Five Minute Friday: Care

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1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community...

Five minutes on care...

GO
The kids ate the last of my Turtles last night. I was a little bit sad to see them go, but I was also a little relieved because if they are gone, I won't eat them.

Ken bought the Turtles a few weeks ago. He didn't mention them, but I noticed them on the counter and asked him about them. He said he'd bought them for me since he knows I like Turtles. It's not a grand gesture, but it warms my heart. After 13 years I still feel a little giddy when he buys me surprise chocolates!

I don't get flowers that often. It's because I've commented before about how expensive they are. If I get flowers, they're grocery store daisies. Daisies are my favorite flowers anyway. I rarely get jewelry, again because of the cost. When I do, it has a special meaning. Like the lace earrings I got for our anniversary that were made out of green, recycled bicycle tires. He incorporated my favorite color, the traditional gift for the 13th anniversary (lace) and a shout out to my new bike.

To the outside world, they don't seem like big gifts, but to me they are huge! He thinks about me when he's out running errands. He remembers my favorite flowers and my opposition to going broke on roses. The way he shows his care for me, in the little things, keep me secure that he's still just as much in love as they day we started. Maybe even a little bit more.

Lucky 13! Happy Anniversary to us

My most vivid memory of my wedding is the vows. Not the actual words we said, but what happened during the vows.  Ken and I had talked over the wording a few times, and mostly decided to stick with the traditional version of "love, honor, and cherish..." One thing I am absolutely positive we did not discuss was memorizing the vows. Ken was too worried about being nervous that day. And to be honest, I was too.  However, when it came time for the vows, the priest stepped back. In conversations later, he said it was so that we could be the focus of that moment, instead of him being in the way.

BUT...Ken's nervousness took over at that moment and he started reciting our vows...from memory. I was shocked!  And worried!! I didn't think we were going to memorize them!!  Somehow they came to me and I managed to pledge something to Ken.  I can't imagine the look I must have given him at that moment. I sure hoped it looked loving and not panicked!

That moment on our wedding day was a great bit of foreshadowing for how the rest of our marriage would go.  Things haven't always gone the way we've expected them to.  There have been many times where we didn't know what the other was thinking or why they did something. We have worried each other, put each other on the spot, and been extremely frustrated with one another.

But we have gone through all those moments with each other. At the end of the day he is mine and I am his. We made a commitment to each other that day and we have honored it every day since. We have created a life together. We have created three amazing children. We have grown and loved and yelled and ignored and there is no other man I want by my side for the rest of my life.

Happy anniversary, Ken! I am so happy to have had you by my side these last 13 years. Here's to many, many more!

You should listen to your mother...

My parents came to visit for the weekend!!  They kept the kids with them at their hotel room and I had a day to myself on Saturday. I got a new haircut (with BANGS!) and then went home to a mostly quiet house (Ken was still home) and just sat for a bit.  I did end up doing a bunch of laundry and clearing out some piles in the living room. I also watched about 5 or 6 episodes of Bones back-to-back with no interruptions!!
Saturday evening I met my parents and the kids for dinner at a Thai restaurant.  My kids love this meal that looks like a birds' nest with crunchy noodles around the bottom topped with chicken, mushrooms, carrots, etc.  I went home and watched some more tv.  Oh! And um...folded some more laundry!!
Sunday we went to church and then said goodbye to my parents.  The kids took some good naps and then we went out to a birthday party for our godson, Ian, who is turning 6.  The party was at the skating rink and Ian's mom had invited their whole neighborhood! We had a great time skating and running around the rink.  Even Benjamin got into at the end and walked around the rink holding my hand while I skated.  We went around two or three times like that and it was the hardest I worked all night! Do you know how hard it is to skate as slowly as a not-quite-two year old walks??

