It's the little things

Little things in life that make us smile #28~

Spending time with friends who no longer live close by

We've called Carter's group of friends "the posse" ever since first grade when a group of 5 boys became nearly inseparable.  They were all quite saddened when one of the posse moved away at the end of second grade.  However, last week the posse got to spend a good chunk of the day together when Adam came back into town for a brief visit.

What I love about this group of boys is that they picked up right where they left off.  You would never have guessed that they haven't seen each other for so long.  I know all of them enjoyed their time together and really didn't want it to end.

Mini Fiesta

It didn't take long for the boys and I to hop on the road again after getting home from South Dakota.  We did let Ace come along on this one. We had made plans for a mini fiesta with the group of adults that we will be vacationing with in Cancun this December.  Somehow God thought we were in need of tropical weather so that we felt as though we were already there.  It was a hot tamale day and we were all so thankful to have the pool to cool off.

I'm really not sure who had more fun, the adults or the kids!  I suppose we could let the kids win this one since they don't get to go on the actual trip to Cancun.  They were beyond thrilled to be at the pool until after dark and really have the run of the place.

Austin thought he was pretty cool jumping in and getting a little wave action going.  That kid has amazing balance!

Everyone enjoyed the slide, even the adults.  However, I refuse to embarrass any of the adults by showing you the amazing feats they performed on the slide or the terrific cannon balls into the pool.  I must protect the guilty!

I will however, show you my husband being his typical wild and crazy self doing a hand stand flip off the side of the pool that I had no idea he was going to do.  He nearly gave me a heart attack watching through the camera lens!  I just thought he was going to cannon ball in the water like others before him, but no, that wasn't good enough for him!  And to think we were all worried about the kids cracking their heads open.

After our mini fiesta, I'm even more excited than ever to travel with our friends old and new and spend some glorious days in the sunshine during the frigid Iowa winter.  Thanks Dawn and Stu for being such a great host and hostess!

Going on life #3

Do you remember that this guy (Oreo)

and this guy (Bugsy)

are not friends?  If your memory is failing you, you might want to read this again.  

Hearing a familiar squeak, Aaron flew out of bed this morning hollering, "I think the cat has a hamster again!" It was once again necessary to rescue Bugsy from the jaws of Oreo.  How in the world this all came about while everyone was sleeping ~ especially the hamsters who are caged and sleep in the boys' bathroom with the door closed tight all night is beyond me.  Aaron's theory is that the cage wasn't put back together right and somehow the critter escaped, ran under the bathroom door and was running around the house when the great black and white hunter found him.

Let's just say that I wasn't around to witness the first experience, but was instructed this time to watch the "dead" hamster lay on the floor while Aaron took care of getting the cat away and locked out of our bedroom.  That little critter was dead I tell ya!  While I was watching him lay there with his legs to the sky and his mouth wide open I was trying to figure out if we were going to tell Austin the truth or if we should just put the dead hamster back in the cage and let it seem as if he'd passed on from natural causes.  In the midst of my pondering...not getting too darn close to the thing either...Aaron walked back into the bedroom and by golly, that little hamster flipped over and started running around!  In all my brilliance I yelled, "He's running!" after just having declared him dead a minute ago.  

My hero, Ace, came to the rescue attempting to catch the critter, as I can't even get too close to it, let alone touch it.  I decided watching from on top of our bed was the safest place for me!  Let's just say it was quite the sight and about a 10 minute experience to finally capture Bugsy who was running furiously around our bedroom probably looking for a place to hide.  It finally ran into our bathroom where Aaron eventually caught him.  However, while he was shut in the bathroom with Ace, I could hear Aaron tell Bugsy, "You're going to have a heart attack!"  I was of course laughing the entire time from atop my perch as my dear husband was attempting to capture the fast little critter.  

