Word Update

Wildcat learned the difference and etymology of the words chilly and chili last night. Can you tell that we stayed in on a cold and wet fall evening and ate chili?

Kapooka is saying brrr, bowl, and uh-oh. It is fun to see her add new words every day!

ER Trip

First the word update... gone, done, Elmo, and yuck are the newest words.

Last night through a series of unfortunate events Kapooka managed to get an ADHD capsule into her mouth. She said YUCK! and then started to wipe out her mouth with her hand. She obviously didn't ingest the whole thing, but got some. We cleaned her up (because the powder was all over and we didn't want any more to get into her), and called poison control. Poison control called ahead to the hospital to let them know we were coming because she needed to be observed. The medicine could have some very scary effects, and it would be best to be in a place that could help her if they started. Since I am sick, and someone needed to stay home with the other sleeping kids, I stayed home worrying and praying, and Paul took Kapooka in. I kept my cell phone close.

Kapooka was fine. She did not ingest enough to harm her, but everyone said that we did the right thing by taking her in. She had a great time at the hospital. She got to wash her hands, play with the light switch, talk to mom on the phone, put her doll outside the exam room door and play peekaboo, wave at all the nurses and the PA. I was thankful this was not scary for her. Of course they got to the hospital after midnight, so today she is rightfully a tired and fussy girl.

We are so thankful that God intervened and kept her safe.

2 Word Phrases

Perhaps all of this blogging about words is inspiring Kapooka. Yesterday she used a two word phrase, twice.

She said
My dad (this included the new word of the day my/mine)
and
Dad go (said tearfully at bedtime)

Hooray for language development!

Wildcat is working on 3 column subtraction and is learning about Jamestown. Of course he has the usual spelling words and Bible verse too.

Skye had a big British Literature project. She got a better grade than she hoped for. She worked hard, and we are proud of her.

Paul is tired. I am sick.

That is all from here.

Misc. Updates

Cough. Bethany says cough. I keep remembering that at 2am, but I don't want to get out of bed to write it down, and I forget it in the morning.

Today, Bethany patted her diaper before she went poo-poo. That means that she got to go poo-poo on the potty. We both celebrated!

Bethany also got a new baby doll last night. She loves playing with her other doll, but now we both have one to play with.

If you would like to see the latest addition here is the link (the review is a perfect description).
http://www.target.com/Circo-14-STARTER-BABY-DOLL/dp/B00298YYIU/ref=br_1_4?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&searchView=grid5&searchNodeID=1041578&node=1041578&searchRank=price&searchPage=1&searchSize=30&id=Circo%2014%20STARTER%20BABY%20DOLL

Words Part 3

Kapooka also says

Go
More
She will quack like a duck
She says bee, bee (for beep, beep)
She pats her diaper when she wants a change.
According to Grandma she also does the monkey and lion sounds.

We are trying to keep a list of what Kapooka says and when to help with her speech evaluation at 2. We figured the blog was a great place.

Words Part 2

We realized after posting that Kapooka also says...
Eye
Ball

However, she does not say eyeball. Her saying eye is best experienced in person. She does this while poking at the nearest eye.

Wildcat didn't learn any new words today. He is however considering his Halloween costume between football games.

Words

Wildcat just learned what a cannibal is. This is a bad word to learn just before you go to sleep. However, after much reassurance that cannibals no longer exist and that when they did exist it was not in North America, he was finally able to fall asleep.

Kapooka now has the following words...
Mama
Dada
Nana- can be banana or sister
Ca-Car
Dog
Ca-Cat
Ow
Hi
Bye (said with a southern accent)
Hi-ya
Hut (while playing football)
Ma-milk
Maw-Grandma
Gaga-Grandpa
Ga-Glasses (either to wear or drink from)
She still signs more, please, and thank you

Real Life

I have been slow on blogging...why...real life. Normally life goes on and is busy, but we have been in crisis mode. Church has had two major crises this week that both intimately involve our family. Late nights (which is usually my blogging time).

Paul did have a happy birthday. He got to eat an ice cream sandwich cake which is one of his favorites. He had asked for several kitchen gadgets and new polo shirts. I even found XLT in the pique polo that he likes (and on incredible sale). I was quite proud that we managed to carve out an hour of birthday celebration in the storm.

