Crazy warm weather and a good Christmas

It is New Year's Eve, and as Dail and I have no plans, I am getting caught up on my blog. Sad, but true. It has been insanely warm here lately - today was 77, tomorrow is supposed to be in the 80's. So, we have been spending every spare moment outside with the boys, riding bikes, raking leaves, cleaning the garage, etc. The pictures that I am posting make it look like it's been cold, but the boys got the denim jackets for Christmas from Dail's Mom, and I wanted to take a picture of them for her. And, I had bought Aidan the adorable outfit complete with hat last year, and I wanted him to wear it on Christmas, even if he did break a sweat!

My parents came for Christmas, and we had a wonderful time with them. My Mom is doing fantastic - she got a little tired - but other than that, she did great. We went for lots of walks, and they were even inspired to really consider moving here someday soon. The boys got too many gifts (in my opinion) but they loved them all, and really have been playing with them every day. Aidan's favorite toy is a taling Elmo - and we all think he talks a bit too much! My Dad swore he was going to have nightmares of Elmo talking in that weird voice!

Well, it is time to get my kiddos in bed, and then I'm going to attempt to beat my husband at darts. I haven't played with him since before Aidan was born, and he plays with Jeff every time the Trimble's come over. Still, I beat him on our first date, so I have a reputation to uphold! Then we're going to ring in the New Year with wine and cheese and I'm sure some kind of count down. Happy New Year to you and yours!

BOYS!!! (and refrigerators?)

So, I am learning quickly that Luke was a bit too easy on us as a 2 year old. Yes, he always engaged us in "brain wrestling" but not too often did he get into mischievious trouble. Aidan is teaching me all new tricks!!! Today, I went to work to just pick something up. When I got into the kitchen, something smelled awful. I thought it was the disposal, but the smell consumed the whole kitchen. I then noticed a lot of water pooling around the refrigerator. Hmmm...so I opened the freezer to find 3 bags of ice (formerly ice, now a tidal wave of water), mushy hot dogs, what was once sherbet, and some other things flowing out at me. Ewww! Then I opened the fridge and found of course the lights off, and everything inside room temperature. So, I thought that maybe when their was a graduation party there last weekend, someone blew a fuse. I mopped up what I could of the mess, threw every towel we own into the washer after they were soaked with a horrible smell, and went to the fuse box. I not only found the one fuse out, but 7 others. This was clearly not "blowing a fuse" - this was someone switching them off. So, I asked Luke "did you touch these switches in here?" He says "No Mom, but the other day (which would have been FOUR days ago) Aidan was touching them in there." Nice! So, I explained to them both how they can NEVER touch those switches, and then I emptied every last thing out of the fridge. Fun times at work for me!!!

Luke, Grant, & Chad at their TLC Christmas program 

The neighbors and our kids in the pile of leaves I raked up! 

Love, loss, and hope

So much has happened since my last blog - but because of that, I never have time to post on here! Those of you who received my Christmas card will know that I said "Dail's and my families are healthy and doing well"...well, perhaps I should not have written those words, because shortly after it was written, my Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had surgery to remove the malignant tumor last week, and though it was difficult for all of us to take the news, there is much to be filled with hope for as the tumor was very small (less than 1 cm), and it had not spread to her lymph nodes either. So, she will begin radiation in January, but will not have to undergo chemo. Yea!

For my 35th birthday, my husband surprised me with a trip to Fort Worth. I thought we were going to a movie here in Wichita Falls, but instead he had my friend Kelly pack a bag for me and we drove to Sundance Square in Fort Worth where he had reservations at Etta's Bed & Breakfast and at the Riatta for dinner. We had a wonderful dinner, then went to Barnes & Noble and just browsed forever, and went back to our cute B&B. The next morning after being served breakfast angels at our B&B (they were quite yummy), we walked around Sundance Square until our movie, Narnia started at 1PM. The movie was a perfect way to end our little rendezvous, and then we drive back to Wichita Falls. I love my guy for doing that for me! It was a much needed reprieve.

Finally, our little Luke lost his first tooth yesterday. I only knew two days ago that it was even loose, and yesterday it fell out! So, the tooth fairy visited, and now all he wants for Christmas is his one front tooth!

