Last Chance Vacation

This summer we really wanted to get away, however briefly, with the kids for some fun. Between summer sports, gardening, haying, and our animals, it is not always easy to make this happen. As we were highly anticipating a new season of football, under new management and a new coaching staff, we really wanted to take in another CHIEFS game. So we decided to take advantage of the last official weekend of summer vacation by spending it in Kansas City. We left on a Thursday night so we could get to the zoo early Friday morning. I am a big believer in hitting the zoo early. I think both the heat and the smells of zoo animals tend to rise along with the sun. Also, it seems like we can catch the animals being fed when we get there early. The kids love to watch that. By the time it gets hot, we can rest our tired legs and ride the train to whatever stops we may have missed on foot. At one point, Megan said, “Mom, I can’t keep up with you and your partners because your feet are big and mine are little!” Her little legs had taken many steps. I think their favorite animals this time were the polar bear, the sea lion, and the monkeys.

 Keeping with Kansas City tradition, after the zoo, we headed to Jackstack BBQ. We decided it was so good we should get a carry-out order to put in our hotel fridge to eat after the football game that evening. As we walked to Arrowhead Stadium from our hotel, a lady stopped us to take our picture in the parking lot. She was from some news website that is supposed to show what is going on in the Kansas City area in pictures. The kids thought we were celebrities.

It was Megan’s first time to see the CHIEFS in person, and while she got caught up in the excitement with the rest of us, she fell asleep in the last quarter and her dad carried her all the way up the big hill back to our hotel. Saturday morning, we got up and set out for our first visit to Schlitterbahn. Every family in America should visit this waterpark. We spent most of the day doing absolutely nothing but playing in the water. We came out only to eat or apply more sunscreen.

I wonder sometimes if we are enjoying our time together enough. I get tired of being busy. Sometimes life feels more like a ride than I want it to. Like I am moving so fast I don’t even realize I have forgotten to stop and really see the other people in the car with me. I feel like I forget too often to gaze through the window and enjoy the beauty in my surroundings. I just discovered that Madison has grown two inches in the last five months. Jaron needs a haircut every time I turn around. Megan uses a new big word every day. I can’t help but wonder sometimes if I am paying enough attention.

Nothing saves my sanity more than when we take a weekend and we do nothing but pay attention to each other. We laugh and play and relax and make memories that do not involve all of the clutter and chaos of everyday life. Most of the time I can’t decide if I am doing a good job at anything at all. My efforts are so divided into so many directions that it makes me feel average in everything when maybe I should be trying to be great at something. Anything.

On last chance vacations, like this one, I can step away from all of the distractions to enjoy every moment with the people I love most in this world. I can notice every last detail and savor what I see along with every ounce of contentment a woman can posess...and I can think that maybe I am already great at something after all.

Speaking Now (Part Two)

I want to say that I took Madison to the concert because I am an awesome mom and Taylor Swift is her favorite singer, but I have to admit that I LOVE her too! We were both seriously counting down. I am impressed with artists who have beautiful voices and can sing anything you put in front of them, but I am in awe of those who can write their own songs, play their own instruments, and make you feel something when they sing.

I love how Taylor (I think we are on a first name basis now that I have seen her in person and everything) carries a theme throughout her Speak Now album. While Speak Now is a fun song about breaking up a wedding, as she tells us in the album jacket, every song on the album is made up of the things she should have said when the moment was right in front of her. I’m sorry. I was enchanted to meet you. You should have known better. You are the best thing that’s ever been mine. Why you gotta be so mean? I see sparks fly whenever you smile. Who you are is not what you did. I had the time of my life with you. I love you.
The show was sensational, and fabulously filled with all kinds of wonderful.

Dancing: I’m not talking about backup dancers. I'm talking center stage tap, jazz, and ballet dancing. Like a musical.