Even while typing this short post...had to deal with several texts. All that to say...short on blogs until we are through the crises.

Prayers Needed

The junior high youth pastor at the school where our kids go is just a fantastic guy. I only know his wife through her blog, but I really resonate with a lot of what she writes. However, her family could really use prayers now. Her little brother has been fighting cancer for a long time, and is just having a really hard time right now. You can check out the following link for more information about JD...

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jdtaylor2/journal

PS I wasn't sure before what to think about Bob Sanders, but now I know for sure. He is a man of character (even if perhaps a bit fiery on the football field for my tastes).

Sweet Moments

God has really allowed a lot of teaching moments this last week. Bethany has two boo-boo ow-ow's that she loves to show. We kiss them better, pray and ask Jesus to heal them, and sometimes put bandaids on them. If we forget to pray...she makes sure that we do.

She has also really been enjoying songs with actions, so we learned the B-I-B-L-E song. She has just loved it and asked to sing it again and again.

Finally, today, I was looking at this website for an unrelated reason. I came across this video.

http://www.indyvineyard.org/worship.html

As we watched (three times) each time Bethany would lift her hands and worship God. I would ask her if mama could worship too and she would say "OK". We sat on the computer chair with her on my lap worshiping the Lord. It brought tears to my eyes because it was such a sweet time.

No, No, No

That seems to be the theme for the day.

Wildcat walked out this morning in his Peyton Manning jersey and sweat pants. I reminded him that it was chapel day. He came back out in a dress shirt and sweatpants, and asked if that was ok. No, no, no! He was a cutie though!

We can't find our camera. NO, NO, NO!

Kapooka has started to mimic us. She says " No, no, no" right before she does something she isn't supposed to do. It is kind of nice to have an early warning system!

I also made all kinds of doctors appointments for Skye. When she hears (especially about the fillings), I am sure she will be saying NO, NO, NO!

Oh well!

Teenagers

I love mine. However, I think it is a bad sign that she has senioritis already. I think this could be a long year. Insert a big sigh here. That's all.

Animals

Today we went to the zoo. We had tried to go see the Komodo dragons a few weeks agon, but it was a torrential downpour. The dragons leave on Monday, so Grandma and Grandpa were gracious enough to try again (they hold the membership). Anyway, we got to see the dragon. It was asleep, but very large. However, the rest of the visit was much more exciting. We got there early, and it was cool. The animals were very active. We got to see a Zebra eating and making all sorts of horse like noises. Kapooka would not let Grandma leave her side and would yell "MA" when Grandma would try to move away. Finally, we could wave bye-bye to the zebras.

Next we saw the giraffes. This was particularly special because the newest baby giraffe (2 weeks old) was out. We got to see the baby jump and run (nothing I had seen a giraffe do before) and drink from mama. The other giraffes were fairly active too.

Our next stop was the rhinos. Normally they look like big rocks that stink. However, they were up, walking and eating hay. One even walked halfway across the enclosure to get a drink right by us. He had a very large tongue.

The baboons were having a fight. Wildcat thought that was funny. The elephants were holding their trunks up in the air. We don't know why, but Kapooka and Grandma had to wave their arms like elephant trunks and make elephant sounds. Kapooka, plain as day said "Hi elephant", but of course only once, and wouldn't say it again.

We capped off the day by playing on the playground and riding the carousel. Both of those were a big hit with both of the kids. You can check out my dad's facebook page for some video of the carousel if you want.

To finish up our animal theme for the day. Tonight as we were reading a book, I pointed to a horse. I asked Kapooka what is that, and she made the horse sound. That is the first time she has made an animal sound without copying someone first.

One the Wildcat front, he got to go to a paint your own pottery place today. We seem to have misplaced our camera, but hopefully we can get some pictures of his complete piece. He had saved up reward points from this summer and then waited until our friend from church, Miss Harriet, could go with us. We had a lot of fun, and he did a great job!

Colds

We all have them. We use a lot of Kleenex/Puffs. We drink a lot more fluids because our throats are soar. The house is loud at night because we are all snoring...loudly. Sounds like it could be a good children's book.

