Homeward bound

After Sunday lunch, we followed Kevin and Diane north until we all finally crashed in St. Joseph, MO. In the morning they headed home while we headed to Omaha to meet our godson John (and his parents!) and the Lutheran Hen with her chicks (plus another homeschooler whose name now escapes me) at the zoo. As if traveling to TX and back with half a dozen monkeys wasn’t enough! Actually, Mark and Larry enjoyed male bonding at the shooting range while we moms watched our babies watch the animals.

I didn’t take very many pictures (too tired!) but before we left I did snap this one of John with the Chicks and the Lost Boys (and Twirly Girl too).

I don’t know how Larry did it, but we managed to get all the way across Nebraska after leaving the zoo and stayed in Cheyenne Monday night. On our way home we stopped to see Wendi and her cowgirls again. . .and pick up some grassfed beef, yum! We didn’t make it home in time to cook real food for dinner or get the kids to their project meetings, but oh were we glad to eat at our own table and sleep in our own beds. As much as I enjoy taking time out to see new places and old friends, life is just better inside the four walls I call home.

Everything’s bigger. . .

in Texas! Everything is also at least an hour away, according to Barb. The motivation behind our trip was the wedding of a family friend, and as such we were able to enjoy much time relaxing with mutual friends. Most of my pictures are of the relaxing part (and of my cute kids!); I only managed to get a blurry shot of Chris and Laura’s first dance at the reception, but if you know the happy couple you’ve probably seen better pictures on facebook by now.

We arrived in Fort Worth in time for an informal poolside dinner Thursday evening. Twirly Girl enjoyed getting reacquainted with the TX girls while playing mermaids, and after the kids were in bed, The Moms (plus two college aged daughters) stayed up late to yap and help Laura assemble goodies for the reception and the hotel rooms.

Friday morning we slept in and then took the kids outside where they played a game of freeze tag on the hotel lawn. Then it was off to Johnny Carino’s for a late but delicious Italian lunch. There were 25 of us, but our waiter was outstanding and got our orders straight even though families were all over the place, organized by age and gender. Here are Silly Boy and NE Boy studying the menu (they both wanted pizza).

We then headed back to the hotel so the kids could spend more time in the pool.  . .where the big boys found a frog!

There were some last minute cancellations for the rehearsal dinner, so The Moms were invited to join the fun. I believe the rest attended, but we hadn’t brought appropriate attire and more importantly wanted to try to get the kids to bed a little earlier for a change.

We spent Saturday morning lounging about the hotel room. . .it just takes that long for eight people to shower or bathe! We had gotten sandwich stuff the night before, so after a picnic lunch it was time to dress for the wedding. In spite of traffic, we arrived just in time for the lovely ceremony. Afterwards, outside the chapel, this little blond cutie found Baby Boy (who wasn’t sure what to think). . .and so it begins.

The reception was back at the hotel, with drinks and hors d’oeuvres to enjoy while waiting for the bride and groom to join us for dinner and dancing. Twirly Girl and TX Girl were inseparable for the rest of the evening (except when they had to be separated to sit with their families for dinner!).

Unfortunately, too many late nights were starting to sink in. Larry was a dear and headed off to the room to tuck in the boys, who had simply run out of good behavior, leaving me to visit (and dance) with my friends while Twirly Girl did the same with her friends. After the happy couple had been sent off with bubbles and best wishes, the rest of the short people went to bed and The Moms were invited to Barb and Debbie’s hotel room for chocolate and more chatter.

Since everyone was whooped, and everything in Texas is an hour away, Dale graciously held Divine Service  in their hotel room before we all checked out and most of us headed to Pappasito’s for lunch before heading our separate homeward directions.

The Moms, L-R: Diane, Julee, Debbie, Barb, Carol, Melody, Cheryl, and Angie (Don’t you think every groom should have 8 “moms” fussing over him on his wedding day??)

It was definitely a wonderful, if crazy, weekend. . .but our adventures didn’t end there! Next up: the trip home.

Heading South

Otherwise known as vacation, part one!

We set out a bit later than intended Monday morning. Larry couldn’t drive through Colorado Springs without stopping at the Air Force Academy, so we did. . .even though we missed going inside the Chapel by minutes. There’s always next time!

We did walk the short trail between the Visitors Center and the Chapel, though. I love watching Drama Boy with Baby Boy; he is as loving to him as he is bossy to his other little brothers.

We took a short drive through the Garden of the Gods before continuing south to spend our first night somewhere in SE Colorado.