Thankfully he caught him, got him safely in his cage again and fed Oreo his real cat food this morning all before 6:15 am!  Ugh...I sure could have used another hour or so of sleep, but I guess early morning entertainment like that doesn't come around too frequently!  So, Bugsy starts out today on life #3.  I wonder how many more he might potentially have left in him? 

It's the little things

Little things in life that makes us smile #27~

Water balloons on a hot day

South Dakota Road Trip

The boys and I braved a road trip without our fearless leader this week to visit my aunt, uncle and cousins in Sioux Falls, SD.  This is pretty amazing considering I usually sleep as soon as we are on the road!  However, a good dose of Dt. Dew, a rousing license plate game (of which we found 26 of the states) and having to endure the boys' crazy, loud music kept me going the entire time.

Our sweet host and hostess kept us highly entertained the entire time we were there.  One of the highlights for the boys was going to the Washington Pavilion, which was the science center in Sioux Falls.  They absolutely loved it and we spent several hours there.

Carter and Ryan tried their hands and feet at the rock climbing wall.  They each made it about halfway before calling it quits.

Austin and Mikaela tested out the power of their minds against each other by putting on some head gear and trying to use their brain waves to move a ball.  We were there for quite awhile, but I know the boys could have stayed longer.  Much to their mother's dismay, they are math and science kids.  One of these days they will truly fall in love with reading and writing...maybe.  They truly are their father's children!

We also got to spend a fun filled day at Wild Water West, an amazing water park.  Unfortunately, I forgot to get the pictures off of Mikaela's camera before we left so you simply have to imagine the fun they had in the wave pool, on the go-carts, playing mini golf, crossing water logs and lounging in the lazy river.  It was probably the most relaxing for Shanna and I as they kids were completely entertained all day and only needed us for money for snacks!

While Joel, Shanna and I enjoyed the comfort of their three season porch at home with great conversation, the kids enjoyed jumping on the trampoline and riding around on the four-wheeler.  It truly was a great trip that the boys and I enjoyed thanks to the hospitality of the Neubauer family.  Maybe we'll let Ace go with us next time. 

It's the little things

Little things in life that make us smile #26~

Acting like a kid again when you really are old enough to know better

This guy from the Warrior Dash did just that!  He cannon balled right into the mud pit in front of us getting all of us nice and dirty.  Boy was he having fun and making the most of it.

My Warrior

When Ace turned 40 earlier this year, I think he felt he had something to prove to himself.  For some crazy reason he decided to sign up for the Warrior Dash with a small group of individuals from work.  Mind you, he's never even run a 5k race before and this is what he chooses to do.  He swore he was going to train and be a lean mean fighting machine and ready for this beast of a race which you can check out here!  Well...he trained a little and then I think prayer took over from there.

He was a bit nervous before the race, but check out that game face.  He wasn't concerned about time at all, but he was bound and determined to finish the darn thing and complete every obstacle no matter what.

The last two obstacles of the course were the fire jumping and barbed wire mud pit.  This is where the boys and I would wait and wait and wait for our rugged warrior to show up!  I tried to get Ace to go and check it out before he ran, but I think he decided it was better to just attack each one as it came and not psych himself out before he even started.  I don't know about you, but that looks like pretty tall fire to me!

The ING crew before the official start of the race.  They were all smiles here...that changes a bit as the race goes on.

The boys and I parked ourselves right in front of the start of the barbed wire mud pit which was the last obstacle before the finish line.  There was definitely a lot of entertainment for us while we were waiting for everyone to finish.  I absolutely LOVED the expression on these gals faces as they approached the mud pit.  

Brian was the first of the ING group to finish the race.  He was coming in strong leaping over the fire.  

Matt was still smiling right before he hit the mud pit.

 Angie was a rock star making hay through the mud pit.

Finally, Ace rounded the bend.  The boys were so excited and kept saying, "Here he comes!  He's doing it!"  He looked like Superman he might just make it as he completed the fire obstacle.

As soon as Ace jumped in the mud pit, he got stuck as he sunk into the mud up to his ankles.

He's starting to get his groove thing moving!

