If you time it right...

My dear friend Lisa came and visited me over Thanksgiving break.  I hadn't seen her since Christmas and it was fun spending a sleepy Saturday afternoon chatting it up and watching the kids antics.

Ok...I had fun.  I assume she did too.  :-)

While we were visiting, a package arrived.  William asked me if I had ordered anything.  I told him no.  He looked at the package and asked if I knew a so-and-so.  (I can't recall the name.)  I said "No."

He asked me several times.  It wouldn't be the first time I've forgotten I actually do know someone.  (Yeah...funny story there to tell another time.)  He opened it up and it was clear that my other dear friend C had sent it.  It was a lovely care package including a present for Ruth and presents for big sister and brother.

We gave the kids their presents and we told them who it was from and why.  A little bit later Rebekah says "Is this a Thanksgiving present?"  No.  Nice thought though...anything to get another gift right? ;-)  We told her again who it was from and why.

As they played with their gifts, somehow they got it in their head that Lisa had sent it to them.  It so happens Lisa and C are also both friends (we all 3 hung out during high school together), so I found this amusing.  We again corrected them.  What can I say - they don't get many surprise-in-the-box-presents. 

Lisa helping Peter open the super-human puzzle

(That plastic was killer and required scissors to open! LOL)

Rebekah working on her puzzle.  I was surprised to find out she

knew Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and California.

The other gift...BUBBLE WRAP!

I took extra pleasure in the bubble wrap.  The kids found it more efficient to jump on the bubble wrap, thereby adding additional pounding.  I'm sure my lovely neighbors loved it. :-) Tee hee!

We had a great visit and the extra surprise was amazing.  I don't think that could have been timed like that purposefully.

First Rodeo

When I lived in Az, we attended rodeos every year.  I recall it being hot and dusty...and mildly enjoying them.  I do recall looking forward to going each year.  Weird - that I enjoyed it and didn't all at once.

This last visit to the ol' ILs, they mentioned the rodeo was in town.  We gave Rebekah and Peter the choice between lake and rodeo and they chose the rodeo.  I found this surprising, as Rebekah has been asking to go to the lake for weeks now.

It turned out it didn't start until 8:00 PM.  I wasn't crazy about going at that point, but it was too late.  I didn't find out until 5:30 PM or so...entirely too late to change plans.  Especially since we left our lake gear at home.  Peter doesn't do well staying up late.

To top it off, it was Thomas' birthday...and ILs chose to not do cake until after the rodeo.  YAY...I know getting sugared up children into bed at 10:00 PM is every parents idea of fun.

But I digress.

Rebekah and William's mom waiting for the rodeo to start.

The boys...everyone except Uncle Thomas.

As I was sitting there, I made some observations.  The first is that my footwear attire wasn't exactly...well, let's just say it was obvious I was a tourist.  When I looked around, I saw mostly these:

And I was wearing these...

I didn't get very many pictures because the sun set on me...

but here's one of the broncos (or whatever) bucking.

Attempting to catch a run away horse...
this one was particular onery.  

I actually liked him. :-)

(You can see in the above picture, the other common attire I happened to be missing...)

Cowboy and bovine parting ways

The kids had a pretty good time.  During intermission, the kids all got on the field and chased after an unsuspecting calf with a ticket for a free bike tied to its tale.  All for entertainment?  Two age groups.  The first was 7-12 yrs, so we knew what was going on when it came to the younger crowd.

I asked Rebekah if she wanted to go, and she said yes.  So I took her down there to participate.  She ran like a champ.  She had no idea what she why she was running, but she sure had a good time running.  No pictures b/c I was down there and didn't really have time to grab my camera.  We didn't realize there were going to be two groups of kids (until they announced the younger group), and therefore didn't prep Rebekah (or myself).

The kicker is that I'm told the calf for the smaller group of kids was larger than the first.  The kids actually weren't fast enough to keep up, so some adults (or teens?) grabbed it so the kids could catch up with it.

Rebekah was BEAMING when she came out of there.  She totally loved it and talked about it the next day too.   We asked her if she knew she was chasing after the calf afterward, and she had no idea.  HA!  She was just enjoying the run.