Speedy 

"I wub ewe peedy"

Well, we offically are a home of 4 pets now...two cats, one fish, and a dog. Speedy adopted our family this week. He followed the boys home from a bike ride last weekend, and has never left. After checking all the local "lost" animal places and placing an ad in the paper, I decided that we should make his adoption of us official. So, today he went to the vet and the groomer, and is an offical Neely now. He absolutely loves the boys, and is so good with them. And, as I quoted Aidan for this post, they adore him too. Aidan always tells him he loves him, it is so sweet!

No training wheels! 

Woody 

Halloween 2005 

Spook & Spoke

I have aptly named this blog after an annual bike ride held here in Wichita Falls. But for me, it means "Halloween and Luke riding his bike without training wheels!" This weekend, Luke wanted his training wheels off of his bike...they had been giving him fits for a while and he was tired of it. He got on his bike, went a couple of times with Dail and I holding on to the back of his saddle, and from then on, went without our help all by himself! I cannot tell you how proud we are of him! He gets on himself, goes quite fast, and stops without crashing too. It is awesome!

Today was Halloween, and the boys went trick or treating around the neighborhood. This was Aidan's first time trick or treating, and he didn't quite understand what was going on. He thought when you knock on someone's door, you go inside, so the first house we went to, they knocked, said "trick or treat" and Aidan went right on in!! It was quite funny. They enjoyed themselves all in all, and Luke wanted to know if it could be Halloween every day! (ie. can I go get candy from neighbors all the time?)

Elegant Day 

My little James Dean 

James Dean kid

I know I haven't blogged in FOREVER, but my life has been so hectic I barely get time to say "hi" to my husband as we pass each other going in or out the door...it is that bad! Since the wedding I played the piano in last weekend is over, things are slightly better, and after next weekend (the weekend of the CCC retreat and the Bishop's visit to the CCC) - I think I will be back to my normal levels of stress, which I can handle.

Anyway - I had to share these pics of Luke. First of all, I am so proud of him because he has started to branch out of his comfort zone - which is amazing for him! He wore cute clothes to school last week for elegant day (and come on, isn't that a day for girls? How many little boys do you know that want to be "elegant"?) and so the first picture is of him all dressed up. The next photo is what I call my little James Dean. He got his haircut yesterday, and told Joe, the barber, to make it "stick up" in front. So, Joe obliged, and now Luke wants me to make his hair do that every day!

Luke's new friend

As many of you know, our eldest son is shy and reserved, at least in public. He usually only makes one really good friend each year in school, and this year it is Grant. Luke talks about Grant, about their escapades on the playground, about their fun in the classroom and at lunch. He adores Grant. Tonight, Grant's Mom called me to say we will be party moms together for their class's Fall Festival. We talked a lot about what we wanted to do for the party, and the she said "You know, Grant told me the 2nd day of school that he had made a new best friend, and his name was Luke." I think that is so precious!!! It makes me happy for him!

A "Beary" Fun Day

Over the weekend, we got to actually celebrate Aidan's birthday as a family, with a few good friends too. We had a party at Paws N Claws Bear Factory (Wichita Falls version of Build A Bear) and all the kids (plus Jeff & Ronnie - Aidan's Godparents) got to choose whatever animal they wanted to make. We had everything from Ellie the Elephant (Aidan's choice) to Fifi the Poodle. It was a lot of fun! Also, my friend Kelly went with me to Lucy Park for a 2 year old photo shoot. She got a lot of great shots of Aidan, despite his longing to run away from the camera! Thanks Kelly! It was a whole lot better than the typical photos we get from JC Penneys, and cheaper too!

My sweet son

In this busy week with birthdays (Aidan's), campus evacuation (strange power problems at MSU) and the impending hurricane - my son Luke did the sweetest thing. He came home from school today after having Western Day, and had 2 toys. He showed them both to me, was all proud of them, and then he said, "Mommy, you know how that hurricane might come and some kids will have to leave their houses without their toys and stuff? Can you give this toy (holds one of them out) to them so they can have something to play with? I don't need that many toys and they might really need one." I was SOO proud of him - he is so sweet!