Theatrics: Each song was acted out in a play-like production, backed by huge props to set the scene. There were aerial acrobats, fireworks, and confetti. Lots of confetti. We are still mystified by the number of wardrobe and hairstyle changes she managed to pull off.Music: Of course she sang all of our favorite songs, but in addition she played the banjo, ukulele, piano, and several sparkly guitars. So, this night was sparkling, and I am pretty sure all 50,000 people who attended will never let it go. We were wonderstruck, and we were definitely enchanted to meet Taylor Swift. At twenty-one years old, while many of her peers are getting drunk, arrested, and checking themselves into rehab, she is writing songs that inspire, motivate, and entertain girls of all ages, and bringing them to life on this tour. She is lighting up the stage and the eyes of our daughters. I kind of want to be more like her when I grow up.

Speaking Now (Part One)

So, in the spirit of simplifying my life, I have been trying to give the kids more experiences in place of material gifts. For Madison’s birthday in May, I got tickets to see Taylor Swift at Arrowhead Stadium on September 24. It seemed to be an eternity away at the time. My friend got on board with her two daughters and her niece. We kept it a secret that Molly was going with us until she got her tickets for her birthday in August. I can't tell you how many times she told us how lucky we were to be going. When she finally got her tickets, my tough little niece with four brothers actually cried...and maybe her mom and I did, too.

So when the big day FINALLY rolled around, we all headed to the big city. Three adults and an assortment of six girls ranging in age from nine to twenty. We played the Speak Now album all the way to the hotel. Madison called the pizza place and ordered her first pizza for delivery. All the girls (and some moms) had their hair, makeup, and nails done, complete with a thirteen painted on their right hands. We were ready. If you have never taken your daughter to the concert of her dreams before, get on Ticketmaster and get your tickets today. In those final moments before the show begins her face will look like this:And when she catches her first glimpse of her shero rising from beneath the stage, she will scream with excitement like this:She will wave her glow stick in the air like she means it. She will sing along with every single song, only stopping to break out in crazy applause between them. You will sing right along with her, but you might cry a little.

After the concert we capped off the evening with breakfast at Denny's in the wee hours of the morning. I think the decision to give experiences instead of things might be the best choice I have made in a really long time. We all win. It was a beautiful day for mothers and daughters, aunts and nieces, cousins and friends. Any suggestions on where we should go next?

Simple Pleasures

We have spent the last two weekends doing the local festival/small town reunion sort of thing. Simple pleasures like wrist bands, carnival rides, and bouncy houses. Live music. Hot dogs, cotton candy, and no naps. These are the weekends that require an extra cup of coffee for Mom on Monday morning. The weekends where playing hard is the only thing we get accomplished. The only thing that would improve them would be spending a little time with my camera, or getting together with family for fish and cake. Oh, wait...we did that too! Festivals, family, fun, and (almost) Fall. These are a few of my favorite things.

High/Low

I stole this from a movie I saw years ago. It was The Story of Us, starring Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer. At the dinner table, the family would take turns sharing the best parts of their day and the worst parts of their day. Things move so fast with jobs and kids in school that this is a good way to stop and celebrate with the kids or offer sympathy as the situation requires. I like to focus on the positive so I debated on leaving the lows out of it. I have come to appreciate this insight into the things that linger with them throughout their day spent away from me. Whether positive or negative, these memories and their reactions to them give me wonderful glimpses into their personalities. I have started a notebook.

Here are some of the highs I have heard about over the last few weeks:
Today we played soccer in PE, and I was the champion.
My tooth got wiggly.
We got to go outside for second recess.
Fishing with Dad.
Getting my hair cut.
In music, I played my recital piece for my class and I even remembered that there are two of that last note.
Going to Mizzou.
Today Mrs. Stull read a book about a teacher having a baby because that is what she is going to do. She said Stephen is hoping for a boy, but I said girl because our baby is so cute. Just look at her!
I got a homerun today.

And some lows:
Today I flushed the stool...and the water came up.
I am a little nervous about pulling my tooth.
After I climbed the tree, Tucker moved the board so I couldn't get down until I hollared for Mamaw.
Nothing.

Viva Las Vegas!

