Today's Funeral

Boy, you never know what you are going to get into when you wake up on any given morning... especially around here. Somehow, a fly got into our house today. I'm not a huge fly fan, particularly when they are in our house. Honestly, we try to have a "no-kill" policy around here, but flies are just too hard to catch. I decided to swat this one and got a little too excited when I nailed him and put an end to his buzzing. Amanda was quick to be on the scene to see what was going on. When she found out that I had killed a fly, she was pretty distraught. She wanted to know where he was going to go now (aside from the trash can). She also wanted to know if God was going to give him a new body and new wings so that he could fly again. Well, when the dust settled, I dug the fly out of the trash, wrapped him in a paper towel, and buried him in one of our flower gardens. On the positive side, I think that everything that we went through with Oscar sunk in!

The baby open house on Sunday was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, the gal that was co-hostessing with me was sick. Her mother and husband came down and helped a TON! Dean wasn't able to get away from his conference, so he wasn't there... but, Mendi and the baby were. Lots of fun was had... I just about collapsed from exhaustion when it was all over with.

Yesterday, we went over to Dean's parent's house to visit with everyone for a couple of hours. It was nice... I finally got to hold the baby. I can't believe that the whole day Sunday I didn't get to hold her once! After the visit, we headed south and a bit west to look at a 125-gallon aquarium... just what we need. When the dust settled, we had purchased it. Doug is going to go back tomorrow to pick it up. It is a very nice set... oak stand and oak full hood. We'll be putting it in the family room eventually. Before we get it set up, I really would like to paint the wall that it will be sitting against. Once we get it set up, I don't think that it will be moving... for a very long time. I would, however, like to get it set up before we go to the National Cichlid Convention next month. I would love to get a lot of new fish there!!

Not much else for now... looks like the skies are starting to cloud up a bit. Perhaps more afternoon thundershowers? If only they could time it so that golf gets cancelled for today...

Oh, it's nice outside!!

It is so sunny out there today... of course, it's hot and humid, but I would take that any day over a cold day! For sure!! We finally got the gazebo put up in the back yard last night. Doug had the side frame up for awhile, but now the whole thing - top, cover and mosquito nets are up. Boy, it looks really nice. I've potted my plant that is going to live out there, too. We need to figure out something for the corners, as it's not very easy to mow around it. Maybe we can put some mulch there or something... we still have plenty of that left.

Mendi, Dean and Anzie should be on their way north now! I haven't heard an update, but they were supposed to leave around noon and get in around midnight. I hope that Anzie travels well. This is her first big trip! I imagine that Mendi will be living in the back of the car serving as her personal assistant pretty much the whole way. I know that is what I usually wind up doing with our kids... personal assistant and entertainer... oh yeah, and waitress.

We finally made it to the party store yesterday. Amanda had a blast looking at everything. She is soooo funny. She was saying, "oh, look at this one... look at this one..." And, she loved to see all of the different colors of plates, cups, etc. I can't remember which song came over the speakers, but at one point, she just stopped what she was doing and started dancing. Totally cracked me up! We also went next door to PetSmart to browse. The "Oscar" cat was still there. He was laying on his back just like Oscar used to....

I think that pretty much everything is on track for the shower. I need to make a batch of peanut butter cookies and get some pictures printed out. We also need to go and finish shopping for our gift. Everything should fall into place pretty easily on Sunday. I'm SO looking forward to everyone getting to meet Anzie and see Mendi and (hopefully) Dean.

Snot, snot

Can you believe that both kids have colds AGAIN!?! This has been one of hte snottiest years ever. Amanda had a pretty bad day yesterday, but she seens to be feeling better today. James' nose started running last night. Today, it is pretty constant... but, he seems to act ok. That is over half the battle.