Red River trip

By now many of you have heard that we had a fabulous trip to Red River last weekend. We stayed in a cute little lodge that had a perfect swingset just outside the doors - like it was made for Aidan & Luke. We hiked in Taos, saw Native American dancing one evening, walked down the cute little strip of the town, and of course Ronnie & Dail rode their bikes 100 miles!!! It was nice to have her along, not only for the companionship and help with the boys, but also because I actually got to be IN some of our photos! :) It was a great trip - and I would recommend New Mexico to anyone who hasn't been there. I've been to Red River, Taos, and Santa Fe, and like them all for different reasons. It's beautiful.

Labor Day Weekend - DMB and Mom visit

We have had a GREAT Labor Day weekend! My Mom came in on Friday night to visit...which was so exciting for the kids. They woke up Saturday morning and she was there - and they were so excited! Then on Saturday night, I surprised Dail and took him to Dallas to see Dave Matthews Band for our anniversary. He didn't even know where we were going when we left...and he was shocked when we drove out of town. It was a great night, and worked out perfectly that my Mom was here so she could keep the boys. I have to admit I am quite naive about outdoor concerts though - we were surrounded by marijuana - I think the air filled with the fumes as soon as the lights went out! At first I couldn't figure out why everyone around us (who did't seem to know each other) suddenly was sharing cigarettes...then I finally figured it out! I cannot believe that they can get away with that! So, it temporarily dampered my experience, but they ran out of their stash, and I was able to breathe a bit clearer, and enjoy the music. There are only 2 bands that Dail would ever want to see in concert: U2 and DMB. So, I'm glad I got to take him! We spent the rest of the weekend just hanging out - My Mom and I shopped when the kids napped, and we took lots of walks with the boys. It was wonderful!

Still in love after 52 years!

I had to share this photo I took of Polly & Melvin over the weekend - they are too cute!

HHH - Can we do it again?

We had our first family experience at the Hotter N Hell Hundred Bike Ride yesterday. As some of you may know, this is one of the biggest bike rides around, and certainly a huge deal for Wichita Falls. It has always been my dream that we could ride in it together as a family - and Dail made that happen this year (thanks honey!). With Luke on his clamp on (3rd wheel) to Dail's bike, and with Aidan in the trailer behind me, we were ready to go at 6:30 AM! (The kids wanted to know how we were going to ride when it was dark). The ride officially starts at 7:05 - complete with military jets flying overhead - but since we were riding only 10K, we were at the back of 9,700 people. So, 33 minutes later, we crossed the START line. After we made it past all the scary people who look like they could fall over in front of you any minute (and the kids who weave in and out with no control) - we successfully navigated the ride which takes you up a couple of hills, over a suspension bridge!, and past the actual "falls" of Wichita Falls. It was a lot of fun. Once we were through - Luke wanted to know if we could do it again...right then. He loved it! Aidan enjoyed all the rough terrain - it made him bounce around a lot. He kept saying "More bridge" or "More bump". This morning when Luke woke up, the first thing he said to his Daddy was "can we go out on a bike ride?" and sure enough, they went out for 11 miles. Love it!

Cycling boy

Well, it's official - cyclism has caught on in the Neely household. We went to the Hotter N Hell trade show tonight, and Luke was as excited as his Daddy. He has wanted his own jersey ever since he started riding on the 3rd wheel with Dail. So, he picked out one tonight - only it's a one piece jersey/shorts thing....with Mexican flag type stuff on it. Very cute! He looks adorable in it. And, he liked it so much, he wanted to sleep in it tonight...so I snuck in after he fell asleep and took a pic. Adorable!

3rd times a charm

Yes, Ronnie and I made our 3rd attempt in three weeks to go out on our regular bicycle route and return without...drama. We contemplated changing our route - but I felt like for some reason we were called to this challenge, and we couldn't give in to defeat. And so (and this part is to make my brother realize that riding a bike is in fact fun and not a regular hazard!) WE DID IT! No flats, no goats, no bobcats (see Dail's blog) not a thing prevented our success this time. We had some mathematical differences in how far we in fact went (guess it's been a long time since we had to do basic addition and subtraction without he help of a calculator, palm pilot, or other technological device) but at around about 30 miles, we made it home. Now she is going to do 75-100 miles this weekend for the Hotter N Hell Hundred, but I will only be going 10K, toting a 50+ windsock (ie. Aidan in the cart). We will have fun, I am sure!