Tonight was the third grade back to school night. Wildcat had fun playing with his friends on the playground. Since Kapooka had come with me last year to do playground duty most of the kids knew her. Several of the girls played with her a lot tonight. That was really sweet.

Kapooka is perfecting the art of just sitting on the ground, kicking her feet, shaking her head, and shouting NO, NO, NO over and over when she doesn't want to do something. Wildcat is having to learn that we don't let her do this, and we deal with it firmly. He wants to distract her and love on her. He is such a sweetie. However, she can't get that positive attention by that behavior.

While at the playground, Paul is pretty sure that Kapooka said "slide". That would add to her words which are no, mama, dada, nana, grandma, more, dog, cat, and bye. She signs please, thank you, diaper change, phone, and tooth brush. She waves bye and throws kisses.

Allergic Reaction

This is a slow blog week mostly because I had a severe allergic reaction to something I ate (tongue swelling, hives, etc). The hives are still around whenever the Benadryl wears off, so I am spending a lot of time slightly groggy. Today, the hives seems slower in returning (I can go 6-8 hours between Benadryl instead of 4). So...I don't really know much of what went on this week.

Bethany and I have enjoyed dancing to some new CDs we checked out from the library. We liked one so much I ordered it from Half.com, so we can listen to it in the car. It was Jessica Harper's Rhythm In My Shoes.

Jon has his first spelling test and Memory Verse quiz of third grade today. He should do great on both.

Paul is sick with a bad cold. That typically happens the first month of school for him, so we aren't too worried...actually not at all.

A pretty normal week around here.

First Haircut

Today Grandma and I took Kapooka to Cookie Cutters to get her first haircut. We got to warm up and figure out that it wasn't a scary place by playing on the slide.


Next, Kapooka got to sit in a pink car. By this time she could tell something was up, so she asked to hold my hand.

Notice...still holding hands and the wary look at the beautician. However, she didn't every cry.

All done. We just trimmed everything up and started growing bangs. The bubbles were a big hit as was the free barrette that went in her hair. She enjoyed driving the car once it was all done.

PooPoo on the Potty

We will spare you pictures for this one. Kapooka went poopoo on the potty for the first time today. We were both very excited. Her favorite part is handwashing after. She also likes to just sit on the potty and read books. Her face was so funny when the poop hit the potty. She looked at me like "Is that what is supposed to happen?" It wasn't long before she was clapping and saying "YAY!" with me.

That is about all I will say on the subject.

Vacation Metamora

In Indiana before railroads were built, canals were built, to transport goods. One of the canal towns, Metamora, has been restored, and you can ride on a replica of a canal boat. Metamora was really close to where we were staying, so we went for a day. We had a great time riding the boat, poking in interesting shops, and eating at the Sidetrack Cafe (the owner/chef is an editor for Taste of Home Magazine. The food was GREAT!) You can see the Sidetrack Cafe menu here... http://www.metamoraindiana.com/Loc27.htm



We're getting ready to get on the boat, The Ben Franklin II. Back in canal times, it would not have had a roof. The shed on the back would have housed the extra set of mules.

This is an aquaduct. The canal used this as a bridge to cross a stream.

Now, horses are used to pull the boat. These were our horses.

The horses home....the barn, not the truck.

Vacation King's Island

We spent a day at King's Island, an amusement park near Cincinnati Ohio. It was really fun. Skye, her friend who came, and I all really liked the new coaster called the Diamondback. Here is a link to a video if you want to watch...http://mobile.visitkingsisland.com/public/fun/videos/index.cfm


Wildcat and Kapooka on the Go Diego Go ride. They had a good time together.

Oops...I got these posted backwards. This is Skye and her friend in the slingshot (crazy teenagers. This is after they have launched. The picture below is getting ready to launch. Her friend offered to pay for my ticket to go. I told him that I had attained sanity in my old age.

Kapooka LOVED the carousel. She rode it 10 times. She spent most of her time looking up to see the mechanism that made the horses go up and down.