We had a good time at the rodeo, and left early to go home and have cake.  (It also happened to be Uncle Thomas' birthday.)  We managed to have them asleep by 10:45.  And yes, they were crabby the next day!  And no, I'm not sure it was worth it...but at least we had a good time!

Thomas' Vacation

A few weeks ago, Thomas came by himself to visit us.  This was a first, in that he's never just called us up and said "Hey, can I come for a visit?".  He has come one other time, but it was for Fantasy Football picks.  :-)

We were pleased as punch he chose to visit us like that...and it gave me some new perspective on Thomas himself.  For example, we have extended an offer (multiple times) for him to come to live with us.  And if you recall, I believe he will someday.  And this visit just reinforced that I believe I could in fact have him in our house.  I will admit I was nervous...but he does pretty good with the kids and even enforced some common sense things with him.  You know...unlike certain...*ah hem*...grandparents. 

Thomas drove up on Friday.  I was having a 'hen party', and so William and Thomas took the kids bowling.  This was the first time for bowling for Peter.  I was sad I missed it, but happy the kids has so much fun.  (They are STILL talking about it!)

I wasn't there, so I can't really speak to the pictures.  BUT - this last one?  Peter looks pretty darn pleased with himself.  I heard some wild stories too...for example Rebekah somehow managed to send her bowling ball 4 lanes over.  Even with the bumpers.  And Peter managed to get a ball stuck in the gutter.  With the bumpers on.  These things of course take talent!

Saturday was spent mostly hanging around the house while William was busy buying our new car. That evening we had some extra time, so we went to the park.  It wasn't too terribly hot and a rather nice evening.

Peter has little fear...

Rebekah LOVES the water play and spent most of 

her time hanging out here.  Thomas hung with her.  

(Well, she is a bit easier to keep up with than Peter. :-))

Peter LOVES to swing...and it doesn't phase him when he falls off.

And yes...sometimes he falls off.

And yes...it can be a bit scary.

Someday, I hope to take Rebekah to a real beach.  I think she'd love it.

I wondered around watching people, keeping an eye on the kids, relaxing and taking pictures. 

The clouds were pretty awesome.

The next day we skipped church (I know I know...heathens we are!).  The kids were simply bouncing off the wall and so I suggested we run to Wal-Mart and get a little pool.

The kids loved it...still do actually.

We put the hose at the top of the slide..and well, the kids went air born.  We removed the hose to slow things down a bit...ya know, to keep the kids IN the pool.  If we had a bit of a larger yard...I would foresee slip n' slides in our future.

They were pretty much crashing at the other end of the pool.

Even Solomon liked the pool.

That evening we were up for a little more fun.  We were going to go put-putting...and it was hot.  I wasn't super excited about standing around in the heat hitting a ball that never goes where I want it.  :-)  Well, there is a put putting place in the mall.  Turns out, it closes at 6:00 on Sundays.  So we headed over to the All Star Sports. 

The kids got side tracked before we even got to the put put.

And they won quite a few tickets...

The kids loved this ride.

We never ended up going put put...which was perfectly fine with me.

The kids were bummed to see Uncle Thomas leave the next morning.  They had a total blast with their uncle.  We all enjoyed his visit and hope he gets a chance to do it again sometime.

Meeting Miss A

This is Miss A.  Miss A is a very special baby.  It isn't that some babies aren't special - but when you have to wait for 2 years for a baby's appearance...the wait just makes you appreciate the baby that much more.

My very good friend C and her husband R had to do such that.  I prayed for them fervently during that time for them - as this is something that I often have a burden for to pray over.  I've prayed for many babies over the last few years.

Anyway - many people were praying for this baby...and HERE SHE IS!  The amazing little Miss A.

Isn't she adorable???

We were talking about her red hair...and Rebekah says "Red hair like mine!" and holds her hair up.  Obviously we couldn't see it...haha.

Little Miss A loved the toys we had out...but hey, what kid doesn't like someone else's toys?