When we got married we said we would return to Las Vegas every five years or so. Well, five years went by like a holiday weekend, and in the meantime I had all but forgotten about those plans. I never even brought it up. I don't know if I have mentioned before that my husband is generally opposed to spending money in most situations. Relative to some of my purchases, he sometimes feels obligated to question the level of necessity involved. So Kevin came home from work one day and said, "I think we should go to Las Vegas." I laughed. I mean, usually when we take a trip, I plan everything and I calculate the cost and it usually takes some convincing. When Kevin mentions a trip involving airfare, hotel, and shows...the only explanation I can come up with is that he is joking with me. Except he wasn't. He began researching travel and airline websites. He chose the hotel we liked the most when we were there before. He planned this trip. My girlfriend said, "I think the fact that this is all his idea is just as big of a deal as the fact that you are going!" So true. I am not going to lie about it, I felt guilty for leaving the kids for five days. Excluding them from the fun and imposing on the family...almost like I should be hot lined. But after packing all of the bags and saying all of the goodbyes, the real excitement began to set in. I quickly reasoned that extra time with Grandma was hardly punishment for them and began to think about what this would mean for us. How strangely liberating it was to be able to travel and make decisions based solely on whatever we would like to do! We could eat anywhere without considering the kids' menu. We could be gone from our hotel all day without worrying about having enough diapers or extra changes of clothes. There were no worries about naptime or strollers.

We saw everything we could see. We saw the pirate show at Treasure Island and the dancing fountains at the Bellagio. We saw Criss Angel's "Believe" show up close and personal at the Luxor and went to Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay. We went on a tour of Hoover Dam. We visited Lake Mead. We shopped. We swam. We said hello to Pete Rose. The real person...not an impersonator. We ate when we were hungry, and we slept when we were tired. We talked about the things the kids would have enjoyed and the things they definitely would not have enjoyed. We walked a lot. We took the city bus and the monorail. We remembered our wedding trip and marvelled about all the changes that have taken place over the past decade. It was an awesome trip. Trust me, there are several scrapbook pages just waiting to happen right now.

Doing Easter Right

This year still feels relatively new to me. I feel like all the things I wanted to do remain within my reach and I am trying hard to grab them. I am trying hard to live better. Period. Traditions tend to take me to my happy place. I love them. We have an Easter Egg Hunt we always attend, but this year I was feeling more festive than that. Not only did I decide that one Easter egg hunt was not enough, I decided that 3 kids were not enough to take along. So this year, I got my niece, Molly, Madison's friend, Zoe, Madison, Jaron, and Megan, and we started our Saturday at 11:00 with the Church WOW (WithOut Walls). They worked hard to provide us with an age appropriate Easter lesson, a 5000 egg hunt, prizes, and hot dogs for dinner. Let me tell you, there were lots of chattering, squealing, and happy kids over there. My mom came for the festivities as well, and Grandma Time always cranks up the funometer for my guys.

The kids got out their gloves and played some catch at home afterwards while I fed Megan her lunch(as I have yet to feed her hot dogs). The sunshine was beautiful. Soon it was time to load up again and head to Elmer at 2:00. Elmer always has the Easter Bunny. And the other Grandma. Megan slept through it all last year, and while she may not have loved the bunny, she did not miss a moment. We capped off the weekend on Sunday with Sunrise Service at 6:00 am. The kids were sleepy and snuggly and I did not even have to remind them to be still or quiet. We spent the rest of our Sunday playing outside and cooking on the grill...Oh! And we had a wonderful nap! I just had to blog it out before I forgot what an awesome weekend that was. I had many things I needed to be working on around home, but they waited for me. This year I think we did Easter right!

Old Friends and New Toys

Over the weekend I got the opportunity to visit with an old friend. By old, I mean throughout the entirety of my childhood she is included in my memories. I am not trying to imply she is joining the ranks of the elderly or anything. We went outside to let the kids play in the leaves. They ran and dove into that mountain with reckless abandon. It was a beautiful day to be outside. I can still hear the laughter mixed with the occasional, "Make sure he can breathe!" when we lost sight of someone for too long. It was such a priceless intermission from the housework that consumed the majority of my weekend. My friend and I speak regularly on the phone but it was wonderful to see she and her handsome little men in person. Every time we get together I can't seem to understand why we don't find the time to visit more often. Oh, and by the way, this friend I got to see is my wedding photographer friend. And thanks to her I have an awesome new camera that I will be playing with on a regular basis. I am not sure if I am smart enough to use it properly or not, but it is so much fun to zoom in on my little subjects, and it makes all kinds of cool noises when I push buttons. Brace yourselves. You only thought I took lots of pictures before! I am just getting started.