Happy Anniversary

Today was my parents' 40th anniversary. We celebrated with a family dinner at Hollyhock Hill. The food was excellent, and the wait staff was very attentive. I would highly recommend this restaurant. Wildcat loved that he get 3 glasses of chocolate milk! You can check them out here...
http://www.hollyhockhill.com/



Here are the cousins all playing together. Grandpa got all of the girls a pink rose, so our cousin S is holding hers.

My sister in law Angela made these to die for cakes. The chocolate one was the best I had ever tasted. Daisies were the predominant flower at my parents wedding. My dad loves pineapple upside down cake. The cakes were so good, and there was so much we even shared with our waitress!

Kapooka with her flower. Grandpa had even wrapped the stem in florist tape to keep her safe. By the end of the meal, it was the floppiest rose ever, but she was a happy girl.

The anniversary couple. My mom is wearing the necklace my dad gave her as her wedding present. My dad is wearing his new watch (you can't see it) that my Mom gave him for an anniversary present. They just smiled the whole dinner, except for when we were eating the delicious food.

I pray that God will give them many more years and many more wonderful memories together and with the rest of their family. I love them very much.

Vacation Part 1

We have been crazy busy since we got home from vacation. Now that school has started, I hope to get back to semi-regular updates again. Let's start with vacation. We spent a week here...
http://www.kingsranch.cc/
They no longer had llamas, but everything else is pretty much the same! We had a fantastic time. We stayed a whole week. One day we went to Metamora, and one day we went to King's Island (we'll update about that later), but most of the time was spent...



Hanging out together and laughing, reading or playing games. The kids liked to go on hikes through the 150 acres, or ride on the golf cart. Wildcat liked spending time in the loft of our cabin. Skye liked to spend a lot of time outdoors and see where she could get one bar on her cell phone (only one place in the whole ranch by the way), but it was a fun way to spend time.

Swimming. We swam a lot. All of us swam a lot. However, no pictures of Mom in a swimsuit are allowed to be posted on the internet. We have tons of cute pictures of the kids in the water, and we have some funny ones of Paul jumping off the diving board. However, he asked that those not be posted either. However, killing horseflies became a competition sport between Paul and Wildcat at the pool. Also, Kapooka loved to throw balls, floats, and shoes into the pool. Skye learned to dive.

Building fires was very popular as was roasting marshmallows and eating s'mores. Wildcat really enjoed tending the fire. Wildcat and Paul slept in a tent one night. Of course it rained. They ended up with 3 inches of water in the tent. Everything was soaked. They still had a good time though. I think they did give up pretty early in the morning and come back in the cabin and slept some more.

Mom, well I slept a lot (I had a migraine 4 out of the 6 days we were there BIG BUMMER). I got to read and swim, and I enjoyed staying in the cabin away from the bugs. We would love to go back again.

First Two Word Phrases

"Hi Nana"

Today we picked up Skye from work. When Skye got in the car, Kapooka waved and said "Hi Nana". Nana is what Kapooka calls Skye. It was great. Skye sure had a huge smile. Skye took this picture with her phone. Taking pictures together is one of their favorite activities.

Later, we stopped for a snack. Wildcat had some fries. Kapooka said his name and then signed please. I think that counts as a two word phrase too! Of course, Wildcat was too engrossed in a book to hear.

New Toys

Kapooka had outgrown most of her baby toys (rattles and batting toys). The speech therapist suggested some different toys and play would help stimulate speech. A lot of stores are having great clearance sales right now, so here are a few of our deals. This was simply because Kapooka loves the bath, and it was on super duper clearance.

This baby doll is one of Bethany's favorite. We probably play with it an hour a day. She loves to give the baby a bottle, hug the baby, and blanket the baby. The baby has helped her learn to say the word "eye". Go new toys!

This toy we got in excellent used condition. It looks almost brand new. We got this because it is a toy that Wildcat and Kapooka can play with together. They like to make the monsters "talk" to each other and they of course like to bowl. Bethany bowls by knocking them down with her hands. Wildcat does it the proper way.

This is just a girl version of a car, so we can make lots of neat sounds.

We love this toy. Bethany can make choices and is learning the words on and off.

A byproduct...mama is much less bored. I like new toys too!