Doug had golf last night and didn't get home until a few minutes shy of 9:00 p.m. On the way to golf, he somehow scraped the bottom of the car (going over a hill too fast...). There is a cover on the bottom of the engine compartment to keep road dirt out of it. Anyway, the cover came loose and was scraping on the ground. After golf, he took it off. Now, we need to get that fixed somehow. Should be a pretty easy fix... cost, who knows?

Today, we'll venture out for some baby shower business. I need to take the janitor check into the church. Then, if I'm brave, we might do a reconnaisance mission to the card party outlet store to look into balloons and table cloths. For the bridal shower, we borrowed the nice linen ones from my MOPS group. I feel wierd asking them to borrow them again... So, we either need to rent linen ones or buy plastic ones. I don't really care for plastic, but if they are significantly cheaper than linen, we might just go that way. I can't believe that Mendi and the gang will be here in just three days!!!

We also need to go to the library sometime today. The shows are due. I need to get Amanda signed up for the summer reading program...

Grass, Dads, Kids and Fish

We really need to mow today. The grass has grown tons, especially with all of the rain we've had the last couple of days. On a related note, the tomato plants are growing like crazy! We actually have at least three baby tomatoes. Yummy! I cannot wait until they are all grown up, red and ready to eat. There is no comparison to tomatoes right off the vine. I just cringe whenever I have to buy a tomato at the store... yuk. No flavor. Tough. Hard to believe that they are even related to the juicy guys that we get out of our garden.

We had a wonderful Father's Day yesterday. I can't believe how blessed the kids and I are to have such a great guy in our lives. Doug does so much for us... I couldn't even start to make a list of all the awesome things he does. Everything from provide for our family to let the kids climb all over him to putting up with me... Ok, I guess I did start to make a list, but the list could go on and on forever. At church yesterday, they had a sort of panel "discussion" with three dads and the pastor. It was very moving. They really hit on some very important points that not only fathers but all of us should really take to heart and follow. Basically, enjoy every moment... especially when your children are small. They grow up way too quickly... you can't get any of the "expired" time back. As parents, love each other and treat one another with respect. Not only does it help your marriage, but it also gives your children a secure environment. How many children grow up today in single family homes... or in abusive homes... or with no parental supervision... again, another list that could go on and on. It just breaks my heart to think about children in these types of situations. In our society, there just isn't enough love and encouragement given to little ones... It seems as though it's all about what the parents want or what is convenient for the parents. So sad... Ok, enough of that. I guess that I got slightly off topic. Anyway, the service at church yesterday was nice.

Oh no, I notice that some clouds might be moving in now. I have filled up the wading pool for the kids (and me). As soon as James wakes up, I was planning on all of us going outside for awhile. I hope that the rain holds off...

For whatever reason, I have been on the lookout for a HUGE aquarium for our house. Not like we don't already have too many gallons of water sitting around. We are planning on going up to Chicago for a big Cichlid auction next month. I just have this fantasy of getting a bunch of really awesome fish, and I want to have somewhere to put them. I had my eye on a 200 gallon tank in Columbus, OH... but, Doug didn't think that he could get it and the stand in the truck to bring home. A bummer, because it went for only $255. But, I have found some other tanks on eBay and in the want adds. Surely, we can get something to work out. We'll have to set it up in the family room, as it will weigh a ton. Doug doesn't want to risk it falling into the crawlspace if it's set up in the other part of the house. Oh, the things we have to worry about...

Daddy's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the daddies out there! I am letting Doug sleep in as long as he wants to today... or as long as James will let him. They were curled up together sawing logs the last time I checked on them. It's so cute...

Well, as usual we have been very busy around here. A couple of nights ago, we spent alot of time out working in the yard. Amanda was in snoozing... and, James actually fell asleep on a blanket outside. Doug finished tidying up the edging around one of the new flower areas. I gave all of the veggies and most of the new perennials a nice dose of Miracle Gro. Then, I did something that may or may not have been really insane... the jury is still out. I pulled weeds back at the edge of the woods around Oscar's grave. I had planted some awesome hostas back there... but, the weeds were closing in on them. So, I put on my gloves (literally) and went to town. The whole time, Doug was saying how ridiculous it was... and that I was certain to get poison ivy. He probably was right, but so far no poison ivy!! I scrubbed up with rubbing alcohol and took a "bleach" bath afterwards. That always seems to work for him. Of course, KC was beside herself licking me. She loves to lick people if they have any trace of bleach or Ben-Gay on them. She's a nut.