Tuesday morning found us back on the road again with a quick detour to Capulin Volcano. Unfortunately it was a very cloudy/foggy morning, so the drive up the volcano was nerve wracking for both driver and co-pilot. We arrived in Carlsbad in time for a somewhat late dinner with my good friend Beth and her family, who graciously opened their home to our rowdy crew for a couple days.

While they were busy with work and school on Wednesday, we grabbed picnic food from the grocery and headed to the Caverns. We’re not big on buying souvenirs, but like to have the kids earn their Junior Ranger badges at the National Parks; Carlsbad was no exception. Here they are studying the Natural Entrance before we began our descent.

Larry and I took turns carrying Baby Boy; he was busy kicking his legs and hugging and playing with my hair while I was grasping the hand rail for dear life. Heights are not my friend! Larry took over when we got to the Big Room, and Baby Boy promptly fell asleep.

If we come back with our grandchildren, do you suppose this stalactite and stalagmite will have become a column?

After another delicious dinner cooked by Beth, we took the kids to the playground by the Pecos River that her husband Bob had helped plan and build. I didn’t get any pictures as my subjects were moving too fast, but before heading in for the night we walked across the floating bridge where the kids found a bench that begged to be sat upon.

On Thursday morning, we were up early and headed east to Texas, so stay tuned for more pictures (tomorrow? next week?). We did little sightseeing there, preferring to spend our time visiting with more dear friends and watching the kids play with their own friends.

F.O.M.S.

That would be “Looper-speak” for Fear of Missing Something, and I’m quite green with it today. By now, I’ve lost track of how many of my friends are headed to Iowa for a weekend of chocolate-covered Mom Time; at any rate, it’s a lot of them. To you, dear friends, I raise my solitary chocolate: Safe travels to all; have a wonderful time; and do take plenty of pictures to share with the rest of us, who would be there if only we could!

November holiday

Don’t believe everything you see in pictures~we really did take ALL six kids on our trip, but I didn’t take a lot of pictures and most of the kids were too busy playing with friends for me to catch them with my camera. Anyhow, we left home two weeks ago today and drove to Kevin & Diane’s house in Nebraska. We arrived Friday afternoon, and for some reason several of our kids were eager to help her make pizza.

Twirly Girl gets ready to add cheese while Silly Boy watches his godmommy spread sauce.

On Sunday, Diane and I (and Baby Boy) flew to Chicago, where we were met by Barb. We managed to get out of the airport undetected by Julee (even though she arrived within minutes of us at the same airport, same airline), saving our surprise for a bit later in the day. We headed to our hotel in Lake Geneva (WI) to wait. Baby Boy was getting rather antsy in the car, until we introduced him to the joys of chocolate.

We met Carol at the hotel, where we all waited for Julee’s arrival. Mission accomplished: she was surprised! We took her and her son/chauffeur out for a late dinner, then back to our suite where we stayed up til the wee hours chatting and sharing chocolate.

Monday morning consisted of a pajama breakfast

and more chocolate

and even a much-needed nap for Baby Boy.

Finally in the early afternoon we ventured out for a Walmart run (where else? ) and lunch. While we were at the restaurant, Heather arrived to join the party. Baby Boy got in more flirting practice, too.

Relaxing at the table before returning to the hotel. . .

Excuse my “smile”; I was in the middle of telling the waitress how to use my camera when she figured it out on her own. We spent the rest of our evening chatting, and calling our absent friends to toast them with chocolate and wine long distance.

Tuesday morning came all too soon, and after breakfast we had one last picture before Carol headed north and the rest of us headed south.

L-R: Heather, Diane, Julee, Carol, Barb, Baby Boy & me!

We joined Melody for lunch (you can see pictures at her blog); and then Heather drove home, we returned Julee to her son, and Barb dropped off Diane and me (and Baby Boy!) at the airport again. Our time together passed way too quickly, but the memories of our laughter and chocolate are ours to keep.

The next day Katherine, one of Baby Boy’s godmommies, came to see me him us.

And the day after that, we (minus Drama Boy, who was invited to stay and play with his friends for the weekend) loaded up and headed to Missouri. We enjoyed a brief visit with Bob & Brenda, though we have no photographic evidence! After that it was on to Mark and Gina’s house (Twirly Girl’s godparents, are you noticing a trend here?). Gina and I enjoyed visiting while Larry and Mark attended a conference in St. Louis. . .meanwhile the godcousins were busy playing.

I’m not sure how Twirly Girl got left out of this picture; usually she was the one sitting right next to John whenever the playdough was out. Maybe this was taken while she was helping in the kitchen?

Boys and their toys, part one: Baby Boy has discovered the remote control does things.

Boys and their toys, part two: Bouncy Boy and John try to take turns on the computer.