Working his way to the finish line, he looks strong ~ or at least like he'll make it!

Boupha rounded out the ING crew.  The poor thing got a leg cramp right when she hopped in the mud pit.  

Here's my warrior at the finish!  I'm so proud of him, even if he looks like he could keel over at any minute.  I give him a ton of credit for even attempting this crazy event.

At least he looks like he'll make it in this picture!  Apparently a little hydration will do that for you :)

Way to go Warrior Clayberg!

It's the little things

Little things in life that make us smile #25~

Temps that are no longer in the 100's

It was actually bearable to sit out at Carter's game yesterday with temps only in the high 80s.  I can handle that!

Nail biter

We had the honor of watching Carter play in another All Star game tonight in 100 degree temps.  It seems to be the thing to do these days.  Both sets of grandparents even joined in the fun in this heat.  It was a great close game all the way.

We were tied at 5 going into the 6th.  Carter had a grounder hit to him at 3rd base which he fielded beautifully and threw out the runner at first.  There was a guy on 2nd headed to third in which the first baseman promptly threw back to Carter for the catch and tag creating an amazing double play to end the inning and give us a chance to bat for the win.  And bat for the win we did!  We won 6 to 5.  

We get Saturday off and are hoping for a cooling off before we play again on Sunday.

All Stars

Remember when I told you we were done with baseball?  Hmmm...apparently I lied didn't realize that Carter was going to make the All Star team and keep the season continuing into this lovely S.T.E.A.M.Y. weather!  They have been having two-a-day practices for the past 2 1/2 weeks which paid off tonight as they won their first game 13-0!

We all found it necessary to soak up as much of the air conditioning in the van before heading out to the game.  The van read 101 degrees at 5 pm as he headed out to warm up.  I know I was melting just thinking about being outside.  His teammates sure were troopers and did a great job tonight despite the heat.

Now...if it could just cool down before our next game tomorrow night. 

Happy 4th of July

We kick started the day with the second annual neighborhood pancake feast.  If I haven't mentioned before, we live in an amazing neighborhood.  People think we are a bit crazy, but it's been this way since before we moved here 11 years ago!  When we first moved in, I wasn't too sure about what we were getting into, but I wouldn't trade my neighborhood for the world.

The 4th of July pancake feast bubbled up last year from a late night impromptu block party in a neighbor's driveway.  I believe it was these two that suggested it and decided to carry on the idea this year.  They even went grocery shopping together yesterday to get everything we needed!  Now...if I could only get him to do that more often :)

Of course the chefs made you catch your pancakes when you went by with your plates, so you needed to be prepared!  Every now and then you may have received a special pancake with a 4 on it.  You just never know what these two will come up with.

Carter even got in the clean up action. I think it's because he wanted to drive the tractor, but hey, he was having fun!  

Hope you all have a safe and wonderful holiday!

It's the little things

Little things that make us smile #24~

Seeing sweet things written in my grandmother's handwriting

Due to some crazy circumstances, we were not able to gather as a family like we usually do for Austin's 13th birthday so his cards and gifts have been rolling in at different times..  My heart just swelled and my eyes got teary when I saw this precious writing on the envelope that Austin recently received from his great grandparents.  I can just see my grandma's happiness written all over this envelope!

I believe that handwriting is a such a personal thing and is distinctive to each and every person.  The students in my class know I that I may be a stickler for names on papers (especially when dealing with 125+ kids every day), but I can pretty much identify any handwritten paper from a student after the first couple of months with them.  Your handwriting is intimately connected to you and really communicates a lot about you.  It seems these days that more and more of our communication is done electronically which takes away some of that personal connection based on a person's handwriting.  My scrapbooking friends get frustrated by my lectures encouragement to hand write in their albums so that future generations can enjoy that personal touch and get a little better glimpse into who created these masterpieces of history through their hand written words.

I plan to hang onto this envelope as I know someday Austin will appreciate it just as much as I do!