I'm BAA-aack!

That's right, Las Vegas or Bust 2008 was a success and we are home safe and sound. I'll try to document the trip over the next few days.
We left on Thursday, the 26th, after Lincoln got home from work. We had hoped to make it to Des Moines in time to settle in for the night, but after a little bit of a late start we made it to Oxford, Iowa between Iowa City and Des Moines. The kids chased lightning bugs while we set up camp. We crawled into our sleeping bags and made an attempt at going to sleep. Jesse, however made it very difficult. He ran around the tent diving over our stretched out bodies, laughing and having a grand ol' time. Finally Lincoln held him still long enough for him to realize he was indeed tired and he fell asleep. With the crazy baby restrained the rest of us fell asleep very quickly.
Long about 3am, Lincoln and I awoke hearing a storm in the distance. Lincoln stood outside watching the storm for a while, trying to decided where it was headed. After watching and dicussing, we determined we would rather pick up camp and head out than stay and possibly get rained on. By 4:00 we were on the road and happy with our decision. We drove across the rest of Iowa, Nebraska, and into Wyoming that day, 16 hours total. Nebraska was rough (not much to look at), but the kids were absolutely fantastic. And the reward for a long day was a beautiful place to camp in Wyoming. We stayed in Medicine Bow National Forest, between Cheyenne and Laramie. It was so gorgeous, the perfect place to camp.




After breakfast in the morning we took some time to take a quick hike and climb around on the rocks a bit.










In the late afternoon on day three we arrived in Salt Lake City. We took a whirlwind tour of Salt Lake, driving by the apartment I lived in 13 years ago, and visiting Temple Square.








After a long couple of days it was wonderful to relax with friends that evening. We drove to Orem and stayed with one of my missionary companions and her beautiful family. They made us feel very welcome and comfortable. They had a fantastic feast ready for us when we arrived and we spent a very pleasant evening visiting and eating in the breeze in the backyard with a great view of the mountains. Chari and I were companions for only a month but we had a great time together and I just love her. It was so nice to meet her husband who is every bit as fun and friendly and down to earth as she is. And of course, it was fun to meet her super cute family of boys destined to be hearthrobs. In fact, my girls had a discussion after our visit about which boy was their favorite. No secrets revealed here, but maybe an arranged marriage to plan? I hope it's not 12 years before I see her again.

Our car...

It is whole again. We took it in this morning and set out walking toward a park. It was threatening rain and I was pretty sure we would get drenched at some point.We bravely pressed on, however, with Renie in the stroller, Jesse in the backpack carrier, and everyone else hoofing it. We made it to the park, passing several houses down by the river with sump pumps chugging streams of water out of their basements. It was sprinkling by the time we got there but then it cleared and got quite hot. We played for almost an hour and then went to Piggly Wiggly for cold drinks and a snack to eat on the walk back. We got the call while we were in the store that the car was done so we quickly checked out and headed back up the hill. Can I just say, it was MUCH hotter at this point AND we were going uphill. My jeans were clinging to me and my back was completely drenched under the back pack. Not quite the drenching I was anticipating, and much less refreshing. But the kids were champs and hung in there. We were very happy to get back in our fully repaired Mountaineer and crank the AC. And because it was a recall it didn't cost us a cent. Now that we have cooled off it doesn't seem nearly as hot outside (I think the thermometer at the bank read 76) and I STILL have not had to use the AC in the house. It was quite cool in here when we walked in. After being in NC for so long it is amazing to me that we'll easily make it into July without air conditioning. In fact, it was the first that I've used it in the car today.
So, maybe a trip to the pool today, T-ball, and the last concert. Then we'll put on the car top carrier and start loading up after the kids are in bed. So I guess I'd better get to work- no pool if the work isn't done!

There is beauty all around...

Another beautiful summer afternoon in America's Dairyland. We went Sunday afternoon for a walk at the state park. I was really struck by how much this place reminds me of home. As I walked through the summer woods the scent of the flora took me back to my youth. I love the smell of dank forest. It always reminds me of a certain spot where we would go swimming when I was pretty little. We had to walk to the river through the woods. I don't remember there being a trail so the smell was especially strong as the grasses and brush were crushed under our feet. I am always transported there when I smell low summer forest and the excitement of the approach to the swimming spot swells within me again, manifested now in nostalgic contentedness.





