic lunch in the beautiful City Park, and an intended hike around Toadstool Park, 20 miles into the hills on country roads. Once we got to Toadstool, we realized we were w/o bug spray. Not that it mattered much...about 100 yards into the hike, one of the children was literally picked up by a swarm of mozzies and carried away. We decided, before we lost any more of them, we'd run back to the Ford, swatting gnats and mosquitoes all the way. I've never seen so many of them in my life in one place. Hundreds on each limb of each body that was there. We all itched all the way out to Douthit's Ranch 12 miles away, where we enjoyed a few minutes of the view there before the rain came down in torrents and we ran back to the Ford once again to get out of there. Anybody who knows anything about life in that part of the world knows that if you want to get out, do it when it's dry or be prepared to stay for a week.

The long ride home to Bridgeport ended with a bang as Al got the kids into the bath tub, only to find out we had no hot water again. After 4 days of no running water, and church in the morning, this made for an interesting evening. We borrowed a bathtub in town, returned the kids to the house and into bed and called it a night.

All in all, we crammed a lot of fun into a short amount of time, enjoyed the beauty of God's creation, had a few laughs, a few drinks, a few smiles and a LOT of sun. My back is still peeling because of that last one!

July news

I suppose I should take a moment and recognize the fact that my last week's blog about Allen being a lousy driver kicked his rear in gear and he actually raced his car this week, right into Victory Lane! And wouldn't you know it? I forgot the camera! Thankfully, one of our loyal fans brought his along, and even shot video of The Rev capturing the checkered flag. I think the man needs a second wife to keep everything in smooth running order.

In other news, Elia is cutting teeth again finally. She has two incisors and at least one of the top chompers coming in on the top and they are sharp, but will hopefully help in the chewing department. And, as awful as it might be to get 3-4 all at once, it'll be a long drawn out process nearly over!

Lars has been typical Lars this week, screaming his one volume voice most all day and desperately in need of whatever it is he needs almost constantly. But he is adorable when he's sleeping deep in his red bean bag, swallowed up on all sides and wrapped in his heavy blanket. His therapist is working on some sort of chewing necklace because he's eating pacifiers on a daily basis, chewing them to bits and clenching his teeth pretty badly. He looks forward to our camping trip and sleeping in the camper this week, though, so I'm excited about that.

Eden is ever the even-keeled child in my life right now, helping out where she is needed and whining to be held when she's not getting the attention she needs, reminding me of Mother's words, "She's only 5".... She, too, is super excited about going camping and helped me pack the camper, bringing along half her bedroom in case it rains.

I've been enjoying the beautiful Nebraska weather lately. Warm, sunny days relaxing on the deck between Mom and Housewife stuff, followed by evening bike rides after the kids are in bed have been keeping me sane. I've taken quite a bit of time to work on EMS needs this week, as well, which has gotten me out of the house enough to enjoy life.

Headed out this week for a camping trip with the family, and friends who are close enough to be. I do hope the weather cooperates and we will all have a great time making long lasting summertime memories.

More news on the other side of the trip!~

Weekly Newsbeat

Life is moving by & I'm forgetting to pay attention to it at times. I'm not sure how this is happening, except maybe that I have gotten very little sleep in the past several days...weeks...months, really. But, who's counting?

I don't want to miss a second of it.

Yet, it seems like at the end of the day, after a quiet walk or bike ride, I sit with the music playing and wonder where the day went and whether or not it was complete enough.... I guess I will always be left wondering.

And then tomorrow comes, and I get up and do it all over again.

Eden had two lose teeth that fell out last week, much to Mommy's surprise. She told me the tooth fairy usually brings money or candy. Who knew? I thought you had to be K-garden or 1st grade before we started losing teeth. Thank God Lexi the babysitter was here when it happened, I really don't do teeth & gaping smiles all that well. Just typing about it makes my stomach curl.

Lars has a new trampoline. A small one. In the house. Joy. But, he loves it and uses it frequently, at lengthy intervals. His therapists were suggesting us get one and after weeks of gentle badgering, I broke down and did. It's not too bad of an eye sore, it's downstairs by the couch, and if it helps, it'll be worth it.

Though a Gift from God, the boy is a daily challenge to his mother.

Elia is on the verge of walking, but changes her mind at the last possible second and grabs on to that security of a finger. Eden loves walking her around and is such a good big sister, protecting her from the dangers of brotherly love and disdain. With just two teeth (the two that Eden just lost), she is still on baby food and not much else at this point. I'm hoping the other teeth will show up soon. She is learning how to go down steps...head first, mind you, getting her body weight completely in front of her, then swinging a leg around just in the nick of time to stop herself from crashing down the flight of stairs. Well, usually. I'm hoping that she will start sleeping through the night one of these times, too. I'm getting too old for this.

Elia in the dishwasher, helping??

Friday's race night was not much excitement to talk about. Other than the fact that the rain stayed away, the weather was perfect, the Bridgeport Crew was out in huge numbers, a sea of Yellow shirts, and the fireworks were brilliant (Except the one that dove sideways and flew up into our seats, wiping out small children and animals along it's path), we "66" fans thought The Rev needed to be a bit more aggressive on the track. Maybe he should give up the Pastoral approach and go after the checkered flag??
The track crowd was huge, the largest mid season gathering in several years, thought the owner.
The Rev was most recently trying out some new tires that he liked very much, and spent the evening getting used to them. He didn't get to compete in the trophy dash b/c they took the 5 slowest cars and he was one of the 5 fastest cars. Explain that logic to me. But this meant that he got to hang out in the stands with us a bit more than usual, so that was nice. He even took a picture of his wife to prove that I was there.

However lousy his racing was, the peanuts were perfectly salted and I brought the right animal crackers this week to keep our fans content. You know, the ones with the dripping icing & sprinkles on them? Our fans can be a rowdy bunch when left with boring crackers. Not to mention, cranky. I won't name names, you know who you are....


The Mom has been busy with life as usual. Laundry, dishes, cleaning, diapers, bath time, meals and the like. The redundant activities that are full of comfort and security. 

We've also obtained some new biking material this week to get back into our old biking routine. Bought a bike trailer for the little ones, which Lars would never ride in before because it was too bumpy and unstable. This one, at a much higher cost, is much more stable and secure and he loves it! And we love that he loves it! He even shares the space with Elia fairly well. She just goes along for the ride, content as always. Eden, who tried out a new bike with training wheels last week, just wasn't getting the hang of it, so we ordered instead a trail a long that hooks on to Mom's bike and has one wheel, a seat, pedals and a handle bar to hold on to. She can pedal or not, but has to hold on to learn balance. After several tears and a screaming fit this evening, I plopped her on it and took off riding. She had no choice but to hold on and scream. After four blocks, she loved it and we went about 3 miles before she got tired, pedaling on and off much of the way.

Now, it is 11:00 in the evening, I've sufficiently used up the remainder of my energy watching a thunder storm from my kitchen, humming along to some new music, and enjoying the peace of the wind blowing the trees nearby. Here's to another piece of life in Western Nebraska....