Still South

Ross is still thriving in the heat of Texas.

Apparently this is his new mode of transportation...

He's also learning how to clean up after himself...

And the lad should be able to fend for himself upon his return home next weekend.

Pringle Challenge

To pass the time in June, my girls have discovered "The Pringle Challenge".

It consists of tasting different flavors while blindfolding and trying to guess which flavor your tasting.  Sometimes the chip flavors get mixed which makes it extra tricky!

It's a tough life, but someone's gotta do it.

Trips

There's my Cowboy!

 Working hard for his room and board.

Looks like they're keeping him fed.

And apparently the Texas Rangers are big Budweiser fans :)

It also appears he's bustin' out of his clothes his clothes this week too.

 I think he's in his element.

Meanwhile; up North

Major shoe issues were happening.

So we eventually ditched the concept shoes altogether. 

It's just easier.

Sam is a hugger.  And a tickler.  And a very thorough t.v. watcher.  Maisie and Laura are nuts.

We made it to the Mall of America and back with 4 kids in 24 hours.  Do you have any idea how many Dora The Explorers one can watch in a minivan?

Mucho!

Dressing Room Magic

Aside from our unforgettable Glamour Shot debut, video-taping homemade commercials and pretending to be models in the Avon and JC Penney catalogs, one of my favorite pastimes was trying on prom dresses at the mall.

Of course Heather and Gfunk were my partners in crime, however once in a great moon, Aunt Judy or Mom would join us.  And every once in a while I remember Aunt Judy trying on a few dresses too. 

That took the fun to a entire new level.

Obviously, we didn't need a prom dress and had no intention of purchasing one, yet something about trying on a prom dress was magical.   I'm not sure if it was the sequins, the satin or the fact that the dresses sort-of fit our pre-teen bodies. Whatever it was, I don't think my childhood would have been the same without those dresses.

Apparently, times haven't changed much.

TEXAS Bound!

Someone's made it to Texas!

Live it up Buddy!

Dancing the Night Away

These two can't stand each other.  If one says something, the other will automatically disagree and escalate the situation to a possible near death situation. 

Ahh, summer you have a way!

I've come to the conclusion wineries have a magical effect on people.  Somehow they make everyone like each other.  Like super-friendly liking.  I always assumed it was the wine, but apparently it must be something more cause these two were sipping Coke.  Whatever it was, they put on quite a performance at Madison County Winery Saturday night.  My heart is still swollen from watching it. 

Yep, We've Reached This Point Of Summer

Thistles and Transitions

I've got a 10-year old living with me who's beyond strong-willed.  Possibly even more strong-willed than his mama.  A quality that's made raising him to this point test my parenting endurance, emotional stability and stress relieving vices beyond measure.  He's got a temper built of fire matched with the determination of steel.

He was offered $5 to cut down and haul off the ridiculous amount of thistles growing in the ditch.  He needed $5 to reach a financial goal he's been working on.  He told me later that evening he's saving up to buy a car in high school. 

It pretty gnarly looking stuff.  Plus it was 99 degrees that afternoon.  The thistles seemed to go on forever.  Definitely a challenge, but something he knew he could tackle.

So he did.

This week Ross came to terms with attending Interstate-35 School in August.  As a family, we've decided it makes sense for a variety of reasons.  Plus, thanks to Patty Loveless, we all know "Life's About Change, Nothing Ever Stays The Same."

There's no doubt we've got tough transitions ahead.  I know there will be days when switching schools will define me as the worst mom to walk the planet.  A bad day will be my fault and darn it, life is hard sometimes.

Yet I also know my boy.  I know Ross can handle a challenge like nobodies business.  And deep down, I believe as much as he is grieving the idea of leaving Winterset, his soul is excited to tackle the challenge of switching schools. 

After a few times of being scraped, cut and poked by the thistles, he began to figure out where the thistles were soft and the best way to remove them was to get 'under' them.  

Ironically, at the top of each thistle is a silky-soft flower. 

It's all about perspective and attitude. 

"Every Rose Has It's Thorn", right Poison?

This same boy applied for his passport this week and in a few short months, he'll get on an airplane to fly half-way across the world to meet his brother.

As grown-ups we have to consider the what-if's, the unknowns, the culture shock, all the scary stuff that makes switching schools seem like small potatoes.  Again, what if, what if, what if....

And then we talk about Mack and all the changes and transitions he'll be enduring, and suddenly our  issues seem pretty small in comparison.  Mack is going to have to say goodbye to the orphanage he grew up in, his teachers, his nannies, his friends, his homeland, his favorite foods, his schedule, his bed, his friends.... basically, life as he knows it.

And although we know he is coming to a safe, happy, healthy and loving family in the United States, he doesn't know us.  My heart aches for his 'what-if's, his unknowns, his culture shock, his fears of leaving China; the only place he knows and leaving any small sliver of hope that his birth mother might come back for him.

I asked our boy what he wanted to do this weekend, camping... fishing... hiking... building... kayaking...

His response.  "I just want Mack to get here."

Next year at this time, Ross can teach his thistle pulling techniques to Mack. 

I'm sure Mack will be thrilled.