Julia fashioned a knapsack out of her jacket and a stick so that she would be properly outfitted to sing The Happy Wanderer.



Notice the hay in her mouth. She started slow and grumpy, due to gravel in her shoes, but once she hit her stride she did great.

This is what we see all around, all the time. Rolling hills covered with prairie grasses and dotted with farms, and trees in all the low spots.



Unfortunately, at the end of the evening as I was busy in the kitchen, a tick fell off me. I checked the kids over and found a tick on Julia's head, one in Renie's ear, and one on Devon's head. We will be much more vigilent about checking for them going forward.

Where to begin?

So wow. Let's recap the week in pictures.

Father's Day. We updated Lincoln's handprint T-shirt. The last time we made him one there were only two handprints to put on it. We also made him his favorite dinner- stroganoff sandwich and a very rich, very chocolate cake. Renie is helping clean up.


Wednesday night was another concert in the park. It was a fun performance by Piano Fondue. They took requests from the audience the whole night, playing all the classics- Brown-eyed Girl, Crocodile Rock, American Pie, Piano Man, The Devil Went Down to Georgia, even Dueling Banjos and Bohemian Rhapsody. They were a lot of fun (two pianos, two guys) and we had a great time. I made a big ol' batch of popcorn and brought a thermos of water. We sang, the kids danced (as you'll see in the video), and we enjoyed another perfect summer evening.



On Thursday I took the kids and went strawberry picking with my friend Bethanie and her kids. Kennedy took a bunch of pictures for me at the field. I love the one of me because it captures perfectly what it's like every time I take my crew to go do something. A kid on my back, a kid on my lap- WHILE I'm picking strawberries. Everyone actually did very well. I had some anxiety before going because when my parents went to pick strawberries when I was a kid, children were not allowed in the field. I've always been a little afraid to go because I feared I would do something wrong. Say nothing of bringing 5 KIDS with me! But it was very family friendly and the kids were really good. Jesse was not nearly as fussy as this picture implies. I moved him into his stroller and he sat next to his little buddy Andrew and was pretty content.



I then spent the rest of Thursday hulling berries and making jam. Go me! My first time making jam. It was so fun and very rewarding. I know jam isn't exactly going to feed my family through the apocalypse, but it felt good to lay up food for the family. I did a batch of freezer jam and a batch of canned. On Friday I did a batch of strawberry-rhubarb freezer jam. And finally today, Saturday, I got around to making a strawberry-rhubarb pie. Can't wait to eat it. It looks great!



Thursday night we went to the lake as mentioned in yesterday's post. I love this picture of my boys walking up the beach.


In our travels this week we took some photos of flood damage. We drove to Spring Green last night to eat at a fun drive-in burger place, Rumbleseats. When we got there we found the little playground flooded and the placed closed down. There was a six inch pipe coming out of the window with water flowing out of it. Spring Green is right in the Wisconsin River valley so they got hit pretty hard. (Keep in mind this was a week later.) The shots of the washed out road are from Sunday. Lincoln took the kids to Blackhawk Lake to go for a walk and found the road washed out on the way there.








We finally got our pool pass for the city pool. We went on Friday afternoon and had a delightful time. Devon can touch easily in the shallow end of the big pool now, which is a big relief. Renie and Jesse are content to play in the baby pool or hang out on the steps of the big pool. There are always people we know there so I can usually get someone to watch kids in the baby pool while I watch the kids in the big pool or vice versa. And there are always six lifeguards on duty which is fantastic.
So I'm now focusing on getting us ready to leave for vacation in 5 days. Today we bought a car top carrier and tried to buy a new cooler that would fit in the car better. We found the perfect cooler on sale at Sears. Wow- the last one! Lucky! Only $12! Lucky again! We got to the register and they couldn't sell it to us because there is a recall on it. Argh! What's with all the recalls lately? Did you know that Cinnamon Life has been recalled? Did you also know that my children LOVE Cinnamon Life and every single morning they ask me if I was able to buy it yet? C'mon Quaker! I'm dying here! Fix the Life already! So still no cooler- it would've been nice to get one at Sears with our discount. Now we'll have to get one that's not quite what we wanted at Walmart. (Was the cooler going to kill us? Was it going to release some sort of toxin into my food? If not then couldn't I make the decision myself about whether I wanted it or not?) So packing, organizing, getting the car ready. Did I mention that our liftgate is falling off our Mountaineer? Yup, one of the hinges just gave up the ghost, popped apart, Bam! That's when I remembered something about a letter we got a couple years ago in reference to ----wait for it------a RECALL on the hinges. Are you kidding me? So I called the dealer and sure enough I did remember correctly and they are under the recall. So I have to take the car in to have them replaced on Wednesday, one day before we leave. Talk about cutting it close. When I called to set it up I explained that we needed it done right away because we were leaving on vacation. When the lady called to tell me the part was in she said, "Do you want to go ahead and schedule that right now?"