We got home in time to watch the GIANTS WIN THE SUPERBOWL!! Which I had cleverly arranged as Ken's birthday present.
Monday Ken had to work early, so I had to get the kids up and moving by myself.  I made bacon and eggs for breakfast and had everybody in the car and we were on our way by 7:30! That's a record at our house!!  I got to work early and realized that a) Frances hadn't brushed her teeth before school and b) I didn't have my keys for work. I later realized that c) Henry hadn't worn a shirt to school, just a zip up jacket.  So much for my record, huh??  I searched my car in the parking lot before I went in and didn't find my keys.  When I went home at lunch I looked for my keys and didn't find them. I even looked in the grass in our front yard.  I called my mom to get her to look in her van. Then I called the church to see if someone there had turned them in.  When my mom called me back to tell me there wasn't anything in her car,  she also asked if I had said a prayer to St. Anthony.  I rolled my eyes JUST A TEENY TINY LITTLE BIT! I swear!! And then I told her I would say my prayer.  After work, I drove to the skating rink to check there. On my way there I finally remembered to ask St. Anthony.  No luck at the rink. I even called a friend in the church choir to check our pew while she was at choir rehearsal that night.  When I got home from work, I was letting Henry out of the van when I happened to look down in the grass right beside the van.  The grass that I had checked earlier in the day.  The grass that was not hiding anything 5 hours earlier! And guess what I found!?!  MY KEYS!!!  The moral of the story is: Listen to your Mother! And say a little prayer while you're at it!

Thankful Thursday

After two weeks that just dragged by, this one seems to be flying by and Thursday just caught me by surprise!  In reflecting on what I am thankful for this week, there are a few events that stand out and make this list today:

• Ken seems to have discovered a love of cooking!  We have been making menus plans and with both of us having more regular schedules that in the past, it works out that he makes dinner two nights a week, I cook two nights, and then we have leftovers or cook together the other nights.  I think the one chore I have always hated about cooking is figuring out what to make.  If we sit down once a week and plan out a menu, though, we overcome that obstacle together.  Once we know what to cook, the rest seems easy, and Ken has really taken to making delicious meals for us! He also puts much more effort into cooking than I do. Usually I focus on the meat dish and then make a few plain sides. He like to saute the vegetables with butter and seasonings.  YUM!  He also likes to peruse the web for interesting recipes, where I have a few tried and true that I stick with.  Not only is Ken's cooking easing my load, but it is delicious and healthy for our family as well.  He made this the other night and it was amazing!!
• Frances has been such a hoot this week! After a truly awful day (and night) on Sunday, I woke the kids Monday morning that it was "a new day and a new week and all that mess from yesterday isn't going to happen again!" I think all three of the kids took that to heart. Henry worked really hard to help me make breakfast two mornings this week.  Frances has been helpful around the house and even done extra chores without complaining.  She has been helping (in a round-about way) me get Benjamin ready for school in the morning.  He has been really cranky in the mornings and not wanting to get out of his crib. Since I have started sending Frances in to get him dressed, I have had an easier time.  Mainly because he refuses to let Frances help him.  She'll get as far as getting his pajamas and diaper off of him, but then he starts crying and yelling and wriggling away from her.  When I come in to take over, he seems so glad to be rescued that he is completely calm and agreeable when I get him dressed. Frances also loves to celebrate things. Any day that has a special name on the calendar is one she wants to celebrate.  Last night she celebrated Ground Hog Day by giving me a special hairstyle.  One side is up to represent the groundhog coming out of his burrow.  The other side is down to represent his shadow.

• A new year.  Is it too late to be thankful for a new year?  It's only the 2nd day of February!!  I figure I am getting around to posting my resolutions around the time most other people are giving up on theirs!!  This year I am (again) vowing to get my house clean.  I go home for my lunch break and unload and re-load the dishwasher. I also send clothes through the laundry cycle: dirties in the washer, cleans in the dryer, dry load gets folded and then kids put it away in the evening.  After all that I still have time to eat lunch and watch an episode of The Match Game (love that show!!) I am also trying to get in shape. Taking a desk job has its drawbacks in the amount of movement I do every day.  I have to be more purposeful about what I eat and when I exercise in order to ensure that all my nice new clothes that I bought will still fit me!!

Momma Can't Dance

I have posted some funny comments from the backseat and our evening commutes, but they have all involved Henry or Frances. Well, apparently, Benjamin now wants in on the fun.  I had just the boys in the car with me and we were leaving the day care parking lot. I had turned the music down in the morning so it was relatively quiet in the van.  I started whistling; something cheery. I don't remember specifically what the tune was.  And then from the back seat...my sweet littlest one, yelling: "Nooooooo! Stooooooooo!"  So I stopped whistling and said, "Benjamin, are telling Mommy to stop whistling?"  And he responds: "Huh-huuuuh"  Which is his way of saying "yes."
So, I stop whistling and turned on the radio.  And then Henry started laughing uncontrollably.