One of Those Days

From my title it could easily be assumed that this will be one of those "someone has a bad case of the Mondays and is grieving the rapid loss of yet another weekend" kind of posts. If that came to mind, you are forgetting that right now I am being paid my regular wages to stay home with my kids. Nothing can rain on that parade! What I have to say is the exact opposite of that.

Yesterday Madison told me, "Mom, I just don't know how we ever got along without Megan!" I had one of those days yesterday that made me wonder how I ever got along before I was a mother. How did I ever get along without Madison, Jaron, and Megan? What did I worry about? Dream about? Plan for? I have no idea. It is like my life is divided into two segments--before kids and after kids. I have no idea how I ever survived that first segment.

I had one of those days where I had to thank God for making me a mother. Repeatedly. Jaron, Megan, and I went to my work to visit and we ran a few errands. I decided we should take a Happy Meal picnic to the park. Taking my kids to the park is one of the simplest things in the world. All I have to do is say the word "playground" and Jaron illuminates like a Christmas tree. We can come and go as we please. And it is free. Why don't we go the park every single day of our parental lives? We had never gone to this particular playground and Jaron decided it was built especially for him. "You know why, Mom? Because it is dark blue! You know what's my favorite color, Mom? Dark blue! You know what, Mom? My baby sister can play on my playground when she is bigger. You know why, Mom? Because someday my baby sister will learn how to walk."

When I was little my mom asked me why I talked so much and I told her I just had a lot to say. While Jaron chattered and played and chattered and played I just sat there, holding my bundled up baby girl, and watched him. I found myself speechless. It was one of those days high up on my list of treasured memories. One of those days when my kids are still my biggest fans. One of those days where there is no room for worries about jobs or babysitters or housework or bills or the size of denim capri's I had to buy last week. There was only room for blissful contentment, gratitude, and happiness.

I read once that being a mom was like making the decision to let your heart walk around outside of your body. As I watched my heart go up the ladder and down the slide and up the ladder and down the slide and up the ladder and down the slide, I decided the one thing I know for sure about my life is that I was meant to be a mother. I also decided that this was one of those days worth blogging about.

Our First Official Girls' Day

On Saturday Madison, Megan, and I had our first official girls' day. We left the boys at home and went shopping and did lunch. Megan was exactly one month old. I love the boys in my life, but as I realized the significance of this fabulous event I could not help but daydream about all of the fun things my girls and I can do over the coming years.

When I was a kid it was understood that 13 was the magic age to get our ears pierced. I remember being beyond excited when my mom surprised me by letting me go and get mine done for my 12th birthday. It was the best present ever. At least it seemed that way to a 12-year-old. Madison has been begging for earrings for awhile now and until now I have reminded her repeatedly that she is only 6 and I was 12 when I had it done. I have lectured her on the care and maintenance required and described the painful pinch involved with the actual piercing itself. She did not waver. I did.


I had a change of heart following Megan's arrival into our family. Madison has been such a super big sister. She loves our baby with all of her heart. The first thing she does when she gets off the bus after school is run to the bathroom to wash her hands so she can go find her baby sister. She gets her anything she might need. She is personally offended if I give Megan a bath when she is not here to supervise and assist. So Saturday I told her that because she is such a great big sister, we will go and get her ears pierced as a big sister present. She was such a big kid. While she did want me to hold her hand, she did not make a peep and did not shed a tear. She and I were both very proud of what a tough big kid she was. As we were strolling through Wal-Mart she said, "I am kind of like an adult now, Mom. You know, a lot of adults have their ears pierced and now I have my ears pierced." She could have pierced my own heart with that pink sparkly earring! Sometimes I look at her and feel like she has aged years instead of months but I have plans for her journey into adulthood taking several more years! I have many more childhood plans for girl fun. I plan to have girls' days when she is a grownup as well but I sure would appreciate a very lengthy transition into that next place in our lives!

