Silver Dollar City Fun

Who is that crazy, but stunningly handsome guy? We were really cold and a little slap happy by this time of the night.

Kapooka had no fear on any of the rides. She even wanted to ride the big scary ones. Thankfully, she wasn't tall enough, so she had to stick with the kiddie rides.

Wildcat and his friend were barely still all day. Since we went with a group from church, I was with the little kids most of the day. This is one of the few pictures I got of the "big" kids. They came to ride some rides with the little ones.

This is Kapooka and her friend Miss B. They rode this ride together all by themselves twice. They thought they were big girls.

We had a fantastic time. The lights were beautiful. The company was fantastic. We hope to do it again next year.

Wildcat Brag!

He has earned over 100 AR points. We are really proud of him. That puts him as the #2 reader in the 4th grade and #6 in the whole school. At 100 points you earn the T-shirt. Way to go Wildcat!

On a skunk update, the van is almost completely odor free. If it is a really hot day and the van bakes in the sun a faint whiff can be caught. I still hate skunks!

I haven't taken pictures of the living room yet because the curtains are still on order from Lowes.

Life is continuing on with the usual routine. We love it!

Kapooka's Room

Wildcat's Room

I'm Back and I've Been Skunked!

We've been in our new place, in our new town, in our new state for a little over a month. Things have finally settled down (and I unpacked the camera) that I hope to get back to blogging again. I will hopefully soon tell you all the wonderful things about our new life, and it is GREAT, but first I must ask you this. Why do these....

HATE ME!!!!

Seriously, I have a long history with skunks. Way back before wildcat was born I used to take my class on a campout to Mammoth Cave. My co-teacher and I got treed in my station wagon for hours by several of these bad boys in the middle of the night. Now, you may ask why were we up in the middle of the night? Tending a child that was so homesick that she threw up in the tent from her crying so hard. Again, why walking across the campsite? Her dad was sleeping with the boys 20 feet away. So, we dealth with hysterical pre-teen girl, cleaned up puke with no running water and only port-o-potties, delivered her to her father, and then got treed by skunks. All that to only have to get up early and have to hike for miles the next day.

I have long since given up camping. I was scarred for life. What can I say? Those memories were safely tucked away never to bother me again until last night.

Paul and Kapooka walk in from Wal-Mart and the SMELL fills the air. A skunk attacked the car with them in it. My poor van. My poor family! The stink washed off them just fine, but the van still reeks. Paul is going to try taking it to the car wash and use the undercarriage wash, and someone else has offered to let us use tomato juice and his power washer.

The skunks of the world have a vendetta I tell you!