Miss A also loved Rebekah and Peter.  Here - Rebekah is asking us "What's she doing?" and Peter just isn't too sure about Miss A.

Following them around again.- this time Peter. 

Umm - Mom?  What's she doing?  Is she supposed to do that?

This is a trinket magazine that Rebekah was reading - and was eager to share.  This is also Miss A's mother, C.  Miss A of course was interested in the crunchy noise of the papers.

Rebekah trying out her photography skills - not too shabby!

We had a GREAT visit and it was such a pleasure to visit with my friend and her little girl.

How boys play PollyPockets

I went to begin my cat herding and found this...the boys playing Polly Pockets!  Thought I'd share...and now back to cat herding!

I guess for boys, it is more fun to put the clothes on the fingers than to put them on the dolls?  But it looked like they were having fun!

The ILs a visitin'

My ILs are visiting this weekend.  They were supposed to come last weekend, but it snowed.  That appears to be the standard story for them this winter.  (Funny - William and I have been married almost 11 years and this is the first winter EVER they have had to post-pone a trip...let alone TWO!)

I don't have any pictures or anything, but I thought I would reflect on my relationship with my ILs for a few minutes before beginning the cat herd process for dinner.

I love my ILs.  First, there is my brother-in-law Thomas.  He's a sweet (single) fella and great with the kids.  They adore their Uncle Thomas!  And when R was younger...he didn't come a few times...Rebekah spent the entire visit asking for him.  (He's come ever since!)  I anticipate some day he will in fact move to Wichita, even though that may not be in his plans right now.  But I anticipate it.  :-)  Funnily enough...a few weeks back I had a vision of Thomas up in front at church playing with the worship team.  It was just a glimpse, no details or anything.  This was amazing on so many levels (first, he doesn't live up here; second he is not Christian and is uncomfortable in churches).  I told William about it.  William responded "Miriam, he is looking to buy a house down there. He is NOT going to move up here!"  This left me thinking...was it a vision?  Or hopeful wishing?  Sometimes the two can be confused.

About 2 days later, Thomas called to tell William that his company is closing its doors and he is going back to school to become an R.N.

I just smiled...ear to ear.  Beaming really.  I think he'd make a great R.N.  He has a compassion for people that is deeply rooted into his being.  This is something you can't manufacture or pretend away. 

Then there is my lovely mother-in-law, Linda.  She is sweet and very hard working.  The woman doesn't understand the meaning of 'sit down and relax'.  She just goes goes goes.  After both kids were born, she spent time with us to help out...and she IS helpful.  She even attempted cooking some of the dishes I had planned out, which were not her normal cooking fair.  I'm sure it was out of her comfort zone to cook a dish that she didn't normally cook in a kitchen that did not belong to her.  She is always wondering what she can do to help, and of the 3, she is the one who has taken the time to attempt to get to know me best.  I wouldn't say that she does...but she does try to talk to me frequently which I appreciated.  She sometimes has some listening issues...which can be SO frustrating sometimes.  But for me this is expected.

I say this, because I am the type of person who if I spend time with any one person TOO much (William being the one and only exception), I get tired of them.  At one time, I believed I would never marry for this reason.  So when you take a person like that, and throw them into a situation where the spend a complete weekend with someone else (in the same house - no personal space) over and over and over and over again...frustration is bound to happen.  It has been worse since the kids were born...but she does try.  I can see she does, which I appreciate.  So I reciprocate by trying to not get frustrated. :-P

Then there is father-in-law Billy.  I'll be honest, I don't know him very well.  I know at one time he thought I didn't like him.  Before William and I were married, when I would visit...I'd end up taking my shower during Billy's lunch time.  It wasn't on purpose...just the timing of things.  So once I found that out, I made an effort to NOT take my showers during that time.

Billy is a quiet fella that is pretty slow to anger.  I've only ever seen him angry once...and it upset William pretty bad.  William still won't talk about this particular topic.  So you can tell from this, William also greatly respects his dad.  I admire that.  I really do, in a way.  The off-limits topic is frustrating, BUT the respect is admirable.  (I'll again be honest...while I do have a form of respect for my parents, it very different from the respect William has for his.)