Mandantory family fun day

Yes, today was "mandantory family fun day" - or at least that is what I told Dail. You see, the Budweiser Clydesdale Horses were in town for Ranch Roundup (a VERY Texas thing) and they were having a parade today to showcase the horses. Well, if you don't already know, I LOVE parades and I LOVE horses. So, we had to go...even though it was at 4 in the afternoon, which is not only prime nap time but also just a wee bit hot in Wichita Falls in August. I told Dail the boys would love it, and he felt he had no choice. When we told Aidan we were going to a parade, he got excited and said "I see Ga'ma and Poppy!" since the only other parade he's ever been to was this past 4th of July in my parents' neighborhood in Nebraska. Fortunately, our friends the Koch's also ended up being there, so the long wait for the horses (and the absence of Ga'ma & Poppy) was no problem for the kiddos. After the heat/mosquito filled experience, we headed to Archer City to see Dail's parents and leave Luke for the night. The boys love their grandparents, as you can see from the pics!

Out of the mouths of...Luke & Aidan

I was just writing in my boys' journals, and remembered some funny, priceless quotes from my boys over the past few weeks. I will share them with you:

Aidan - "I wub yew Mommy" (said spontaneously and followed by a big hug)

Luke (said to his grandparents) - "Mommy is in charge of the kids, Daddy is in charge of the house"

Aidan - "Woh - I hear trashma'am" (trashman - his FAVORITE thing along with mowers and weed-weets (weedeater))

Luke (said to Aidan in a moment of disguist) - "If you're not going to give me that toy, then I'm not ever going to play with you. And when I grow up and have my own house, you can't come over. And I'm going to have a motorcycle and monster truck, and you can't see them either!!" (Whew - he told him!)

Life with little ones is positively priceless!

and it just gets better - Tetanus shot!

So, my day isn't getting any better than it ended yesterday. After my Mom informed me no less than 10 times that I should get a tetanus shot from the goat incident, I called the doctor this am. They told me to come by after 2 PM. After a road trip to Fort Worth got cancelled (was supposed to take my broken computer at work to get fixed, but now help is coming here to fix it - we'll see!) I went to work anyway with the boys in tow to check messages, etc. Upon heading into the "big" room as I call it, I couldn't figure out why I saw small food moving across the floor. But then the "aha" hit me - it was ANTS! So, we have a major ant problem at work, and nothing to spray them with. Then I went to lunch with Cassie (which was a wonderful reprival - thanks Cassie) and my wonderful niece kept my kids for an hour (thanks Sam!). Cassie had to leave to go to the doctor, which was coincidental since I had to go get a tetnus shot. When I arrive at the doctor, they tell me it will be just a few minutes for a nurse to call me. FORTY minutes later (yes, I'm stupid for waiting THAT long) I see Cassie stroll out of the doctor's office. First, she tells me she didn't wait more than 5 minutes in the lounge, then she says something about getting xrays. So, I ask (knowing in my heart the answer) what for? Of course, it is for the CCC canoeing trip we took a few weeks back when she had a huge fall out of her canoe that led her to being nearly lame in one leg. Well, she is still having problems with it, and had to get Xrays! I feel so badly that her incident happened on a CCC sponsored trip! The doc said she hasn't broken anything, she just has a lot of blood pockets built up and some calcium that has collected on the injured bone. Nice! I feel like pond scum. Finally, I go up to the desk to see what is taking so long. Well, seems the receptionist who checked me in put my file in my doctor's box - which would be fine except that my doctor is out today and my file would have sat there until tomorrow when my doctor comes in had I not said anything! Of course by now my kids are running around the waiting room screaming like wild banshies who have never been taught the fine mannerisms of how to behave in public. They finally call me back, I get my shot, and I take my worn out, nap way overdue kids home (but not before picking up Dail's drycleaning and the eggs necessary for our quiche tonight). What a day!!!!

Note to self - don't stop for goats!