Me: What is so funny back there!?!
Henry: Benjamin is dancin'!

So of course, I try to look in the rear-view mirror to see what is going on. I can barely see his little head moving (he is still rear-facing in his car seat). So for the ride home I left the music on and listened to Henry giggling.

Later after dinner, I was cleaning up in the kitchen and Benjamin came to visit me. I turned on some music and my iPad and he started grooving.  He was bouncing up and down and waving his arms. It looked fun, so I joined in! Then he stopped and shook his little finger at me. "Noooo.  Stoooooo." So I stopped dancing and then he continued on.  Each time I tried to join in he would waggle his little finger and tell me to stop.

I made a loud hissing sound which is supposed to attract Ken's attention without alerting the kids to the fact that I am trying to point out something they are doing. (Because you know if I said, "Hey come here the kids are being cute." they would immediately stop.)

When Ken came in the kitchen, he saw Benjamin dancing. He said, "Are ya dancin', buddy?"  And Benjamin said, "Huh-huuuuh."  Then I showed Ken what would happen if I tried to dance, and Benjamin still got upset. But guess what happened when Ken started dancing!??!  Nothing!! Benjamin just looked at him and kept right on grooving.  Not fair!

But what really worries me is "What happens if all our kids learn their dance moves from Ken???"

Father's Day Weekend

Ken is taking a week of vacation this week and he scheduled himself off for the surrounding Saturdays.  That means we have two weekends in a row together!! Whatever will we do!?!?  Well for Father's Day weekend we decided to go visit his dad.
Ken downloaded a new game for his phone called "Ant Smasher" that we gave to Henry to play.  All you do is smash the ants with your finger. Henry loved it, but he kept messing it up and I had to reset it a thousand times for him.  He was concentrating very hard!

Ken's dad just got back from a 3-week hunting expedition in Zimbabwe.  It is a trip he has wanted to make his whole life and watching him tell the stories was too much fun. He was so excited! Like a little kid at Christmas. I am so glad he got to make this trip!

We spent a nice weekend there, hearing about his safari and just hanging around.  I managed to catch a few pictures with Ken and his dad. The first one is all the boys!

 And the second is a very proud Papa with three of his grandkids. (I am not sure why Benjamin has his mouth wide open!!)

There had been a big storm the night before we came up and there were leaves and such all over the back porch.  Benjamin took it upon himself to start collecting leaves and throwing them through the rails.  I finally have a kids who likes to clean up!! How do I nurture that skill??

Ken grilled some pork chops for dinner Saturday night (while Frances danced like a weirdo in the background).

She also lost another tooth while we were there.  She pulled this one out herself!  It was number 6 for her.  Now she can drink milkshakes with her teeth closed again.  :)

Matthew 7:7 (Paraphrased)

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

Request seven hours of sleep and you'll almost get it!  I  went to sleep on the couch last night while trying to watch something on tv with Ken.  He has given up on trying to get me to go to bed, mostly because it never works. So at some point he left me alone and went to bed himself.  I got up later and followed him. It must have been close to 10:00.  Usually Benjamin wakes up around 3 or 4 to eat, but last night he slept until 4:50!  So I got a whopping 6 hours and 50 minutes of sleep. In a row!  
I had a strange dream last night about house hunting.  I was looking at lots of different houses and comparing them for a possible move for our family.  I was alone, but I know the kids existed because I was looking at bedrooms and playrooms for them.  The weird thing is that every house was missing a room.  One didn't have a dining room, one only had one bedroom, one was missing a living room. I guess my dream real estate agent didn't listen very well. One of the houses had a really cool playroom though!  I think that was the one with only one bedroom.
Of course I had an early morning visitor. I tried to ignore him, thinking he might go back to sleep, but then he started playing with my hair.  And by "playing" I mean picking out individual strands and pulling them out of my ponytail.  OUCH! So I had to ask him to stop. Which of course means he had to ask me for "Sumpin to eat and sumpin to drink."  Six times. Or maybe seven. I'm not sure, I was trying to sleep.  Well, since it is Ken's birthday, I got out of bed to fulfill Henry's request, and now here I am.
Ken gave himself yesterday off for his birthday, so he got his whole birthday weekend to spend with us! We went to "Fun Day" at Frances' school yesterday. They had fun games set up in the hallways, a magic show in the library, and fun activities in the gym.  The bigs got to go on the moon bounce, and try out an indoor mini golf game.  Frances tried out the obstacle course, but Henry chickened out at the last minute.  After we wore the kids out, we went to the cafeteria to see the food selection.  We also discovered that if you wait until the very last minute that they will give away the last of the food instead of throwing it away!  We tried some Korean rice balls and some sort of "vegetable medley."  I got the vegetables because it looked like it had carrots in it and I thought I could feed those to Benjamin.  They turned out to be orange peppers, but he did eat the zucchini and barley.  
We headed home and got Henry into bed for a late nap as he was starting to melt down.  Ken took a nap and Frances and I sat on the couch reading.  She read an entire chapter book in about an hour! Just like her mother!!
We had a late dinner and then Ken and I got the kids to bed and sat down to watch some tv together.  I don't remember what we watched.  Probably because I fell asleep.