"Umm, YES."

"OK, any day next week.....after Wednesday."

(Thinking, so why not say Thursday or Friday? It's not "any day", it's one of 2. Not 1 of 7. One of seven you could start with 'Any day') "I guess Thursday then. We're leaving on vacation that day at 5:00, can it be done by then?"

"Oh. How 'bout I put you in for Wednesday and I'll check with our service technician to make sure we can get you in?"

(Thinking, then why didn't you say after Tuesday if you thought you might be able to get me in sooner?) "That would be great."

So Wednesday it is. It takes about an hour to do the labor, but requires 2 hours to let the adhesive set. What I'm going to do two towns away with 5 kids for three hours is beyond me, but at least the car will be fixed.

So, despite the chaos of getting ready to leave, I'm SO EXCITED to go on vacation. I love to be on the road with my family. And I get to do fun things and see fabulous people that I haven't seen in years! Take for example one of my missionary companions , Chari, we'll be staying with in Utah- 12 years! I love her and she helped me have a great mission. She taught me how to have fun while doing the work. We were only together a month (is that really all it was?!) but we became great friends. She is great at keepin' it real. And funny. And boy, you all know how hilarious I am, so imagine the 2 of us together. And then there's Charlene. She was a missionary in my ward when I was a teenager. She and I clicked and she had a great influence on me for good. I've always said she's a soulmate. I'm sure our spirits knew each other long before we met in Potsdam. It's been 8 years since I've seen her. Then there's Jenn and Dawson who we'll stay with in Las Vegas. You know when you meet a couple that works perfectly with you and your spouse? No? That's because it's rare. But they are that for us. We met when we were all newlyweds living in New Jersey. We were just starting our families and the boys were just starting their careers. We have stayed close through the years and always have great times together. It's been 2 years since we saw them. And last, but certainly not least, Jessica and Erik. Jessica is my cousin and I just love her. We've been close forever, traveling together, working together, living together, being in each other's weddings. And happily, we both married people that the other likes so we can get our families together and continue building memories. We saw Jessica 3 years ago, but haven't seen Erik and their son Carter in 6 years and we haven't even met Bridger!
I'm sure you'll hear lots more about all of them after our visit.
So- a long rambling post that no one stayed around for the conclusion of except me. That's OK. This is after all, my journal. Sometimes I'm the only one reading!

Aaahhh, summertime...

All five of my little monkeys at the lake. We saw a muskrat and a snake in the water that evening.
Time is getting away from me and I'm behind on blogging, but it's because we've been doing fun stuff like this, oh, and fighting with each other. More soon!

Stating the obvious...

Every time I change Renie's stinky diapers, which is usually about 4 times a day, she says, "I wanna see my poop. That's disgusting. We don't want to eat that! Right, Mom?"
"Right."
Just now Devon was in on the conversation. "What would happen if we ate it Mom? Would we die?"
"No, we wouldn't die, but we would probably throw up."

"How would we throw up Mom?"

"Like this." [Making barfing noises.]

Such stimulating conversation.

Oh, What a beautiful morning...

Oh, what a beautiful day. At least, I hope it will be. It is sunny and warm, the birds are singing, the grass smells fresh, and I got to start my morning at the gym before any little kiddies were awake. We read scriptures together over a sunny breakfast and I feel ready to conquer the day.

So I shall go forth...

This season of my life...

