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