P.S. Happy birthday Ken!!

Hiking...?

Ken had Saturday off!! Unfortunately it is because he has to work today (Sunday) in Winchester all day, but honestly...a Saturday off together?  We'll take it!
We decided to take the kids hiking. Ken LOVES the outdoors and hiking, and we thought it would be something fun to do.  Also, after waking up at 6, Henry went back to bed until 9, so I thought this would be a good day to skip a nap.

(Their "collecting jars" for the treasures they found on the trip.)

Admittedly, I did not do very good research for this trip. I am more of a "get in the car and see where you end up" kind of person. (Drives Ken crazy!)  I had asked a friend who had recommended Fridley's Gap, but we couldn't really find directions to where she was talking about and I had neglected to ask.  Basically, I made some sandwiches, threw some water bottles and chips in a bag and we left.

(Henry''s "eating lunch" face.)

(Why is the almost-7 year old a messier eater than the 3 year old?)

We drove east out of town towards Elkton.  Then we turned off on a couple of different roads, following some directions from the internet that were not very clear.  We did end up finding the National Forest, so we pulled over in a spot to eat lunch and walk around.  We didn't ever find the trail we were looking for, but we found a logging road to follow for a while until it became too overgrown for us to keep going.

(My reflection in the side of the van with Benjamin in the Snugli.)

We got back in the car and decided to just see where the road went.  We paralleled Cub Run for quite a way and some some really pretty mini water falls.

We got the kids out of the van a few times to look around and they had a really good time.

(Benjamin was not a fan of the cold mountain water!)

 We ended up in Page County and followed route 340 home through Shenandoah.  We did spend a good part of the day in the car, but the kids enjoyed looking out the windows to see what was going on.

(Mountain climbers!)

We got gas and a car wash on the way home and then went out to dinner at O'Charley's thanks to a gift certificate from my mom.  It was really nice being able to spend the day together as a family of five with no real plans or responsibilities.  That doesn't happen often enough.

Thankful Thursdays

It's that time again! Time for me to sit back and reflect on my week and pick three things that I am especially thankful for. Some weeks this is easy because things stick out as wonderful. Sometimes I have to think harder, but I know how important it is to exhibit an attitude of thankfulness and gratefulness in all that we do. It's like putting on your nice clothes when you don't feel well. If you look nice, chances are that you will feel nice. In the same vein, if you look for things to be thankful for, it will be easier to see the wonderful things in your life.

• I am thankful for my trials. Fr. Tom had a wonderful and timely homily at Mass last weekend. He spoke about suffering and God's purpose. After Mass I had a friend come up to me and give me some bad news about her job. It brought up some raw emotions for me because it is the same sort of thing that I went through about 4 years ago. On this side of the mess I can clearly see how that problem led me to where I am now in life. And since I LOVE where my life has taken me, I feel like I should be thankful for the trials. My friend also says she feels strengthened by knowing that I went through something very similar and came out better for it. I am thankful that God holds me in the palm of his hand and that he has a plan for my life that is infinitely better than anything I could ever attempt to map out.
• I am thankful for my husband. He puts up with me on a regular basis. He loves me no matter what. He is an awesome father! He is just a great friend-to me as well as to his other friends. He would do anything for anyone (unless you call our house looking for the Post Office, and then...well watch out!) He had a birthday last week, and now is a good time to be thankful that he was created, born and placed into my life.
• My class. They were so sweet this morning at our Valentine's Day party. They went through their bags and kept saying "Who is this from?" "Thank you!" and getting up and hugging each other. They are full of love for me and for each other. Sometimes I have to remind myself that they are only four and five (especially on days when we have spaghetti for lunch) but when all is said and done, they are a great group of kids and I am proud to be their teacher!

