Sunny and Dukes

Tuesday morning I drug the kids away from 'Good Luck Charlie' on Netflix (The summer chore chart only lasts so long) and told them we were going to the park. 

I figured the playground would be empty and the kids needed some fresh air which ironically seems to be clouding-up the atmosphere these days. 

 

While at the park, the kids wandered down to Ross' hideout while I read a book on a bench.  The hideout's a huge bush Ross climbs into and becomes surrounded with shrubbery. 

Apparently, that's fun for kids.

 

I suddenly heard the kids screaming something about Kratt. 

I sighed, closed my book and walked down toward the hideout.  Sure enough, the kids found a kitten.  Again.  However, this one was orange and looked just like Kratt but prettier.  It was a girl kitten and appeared to be very friendly and extremely thin.

 

The girls were squealing with excitement as Ross began talking a mile-a-minute trying to determine what we were going to do.  I couldn't leave her in the bush to die, so I told the kids to get her in the minivan. 

 

I drove her home and we watched her eat like she's never been fed.  We played with her, held her, Ross named her Sunny and I could tell he was hoping I'd let him keep her.  But, once again, the timing just wasn't right.  I called Street Tails where a woman from our church came to pick her up and will have her spade, vaccinated, micro-chipped and adopted. 

 

Although it was hard for Ross to say goodbye to Sunny, he also knew we saved her. 

 

 

 

 

Once Sunny left, I took the kids to the pool.  I wasn't terribly concerned about sunburn as the sun is practically invisible these days.  We swam about 45 minutes before the pool was evacuated.  Apparently, it had been evacuated earlier in the afternoon as well.  The cause? 

Loose Turds floating in the water.

The pool has to be evacuated for 30 minutes when someone takes a duke in the pool.  I had no interest in jumping back in after 30 minutes, so we left.

 

And with that... it's been a day.

 

Fathers Day 2015

Fathers Day 2015 will forever stand out as an adventurous one.  We took a kayak trip from Pammel Park to Middle River, as a family.  It's a 10 mile trip and figured we'd have a good couple hours of quality family time.  5 people, 3 kakaks.  We can do this.  Below is what I hope to remember about the day.

 

Mike 'rocking' the kayak when he had Maisie on his kayak to help wiggle them off rocks, tree trunks and sand which they would get stuck on.  Maisie then crying that she wanted to go home; or just ride with mommy.  She got her way and got to ride in my kayak while Molly went to Mikes.

  

Subconsciously yelling, "Grab Your Daughter!" as I watched Mikes kayak flip over and Molly fly out into the rapids. 

 

Watching Mike grab Molly and feeling overcome with relief knowing she was o.k.... just scared and ready to be done with this crazy sport.

 

Ross yelling downstream:

Slow-down guys I'm trying to enjoy myself. 

Why won't anyone wait for me? 

I like to take my time and enjoy things, why is everyone in a hurry? 

I've got a boner. 

Why are the girls constantly bawling?

I'm just gonna stand on top of my kayak and take a piss.

I found a skull.

My fingers are blistered from the paddle.  Will the water infect it because it's starting to burn.

 

Passing under the first bridge which said we had gone 1.8 miles and thinking we should have been nearing the end.  We had 8.2 miles to go and based on the position of the sun, it was noon.

 

Singing every Barbie song, library preschool song and Girl Scout song I could think of to help distract the girls.

 

Maisie asking me if I've 'met the voices inside my head yet'?

 

Finishing the 3-hour kayak trip (in fast rapids) and dragging the kayak to the side of the river to keep Maisie from drifting down the river in the kayak as the current pulled me down onto the sharp river rock and feeling a stabbing pain in my shin. 

 

Getting the kids and kayaks out of the water and realizing I left the car keys we needed in my purse inside the van (which was parked where we started).