Yes, Ronnie and I had another eventful bike ride last night. Our aspirations of going over 30 miles after work before it turns dark are getting to seem somewhat ridiculous. We once again had a good start, were keeping a good pace (heck, she was way outpacing me, but that gives me something to work for, right?) and were on our way back. This time, the sound that I heard was not a hissing air sound, but a crying goat sound. Do you know how sad a crying goat sounds? Sad enough to make us turn around to see what was going on. This poor goat had its head stuck in a wire fence, and couldn't pull it back through. We looked around for someone with goat experience, and no one could be found. (Where's a good goat herder when you need one?) So, we hopped off our bikes and went to the fence to see what we could do. We both grabbed her horns and tried to twist her poor head back so she could get out of her predicament...all the while laughing at what passers by must be thinking. She was SO stuck, and we weren't making much progress. I tried again to turn her head and suddenly I felt a lot of pain, and there was a lot of blood as I yanked my hand back. I think my finger got pinched between her horns and the fence! So, I stood there with blood rushing out of my finger like Niagra falls, and we wondered what kind of first aid we could do with a spare bicycle tube and some water. Now, all the while I am laughing, though I am slightly concerned with the amount of blood coming out of my finger. It was a lot! Ronnie finally remembered that Dail had given me these cloths that are the size of a half dollar until you add water to them, which causes them to grow...they were in my seat pack. After making the "magic cloth" big enough to cover my gaping wound, we then tried calling Dail to come get us. Of course, he was mowing the lawn, and had no phone nearby. So, she called Kelly to run to our house to tell Dail. Well, she happened to be 15 minutes away from town. So, she called Beaker to do the same thing. She too was 20 minutes outside of town. Seriously, who was around? The blood was drying on my arm, and my finger was throbbing while I held it above my heart (hey - I remembered something from college first aid!). Who knows what all the cars who flew by us (yes, no one even slowed) were thinking. Two girls in bicycle gear, one with a cloth wrapped around her hand and a lot of blood, and a random stuck goat all on the side of the road...what would you think?

Finally Dail checked his phone, saw we had called, called us back, and was on his way to our rescue. He and the boys showed up, loaded up our bikes, and took us home. My finger is now wrappped in 3 bandaids, still throbs a bit, but I think will survive. We decided that my elevated heart rate elevated my blood flow as well...because while the gash doesn't look good, it doesn't look life threatening.

So, the moral of the story - you guessed it, NEVER stop for a goat! (Maybe unless you are St. Francis himself!)

IKE-ugh

We had a great little weekend get away to Dail's sister's new place in Royce City...not too far outside of Dallas. They just moved there two weeks ago, and we went to help them out a bit and to also go to IKEA that just opened in Plano. We spent a great afternoon with them on Saturday touring the town and the school they will be working for (all while our niece Adrienne watched the boys - thank you SO much!) and then we all had dinner, Crickett and I went to Kohl's, and we then hung pictures and moved furniture until 12:30 AM.

The next day (Sunday), we got up, lazed around a bit, and then headed into the urbanesque land. Dail wanted to hit REI (his favorite sporting good store) and then up Preston Road to IKEA. Well, I had been warned that the place was a mad house and like driving to Six Flags or something, without the shuttle service. We approached IKEA and traffic on 121 slowed to a near standstill. We finally exited, circled the Dallas Stars practice arena twice, and FINALLY got into the parking lot. Little did we know that the mayhem was only just beginning. We went inside, had already lost Crickett & Dale, and Aidan was professing he wasn't having anything to do with sitting in a cart. After finding Dail's sister, we went the speed of every other crazy person in there (which was either too fast or slow, depending upon whether you wanted to stop and look at something or not) and spent 2 hours finding deals we just couldn't pass up. Once we got downstairs where most of the inventory that is displayed upstairs is located, we all were tired, a bit cranky, hungry, and did I say tired? [we had all taken turns holding Aidan, who is not a small child to lug around]. Finally we approach the check out stands, and clearly realize we are like cattle going to slaughter. There are 17 checkstands open, each with about 20+ waiting. Dale Montgomery declared there was nothing in his cart that he wanted to wait in THAT long of line for someone else to TAKE his money. He was overruled by the women of his household, but he was probably the smart one. ONE HOUR and TWENTY minutes later (yes, 110 minutes folks) we arrived at checkstand #13. I told Crickett that was our first problem - we got in lane #13?!?! By this time, my Dail had taken a crashed Aidan to the car, and Luke was rolling around on the floor getting filthy, which I didn't even care about anymore. I spent all of $30, and left feeling a mixture of satisfaction and stupidity....happy I went, braindead for actually buying anything that day!