The best way to wake up...

I fell asleep last night snuggled up nicely to my wonderful husband. I woke up the first time at 6am to an increasingly more familiar sight. Frances had a nightmare and wanted to climb in bed with me. So we squished together and added her in. Then at 6:30, Henry woke up so I brought him in bed too. I was thinking he might go back to sleep, and he did lay down for a minute or so. Then he rolled over and got real close to my face. *MWAH!* and he kissed me...once, twice, three times. Then he rolled over and kissed Ken. Then he rolled back and kissed me again. And Frances wanted in on the action, so she sat up and he half-climbed over me to get to her.
Given the choice between sleeping in on a Saturday and be awakened by lovely 19-month old kisses, I would pick....um...OK-the kisses!!

PS Frances' nightmare sounds straight out of Scooby-Doo (which she has only seen once or twice). She and her friends went to visit a haunted house. It was haunted with "scary people who were nice; not scary people who were mean."

I love a parade!

Last night we were on the Day School's float for the Christmas parade. I am going to skip over the nightmare of a start we had and just focus on the fun. The kids all wore boxes wrapped in holiday paper. I carried Henry in my sling and walked the parade route because we was wiggly and tired. He stayed awake the whole time and even handed out flyers to people! Frances rang her jingle bells underneath her box and yelled "Merry Christmas!" to the people. We saw Daddy at the end of the route and then doubled back to go visit and warm up a bit before watching for Santa. Then we walked down to our church for some cookies and candy. We waited there for Stacey and her kids and hung out for a little while. Norman and Ken came and picked us up and drove us back to my car. We had a very late night, but it was fun. I am sore and exhausted this morning, so I am crossing my fingers for a good anp this afternoon. I didn't get any pictures, but Stacey did, so when she gets her posted, I will likely steal them!

10 on Tuesday

10 Wonderful Things That Happened This Summer...

1. Henry turned 1
2. Pre-school Field Trips
3. Youth Convention
4. Julie got married
5. Cow Appreciation Day
6. Henry learned to walk
7. Rockingham County Fair
8. Ken and I celebrated 7 years of marriage
9. Aayana spends the night
10. Bunny chasing
    
    

Thankful Thursday

It has been a very busy, but fulfilling week. I told someone yesterday that if I can get through October 5th (Frances' birthday) then I might be able to rest-but only for a day or two because then the Christmas madness will start. I am trying to really reflect on thankfulness this week and dig deep. I feel like I have used up all the "easy" ones and that is actually good. Thinking hard about thankfulness could never be a bad thing!

This week I am thankful for:

• My co-workers at church. Especially Valerie and Louisa. Louisa has put together a religious education committee and Valerie and I are the only members (as of right now). We get together every few weeks to talk about our work, but also to do a book/bible study. We are reading In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership . It helps us to reflect on our duty to be servant leaders. It has also prompted some really deep discussion. We talked a lot about personal stuff yesterday and it felt very cleansing-it also helps us to know each other more deeply and work together better as a team.
• 5:30 AM. I know you won't believe me if you know me, but I am thankful for 5:30AM. Henry is still breastfeeding in the morning and before bedtime. This is the indefinite stage for us. Frances nursed this way until 17 months when I had to be out of town for a weekend and didn't think pumping was worth the work. She didn't complain when I put her to bed that week without nursing. It is just part of her nature to be easy going. I was sad that it was so easy to wean her. Well, Henry and I have spent two or three weekends apart. I pump while I am gone, and he either takes a bottle or not-but when I get back, we pick up where we left off. He doesn't ever ask to nurse during the day-he is quite content with a sippy cup (and he LOVES lemonade-just like his mommy!). But at night, once he is in his pajamas, he starts banging on my chest and he is ready to settle in for the night. Lately he has been waking up early (I need to push back his bedtime a little bit). It has been anywhere between 4:30 and 5:30. He doesn't so much as cry, but yell out. At 4:30, he will go back to sleep, but at 5:30, not so much. And neither will I at that point. So I get up and get him out of his crib. I feel his cold little legs against me because he always kicks his blanket off. We go out to the couch where I can snuggle up with him and my green fuzzy blanket, and he nurses. The house is quiet and dark. His legs warm up as they lie across my stomach. I can listen to his snurglley breathing (I just made up that word-I think you know what it means). He nurses until he goes back to sleep and then sometimes I just hold him. I know that all too soon (even now while he's awake) he won't let me hold him anymore. Sure I can pick him up, but I can't just hold him. This is our time and I am thankful for it.
• I am also thankful for me. I am trying to think of how to write this with the correct mix of humility and pride. It has been on my mind a lot lately and I am not sure how to write it. I said part of this in my book study yesterday and mentioned how it makes me feel silly. But here is goes anyway. I am proud of myself lately. Sure I still mess up and do stupid or unkind things, but lately I have stood up for myself in a few important ways. I have taught my preschoolers some things that make me proud. I have made a difference in some people's lives. Is it a "mom" thing or a "woman" thing to always try to hide in the background and pretend that you don't matter? Maybe it's just a "me" thing, but today I am feeling pretty thankful for who I am and what I do. In the youth ministry world, we joke about "9th grade boys" as being the silly, immature, epitome of who we are trying to reach. Last night, Ken and I took the kids out to eat. As I was walking into the restaurant, I saw one of my teens (a 9th grade boy!). Well there is a rule in youth ministry about letting teens acknowledge you first in public, so you don't embarrass them (or something like that), so I was ready for a smile and a nod; but this young man jumped up off the bench and gave me a hug! Then he said to his mom, "Look who's here!" At that moment I felt very proud to be an adult who can get that kind of positive reaction from a teenager in public. Teachers and ministers sometimes complain that they don't feel like they are accomplishing much, but this week I feel like I have made a difference.

Time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping...

...Into the future! I lost another week?!!? How does this happen. Last weekend was crazy busy because of the Diocesan Youth Council retreat in Abingdon. I am excited because we have a really awesome group of young people to work with this year! We drove home Sunday afternoon in time for me to turn around and rive over to church for our religious ed kick off. I think the night went rather well and I am glad to have things underway.

My mom wanted to make sure I posted a few pictures from when Henry and Frances stayed with them last weekend. These are the pumpkins that my brother, Alan, grew. They are huge!!

They spent a lot of time in the garden picking grapes, blueberries and raspberries. My mom commented several times on what a good eater Henry is. And he is, especially in contrast to Frances who has a very small appetite and eats very slowly.

He got a new a hat as well. Yes, that is the potty seat! I couldn't use any of the other pictures because they all have Frances in the background...p**ing. :)

This has been a good week, but busy. I have been spending a lot of time on getting things ready for church this Sunday. I am really excited about the way our program is turning out this year. Things are going well at the pre-school too. I am up to nine kids in my class-three boys and six girls. They usually get along really well and LOVE circle time in the mornings-especially the message time we do.
There was a fire at the ABC store across town which has created more work for Ken, but today he doesn't go into work until 4:15, so we had a nice morning of cleaning house and hanging out. The kids are sleeping now, so hopefully when they get up we will have the chance to do something fun.
Please pray for Frances and Henry who both have the "coffes" (That's what Frances calls it when she has a bad cough.) I have been giving them their allergy medicine as well as some breathing treatments. This happens about once a season, and it can be a miserable two weeks for the two of them (and consequently mom and dad too). They don't sleep well, or eat much or behave well at all.

Rockingham County Fair

Last Thursday morning we took the day care kids to the fair and had a blast. Ken had the day off, so he came along as a chaperone. Since he had already paid admission and it was his day off, we decided to go back to the fair that evening. We met up with Stacey and her husband and kids. The kids rode a few rides together and then we parted ways. Some of the rides we purchased tickets for, and others were FREE!! I think the kids liked sitting on the tractors just as much as they did going around in circles on the other rides.

We stopped for dinner and then went back to the rides for a little while. Henry LOVED the carousel and screamed when we took him off of it. I rode the whole thing backwards while video taping! I gots mad skillz!

