Baby Bellies

One of Mikayla's good friends is expecting a baby brother in a few weeks. Mikayla has always been a big lover of babies--both real and plastic--but I think she's finally old enough to realize that the baby is actually in the big belly. When one of my best friends had a baby in November, I don't think it was all put together. But now, being 7 months older, she's made the connection.

At story time the other day, she was asking her friend's mom all about her tummy and the baby. She came home and pretended she had a baby in her belly. Lilly also had a baby in her belly, according to Mikayla. And the other day she mentioned to Gramma that she was in Daddy's belly when he was a Mommy...think about that one for awhile.

So yesterday after nap time, Mikayla was snuggling with me until she was fully awake. She sat up and looked at me for a long time, then asked, "Mommy, do you have 2 babies in your tummy?"

Now I'll be honest, I was a little offended. I know she didn't mean it like it sounded, but as a woman you automatically think she's calling you fat. And I'm not, but I was beginning to wonder if I'd let myself slip and not realized it. "No, Mommy is not having any babies. Why?"

She got a funny, confused look on her face. "But you have 2 big bellies!"

When I followed her gaze, I realized where she was looking. "No honey, those aren't part of my tummy. My tummy is under them...."

That's Our Girl!!

I had to make a grocery shopping excursion last night. It was one of those that we needed a few things, but there were several things that were on the cusp. "We could use some bread." "We only have a few eggs left." You know how it goes. And since I was going to make it a big trip, I decided to add in our camping list for next weekend, too. Why not? It'll save me time next week.

As we were getting ready to go, Alayna ran upstairs to grab her purse. She's quite the saver and has some money left over from her basketball cookie dough sales incentive back in December. She was determined to find a special something for the upcoming summer. Well, Lilly heard that and decided, for the first time, that she also wanted to bring some of her money she's saved up. She asked if it was okay, I told her it was, and she ran up to her room.

"I got the one with a 5, is that okay?" she asked.

When we got to the store, she was scouring the racks, looking for that perfect thing she could buy with her own money. Alayna quickly found herself a pair of black flip-flops with a 2" heel for $8. Lilly didn't want shoes, she didn't want a new shirt. She wasn't sure what she wanted.

I finished my shopping and we were headed to the check-out line when Lilly said, "Wait! I see it!"

She ran to the rack, grabbed her purchase, and we headed to the check-out. Lilly waited patiently in line ahead of me, nervous but excited to make her first exchange by herself. She put the prize on the conveyor belt, waited until the clerk said the total, then handed over her $5 bill. She waited anxiously for her change, accepted that and her bag, said thank you and then helped me finish unloading the cart.

I was so proud of her! She was very grown-up and professional, remembering her manners and to speak clearly and loudly. I was also proud of her choice for that very first purchase: King-sized Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. They are one of mine and Andy's favorites. Yum. And she even told me, "Mommy, I won't eat these all at once. Just one at a time so I don't get a belly-ache." Is she really that old and mature already?!

We're gonna get you!

Something has been visiting us for the past few weeks. And it's getting old.

It all started earlier this spring. Every so often, the grain bins in the barn would be knocked over when we'd go out to feed the animals. We didn't know what was doing it, so we assumed it was our dog, Sunny, for some reason. Shortly after the first time, the bins were bungee tied to the wall and their covers were securely snapped in place. Then it happened again, with the huge 33 gallon bin knocked over while 2/3 full. Hmmmm, maybe it's not the dog. As a matter of fact, I remember her barking in the middle of the night...

The bins were re-secured, with some extra reinforcements, and we set up a live trap. That first night we caught...a cat. Poor Coonie was so upset and didn't talk to us for a day. He's since recovered, but there's still something getting into our grain bins. It was in there 3 or 4 nights last week. We honestly have no idea what it is. We're assuming raccoon(s) but there's a very real possibility it's also a small bear recently kicked out of mom's den. And it could still be the dog, though we've never seen her have a desire to eat the grain any other time. It's driving us crazy and costing us money.


I got a brainiac idea and asked Andy's cousin if we could borrow their trail-camera. They came over for a family play date and the men set up the camera. We were certain we'd catch the bugger, if not in the trap, at least on camera so we knew what we were dealing with.

Well, it didn't quite work that way...