I'd write more...but I don't know more about him.  He also can frustrate me for all the same reasons that Linda does, but again...it isn't really completely all his fault for all the same reasons listed above.

And now, you know everything that I know about my ILs.  We've never lived close to them.  They are a quiet people. So it makes it tough to become buddy buddy with a quiet people.

Now...to begin the cat herding...I will say...I don't know how these guys ever agreed on a meal or even bothered to eat before I came along!

The day Aunt Dot died

It had been a lousy day really. Many of my plans had already been canceled because of the freak ice/snow storm. Sunday, we had planned a quiet afternoon of getting some cleaning done and relaxation.

As soon as we walked in the door from church, William's phone rang. It was his work...some sort of emergency and he was requested to come in and assist. So that blew those plans out of the water.

I spent the afternoon by myself with the kids. I convinced Rebekah to help me clean a little...and we got a tiny bit done. At one point, I went into the dining room area, and a bird hopped up off the counter, smacked into the kitchen and flew off somewhere in the house.

I have no idea how it got into the house. I looked high and low for the thing and could not find it. I had figured it went out the way it had come in.

I cooked the kids dinner (by myself). While we were eating (mac n cheese, very fancy stuff lol), the bird reappeared on a banister. Rebekah got SUCH a kick out of it. This time I watched where it went...it went behind the couch. OK! So then I figured out what to catch it with (I grabbed Rebekah's jacket) and went to look for it. NO BIRD! I rattled the couch around and nothing. This bird's name was definitely Houdini.

Kids finish dinner and I put them in the bath. About 5 minutes into the bath, Peter starts to swell. He's had mac n cheese before, but I guess something in this particular kind had something he is allergic too. (It was the "deluxe" kind...that you have the pouch of pre-made cheese.) I figured I would give him benadryl after the bath, but continue to keep an eye on him.

During bath, my dad calls. I almost didn't answer b/c I hate talking to him on the phone. (He tries to make conversation but it is usually awkward.) I answered...and he gave me the news about my Aunt. While I'm on the phone with him, Peter pulls the plug in the tub, and a wash cloth (kiddie one) went down the drain!

I get off the phone with my dad and take Peter out of the tub, get him in his PJs and give him some benadryl. I tell Rebekah it is time to get out...and I hear the tub start draining. I think that wash cloth is in our septic tank now...LOL After the kids are dressed I hear chirping...and the bird is hopping around downstairs. So I grab a towel and go down there...I open the garage door and I'm trying to carefully sneak up on it when it flies outside of the garage door and out the garage.

My Aunt obviously can not be fixed, but the amazing thing about it all is that as bad as things went, everything resolved itself (tub, bird, Peter). And for some strange reason, being able to free the bird safely made me feel better.

We go to WV (or try) every few years, and I'm so sad we didn't get to see my aunt one more time. The last time we were up, she did get to meet Rebekah which absolutely thrills me. We also made some extra time to spend some extra time with her and Jack without my parents. I had never done that before and was hesitant, but I am so happy I did. She told me so much about my grandmother, and her and her life. I've been struggling to remember all the details...I wished she could have told me more. She was full of stories...I don't know why she didn't tell me more before. Probably because her and my dad usually chatted and that was the first time I had ever visited her without my folks present.

She loved meeting Rebekah as well. As you can see from the picture above, she just held her and held her and could not get enough. AND she was so careful of Rebekah's feelings (knowing that was the first time Rebekah had ever met her), which I really appreciated.

My Aunt was a lovely wonderful person. She was sister to my beloved Granny. I will cherish her in my heart always.

Where did the dinosaurs go?

This week Rebekah learned all about dinosaurs. She has told me that they roar and that they eat leaves (I asked her what they eat...just to see what she'd say!).

A lot of times, the daycare will ask the kids a question about the current topic, write it down and post it on the wall for all the parents to see. This week's question was "Where did the dinosaurs go?"

Rebekah's answer: To Grandma and Grandpa's house.