Henry loved looking at all the lights and action of the other rides, but of course he is too young to go on any others. Frances tried out the cars, the motorcycles (twice), the fun house, the carousel, the swings, and another fun house. She wanted to ride the "Dragon Wagon" which is a roller coaster for kids, but they were doing some work on it and we didn't feel like waiting (and truthfully, it always makes me nervous to get on a ride they just "fixed.") Once we had used all our tickets and patience, we packed it up and headed home.

These last two pictures show Frances last year on one of the cars and this year in the same car!

A Whole Week!

Well, I actually went a whole week without blogging. I didn't set out to neglect my online journal for quite so long, but it was a busy week and things just got away from me. Here's a quick update on what has been happening around here:

• Last Saturday afternoon, we packed up the car and headed to Culpeper to visit Ken's family. His sister, Christie, and her boyfriend, Brian, had flown in from Florida for a visit and we wanted to see them. Ken's brother, Dan, had also come up with his wife, Nikki, and baby daughter, Abby. It was a crowded house! We had a great time visiting with them and Frances got to hold her baby cousin and just LOVED it. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures yet because while I did remember my camera; I forgot my memory stick.


• Sunday we spent the day in Culpeper with Ken's family. We tried to go swimming, but Mother Nature had other plans for us. Ken, his dad, his sister, and Brian did get to play golf before the major downpour. We headed back that evening and stopped at Dairy Queen for some ice cream on the way back.


• Monday I was back to work. It was all set to be a crazy day because of all the summer kids being there. I was not disappointed!


• Tuesday I worked at the church. I got quite a bit done in between putting out fires at the Day Care. I managed to get 100 youth registered for religious education classes this year. The bad news, is that is only about half to a third of the ones that were registered last year, so there are a lot more coming.


• Wednesday, I had a fun day planned with Katie. She is going off to college soon *sniff* and we will miss her tremendously. We met for lunch at Burger King. Frances made her a picture frame that says "Frances" and "Henry" on it and we promised to send picture for her to put in it while she is away form home. Then we went to the pool. Frances had fun in the baby pool and Henry "borrowed" an inner tube from another child who wasn't using it and had a great time running around. He did manage to flip himself over in the inner tube, The result was that he floated upside down in the water for a second before I picked him up by the thighs and tried to turn him around. Of course I couldn't get a good grip on him because he was wet and surrounded by an inner tube, so it is quite a good thing that Katie was there to help me out. I aged about 12 years in that instant.


• Thursday I was back at the day care. We took the kids to the Rockingham County Fair. And by "kids" I mean everyone over the age of 2!! We took about 35 kids and various parents on the school bus, church van and Kristen's personal van. We got there and walked through the poultry barn. Then we went to a "Safari Comedy Show" which was rather amusing. After the safari show we ran over to the circus, but we didn't get there in time to get seats, so the kids had to stand. That coupled with the fact that they were hot, tired and hungry means that they mostly grumped during the show. After a pit stop to get some lemonade, we went through the petting zoo and then headed to the park for lunch. It rained while we were there, but no thunder, so we just let the kids play in it. After they were exhausted, we headed back to school. My memory stick wouldn't work, so I borrowed these pictures from Kristen's camera. (Thursday night we went back to the fair as a family.)


• Friday, oh Friday. In retrospect it wasn't actually that bad; but man! did we have some chaos. We had two sick teachers and another with sick kids. We sent a bunch of kids home sick-not fun. And the kids were wild that afternoon! I was ready to pull my hair out-so of course, it rained just enough so we couldn't really go outside. Another one of those days where I can say I earned my weekend!


• Saturday was supposed to be my day off where my wonderful friend Julie was going to kidnap my kids and give me a day to myself!! Apparently Henry got wind of the plan and didn't like i. He threw up three or fours times between 5 and 8 Saturday morning. Never very much, but enough so I couldn't pawn him off on Julie with a clear conscience. But Frances went, so it was just Henry and me home all day. He slept quite a but, ate very little and never threw up again. I slept off and on all day and accomplished nothing of great importance. Oh well, I guess that can be considered a good day.**One exciting thing I forgot...I went to the bathroom and left Henry in the living room with my cell phone. It made a strange beep, but when I came out he had closed it. No big deal, right? Nope, you guessed it-a few minutes later the phone rang, "This is 9-1-1 dispatch. We received a hang up from this number. Do you have an emergency?" Um...no...just a handy 14 month old. OOOPS!!**
  