I was thinking this morning that in a couple years my house will smell so much better. Yes, it will take a couple years. Not because I never clean, but because by then, with any luck at all, I will no longer have any children in diapers. I currently have 2 and can I just say they are VERY prolific. It seems the smell just constantly hangs in the air. Either there's a stinky one on a butt, the scent is heavy in the air because I just changed one, or there is a stinky one that has gotten kicked under the couch or forgotten in a diaper bag or something or there is one stinking up the trash bag that's almost ready to be tossed in the dumpster. The other thing that will help the smell around here will be the death of our dear dog. (It's got to happen in the next couple years, right? She's 13 and a half, for crying out loud!) We don't let her in the house, but her stench has completely filled the garage and every time the door to the garage gets opened her smell comes in. Then there's the deadly combination of the two. Yes, I'm referring to when she gets her jaws on a stinky diaper and eats/shreds it. How foul is that?
So in a couple years it will get better- I promise.

Father's Day

If you don't know my Dad, you are missing out. But then, Dad knows everyone, so chances are good that you're acquainted. It's amazing how much our parents are a part of us, how they define us. My Dad always had a bit of a temper, my kids can tell you I inherited that, but never did I question his love for me. Dad always seized opportunities to spend quality time with his kids. He knew how to make great moments out of the mundane, how to make us feel special. I remember what a treat it was to go to the barn with him to do the chores. Dad would call the cow in and pull up the stool to milk. I would climb up on the wall of a nearby pen and the mundane moment became great. We would play singing games. These were and are one of Dad's favorites. Dad loves music. He loves to sing. He is not a very good singer, he has a hard time carrying a tune, but he is my favorite singer. The fact that he can't sing well never stopped him and he taught us a love of music. He always has a song for any situation. Any word. In fact, just today Julia said something to me and I sang a line of a song that had that word in it and she said, "Is there a song about everything?" It's just second nature for me to do that because Dad has always done it. We would play Name That Tune as we sat in the musty barn, Dad beating out the rhythm into the frothy milk pail. Or we would play word games. Dad loves to tell hink-pinks or hinkie-pinkies or even hinkety-pinketies. (You know, An obese rodent. You guess: Fat rat. ) When my youngest brother was small Dad helped him memorize a fairly lengthy poem during their chore time moments. We were all so impressed when they came in from the barn one night and he recited his poem.
I don't remember ever feeling like I was in the way, despite the fact that there was a lot of work to be done all the time. We worked alongside Dad, he let, and expected, us to help, even if what we were doing was probably not all that helpful. For example, I remember hunting for kittens in the haymow. Dad would come in and tell me that Sam had her kittens and she had hidden them in the haymow somewhere and could I come help him find them. I loved those moments. We would go to the haymow and strain our ears for the faint mews. We would follow the sound to the nest and peek at them. Such a simple thing that I was not needed for, but that Dad included me in and now it is a part of me.
When I was a teenager, Dad would drive me to youth night at church. Sometimes we would stop for ice cream on the way home and he would make a moment. He would tell me not to tell the others when we got home, so it felt extra-special to have been in on the secret with him, to have gotten special treatment. What can I say, I'm #4 of 6, it felt good.
Dad also trusted us to do things that other parents might think were beyond our age. Like for instance riding our big horse by ourselves at age 6, driving the tractor at age 8, or driving the car at age 10 (on the dirt road). If being trusted doesn't make you feel special, I don't know what will.
I don't think Dad has ever passed a flower he didn't notice or a perfect apple he didn't pick. And in just the same way, he hasn't ever passed a person he didn't try to befriend. He loves people, he is genuinely interested in them, remembers their names, thinks about them, hopes the best for them, serves them, prays for them, aches at their loss, rejoices in their successes. Dad loves to have a crowd of people in his home and share whatever he has with them. He'll share his food, his land and animals, and on many occasions, his home to help someone out. He is kind and generous, perhaps to a fault, having difficulty saying no or I'm busy to someone who wanted him at an inopportune moment. I remember people just showing up at our house- long lost relatives, former students, an old friend- and Dad would just drop everything to spend the afternoon visiting with them.
I love you, Dad. Thank you for teaching me to savor moments, to see beauty all around me, to love people. Thank you for teaching me a love of words and music, how to tell a good story and how to enjoy a good laugh.

Happy Father's Day.

Have I mentioned...

HOW MUCH I HATE MY DOG?!

You know my new not cheap bike I just got for my birthday? I went out to the garage tonight to head out grocery shopping and found her GNAWING on it! My bike! She was busy working on the pedal at the time but had already destroyed the tire. For anyone wondering, we will NOT. BE. GETTING. ANOTHER. DOG. Doesn't matter, she's going to live forever anyway, destroying every nice thing we own, one at a time.