enjoying the ride

Once, when Kevin and I were young and foolish, we decided we had to go sled riding. My sister-in-law and I will soon have 8 kids between us, but at the time we had only met one of them, so we left him with his grandma so the four "adults" could have some serious fun in the snow. The snow was irresistible that day. Half a foot deep and soft and as white as bleached sheets. So the men in the group fashioned our "sled" from what could have been part of a sheet of plywood (thus the "foolish" part) that they fastened to the back of the four wheeler. On one particular trip down the hill, Lachelle and I were riding and the boys were driving, we rounded a sharp corner and the plywood went totally airborne and ejected its passengers. I went rolling and rolling down the bank into their yard, completely cushioned by all my layers of coats and coveralls, and landed on my back seeing nothing but clear sky. I remember I could not stop this possessed laughter that had me in tears. Laughter like that could only mean that it was a great ride. As I lay there, it occurred to me that I should get up so everyone would know I was not hurt or anything. I made it to my feet to discover that not only was Lachelle not laughing, she was crying. Loudly. Her exhilarating roll down her bank was cut short by the mailbox...and it was laying beside her, post and all.

I always think of that particular ride when we get the sled out. It is safe to say we learned something that day. Its memory remains a big factor in my decision to banish myself from the sled for this winter. I did, however, manage to get some photographic coverage and enjoyed my role of sled supervisor to its full capacity. Over the years our sled practices have become much more safety/injury prevention oriented. I still find myself unable to stop the tear shedding laughter so I do not feel like I am missing out on any big thrills from my youth. I think tear shedding laughter always equals success. So while initially the kids may have been disappointed to postpone their classroom parties and a trip to the movies with classmates, they soon remembered how much fun snow days can be! I wish I could bottle their laughter to open anytime I need to hear it. I love how sometimes in life the small disappointments can become the biggest joys.

hot date night?

Last week my girlfriend wrote a post about date night. It was about how significant date night use to be back in the day and how after marriage and children it tends to be pushed to the background. She misses date night. I related perfectly, of course. I had two main thoughts when I read her post. First, I was trying to remember the last date night Kevin and I had. We have had a lot of dates. We dated back in the day. I remember spending hours curling my hair and doing my nails and makeup and watching for him out the window. Secondly, I was thinking it would probably be awhile before he would be asking me to go out again. I mean, what would be the reason? February - Valentine's Day. August - Anniversary. Sometimes we make a day of Christmas shopping without the kids and that requires eating out alone together. But if I do not plan the event ahead of time it is probably not going to happen. Or so I thought.

I like it when he pleasantly surprises me. Saturday I got the invitation. "Do you want to ride to Columbia with me?" I thought that sounded like a date. When we left the house wearing perfume and cologne I thought it smelled like a date. When we dropped the kids off with Grandma I decided it looked like a date! Hot date night was ON! A calm and leisurely dinner with steak and salad and adult conversation is a hot date, right? It was so much better than the dates we had when we were teenagers. I am far from a size 3, and he does not give me my invitation with enough notice to spend hours on my appearance (not that I would now if he did). Even so, our relationship has grown into something I never could have imagined back then. I could never have imagined how love can evolve with a person when you bring children into this world together. I look across the table at him now and I don't dream about what our life could be like if we ended up together. I already know. Our daughter has his nose and mouth. Our son shares his love for fishing in the river. He would have been satisfied to stop at two kids but agreed to have another one because he knew it would make me happy. He is a good provider who does not make a habit out of missing work. And the patience he displays when teaching things to the kids by far surpasses any expectations I may have had. So while date nights are lower on quantity than they use to be, I believe they make up for it when it comes to quality.

Keeping that in mind, I still had some lingering questions I asked myself during the ride home. Is it still a hot date if you take a minivan? Is it still a hot date if it includes significant time in Bass Pro before dinner? Is it still a hot date if the state of your pregnancy requires that you must go pee upon arriving in Columbia, arriving at the restaurant, and again before leaving the restaurant? Is it still a hot date if he decides to practice with his new duck call on part of the drive home and you put your ear buds in to drown out the sound with your favorite tunes? I guess I still think it is and that is all that matters.