I know the pics are hard to make out, but take a look at a couple details with me. In the first photo, it shows the time as 0:35, which means 12:35 am. The live trap is nicely situated right next the bags of grain (which the critter thankfully hasn't touched!) The camera flashes and still doesn't get a pic of whatever it is. 5 mins later, at 12:40, (the soonest the camera will take a pic) it takes another shot and you see that when the camera flashed the first time, it apparently scared the animal, causing the live trap to go rolling across the barn. Each time, no animal is in the picture that's obvious. If you look closely, it looks like there may be a leg on the left edge of the photo--a yellowish leg (which may account for the huge white spot in the center) But even if it is Sunny in that photo, since it's the second pic and taken 5 mins later, I don't immediately deduce it was her that knocked things over. After all, this is her property and she's very protective. If she heard a noise that she didn't make and wasn't normal, she most certainly would go investigate. Grrrr It's motion activated, so something caused the camera to take the photos. Grrrr Obviously, it was also too close to the area since it's all so bright and distorted from the flash (and they aren't meant for indoor photos, but I. Don't. Care.) Grrrr

So we still have some work to do. The visitor didn't strike last night, so maybe the flash scared it off for awhile. We can hope. But just in case, the trap is set and the camera is in (a new) place.

So, I'm beginning to suck at this

I'm beginning to suck at this blogging business. I do really well, then life gets in the way and before I know it, it's been over a week since I last blogged. Then I do really well for a few weeks, and I miss a week or two again. I suppose it could be looked at as a good thing--that life is keeping us busy enough that I don't have excess computer time. But sometimes, that's not the case. I still have that time, I just use it to read a book, or check FaceBook, or play games. Then I get yelled at for not updating the blog, which sometimes I admit just simply gets forgotten. I promise I'll make a better effort....

So, the last 2 weeks have been pretty busy. Alayna had 4H and is starting to figure out what she'll be bringing to the fair. She also got her expander put in, so we spend a lot of time picking food out of the crevices (yummy, huh?) Her homework is increasing a bit, as the class works on end of the year projects. She informed me just yesterday that there are 16 days left of school, then she'll be a fourth-grader.

Lilly has also been wrapping up her school year in 4K. She's really doing well with her reading and can read entire beginner books by herself. She doesn't spend a lot of time reading because her true love is art--she's constantly drawing pictures of the family, animals, etc, or coloring in her various coloring books. She does such a great job of staying within the lines and using lots of color, but in ways that make sense. She's definitely our little artist.

Mikayla is still learning tons each day. She's starting to recognize the letters and numbers, and her new favorite show on tv is Team Umizoomi, which is on Nick Jr. It's all about using math to solve problems. We don't watch a lot of tv during the day, but this is a fast favorite. Of course, she's still singing all. the. time. She sings songs from the radio, songs we've taught her, songs she makes up. She's always singing about something.

Our entire family was recently involved in our church fundraiser. For the second year, we've had a large musical production of Broadway tunes. This year, we not only performed at our church, but we were asked to perform at another church as well! The second show was this past weekend. I do the job of "key grip", or sound during the show, and Andy helps control things behind the scenes, like helping people keep track of time, controlling the kids, etc. All 3 girls sang "Do Re Mi" with the children's chorus during an ensemble from "Sound of Music." Lilly and Alayna were also little bride's for Grampa's solo of "Sunrise, Sunset" and Alayna played the role of Alphaba (the young wicked witch) for our friend's rendition of "Popular" from "Wicked." The whole event was so wonderful and lots of fun. I even got in on a little fun, by being a bit of a hussy while the men's chorus sang "Watching All the Girls Go By."

Andy and I are status quo, keeping everything running and going as it should. We have planned a trip for early this summer, so that will be a great time to unwind and get some time together. And when we get home, it'll be busier than ever with camps and visits and everything else ramping up. Such is life, right?

So, if you're still checking in--Thank You! I promise I'll try to at least get little blurbs on here to show that we are still alive and well. I know for some of you, this is the easiest and best way to keep up with our family!

Mommy, Where's Jesus?

The other day, I heard about a website that you can play the original Super Mario Brothers on. I loved that game as a kid, but we didn't have a Nintendo. I would play at friends' houses or sometimes we'd rent one from the video store. I loved it. So when I found out I could play on-line, I thought I'd try it out. Of course, the kids wanted to play, too.