Little Hands

Last night Kapooka was having a terrible time settling down. Finally I lay down beside her. She rolled onto her tummy and tucked her little hand under my arm and wiggled her foot into my other hand. She went to sleep in just a few minutes. I started thinking about how nice it is to have a little one that can be comforted by touching a hand. I am truly blessed to be her mama.

Of course today her hands played in the dog water, stole her daddy's toothbrush and used it, played with her baby doll, dropped a pan on her toes, picked out books to read, banged the ground in frustration, reached to be picked up and signed please. Her little hands sure do a lot these days. Still, I am blessed to be her mama. Although, since she then put the dog water on her head and she smells funky, she gets a bath tonight.

Park Outing

Today we met some friends from school at a local park. We had never been to a splash park before and did not know how wet you get, so we were woefully unprepared. However, we had so much fun. We definitely want to go again. It is free.

Above is just about 1/4 of the splash part without the water turned on. There were also two regular playgrounds on either side of the splash pad.

I was very impressed with the facility as well with the kids and parents that were there today. It was crowded, but everyone was polite and well behaved. The facilities were clean. There was even a day camp there (I don't know from where, or I would brag even more publically), but everyone was pleasant.

Wildcat had a good time playing with his friends. Since everything was so contained, I could just look for him every few minutes and give him a little freedom. Paul came with us, and he played with Kapooka. She just kept getting more brave and more brave in the water. She loved the regular playground too. We didn't have our camera.

If you would like to know more about this park...here you go...

http://www.fishers.in.us/department/division.asp?fDD=9-60&location=billericay

Kapooka

Please ignore the people on the couch. However, check out Kapooka's hair. This is how it looks when she wakes up. She has this crazy curly hair in back, and we love it. Her sides are starting to get long, so she is losing the mullet look. I think in another couple of months it might be time for the first haircut just to even some things up and to possibly trim some bangs. I think she won't look like a baby anymore once that happens though, so I am in no rush.

I also noticed today that her eye color seems to be darkening a little. She still has blue eyes, but depending on the light and her mood, they can shift to more green. They also definitely have a brown rim around the pupil. They remind me a lot of her daddy's eyes.

The other think about Kapooka is that she loves her bath. She loves to splash. She loves to be washed. She loves getting her head massaged during a shampoo. She loves the tub letters. She loves dumping water from a cup. She does not love getting her hair rinsed. She loves to chew on a washcloth. She loves her boats. She would play in the bath for hours if we let her. Her older sister got a very modest, but very funny bath picture on her phone, so we will have to try and get it downloaded.

Speech Evaluation

Kapooka had a speech evaluation today. We've had some concerns because she isn't picking up new words and has started to lose some words. The speech therapist and occupational therapist that came were really nice and very helpful. They are a little concerned about Kapooka's expressive language. However, they said that her receptive language is right on track and that cognitively "she is as sharp as a whip." That made me smile.

With the receptive language they think that she should catch up by the time she is two. They will re-evaluate her around the two year mark. If at that time she has not shown improvement or is still borderline, then they will begin therapy. They believe this is probably related to her prematurity and that in this area she just needs a little extra time to develop. However, if we have additional concerns or she loses additional skills before then, we will get an immediate re-evaluation.

We were also given some simple ideas to help her communicate now, and some fun games to play to help her develop the muscles and skills she will need to be able to speak. I am glad to have a few steps to work on with her. It makes me feel less helpless.

Getaway Picture Post 2

Playing in the waves of very cold Lake Michigan.

Kapooka hated having dry sand stick to her, but she hated the cold water, so we built a battlement that protected her from the waves. She played quite contentedly.

We had a great time!

Kapooka loved the seagulls. She spent a lot of time pointing into the sky just like this.

Getaway Picture Post 1

Wildcat on a sand dune.

What a goofy kid!

The College Football Hall of Fame. Kapooka tried to eat the football.

Wildcat couldn't push it up the hill, but he posed for a picture.

Go Huskers!

For Your Viewing Pleasure...

This is a typical Kapooka slide. Isn't it fun?

