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....