Costume Parties and Popcorn

Our microwave died. Most families might not be affected much by this change in their household, but at my house we miss it a little bit. While I intend to do meal plans ahead of time and properly thaw my meat products in the refrigerator...many times I get home from work and throw something in the microwave to defrost to become dinner 30 minutes later. In the last few months, Kevin and the kids have also taken to microwave popcorn. With the stove installation project going on, it has been awhile since we have enjoyed popcorn and it has not gone unnoticed by the little people in our house. I decided we can survive and put the microwave on our Christmas list or get one at the crazy, in the dark, day after Thanksgiving sales and have not given it much more thought. So last night as I was arranging my canned goods on my new shelving in the pantry closet (for those of you feeling my pain about my bedroom...that means the sour kraut is out of there now!!!), Jaron came in and said, "Daddy is going to make us some popcorn!" I heard him but did not really hear him...our microwave is dead.

Well, as of Saturday, our outdoor stove is all installed, fired up, and working beautifully! The kids' rooms and our bathroom have never been warmer! Our old system kept 2 rooms warm and the rest of the house cold, but now we have vents in every room and it has made a ginormous difference! However, I do not have all the closets put back together and the chaos conquered. I took a break from it all to do fun stuff on Sunday, so last night was my first opportunity to start moving things out of my bedroom. I put together my new shelving unit and assigned the kids to jar transportation duty. As I said, I was arranging jars in the closet by year and type of food, where Jaron could find me easily to update me on all the happenings of the house. So he came back in and said, "Daddy is making popcorn and it is popping on the floor!" Because things are a little crazy, I may be slightly overly sensitive when it comes to new messes being made in the house. I chose to stay on task and wait until later to validate Jaron's news. A few jars later, Kevin, the love of my life, stuck his head in on the way to the living room to enjoy his snack and shared, "When you cook popcorn on the stove you really need a lid." Part of me was once again astounded by the vast difference between the genders...yet part of me was too happy that they were having popcorn to care. Between Kevin having to get up in the attic and under the house and dragging all the tools in and out and me following him around with the shop vac for so long, I was just happy we are done!

Like I said, after we shared that collective sigh of relief that we have heat before winter, I decided to take a break and do some fun stuff. Mom and I put up my new border in the kitchen. After church we lounged and watched our team. Kevin went off to cut wood, and the kids and I took in the church Halloween party with the cousins(Daddy does not condone Jaron's costume, but Daddy was cutting wood, and Spiderman has a hole for me to sew before Trick-or-Treating, so we went with it, OK? He likes to pretend he is the Easter bunny!) It was great to enjoy the season and forget about home renovations. I still have a lot of sorting, purging, and organizing to do...and a baby to make room for. But we are warm and toasty and can still make time to kick back and enjoy some popcorn.

the apple trip

I went with Jaron's preschool on a field trip to the West Apple Orchard north of Macon. The kids learned the most adorable little poem that they performed with actions for the owners.

"Way up high in the apple tree

two red apples smiled at me

So I shook that tree as hard as I could

and down came the apples, mmm were they good!"

We enjoyed a tour of the orchard. Every child got their own bag to fill with apples they picked themselves. We topped it off with a picnic in the shade. I love celebrating the seasons with the kids and enjoying these experiences through their eyes. Their wine looked enticing also but we grownups agreed that would have to be another field trip for another day!

This is the class with their teacher Miss Amanda. She use to be the director until she chose to stay home with her baby girl last year. Soon after I pulled Jaron out of preschool, she found out they were having difficulty with their part-time staffing. She decided to come back to fill in the gap until their present teacher gets back from maternity leave in November. (Thank you for your prayers regarding Jaron's preschool after my crazy mini-meltdown blog back in August!)

Mmm...were they good!

tourists

We had our last little day trip of the summer last weekend with my mom. We went to Bethel. Many of my people come from Bethel. Well, my Dad's people. My dad was a North Shelby kid until the end of his freshman year. We have had some family reunions at the Bethel school. My parents and Vanita lived in Bethel for 3 days. Mom could not get comfortable in the old colony house. It was straight up and down and 4 rooms (living room and kitchen below, bedrooms above) and creeeeeeepy. It spooked her too much to stay. Dad was fine with it. They bought the house in Atlanta soon after. I was inches from being a Raider (which is not nearly as prestigious as growing up as a HORNET, of course)!