Lucky Days and Maxi Skirts

We decided to try some new things on Monday.  Not on purpose, just because sometimes there's no other choice.

Since it was 92 degrees, breezeless and muggy, we decided it'd be a perfect day to pick strawberries at Howells Tree Farm.  We headed out in my air conditioned mini van (Huge shout out to Mike for fixing that corroded tube under the hood) after the kids decided they didn't like any of our lunch options and figured they'd just graze in the strawberry fields as we picked.  Made sense to me.

Upon our arrival, we realized we were the only ones there!  Guess it was too hot for most berry pickers, not us!  However, we soon found out the strawberry patch didn't winter well and the strawberry season was over.  BUT, blueberry picking season was just beginning.  Therefore, we trudged through the thick waves of heat toward the blueberry patch.  I've never actually picked a blueberry before.  Super easy, plus you don't have to get in the dirt like picking strawberries.  But within minutes, I heard the dreaded, "Mom, we better hurry-up cause I'm gonna piss myself".  Yep, that would be Molly.

Ross agreed to chauffeur Molly down the row of berries so she could drop trowel.  Good thing they did because apparently all the big berries were growing down that row.  Sometimes you just get lucky.

Once we'd finished gathering our $6.50 worth of blueberries, holding the baby goats, running through the weedy playground, Ross getting stinging nettles on his arm and sweating out our last ounces of hydration, we started to feel like it was cooling off a tad.

However, Molly's cheeks were uber-red from the heat and her pants were soggy from the pee shooting out at an awkward angle back in the blueberry patch.  We decided to grab some groceries from Winterset before heading back home.

But... Molly's shorts were stripped off the moment she hit the mini-van and there was no way she was pulling those damp shorts and unders back over her sweaty thighs.  Therefore, we were going to need to invent some sort of 'pant' for her to go in the store with.

I just so happened to have a clean dish towel in my van which I needed to return to the Historical Center from last weeks catering.  Again, sometimes you just get lucky.

I'll let the photos speak for themselves...

And of course our day of adventure doesn't end there.  Ross insisted on a coconut.  Yes, a coconut. 

And Maisie pulled out her tooth using only her tongue!

Again, sometimes you just get lucky!

 

My First BIG Lunch

It's becoming clear I like a good challenge. 

Therefore, I took on a Senior Citizen Bus Tour of Winterset for a Heidi's Kitchen catered lunch last Tuesday at the Madison County Historical Complex. 

The event had G'Funk written all over it.

Below are a few shots I snagged with my phone during the gala.

Let's just say the roaster pans were pulling so much electricity, the fuse kept blowing out.  Note the ugly orange extension cord I had to tape across the floor to give each roaster enough volts.  Sheesh!

Due to the fact that nobody choked, lost a denture or fell down, I think it was a hit.

Mike's mom gave me a hand by making the ice tea.  G'funk would have been happy to know it wasn't too thin ;)

Girls Girls Girls

It's been a girl week (except for Mike) as Ross has spent the week with a friend in Missouri.  It's eye-opening to see how the girls entertain themselves when Ross isn't around.  For example, below is a new Yoga pose they were inspired to create.

Below are the top 5 things I've learned this week.

1.  Maisie is obsessed with the Food Network on Netflix.  Her favorite: Cupcake Wars.  My favorite quotes of hers during the show: "Mom, I would totally do lemon zest NOT wasabi", "Pipe it, hurry pipe it faster", "DO NOT do the jalapeno filling"

2. The girls don't like to swim at the public pool unless I'm in the water with them. Dang, I could've swore we'd passed this stage.  Maybe next year.  In the meantime, I'm the shark and they ride on my back as I swim underwater.  I know you're jealous.

3.  Maisie added Try Cheesecake to her summer bucket list.  She tried it, she loved it.  Molly wasn't impressed.  Bucket list: Check.

4. Bugs are no good.  Molly peed the bed earlier this week.  I had to remake her bed at 1:45 a.m.  I tucked her in with dry clothes and fresh bedding.  As I finished she exclaimed, "No, I cant, I HATE this yellow blanket.  It has pretend bugs on it, I can't use it."

5.  Glamour Shots in the woods can't end well.  Yep, we've been out of school for a week or two and we're already scraping for things to do.  On a desperate whim, we decided to take Glamour Shot photos in the woods.  Do you know how thick the weeds and poison ivy are in June?  Very.
I snapped a few shots of each girl before we realized we'd all been bit on our thighs by something that stung.  We ran back to the house and decided the woods were a terrible idea.  Now we were itchy, sweaty and bitten. 

The girls photos from our little 'photo shoot' are below. 

TEXAS

Now that school's out, someone's getting mighty exciting about his trip to Texas in a couple weeks.  Below is a school project I just discovered in his backpack. 

Yes, school was out last Thursday and I'm just getting it unpacked. 

Don't judge.

I'm starting to think he may have Texas confused with Arizona?

And it looks like he's planning to pack my red tunic shirt and some large blue bellbottoms, or maybe that's his sleeping bag?

He's also planning to see the ocean on this trip.  Good luck Uncle Mike!

Let's just say, this kid is pumped!