Lilly was playing it this afternoon and she hit one of the blocks that a vine pops out of. You climb up the vine and into the clouds, kinda like Jack in the Beanstalk. When Lilly was playing and got into the clouds, she goes, "Mommy, where's Mario's Jesus? He's supposed to be up in heaven!"

Let me tell you, it made this momma proud to hear her ask that question!

I'm Hungry...

The other day, I sat down to write a blog post, and my stomach started growling. "Hmm, why am I hungry? I ate breakfast," I thought to myself. So I started thinking about my morning, trying to figure it all out. Then I realized why I was hungry.

First off, I folded laundry while waiting for the girls to get on the bus. They were watching out the window, while I sorted the clothes and paired the socks. The bus came into view, so I gave out hugs and kisses, wished them a good day, and watched while they walked down the driveway. Then Mikayla and I got ready to eat breakfast. I got us each a bowl and our respective cereal choices, and set them on the table. I went to the drawer and found only one clean spoon. I gave it to Mikayla, poured her milk, and went to get one for myself from the dishwasher.

The dishwasher was clean and next to it, a sink full of dishes that showed our crazy last few days of eat and run. So I unloaded the dishwasher and started to reload. When the sink was empty, I started the washer again and wiped the counter.

Then the phone rang. I went into the living room to answer the phone, and while I talked, I finished folding the laundry from earlier. Then I ran them upstairs and put them in everyone's rooms, to wait for their owners to come home and put them away. While I was at it, I gathered a new load to wash. I checked on Mikayla, who was now done with breakfast and playing ponies, then headed to the basement to start the load. I fished the wet towels out of the washer, started the new load, then asked Mikayla if she wanted to go outside and help me hang the towels on the line.

Outside we went. We hung the towels on the line, the whole time being watched and "talked to" by the animals. I hung up the last towel, then we headed to the barn to water the horses and calves. We visited with them, pet the cats, threw the ball for the dogs and finally the water was full. We headed inside the house.

I fed the dogs, and in doing so tripped over a pair of shoes. So I straightened up the shoes, hung up some jackets in the closet, and gathered the mail that had been brought in yesterday but left on the entryway bench. I brought the mail to the kitchen, where I sorted what was worth it's while and what wasn't. I made a pile for keep and a pile to throw out. I went to throw away the envelopes and papers, and found the garbage bag to be full. I tied the bag, replaced it with a new one, and put the full bag in the garage.

When I came in, Mikayla was asking me to help her turn on the music so she could sing and dance to "Tayer Swiff." I followed her to the family room, where we danced and sang for awhile, before the phone rang again. It was Andy, asking me to find him a note he'd written some information on. I found the note on the coffee table in the living room, next to some other random sheets of paper. I grabbed the note and stuck it to the fridge. I turned and saw the table, with a lonely bowl sitting on it. I put the bowl away after making sure it was clean, not yet realizing why it was there.

Then I wiped the table and did a quick sweep to clean up the cereal Mikayla had dropped. I went down to the family room and watched while Mikayla danced and the computer booted up. I checked my e-mail, went to Facebook and finally came here to post about something completely different than this. Then my stomach growled REALLY loudly.

I hadn't eaten breakfast. I hadn't had anything to eat since the previous night's dinner. I was starving, but really, it was almost lunch time so I wasn't about to eat yet.

Andy wonders why there are days where I get tons done, but not much of anything, if that makes sense. This particular day I didn't have any extra daycare kids, either. Some of those days are like total pin-ball machine marathons. Please tell me I'm not the only one that has days like this?!

The Orange Beast

A long time ago, back before Andy and I were married or had kids, he traded his dad a horse for a truck. His sister really wanted the horse, Andy had out-grown her, my father-in-law had a truck Andy wanted, and it wasn't needed by my FIL. It was win-win.

Except the truck wasn't quite ready for the road. It was a '78 Ford that had seen better days. We spent countless hours together, sanding paint off the body until we had it down to the steel. Then we brought it to a neighbor, who did some minor body work and prepped it for paint. Andy and I, in the meantime, poured over paint samples and colors, finally deciding on a color called "General Lee Orange." Yes, like from Dukes of Hazzards. The neighbor and Andy primed the truck, then painted several layers in order to have the orange be bright and shiny.