Boys and their toys, part three. Bigger boys, bigger toys. . .see how mesmerized Boy Genius is?

After Sunday lunch, we headed back to Nebraska for one last night before the two day trek home (broken up by shopping and other stops).

Almost home. . .have I mentioned how much I love Wyoming? This was actually taken after the sun had sunk below our horizon (as in, I was too busy admiring to ask Larry to stop for pictures sooner).

And now we are back to business as usual. Sort of. Laundry has been tackled but bills still need paying; school has resumed but the students (and teacher) have lost steam on their nanowrimo novels. . .after next week we’ll return to our normal school schedule and I am glad. Sort of.

Recipe for smiles

Take a couple gallons of vanilla ice cream and add:

A crockpot full of homemade hot fudge sauce;

Homemade peanut butter and caramel sauces;

Chopped almonds, pecans, and peanuts;

Coconut and sprinkles;

Crumbled brownies;

Raspberries, pineapple, and bananas;

A bowl full of maraschino cherries;

A couple gallons of lemonade and a pot of freshly brewed coffee;

A sunny fall Sunday afternoon in our shady backyard;

And a couple dozen members of our church family.

{Sorry I forgot the camera, but I did remember to use my new sundae table runner!}

kaBOOM!

That’s right. . .I’m finally getting around to uploading pictures from our vacation earlier this month, and thought I would share a few of my favorites.

If you had to ride across WY and NE (and IA and IL and part of IN). . .you’d borrow your baby brother’s stuffed lion too!

First stop was our friends in NE. It was mostly a time of rowdy boys playing while Diane and I visited, but one afternoon baby boy’s godmother Katherine came over, as did Charity and her chicks. Twirly girl was very glad to have Chick #2 to play for awhile!! Kevin was out of town on business, so Larry consoled himself by going shopping for a new laptop. . .go figure?

We didn’t visit anyone while in IA since we didn’t get any further off I-80 than an occasional gas station, but we did spend the night with friends just across the river into IL (and forgot to use the camera). We then had lunch with Mimi before heading on to IN and Dad and Mom. The oldest lost boy was pretty thrilled to be tall enough to look his Great-Mimi in the eye. . .it seems like just yesterday I  was reaching that milestone!

Mom kept us pretty busy with trips to museums, the zoo, and more, but two little boys still found time to sit in the bed of Papaw’s pick up, blowing bubbles.

Look who turned 9 months while we were gone! He’s modeling his new swim trunks for you too, having gone to the pool that day. He and I enjoyed a couple trips around the lazy river, but after that was content to sit poolside watching all the big kids splash.

Look! We found a food (other than mommy milk) to make him smile. . .Mimi’s blueberry pie! Sorry little guy, you’re going to have to wait til next summer to have a slice all your own.

Symphony on the Prairie at Connor Prairie used to be a part of our annual July 4 trip to Indiana, but for several years it hasn’t worked (actually, for the past few years we haven’t made it to IN in July at all). This year, we finally made it to the Symphony again. . .hurrah! My favorite parts are the salute to the servicemen and Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, which is one of my favorite pieces made better when heard live and accompanied by howitzer cannons.

Anaother Symphony picture, this time watching the fireworks while enjoying a rousing rendition of Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever. Would you believe the littlest lost boy slept on my lap through such festivity? I put the hood of his jacket over his ears, and he didn’t wake up until it was all over.

The annual July 4 family picnic was postponed due to rain, but we really needed to start heading west and had to miss it. Plan A involved going to MO to visit our godson John and his parents, but they were at the hospital in Omaha so we returned to NE instead. Thankfully he was feeling well enough to enjoy a visit from some of the godcousins.

While the boys enjoyed a Sunday evening wiener roast (with s’mores!), twirly girl was invited to the Chicks’ house for a sleepover. Judging by how quickly she fell asleep on the drive back to WY the next day, I assume she had a wonderful time. Kevin was home this time, so Larry had a friend too.

As usual. . .we enjoyed our time away, but are glad to be home. We had a good time with the friends and family we saw, but wish we could have seen others too. . .

Two fieldtrips

The first week of June, Larry was attending a continuing education class in Jackson. I couldn’t resist loading up the kids and going along so we could play learn too. . .yes, it was one of those trips where the kids thought they were on vacation but really they learned quite a bit.

This was the first time any of us had seen the Grand Tetons and they truly are a spectacular sight. . .I got a better view of the mountains another day, but all the kids were scowling at the camera because of the wind!