Yesterday was a really fun day. We were able to cross a couple of the local really challenging caches off of our list. Both of them were very tricky... one downright evil! But, we (actually, I!!) found both of them. Somedays, you've just got it. We also had a huge trip to Meijer. We finally broke down and bought a gazebo for our backyard. Doug is about half done putting it together. It is sure to be used a ton... the skeeters have been really bad here already this year. So, this little outdoor "room" has nice zippered, netted sides to keep the pests out. We also loaded up on food...

In the afternoon, we headed down the street for a surprise 40th birthday party. It was a blast! They had tons of awesome food (bbq from a local vendor). The hit of the day was being able to jump in the pool. I'm not sure officially how hot it was, but I'm certain that it was in the low 90s. The pool was wonderful! The kids (little and big, LOL!) really enjoyed themselves.

Today, we'll be getting together with my mom and dad later. We'll have the standard Father's Day cookout. Doug is excited because he can use his new Weber again. I just hope that there is enough of a break in the rain to cook out. It is supposed to rain... with a chance of some severe stuff. This is unfortunate, because there is a big car show planned at the local park. Mom and Dad were going to bring one of their cars down... but, with the chance of bad weather, they're rethinking that. I'm sure that alot of people are rethinking...

Well, have a great day!

Frogs and Toads

Today we start the Frog Collection in music class. It should be great. I always like the summer collections. The songs are always very upbeat and, well... summery! On a related note, when I was mowing back by the shed last night I found a great brown spotted toad. He was very handsome. He hid by the slide, and by the time I could get Amanda out there he had hidden somewhere. The yard looks awesome! Of course, it took two separate mowing sessions spread across three days, but that is ok...

Doug and Amanda finally made it to the library last night. Amanda was very excited to go... it had been a very long time since we had made it. She called Doug during the day and lobbied for a visit. It worked. They were able to snag some great "shows" and books. Doug also picked up the book that has plans for the swingset he is going to build the kids.

Gotta run for now... more later?

See Spot Run

Ok, well, maybe it isn't "See Spot run." But, it is "See Spot." James developed a rash of sorts on his head Saturday afternoon... and it progressed over his body on Sunday. Today, I decided it was time to get him back to the doctor so that she could have a look at it. I had no idea what it was, but I was pretty sure that it was NOT chicken pox. She checked him over and said that he had Roseola. Now, I'm thinking that I need a new thermometer. Last week, James woke up in the middle of the night, and I thought he was totally burning up. His temperature only read 101.7 at the max. The doctor said that with Roseola kids typically run a pretty high temp for about three days... which is about what James had. (I just thought it was less than it was because of the thermometer.) Anyway, James is on the mend. His spots on his head are fading a bit. In about two or three days, they should be gone.

The plants that I thought had been obliterated by the lawn service have completely bounced back! Yeah!! I was so stressed out about that... but, for whatever reason, everything looks like it is going to be a-ok.

We met Doug for lunch at Quizno's today. That place was really good! I'd never been to one before, and we had a coupon for it. I think that we'll have to add that to our list of possible lunch places.

Mendi just told us yesterday that she and Anzie will be staying a few extra days when they come to visit! Dean has to get back for work, but the two gals will be staying until Sunday morning and then will fly back to Atlanta. Very cool!! Speaking of cool... it hasn't been in Augusta. Mendi said that the high there yesterday was 99... sweatfest!

There's an "r" in church?