We did have a good time overall, and the boys were very good overall, so that's what really matters I guess!

Summer daze at Castaway Cove

Deja vu?

This post is, in part, due to my husband's blog today...which if you haven't read, you should (There is a link to his blog at the side of my page in case you don't know his blog address). I think his misfortune on the bike sealed the fate of my ride with Ronnie yesterday. We went out early Sunday morning for what was shaping up to be a very good ride. We were making good time, avoiding all dogs, and thoroughly enjoying ourselves. After we passed the prison, I heard a noise. Now, there are 3 noises you DO NOT want to hear while biking...loud, close barking; loud, close honking; or the sound of air rushing out of a tire. (or I guess in the case of being near the prison, you might not want to hear gunshots or someone running quickly behind you, but I digress...) The whoosh of air was the sound that hit Ronnie and me. I had a nice little blow out. To make matters worse, I had the wrong kind of tube in my pack, so it took us 40 minutes and 2 Co2 cartridges to get me back on the road. While Dail called me after his flat yesterday, I DID NOT want to call him, because if Ronnie and I called him, that would admit failure to change a flat...a failure we didn't want to own up to. But, we did manage to make everything work (thank you Ronnie!) and then found our legs were not very happy to get back on a bike. Both of us had tired legs that had to take us home, all the way into the wind. At least my wonderful husband made me a tastey latte when I got home, which made it all seem not so bad.

More slip sliding

Slip Sliding Away

The kids had a ball today playing with their new slip n slide...It's one of those things I always wanted as a child, but never got (along with an easy bake oven!). It says ages 5+, but you can't tell Aidan that! He's more daring than Luke - running crazy right through. Luke has a strategy about his sliding, Aidan just runs pell mell. That about sums up my kids personalities right there!

We also had the Trimble's over for a much needed family get together tonight. We ate dinner together and our kids all played while we watched Tour de France highlights...it was good. We haven't gotten to do that since before they went to Hawaii (or found out they were pregnant) so it was way overdue! Thanks for coming over guys!

My 5 things

My friend Kelly had a cute blog - so I decided to try out the same thing. Here's my list:

10 years ago today- I was 24 years old - Dail and I had just moved (or were in the process of moving) to Pennsylvania to begin our new lives after grad school. I was extremely excited about my job at Admissions Counselor at Penn State, and hopeful Dail would soon get a job there too!

5 years ago- I had a tiny baby that was 6 weeks old, I was very conflicted about going back to work, and I was SOOO sleepdeprived...but immensely happy as a new mother.

1 year ago- I was enjoying my two boys, one of whom could not even walk yet! What a difference a year can make!

yesterday- I was working the Spirit Days table at MSU and then enjoying a wonderful dinner that my husband cooked! (AND I can't leave out watching Lance win "le Tour"!)

Tomorrow- I will be working and maybe taking the kids to Castaway Cove...we are having dinner with friends in the evening.

5 snacks I enjoy- ice cream, chocolate, healthy chocolate chip cookies, pretzels, and popcorn

5 adult beverages I enjoy- don't think there are five - margaritas, wine (only sweet), ice cream drinks, ????

5 bands I know the lyrics to- Garth Brooks, Billy Joel, Elton John, Boston, Collin Raye

5 things I would do with $100 000 000- buy a new house & car, take Dail to Ireland and to the Tour de France, take my kids to Disney world, help both sets of parents retire and have nice homes, invest!

5 locations I would like to run away to- Australia, France, Italy, Hawaii, east coast

5 bad habits I have- stressing out about the little things, not taking the newspapers out to the garage, inability to relax, returning ANYTHING (including dead plants), typing loudly on the computer!

5 things I love doing- shopping, emailing, getting a pedicure, playing with my boys, riding my bike with Dail

5 things I would never wear- I will never say never, because I swore never to wear flared leg pants or any capris, and that's about all I own now!

5 tv shows I like- Strong Medicine, Survivor, 24, ER, most things on HGTV

5 movies I like- as I've recently discovered, movies don't really stick with me, the good or the bad. I guess books have a more lasting effect. But, I loved Frequency, Bruce Almighty, Identity, to name a few...