• Sunday (today) we met Julie at church and retrieved Frances. After Mass I met with some more people who want to get involved with out youth program-AWESOME!! I took care of about 10 more registrations and did a LOT of laundry. Right now there are five baskets that are clean and folded and waiting to be put away. Ken made us dinner and then we went for a walk. No pictures of that because I washed my memory card along with the laundry and apparently that isn't good for them! The new memory card we have is too sophisticated for our camera, so we will have to either upgrade the camera or downgrade the memory card....I'm guessing it will be the card. :(


• Tomorrow starts the last official week of summer for us at the day care. While I will miss my summer class, they and I are all more than ready to move on and get the school year underway.

Saturday at the Park

We had some nice weather this weekend that was not too hot or too cold. After Henry sort of took a morning nap, he, Frances and I walked up to the playground at the church a block up the street. Frances pushed the stroller like a good big sister. She played on the big ship while Henry played in one of the tubes. He enjoyed the rocks quite a bit, and only tried to eat one of them!!
We left the playground to go home and get ready to pick up our Angel Food Order. If you have not tried this, yet-do it!! The food is great quality and very affordable. They aim to feed a family of four for one week for $30. We spread the food out and use other staples and we can make it last a whole month. We got a fresh fruit and vegetable box for $18. It included a seedless watermelon, a fresh pineapple (so juicy!), six potatoes, four oranges, two bunches of carrots, 6 ears of corn, and 4 onions. YUM!
After all the shopping and menu planning we decided to go out to eat! Pam had given me a gift certificate to Rack 'em, Smack 'em. It is a steak and rib place in Verona. The food was good and Henry enjoyed using the windowsill for his plate. We got back from dinner and decided to take a walk through the cemetery down the street. Frances got to chase a few bunnies-she is getting really good at it. After all that we put the kids to bed and went to bed ourselves. I love Saturdays when Ken gets off early!!

Friday Fill-Ins

1. Holidays in the summer are always late nights.
2. Cheese sandwiches are my favorite things to grill. Truly, I don't grill things-that is my husband's domain, and I LOVE it when he grills!
3. My thoughts are not very coherent right now because I am a few hours behind on my sleep.
4. Spending time with lots of different people is what I'm most looking forward to this weekend!
5. My favorite book so far this summer is The Slippery Slope by Lemony Snicket.
6. Waking up without an alarm is the best way to begin a day.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to fireworks, tomorrow my plans include hosting the ASP group from Boston and Sunday, I want to go to church and then relax!

Father's Day

Yesterday we celebrated Father's Day with Ken. We got him a GPS, so of course he used it to find our way to church!! After church we ate lunch and Henry took a nap. We had a nice walk to the grocery store for some supplies. Ken grilled some steaks for dinner. I asked him if it was okay for him to cook his own Father's Day meal. He said it was fine with him since he loves to grill. We had steak, mashed potatoes, and a yummy carrot and cauliflower mix. We watched a few episodes of Monk and then put the kids to bed. It was a, uneventful day, but those are good to have every once in a while.

Thankful Thursdays

In an effort to be more positive about life in general, I am starting "Thankful Thursdays." Each Thursday I will be listing three things I am thankful for. I hope to keep this up on a regular basis. Let's see how consistent I can be...

• I am thankful for my husband. Today I had a hard day. I dragged Henry around in the heat to a meeting. I woke him up in the middle of a nap twice because I had to be somewhere. Frances had a field trip and didn't take a nap. So when I got home for the evening, I was tired and cranky. I called Ken and asked him if he was coming straight home from work. He said he would finish up what he was doing and come home. When he got in the door, he took over feeding Henry and let me go. I was tempted to stay gone a long time, but I knew he had had a hard day too. I realize that it is unfair to hand the kids over to him as soon as he walks in the door, but he let me do it today and I am grateful. This is just one example of why I am thankful for my husband.
• I am thankful for my house. It may not be neat and organized. It may not be large enough to hold all my stuff (see previous sentence), but it is home and it is nice to be here. On a hot day, it is nice and cool to come home to.
• I am thankful for Tang. Boy that stufff tastes good!! Nice and cold, just tangy enough. I love it!!!