Prayer

Wildcat and I have been praying for my college friend's baby since before he was born (lots of pregnancy complications). The baby went home this week. Wildcat and I both teared up a little with joy. It led to a good talk about the power of persistant prayer, and how God was good even though baby JP still needs an apnea monitor and feeding tube. I am so happy for Pam and her husband. If you would like to see their story, here is a link to their blog.

http://orthodoxcatholicfamily.blogspot.com/

Bad Day

for the mama. The kids were great. I am very proud of how tenderhearted and helpful Wildcat is becoming. Kapooka was so smiling and into snuggling today. Mama is on day 6 of a migraine. I am frustrated because I even went and got a shot yesterday.

We do have some cute video footage of Kapooka. It is my goal over the next week or two to figure out how to post that. Stay tuned!

A Great Summer Day

Today we met with some of Wildcat's school friends at a local park. This park is one of our favorites. It has a water tower painted like a balloon and is close to railroad tracks. They have a nice swing area (Kapooka hated swinging). They also have some awesome wooden play structures. Lots of things to climb and bounce. There are tunnels and multiple slides. There is a boat to pretend to sail. We all had a good time, but it was really hot. At one point the sun was shining, but it was sprinkling. One of our friends (a kiddo) said that it couldn't rain because the sun was out, so it must be the sun crying. We were running late, so I didn't grab any pictures.

Today, Kapooka also had her enrollment for a speech evaluation. It was just paperwork, but we should hear by Friday as to when the actual assessment should be.

Tomorrow is swimming lessons and a trip to the library.

Orthodontist

This is very similar to what Wildcat got installed in his mouth today at the orthodontist. It is a palatal expander. Basically it widens his mouth. We turn a key once a day for twelve days and it expands a bone in the roof of his mouth. The expansion doesn't hurt, but Wildcat is having a hard time talking. He got a milkshake right after the appointment. At supper, he wanted a sandwich, but just couldn't manage, so he tried mashed potatoes, but couldn't manage those either. He ended up eating chicken noodle soup through a straw. He was convinced that he would starve, but we assured him that he would adjust after a few days. Already by bedtime his speech was more clear, and he managed to eat an ice cream sandwich. I did feel sorry for the poor guy though.

Tonight he had swimming lessons, and did fine. However, for some reason when he floats on his back and kicks, he doesn't go anywhere. It was pretty funny to see him just kicking as hard as he could and staying in one place. He does just fine on his stomach, so I am not sure what the mechanism is that is failing. Hopefully we can get it figured out at the next lesson on Thursday.

Paul had his first day at the warehouse today. It was long, and mostly in the classroom, but he did get to drive a forklift. He was really excited about that. The company provides free gatorade (as well as coffee, and hot chocolate) from vending machines. When it is hot, bottles of water are brought to the line. Paul is already gathering many real world math problems to share with his students next year.

Mr. Toad

We have lots of toads around our house. The kids love to catch the toads and keep them for a little while and then let them go. This was one of the recent captures. I like having the toads because they eat mosquitos. However, mommy does not touch toads.

Tomorrow is Paul's first day at work. The rest of us are having a busy day too. We have a friend coming over to scrapbook and then we are going out to lunch. Wildcat has an orthodontist appointment, and he has a swimming lesson. Paul cooked up a bunch of ground beef, so we will make quick Quesadillas for supper. I love that man! He also manned the grill tonight and made some of the best burgers I've had in a long time.

I have been trying to find a doll made out of natural materials that looks somewhat realistic for Kapooka. All the ones I am finding are very expensive. I wish I could sew! I am just not crazy about a plastic doll for her because a lot of things still go in her mouth, and I don't like the things that are in plastic. Oh, well, I will keep looking.

Rainbows

Yesterday it rained. Actually it feels like it has rained for all of June (we are about 3 inches above average already). However, the sun came out after the rain, and there was a brilliant rainbow. These pictures don't do it justice, but it was really bright. It was a good time as a family to discuss God's promises. Included is a picture of Kapooka and Paul while we were rainbow watching.

(Pardon the power line...that was the brightest part of the rainbow)

Working Hard in the Summer Time

Skye sometimes trades her chore of washing dishes for mowing the lawn (Paul does 4 days of dishes for every mow). Paul does get help from Kapooka with the dishes. She likes to stand on her slide and blow the soap bubbles. She also helps unload the silverware from the dishwasher. Of course, she will unload whether it is clean or dirty!