5 most inspirational people- Lance Armstrong, Pope John Paul II, Mother Teresa, my maternal grandfather, my kids!

5 biggest joys at the moment- Dail, my kids, my friends, my students, my family!

5 favorite toys- computer, bike, Tivo, digital camera, camcorder

5 people to tag- Ronnie, Stephanie, Cassandra, Dail, Susan (you guys can send your answers by email, since I know you don't have a blog)

Back to blogland?

I now officially have DSL, so I may begin posting on this blog again. We just got back from a week in Omaha with my parents. It was a great trip, and I am so happy that I got to see my three best friends from growing up, Cassandra, Jodi, & Cindy. Two of the three don't live in Omaha anymore, but somehow the timing worked out that all of us were back around the same time. We got to visit Cassandra at her parents' house on Beaver Lake (her son Dylan, and Luke hit it off SO well!), Jodi & I went out for a girl's night, and Cindy and I met at the park for the kids to play. We also got to participate in my parents' neighborhood 4th of July parade...Luke rode his scooter, my Dad rode his new recumbent bike, and my Mom pushed Aidan in the stroller. Luke was thrilled that he won a "prize" at the end, which was a stuffed Husker bear - he loves stuffed animals!!

Dinosaurs, Ostrich, and Zebras, Oh My!

We are back from a wonderful little weekend jaunt to the metroplex. Dail and I decided we needed to take the kids and get away. We planned a short trip to see friends in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and although most of our plans to see our friends fell apart, we still had a great time with our boys!

Sunday we left WF after church and went to Dallas for Dail to visit REI (currently his favorite sporting good store). We then went to Stonebriar Mall in Frisco, MY favorite mall around here. The boys were surprisingly good, considering in total, we shopped for about 6 hours! We drove from Frisco to Fort Worth, and stayed in a hotel there for the night.

Monday morning we got up early and left for Glen Rose Texas...home of Dinosaur Valley Park. Luke was SO excited! He got to see real dinosaur prints...and he and his Daddy trekked across moving waters to see them. He also got to see lifesize replicas of his favorite TRex and a Brontosaurus. From there, we went to Fossil Rim Wildlife Refuge. Although the drive through animal park was a bit pricey, we were very impressed with it. It took 3 hours to drive through the whole thing, and Luke had every sort of animal come up to his window. The ostrich was a bit invasive, she stopped in front of our car, and wouldn't move. Then she began pecking our hood and alternately bending her long neck down and staring (rather meanly) into our car. The other animal that seemed like it would have crawled in our car, given the chance, was the zebra. None of the animals were too happy that we didn't pay the extra $5 to have food for them!

We ended our trip by having dinner with our good friend Stephanie, and drove home with two very tired boys (but of course they didn't fall asleep until Bellevue!).

If I do this right, I might even have a photo to share!

Dinosaur Valley 

Life's complications

I think my life has been heading forward at a speed that I can just barely keep up with - between work, kids, and life, it has been busy to say the least. No wonder I got sick last week, after taking 25 college students on retreat, the rain, and getting no sleep. In the tiny space of time my brain is allowed to randomly think about whatever pops up, I often ponder life. My life, the lives of my friends, and the lives of my family members. Everyones' lives are different, their own, unique to them. Still, they are all a curiosity to me. Recently, Dail and I have spent much time discussing and praying about whether we will put Luke in kindergarten next year or not. I have asked SO many people their advice, and we are nearly sure that we will wait and let him have another year before he begins his elementary education journey. It is something we will never be able to know the best route - because life doesn't let you take 2 roads and see which one turns out to be the least bumpy. My Dad was instrumental in my peace with this decision, as he and Luke are like twins (separated by a few dozen years) and he was also a summer baby, which meant he went to school as a young 5 year old. He wishes that his parents had waited to send him to kindergarten, even now. Thanks Dad!