Oh man... You would think that with the invention of automatic spell-checker, spelling errors would be a thing of the past. Well, the spell-checkers can only do so much. They underline the errant word in red. It is the responsibility of the document writer to notice that, right? Well, I'll blame this mistake on lack of sleep and lack of any kind of rest time at all this week... I had all but two of the invitations to the Baby Open House in the envelopes... sealed... stamped... and, I noticed that I had mis-spelled Church as Chuch. Not only had I missed it, but so had three of my proof-readers. Doh! I absolutely abhor spelling errors, so I had no choice but to open all of the invites (very carefully), reprint the invites, restuff, and reseal with a glue stick. They turned out unbelievably well. I can't believe the time that was spent because of my screw up. Oh well, not like I had anything else to do...

I took James into the doctor this morning. He was still running a low grade fever and was still cranky. It turns out that it is just a cold. He had quite a bit of gunk in his nose and his throat was really red. So, there isn't a whole lot to do for him but wait.

I'm totally stressing out about our veggie garden and some of our other new plants. The lawn service treated our yard yesterday and put the stuff on all of our gardens. Our tomato plants (at least some of them) are wilting... and, I think that one of our Autumn Joy Sedum plants is wilting too. I left a message for them last night, and of course, they haven't called me back yet. We'll see what happens... I hope that nothing gets totally zapped. This is making me physically sick.

Doug cooked steaks on his new Weber grill last night. Oh, were they good! Our old grill has been disassembled and is waiting for the trash boys. Kinda sad. We've had that grill for nearly 10 years. I was proud of Doug for not wanting to keep it, though.

Until next, time... keep an eye on your spelling!

Amanda's Wisdom

She is playing with a pair of her Playdoh scissors, pretending that it is a bird. She just came up to me and said, "Did you know that birds carry their food in their mouths?" She's bringing "food" to a pretend baby bird. She just cracks me up... It is so amazing to me the things that she knows already at such a young age. Truly amazing.

James is still very cranky. He was up last night from about 2:00 - 3:00 a.m. Yawn. He's got a very slight fever and is drooling. I really think that he is working on a tooth. Still, I wonder if it is something else... He just wants to be held and cuddled all of the time. I'm trying to stay positive through all of this. He is usually so happy and easy...

I've made some progress on the Baby Open House for Mendi and family. The invitations are almost ready to go out. I hope to get them finished up and out in the mail later today... Of course, with everything else going on around here, we'll just roll with the punches.

Non-Stop!

We're back from Georgia! Actually, we've been back for a few days. We got in on Sunday evening... It's taken me this long to even think about my blog. How horrible...

We had a wonderful trip. It was great to spend time with Dean, Mendi and Anzie. I only wish that they were closer. I guess that I should just be happy that they are closer than they were when they were in Montana. It seems like no matter what we have, we always want more.

On the way back home, we did a lot of caches. We also stopped by the Cumberland Gap National Park. That was a lot of fun. We saw three deer grazing on the side of a hill/mountain when we returned to our truck after a short hike. Unfortunately, Pinnacle Road was closed for repairs. It was still a fun visit. We dressed the kids up like pioneer kids in the visitors center.

Now, I'm trying to regroup. There is still a ton of laundry to do... dishes are multiplying in the sink... and, I'm trying to get stuff together to send out invites for a baby "open house" for Anzie. They are coming here at the end of the month! Yeah :)

All of our new plants survived our absence. Thankfully, the neighbors were looking out for them. Our butterfly bush and the winterberry bushes have acquired "rust". We took in some samples to the nursery and one of the experts helped us. She told us what it was and what to do about it. I pray that they will get over it and not die. Of course, the most expensive plants developed the problem... Anyway, it sounds like they should make it and that we'll probably have to treat them annually. No big deal as long as we know what to do. While we were at the nursery, one of the employees brought a little kitten over for the kids to see. Everyone (including the kitten) really enjoyed that!

Well, I don't know much else for now... and, chores are calling.