Skye is working hard at her summer camp. This week has been especially challenging. Paul just got hired for a temporary warehouse job. It pays well, and still gives him 2 days off a week.

Jon is working hard at his chores and "homeschool" activities. He is also taking swimming lessons.

I am a mom...I think that defines hard work. We are still having a lot of fun together though.

Championship Pictures

I am so proud of Wildcat. He got several pulls, a point after, and a touchdown on Championship Day. Most of all he kept a great attitude and encouraged his teammates. He is so proud of his trophy. He shows it to anyone who comes to our house. Today a friend came over, and Wildcat waited outside in the rain to show the trophy first thing. I love that kid!

Summer Fun

Today was a free chicken sandwich at Arby's, so we went there for lunch. Next it was off to Chuck E. Cheese. We all had a good time. Paul and I had a basketball contest. Wildcat and I had several ski ball contests and played air hockey. Wildcat also played several other games. Kapooka loved riding the rides that would move. She especially like the one that took pictures.

We then went to the library. We all go points for summer reading. Wildcat turned in some points for prizes, and I got some more books.

Paul got a job that will actually give him Mondays and Tuesdays off. We are starting to comtemplate what we would like to do with all of our free time.

I still can't figure out how to get the championship pictures off of my camera, but I will try to get to that soon!

Monday Thoughts

Kapooka has a black eye from a fall over the weekend. She looks like she was in a bruising fight. Also, she tried a bite of a gherkin pickle today. Her mouth puckered. She shivered. She smiled and asked for more! She was pretty cute.

Wildcat went for his consult with an orthodontist today. Next week he gets an expander and braces on his front 4 teeth. This will last about a year. He will then need full braces again when all of his permanent teeth come in.

Kapooka First

For the last 5 minutes Kapooka has been taking her shirt off and then putting it back on all by herself. Of course when it is half on and on your head like a hat is the funniest thing in the world to a 15 month old.

We also had a successful trip to the library today. We also went to Target and finished Father's Day shopping. Wildcat got a new bike helmet and swim goggles, so he is officially ready for summer now.

As I type, Kapooka is sitting down and trying to figure out how to get her shorts off. Since she is sitting on them, that doesn't work very well. I wonder how long this will entertain her?

For obvious reasons, there are no pictures of my disrobing girl.

Zoo Field Trip

Last Thursday, Wildcat's class went to the zoo. For the first time ever, I was able to chaperone. Look how tall Wildcat is in comparison (the other's are 3 of the shortest in the class, but still!).

We had a good time. It was sunny, but not too warm. Everybody got to see something they liked, but also had to miss out on something they wanted to see. They were well behaved enough that they earned their bribe---I mean treat.

Kapooka went too because my parents met her there, and they watched her while I watched the school kids. The kids in Jon's class were wild about her. They would come and pat her on the head, and she would pat their backs. Her reactions to the dolphins, the seals, and the giraffes were the best. It was neat to see her enjoying God's creation!

Recipe

You know when you cook for a pitch-in and everyone says how good it is, but you can tell they are just being polite. That used to happen to me a lot. However, this has become one of those dishes where you can tell that people really like it (they ask for the recipe). It is so fast and easy. We make it at home in a skillet, but last time we made it in the crockpot and rice in the rice cooker.

What you need:

1 1/2 lbs frozen prepared meatballs
1/2 pkg. Frozen Tri-color peppers and onions
1 pkg (16 oz)Frozen Stir Fry vegetables (broccoli, carrots, whatever is in the mix)
1/2 cup apricot jam
1/2 cup KRAFT CATALINA Dressing
4 Tbsp. soy sauce

Make it:
COMBINE all ingredients in large skillet; cover.
COOK on medium-high heat 10 min. or until meatballs and vegetables are heated through, stirring occasionally.
SERVE over hot cooked rice or pasta, if desired.

I did find that in a skillet the meatballs if frozen take a lot longer than the veggies. It was closer to 20 minutes to get the meatballs heated. You can also add 1tsp of ground ginger and 1tsp of garlic powder if you want to fancy it up even more.