It was fun helping the kids work for their Junior Ranger patches, even if their favorite part was looking for scat (ahhh, boys. . .). At Grand Teton NP, there’s no age limit on participating, which is nice. . .if you’re not the one trying to help a 3yo fill out his papers. As you can see the big boys offered were recruited to help the little boys.

 

We packed our lunch each day and found some beautiful picnic areas. This one overlooks Jackson Lake.

For certain of my friends, THIS is a moose butt. For the rest of my readers. . .well, this is a moose butt (ie, you just had to be there).

On the last day, Larry only had a half day of class so we stayed in Jackson and went to the museum of western art. Have you ever tried to take 5 small boys to an art museum? I don’t recommend it, and I am glad I didn’t have to pay for this experience. This picture of 5 grouchy kids posing by a sculpture in the parking lot was the highlight of the morning. . .mainly because we were finally headed back to the van!

Antlers!!! Before heading home, we grabbed some lunch and ate outside in the Jackson town square.

Once I had recovered from that trip, we met some fellow “Highway 20 Loopers” last week in Casper. It was too cold & windy for our planned picnic, so we had a quick lunch at McDonalds and then headed to the Historic Trails Center. I would have enjoyed it very much, except 3 out of 5 boys seemed determined to get us kicked out of the museum. . .! Anyhow, we forgot to have someone take a “mom” picture, but here are most of the kids:

The two big kids belong to Melody, three little girls belong to Wendi, and of course, all the little boys plus one little girl are mine.

Two weeks in the life. . .

Yeah, so the title isn’t as catchy as ‘a week in the life’, but I’m just that far behind! This is mostly going to be a photos-with-captions sort of entry, so if you don’t think my kids are the cutest thing you’ve ever seen, you may want to move on to the next blog on your reading list right now. My apologies for the lack of photo editing; but if I didn’t post these as is they were never going to get posted.

And in case anyone reads my blog just for the sewing, I actually have sewn quite a few things (mostly Ottobre of course) in May. I just haven’t taken pictures. Among other things, I’m up to three needed new short sleeve tops for me; but I’m usually on the back side of the camera. Yesterday I made lost boy #2 some desperately needed pj’s, but nine is getting a little old to be posing in jammies, especially since I used the long john patterns from Ottobre 4/2004 (shortened for summer). I used some well-aged dino PRR from my stash; I personally don’t think the PRR jersey is very soft, but he’s happy and he’s the one sleeping in them. . .

Alright, on to the pictures! Two weeks ago, Dad & Mom came for the week. We took in soccer games:

And took them to Yellowstone. Actually, first we stopped at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody.

Then to Yellowstone. . .I love the drive through Shoshone National Forest. We stopped more than once to take pictures of the bighorn sheep and the buffalo.

We stayed at Pahaska, right outside the east entrance (thanks Aunt Janet!).

We’re going on a bear hunt. . .! We saw 4 bears during our day at Yellowstone, a young male in the morning and then a mama with twin toddler-cubs in the afternoon.

I enjoyed the West Thumb geyser basin.

Naturally, we watched for Old Faithful to erupt.

And then it was time to head back home. We spent the rest of Dad & Mom’s visit doing normal stuff around the house and around town, the kind of stuff that doesn’t always get photographed.

After they went home, I stitched up Mystery Quilt block #4; yum!

And I put the kids back to work on their school; here’s lost boy #3 deep in mathematical thought:

After several days of warm, even hot, weather, last Thursday brought an all day snow that made me feel as down as my lilacs looked.

Any guesses what book I’m introducing to our littlest lost boy? It’s definitely a family favorite; boy #4 is acting it out for him!

Yesterday I enjoyed a visit from my friend JoAnn and her daughter Karen, who will be moving to Wyoming later this summer for her first teaching job. I hadn’t seen JoAnn since lost boy #3 was a couple months old, so that was a pleasant if brief treat!

And finally, today my baby is 8 months old (sniff). I don’t know that I got his 7 month picture posted even though I did take one; having a baby isn’t nearly as much fun when you have big kids keeping you on your toes all day long! The days slip by much faster than they should. . .

 

Thank you, Fay!

I know I mention Loopers a lot, but they truly are some of the most wonderful people I’ve met! A couple months ago, Fay posted to the list that she was looking for a new home for two suits and a jacket that no longer fit her husband. I thought the sizes sounded Larry-ish, and he did too, so Fay packed them up and sent them our way. Much to our amazement, I didn’t need to do a single alteration! The jackets are a wee snug but he was already trying to lose a few extra pounds so we’ll just call that added incentive.

Anyhow I promised Fay some pictures, and thought I would share them here.

    

Thank you again, Fay! Nice suits are tough on a pastor’s budget, and now Larry should be set for a good long while.