 

Feeling like a cross between Clark Griswald in Wally World and a poorly dressed triathlete when I decided to 'run' back into town (between 1-2 miles on the highway) in my soaking wet clothes, sand and water filled sketchers, and bleeding shin to retrieve Mikes car from our house to pick up the van from Pammel Park.

 

Feeling Gods Grace upon us through the entire adventure and knowing we 'lived' on Sunday.

 

We witnessed Mother Natures breathtaking scenery, flew through rapids which craved respect and forced us through brush-filled roadblocks, grabbed our baby out of the rapids, watched the birds in the sky dance a dance made just for us, joked, sang and accomplished something we weren't sure we would.  Best of all, we did it together.

 

No pictures this time.  Can you even imagine if I'd had my camera?!

Lemonade

Maisie's been itching to have a lemonade stand since the first day of summer break. We finally did it last week. 

 

Somehow I found myself making the lemonade, setting up the table, putting popsicles in the cooler and hauling out folding chairs while the kids colored the lemonade sign.  I'm pretty sure the mail lady watched me set-up the entire thing. 

She also happened to be the kids' first customer.

 

They started out gung-ho and the random lady who handed them a $20 had Ross wanting to take out a small business loan.  Maisie was the first to lose interest and built herself a bed between two folding chairs complete with blue blankie and a living room throw pillow.  Molly got hot and began to cry when Ross wouldn't let her have any lemonade without paying. 

 

The sun got hotter and hotter as the kids grew crankier and crankier.  Within 2 hours, the lemonade stand had ran its course. 

 

The kids came in sweaty, starving and thoroughly pissed off at each other.  Ross was quick to divide the earnings as I found myself hauling the lemonade, cooler, table, chairs, pillows and blankets back inside. 

 

The next day the mail lady waved at me.  I'm sure she knew I was the one who put on a lemonade stand.  I'm guessing she's done the same thing for her kids at one point.  Who hasn't?

  From now on, I'll always know that behind each kid selling lemonade in their yard, is a sweaty mom with powdered lemonade mix stuck to her arms and an empty ice maker.  God Bless Us.

 

 

Of course our sign is the lid to a Rubbermaid tub which is taped to a landscape decoration with mailing tape. 

It worked.

oddities

On our way to Papa and Grandmas house the other day, Maisie told me the contents of her purse.  Of course there was a dead cell phone, a Hello Kitty wallet filled with birthday money, lots of lip gloss, toilet paper and muffin mix.  I understand the muffin mix (you just never know), but the toilet paper threw me off.  Maisie explained, "This is for if I have to pee outside".  

She's becoming so independent.

Mikes been struggling with a blister on the back of his heel.  He got it from the rental shoes at his sisters wedding.  In fact, he wound up at the doctor the week after the wedding when he noticed red streaks coming from the wound. 

It's healing normally, however we're fresh out of band-aids... again.  Molly's going through an endless Band-Aid phase. 

I found a used, regular-size Band-Aid in the trash that looked pretty clean.  It was the last regular size Band-Aid in the house.  I was able to scrounge up 3 of the generic yellow ones to hold it on. 

You gotta do what you gotta do!

It is what it is.

Saturday morning I cleaned the house.

AKA, soaked the dishes that came out of the dishwasher with 'sandy' stuff stuck in them and folded the clean clothes which have been hogging the recliner for the past week.  

 

I attempted to disinfect the bathroom but was overcome with bleach fumes (the windows don't open) so I settled on wiping the yellow pee spots off the underside of the toilet seat and calling it good.  

 

I intended to put the laundry away, but quickly remembered the canvas totes we pretend are dressers were crammed with clothes nobody wears yet we hang onto anyway. Therefore, I put the clothes into a laundry basket and figured we'd just keep them in the laundry rotation.  