101 Things About Our Family

1. We own three cats and 1 dog.
2. The dog lets one of the cats clean her ears.
3. We were given a pool this summer, and the kids swim almost every day.
4. Kapooka and I like dill pickles, the rest of the family likes sweet pickles.
5. Wildcat would exist entirely on carbs, preferably cereal, if he could.
6. Kapooka eats almost anthing but does not like lettuce, asapargus, brocolli, or cauliflower.
7. Skye loves to eat fresh fruit.
8. Our living room now is painted the same color as our living room in KY. We loved the color that much.
9. I don't think our next living room will be this color. I am getting tired of it.
10. Kapooka and Wildcat have 1 tea party together every day.
11. Kapooka asks for girl time and to get her toes painted. She especially likes me to use the hairdryer on her toes to dry them.
12. Wildcat and Paul are counting down the days until football season.
13. When I won a trip to Disney, we all decided to pick an age and pretend to be kids. Wildcat picked the oldest age, so he enjoyed pretending to "boss" us around while we were there.
14. Wildcat, Paul, and I love grilled asaparagus.
15. Everyone in the family loves homegrown tomatoes. Paul only loves them if they are processed into salsa.
16. I am not allergic to the penicillin class of antibiotics, but am allergic to most others. Paul and the kids are allergic to the penicillin class but not any others.
17. We all love to read.
18. Wildcat is loving the Hardy Boys series right now.
19. Kapooka is loving her Goodnight Beach book right now.
20. We went to Dauphin Island, AL 2 weeks before the oil spill.
21. We took a friend from church with us.
22. That vacation was really fun and really relaxing. We laughed a lot as a family.
23. The best restaurant on the island was The Common Loon. Our whole family agreed on that!
24. When we went to Disney, we did 1 character meal. Skye liked the kids food and wildcat liked the expensive adult food.
25. Wildcat still loves expensive sea food, especially shrimp and salmon.
26. Wildcat only has 2 1/2 more inches to grown until he reaches 5 feet.
27. We have family movie night almost every weekend.
28. Both Wildcat and Kapook love to snuggle under soft blankets.
29. We love Flapjack Friday in our house!
30. Wildcat is learning to make scrambled eggs as good as his mom's.
31. Kapooka is saying more words every day. It is hilarious to hear her say "almost". It is her all purpose word.
32. Paul know more about OB procedures than most husbands. He can give progesterone shots, change IV bags, and do medication dosages.
33. We love our Kia Sedona.
34. Mosquitoes love Kapooka and I but pretty much leave Wildcat and Paul alone.
35. The kids got their Dad's complexion.
36. Kapooka worships her cousin Hannah.
37. Kapooka loves to go shopping.
38. She loves the grocery store for the free cookies.
39. She loves to look at pretty clothes at the mall and get good smelling lotion to try.
40. She is all girl.
41. That being said, she is very coordinated, and I think she will be a great athlete.
42. Wildcat wants to be a missionary and a football player.
43. Wildcat wants to re-decorate his room in a Colts/UK theme.
44. Kapooka wants to get a new house so she can have a room that is pink with Elmo curtains and she can sleep in "cousin Shelby's bed."
45. When my brother and his family moved to Memphis they gave us their daughter's old bed for Kapooka to use once she gets her own room.
46. The waiting and the transition has been hardest on Wildcat.
47. It is our prayer that Paul would have a job and Wildcat could get settled in towards the start of the school year.
48. Kapooka loves to take walks with Skye.
49. Wildcat loves rootbeer.
50. He thinks Mug rootbeer is the best.
51. After all these years, Paul has finally found a drink at Starbucks that he likes.
52. Kapooka loves chocolate milk.
53. She also like Capri sun pouches.
54. Kapooka likes me to talk to her about how I got my rings.
55. Kapooka likes to pack her purse to go on dates with her daddy.
56. Skye loves iced tea.
57. Skye loves iced tea more than chocolate.
58. I hate tea.
59. I love chocolate.
60. If you want to know more about Kari, you can see her 101 things about me on her Facebook page.
61. Skye and I disagree on what kind of cats are cute.
62. My son would love to have a rodent as a pet.
63. I am a pretty laid back mom, but I draw the line at rodents and reptiles.
64. Amphibians and fish are a possibility if you take care of them totally by yourself.
65. If you even mention a snake, it is grounds for being grounded.
66. My son and I both have clothing texture issues.
67. Paul loves clocks.
68. Paul and Wildcat built his bed together.
69. They forgot to paint part of the bed.
70. One weekend we re-did Skye's room while she was gone.
71. She screamed when she saw it. She liked it.
72. Our washing machine flooded several years ago.
73. We thought we would save money and have Paul re-attach the carpet because we were going to get new flooring soon.
74. We got pregnant with Kapooka and didn't get the flooring, so decided to wait until she was potty trained to get new flooring.
75. She is doing well with potty training.
76. We are probably moving soon.
77. The next owners will get a flooring allowance.
78. We like our neighbors a lot!
79. We think Holiday World is the best amusement park ever.
80. We went last summer to a retreat center called The King's Ranch. Everyone in the family loved it.
81. Skye and Wildcat make up songs and plays just for fun.
82. Skye has already finished her first college class.
83. Her second college class is how to use computers.
84. Wildcat and I both have a big space between our big toes and our next toe.
85. I rocked my kids in the rocking chair my mom rocked me in.
86. Paul and I got married at 21.
87. We look at 21 year olds now and think they are kids.
88. We were married for 5 years before we had Wildcat.
89. We were married 12 years before we had Kapooka.
90. That spread was not in our plan, but it is working really well.
91. Wildcat is a terrific big brother. He goes well above and beyond the call of duty. We are proud of him.
92. Kapooka plays the role of little sister well.
93. Kapooka loves babies.
94. Kapooka loves to look at pictures of herself as a baby.
95. Kapooka loves to play baby dolls with her cousin Shelby.
96. We may homeschool this fall if Paul does not have a job soon.
97. I would be a little more excited about that if we were using my favorite curriculum.
98. I am thankful that we can get the curriculum we will use for free, and it is the best decision for possibly transitioning back to traditional schooling later.
99. Kapooka is outgrowing all of her shorts.
100. Wildcat is an excellent quesadilla chef.
101. We are thankful for all that God has done and is doing for us.

The Call

I remember distinctly when my husband was called to ministry. We weren't married then. We were just dating. It was a Sunday in a small, now defunct church in Grinnell, IA. The story is Paul's, but the confirmation of the call was supernatural.

So, after my blog post last night Paul called this morning. He was getting ready to work on his resume for the job we were excited about. It was for a job at an AG university. He checked the website and the job was no longer available. I feel a little disappointed, but a little bit resigned. I mostly feel like it was a clear answer. We've tried to see if we can bend the call to fit a different type of ministry...I wonder if sometime in the future God might bring some of those hopes to fruition, but for now...I don't think so. It is too much like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.

We can't get away from the call. I have a feeling that at least at this point in our lives the Lord wants us to be in ministry in a church. I can kick all I want (and I don't really want to), but Paul's calling is real and true and that is what the Lord wants. Now, the Lord will just have to open the right door to the right church (we did send 15 church resumes yesterday).

In kid news...

Kapooka is wearing a "pretty dress" today. She is doing this because Skye has on a dress. Skye has an interview for a job.

Wildcat has his last day of VBS. For the last 4 years he and Paul have a secret activity that they do before VBS. They went this morning and did it. I believe it involves football in a park and then pop from McDonalds at an obscenely early hour in the morning. However, it is a boy secret, and I'm not totally privileged to the details. I do know that they had to say goodbye to all of their favorite spots today, and they took pictures.