My parents have made such an impact on my life, and even though I am "all grown up" I call them for advice, knowledge, or comfort. I learned yesterday that my Dad will, for the 2nd time in 2 years, lose his job soon. This time, it is not just him, but the entire city he works for, as the City of Omaha is annexing the City of Elkhorn. As of March 23, all City of Elkhorn employees will be terminated. Though my Dad seems to be taking it well, it makes me sad, confused, and frustrated that he spent over 25 years in a job that made him unhappy, to find a job the last 2 years that has made him so happy and fufilled, and now it will be taken away from him. Why does that make any sense? I know I don't want that looking glass, because we are better off not knowing what lies ahead for us. Still, I want him to have the last 3 years before he retires in a great place, not looking for a job again.

This blog has been more for me to release all my thoughts than for anyone who may read it to gain from. But, if you are reading it, then please pray for my Dad, and for all of Elkhorn, that something just and right will happen for them.

My sweet husband

Today has been overall a very good day. Although Dail is out of town in Tampa, he did the sweetest thing. When the boys and I got home today, there was a package on our porch (and you know I don't even look at our porch that often!). I saw that it was from a chocolatier...then I saw it was from a little hometown chocolate shop we used to go to in Waynesboro, PA when we lived back there. It had the best chocolate I have ever tasted, and was owned by a couple who barely spoke English. I was sure it was supposed to be my Valentine's gift, and that it probably wasn't supposed to come while Dail was out of town. When I talked to him tonight on the phone - he told me to open up the package. He had planned for it to come while he was gone. It was filled with an assortment of dark and milk chocolates, all hand picked by him. This place doesn't even have a website, they are so small. He had just saved their business card for 7 years, and called them and they emailed him their full "menu" and they then asked him to tell them what he wanted included in the box. It was gift wrapped beautifully too! Yes, I have eaten one (OK two), and yes, I might share!

All About my Daddy

Last week they had Father's night at Luke's preschool. Unfortunately, Dail was out of town, so he couldn't go. But, Ms. Kathy had interviewed each of her kids about their Dads prior to that night - and here are Luke's responsews:

1) My Dad's name is Dail
2) He is ?? years old
3) He is 8 feet tall
4) He weighs 40 lbs
5) His favorite color is orange
6) His favorite food is artichokes
7) My Dad likes to play football
8) His favorite sport is football
9) His favorite TV show is pirate shows (?? who knew??)
10) My Dad likes to go to the monster truck show with me
11) He doesn't like "some stuff"
12) I like to go to the monster truck rally with my Dad
13) My dad's occupation is ??
14) At work my Dad works on computers
15) I love my Dad because he takes me to the monster truck shows (do you see a theme?)

So, my artichoke loving, football playing, pirate show watching 8 foot, 40 lb husband is a pretty good Dad!

Luke and God

I know I don't write on this thing as often as my other blogger friends, but half the time I forget about it, and the other half I am cursing the fact that I have to dial up to get on the darn internet - which leaves me with a slow computer and getting "kicked off" before I get anything started. But, I thought I would write for all 2 of you I think that read my blog!

First of all, if you haven't heard Luke's latest "God" story, I have to tell you...last week Dail's Dad had to spend the night with us while Polly was in the hospital. I told Luke that he needed to let his Papa sleep in his bed, and he could sleep on the floor in his sleeping bag. Well, his sleeping bag was inflatable, until we took it to Nebraska and it was -22 when we arrived - apparently the cold cracked the sleeping bag and it no longer holds air. So, he doesn't want to sleep in it, because he is on the floor within 5 minutes. Anyway - he said his Papa could sleep on the sleeping bag, not him. I explained that Papa is 86 years old, and needs to sleep on a soft bed. He started to throw a fit - and then walked into the other room. He shortly returned and told me he had talked to God about it. I asked him what he meant. He said that he talked to God about the sleeping bag situation, and that God told him he "wouldn't even know the floor was hard or the sleeping bag wasn't soft anymore". Hmm - sounds good to me! Thank you God for that one! He then gladly let his Papa have his bed!

Tonight he and I were "rearranging" his room - at his request. He was just talking about monster trucks, Spiderman, and dinosaurs, his usual things. Then he said "Mommy, did you know that God protects us from evil?" I said, "yes he does." He then said "Do you know how I know that?" Not sure how to respond, I said, "well, why don't you tell me." He said "In church we say 'deliver us from evil' and that's how I know." Yep - that's how the end of the "Our Father" prayer goes - I guess he really does listen in church!!!