 

I went to the farmers market and came home excited to prepare fresh produce.  Dang, no counter space available so I ended up cleaning beets and greens on a cutting board balanced over an oven burner.  It worked.  In fact, I didn't even think much of it.   It's taken me 15 months to accept the rental house for what it is.  A rental house. Complete with whiffs of animal waste, sketchy electrical work, bats, an ant situation, a bathroom that doesn't breathe, an rv shower and lack of space.  And it's fine.

 

 

Perhaps the reason I'm so giddy is because I'm in love...

 

WITH THESE!

 

My cabinets are here and I feel squealing each time I see them.  I just want to buy shelf liner, organize cabinets and whip up a quiche. 

 

The below photo shows the master bathroom vanity.  I love it too, but it doesn't move me the way the kitchen cabinets do.  Go figure.

 

Below you can see the window trim going up.  It's a knotty pine and full of character.  I have a major crush on 'character'.

 

The loft ceiling fan is up! 

 

And lastly a shout-out on the gorgeous paint job in this house. 

 

Love you too Dad.

Warm Berries

June brings to mind so many memories of past summers.  Birthday parties, swimming lessons, mile races, bike rides, lightening bugs, shishkabobs, and baseball.  But nothing screams June to me like picking fresh strawberries. 

It's always bothered me there were no strawberry patches in the area to take my kids... until this year.

 

 

We had the whole patch to ourselves.  It was hot, humid and slightly miserable. 

 

But the warm strawberries were extra-sweet and juicy.

 

Ross even tasted one for the first time and decided they weren't too bad.

 

 

We ended up with 5lbs of strawberries.  We drove home with the standard prickly rash from strawberry leaves on our forearms as the sweet smell of strawberries filled the mini-van.  Perhaps one day my kids will remember the day we drove to the strawberry patch and picked fresh strawberries. 

I pray their childhood will be filled up with as many sweet memories of June as mine is.

 

Streets of Heaven

Of all the things in this world I don't understand, why my Grandpa spent the December of his life fighting a cruel case of Parkinson's is one of the toughest. 

 

Grandpa got his wings Thursday and there's not a doubt in my mind he's been riding his bike down the streets of heaven ever since.  Laughing with friends, giving Grandma a kiss and sharing a cup of coffee with his parents. 

 

I'm choosing to remember my Grandpa the way he was 15 years ago.  Always with a smile, a major sweet tooth, a great outdoorsman, a woodworker, serious bike rider, quick with a joke and said with each hug, 'that was the best hug I've had all day!'

 

Below is a photo of my Grandpa with my Dad.

 

Below my Grandpa gives my Dad his first haircut

 

Below Grandpa plays outside with Heather and myself

 

Always happy and a little silly.

 

When I was a freshman in college, Grandpa wrote me lots of letters.  The one below is my favorite.  It's a pep talk not only for what I was struggling with at the time... but a pep talk for life. 

Knowing now what he was about to embark on, makes it even more significant to me.

It's full of encouragement and love. 

I believe that's what Grandpas are all about.

 

 

Blessed to have known him, doubly blessed to call him Grandpa.

 

My Classroom!

I spent Thursday afternoon in my new classroom.

 

Here she is...

 

I was able to spend 3 hours cleaning the demonstration kitchen.  It was the definition of 'sticky'.  I've got a long way to go.  However, Maisie spent the majority of the 3 hours playing teacher.  She was in heaven.

 

 

On the other hand Molly discovered the 'Baby Think it Over' dolls and was in hog heaven. This particular doll was a boy and had a penis and testicles.  She named him Toby.

She played 'Toby's mom' for 3 hours.

It worked out.

The Wedding!

Okay, okay I've finally got the wedding photos ready to post!  I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed watching this couple fall in love over the past 5 years.

First came the rehearsal...

 

 

 

 

Then of course,

The Wedding Day.

 

 

 

 

 

 The Groom waiting to see his Bride for the first time...

 

 

Getting some nervous jitters out before the ceremony.

 

 

The Bride waiting to walk down the aisle.

 

Love Never Fails

 Corinthians 13