I read this trilogy of books by Jane Kirkpatrick called the "Kinship and Courage Series" and I loved it! It was based on a group of women headed out west via wagon train. Many of the women did not want to go, but their husbands did. You know, the whole "wherever thou goest and lodgest" thing...and the husbands did not ask their opinions! They were remarkable and inspirational women. As I was saying, I loved the books and when looking for more of her writing I stumbled upon her series of books called the "Change and Cherish Historical Series" which started in Bethel, Missouri and was based on the colony that originated there. I had heard bits and pieces of the colony so my fingers could not fly fast enough to get the books ordered off of ebay. I read the books and my mom read the books and we decided we wanted to tour the colony homes if we got the chance. We got the chance. It was the neatest thing. It was strange to be walking in some of the exact same places those characters (who were actual people) walked and worked and ate and danced...and died. The leader of the colony had a grand three story house and it was even bigger than I had pictured it. All of the colony houses had the same plan as my parents' brief home. The bottom floor held the kitchen and a bedroom and the top was two more bedrooms. They said the parents and babies had the downstairs bedroom. One upstairs bedroom was for the older boys, and one was for the older girls. How can I ever complain again about the trials of cooking every day with my electric range and oven when they were cooking over open fires in the kitchens? That would be a little warm in August! There were only three ovens in town so the women got together to do the baked goods for everyone and then they shared them. When you think it over many things would have been so difficult but they got to get together all the time. They had many women to look to for guidance and support when things were rough and think of how close the community would be. I heard someone in the news talking about an author that believed the reason divorce is so common today is that people are having such a difficult time doing things on their own and the support network that communities have always had is dwindling away. I had never really thought about that.

(This is where they cooked at the leader's big house.)

The kids were far more impressed with watching the people at the festival make the sheep be naked but I enjoyed the tour. I enjoyed seeing two of my Great Uncles. I enjoyed being a tourist. It made me want to read more on the history of the Midwest and find more places to visit. I am sure Mom would be on board too. So would Madison and Jaron...as long as we could find a way to incorporate animals and ice cream!

touristsJaron with the colony church's bellMadison's favorite thing of the day

Vacation is fabulous...and so is turning 30

Vacation is defined as a period of time devoted to rest, travel, and recreation. I think when my family goes on vacation we go heavy on the recreation, light on the rest and travel! St. Louis kept us close enough to home but too busy to sleep much. The pool took priority over rest at every opportunity. I love being able to do absolutely nothing but enjoy my family. The agenda is simple. Have fun. Rules are off. "Sure we can swim well beyond your bedtime! Why not jump on the bed? Do you want a cookie with that Pepsi? What nap time?" It occurred to me that maybe the reason I enjoy these little trips so much has something to do with the fact that I have lived in Smalltown, USA all of my life. But seriously, we spend so much of our time working at our respective jobs and getting our daily responsibilities taken care of at home that it is rare and precious to have these chances to really focus on nothing but our own amusement. And how much we love one another. Of course I am going to enjoy that!

I love watching the kids react to new experiences and realizing how much they have grown and matured. Jaron is so brave when it comes to feeding and petting animals, and not so brave getting in the pool if it's a little chilly. Madison isn't about to put her hand against a camel's mouth but jumps into the water with reckless abandon. They both had their eyes closed less than I did when we went on a motion simulated log ride where we were falling down waterfalls and being attacked by crocodiles. And they both elected to ride on the top level of a two-story carousel at the Chesterfield Mall. And Kevin is such a big kid. An animal petting, cotton candy eating, "chocolate therapy" ice cream buying big kid. A weekend away was a great way to bring in the new decade of my life. Long story short--along with the zoo, Grant's Farm, The Arch, Bandana Barbecue, shopping malls in general, hotels with pools and free snacks and breakfast--vacation is fabulous. And so is turning 30.