Skye's Birthday

I am really slow with getting these pictures downloaded. Skye's birthday was almost a month ago. Here she is at the big 1-7 blowing out the infamous trick candles. You can see a couple starting to re-light. Notice the smile on her face that say...I can't believe they did this to me again. Also notice her super cute top. We make a good shopping team. This was a join purchase from where else...Kohl's.

Anyway, Skye has been 17 for a month now. She hopes to go to the BMV in two weeks and renew her permit. Hopefully she will start making a lot of progress on getting her license.

Anniversary

Paul and my anniversary is this Sunday. Just in case you don't know, he is the tall guy in the Huskers jacket. He loves this jacket because it is Nebraska, but it also has a huge front pocket that he calls his marsupial pouch. Seriously, you could fit a small child in there, but he mostly squirrels away bits of paper and dry erase markers.

I digress...I have been married to this wonderful man for 13 years on Sunday. In honor of that, here are 13 good memories of our years together. Ok...make that 14 because I am starting with the wedding.

1996: Being the ultimate camp master on our honeymoon. Yes, he took me tent camping, but he cooked and scared the horses away that tried to trample our tent. We still laugh about hearing thoses horses right by our head.

1997: We moved to Kentucky. Our TV only picked up one station and only at night. It played Nightline all evening every evening. So, we played Yahtzee...hours and hours of Yahtzee. We laughed all the time, and still have our secret Yahtzee code from that time.

1998: Carpooling. We drove together to Lexington and then Paul would drop me off. I loved that hour in a car just the two of us every day. We just talked and talked.

1999: I had really rough time after our first miscarriage. Paul whisked me to Florida in a very spontaneous move. I will always remember that sitting on a beach praying with my husband probably saved my faith.

2000: Our first real vacation together. We went to Williamsburg. Paul pretended that our umbrella was his musket. Now we joke about being prepared for anything as long as you have a musket. He also knew that I had always wanted to walk on the beach in a flowy dress, so he bought me one before our trip.

2001: Our son was born. I remember that Paul would go cook at the neighbor's because the fumes made me so sick. That is true love.

2002: When Paul interviewed for our first church, he made sure that I got to define my roll. He made sure that the Church board was fine with the roll, or he wouldn't take the job. What an attentive husband.

2003: This is the year that holds the one and only time I could have really killed my husband. I got home from shopping and he had our 2 year old on the roof. I remained calm. He did not see the problem. However, this event brought about the quote that gets used a lot in our house. In fact, if our son doesn't hear it after he gets in trouble, he asks why we didn't say "And, what have you learned from this situation?" By the way, Paul still maintains it was perfectly safe because he was the one cleaning the gutters and Wildcat was higher than him.

2004: Paul was a Stay at Home Dad, so I could work my dream job at the Crisis Pregnancy Center. I am forever grateful that he held our family value of no daycare so close to his heart that he was willing to take on a non-traditional role. Also, he so kindly encouraged me to go for my dream.

2005: My migraines got really bad in this year. Paul would often bring me a Coke with ice while I was at work just to ease the pain.

2006: Paul is not a gifts person (I am). However, when we went on our anniversary trip to Florida, he had a gift for each day we were there with a letter expressing the symbolism of each gift as well as his love. This required a lot of forethought and planning. I felt so loved.

2007: Paul had to act as a single parent plus. I was so sick with my pregnancy I was on bedrest. He ran the household, took care of the kids, plus took care of me. He changed IV bags, wrangled with insurance, took me to the hospital, slept at the hospital, cleaned puke buckets and gave me an infinite number of miniscule servings of lemonade and mashed potatoes.

2008: Kapooka's birth happened so quickly that we both were in shock. Paul knew that I regretted not getting a belly shot while I was pregnant with Jonathan just before delivery. So in our bewildered and shocked state, Paul stopped the gurney on the way to the operating room and made everyone wait until he took a picture of me. He said "This is important to my wife so stop". Of course I was on the gurney already dressed for surgery, and you can't see much of my belly, but I loved that moment.

2009: Paul has been so encouraging to me this year as I transition back to being a Stay at Home mom. He has even been willing to talk about "girlie stuff" when I need to. I appreciate his support because so much of being a mom is unseen, but he makes sure to see and praise.

I love my hubby!