After the paint job, it was time for all the other stuff. Andy went through the motor and all the other mechanical stuff, while I cleaned and detailed inside the cab. I scrubbed and cleaned and vaccuumed. We bought a seat cover and floor mats. Andy made a custom tailgate and running boards. He installed a cd player, speakers and amp. We looked at tons of tires before he bought the ones he has on there. He brought it to a garage and had dual-exhaust installed. This truck was our project and it took a long time to get it right.

Once it was all done, we drove it everywhere. We drove it for our wedding, our friends' weddings, date nights, whenever. It wasn't our primary vehicle, but it was one we loved to drive. We didn't drive it in the winter because of the road salt, but it was ready and waiting in case the roads were snowy and icy when I went into labor with Alayna (January in WI is never predictable) I always laughed when I would drive it by myself, because guys would do double-takes when they realized it was a woman driving that big, loud, flashy truck. Eventually, Alayna told us that when she got her license this would be her truck.

Then something happened. We had another baby and no longer fit in the truck as a family. We also bought a house. The truck was driven less and less, and before we knew it we hadn't driven it in almost five years. Until this past weekend.

Our friends were getting married and the girls were all going to be staying with other people, so just Andy and I were going to the wedding. We decided just last week that we'd take the truck. So while I registered and insured it for the first time in years, Andy went through and made sure all the fluids were good, the tires inflated, the lights working. He brought it home from storage at his parents' and we scrubbed all the dirt and mud and bird crap off. He replaced a U-joint and I again cleaned and detailed the cab. The girls loved it, especially Lilly and Mikayla, who'd never really seen or known "Daddy's Monster truck." Alayna immediately reminded us that it was her truck for when she got her license. We couldn't believe she remembered that comment from when she was 3!

It was finally in good condition again and we drove it to the wedding. We both agreed it felt great to be driving the truck again, cruising down the road. It still needs a little work, as some of the wires were apparently a snack from some wayward mice, but it works, looks great and we were driving it again. I think we'll drive it more often now, when we don't have the kids and it's just Andy and I.

*In this pic, Andy's driven it up on a stump. But the truck is very tall, as you can see from Alayna's height (and she's on the down-side). To put it into perspective, my MIL is 5'2" and she rode with us for part of the day on Saturday. She had to use a 5-gallon pail, turned upside down, as a stool to get to the running board. It was quite comical!

**I posted earlier today, too, so check it out!

Singing in the Spring

Alayna's spring program was this past week. The kids all sang various songs that represented spring or other countries. It was a very cute program, from the little Kindergartners up to the 4th graders who were almost too cool for what they had to do. Alayna was part of an international choir, that sang a song called "Go For the Gold" during the school's closing ceremonies for the Olympics. She also had a narration part before the first grade sang, then sang 2 songs with her third grade class. She did a great job with her singing, but especially her reading. She read loud and clear, which some of the other students did not. She has such poise. She's in the picture below, pretty much center.

In other concert news, Mikayla almost stole the show from all the kids performing. It started before we were even in the school. We were walking up to the door, with two little old ladies in front of us. Mikayla heard a little scream and immediately asked what that noise was. I told her I didn't know and she goes, "I fink it was a child, or a kid!" The ladies started laughing and had to turn around to see who made such an observation! Then during the program, one of the Special Education students was making some throat noises. Mikayla heard the noise and again, asked what it was. When I said it was just someone making a noise, she piped up with, "I fink there's a sheep in here!" (and she's right, it sounded like a sheep baa'ing) Then the student made the noise again and Mikayla commented, "Or maybe it's a coyote...or fox!" All the people around us were laughing, as Mikayla is ever so quiet. A few minutes went by without incident, then a baby started crying. Almost as loud as her "only talking, not yet yelling" voice can go, she proclaimed, "Someone's crabby!" Ah, always fun with that little girl.

Horse Expo

Every year, we go to the MN Horse Expo at the MN State Fairgrounds. It's something the entire family looks forward to. The barns are filled with horses for breed demonstrations, competitions and advertising for stables. There are booths everywhere to sell and advertise anything horse-related, from grooming supplies to riding apparel to barns and trailers. It's horse heaven.

Tomorrow is the big day. We usually go on Saturday, but we have a wedding this year, so we decided to pull Alayna from school. She has no problems in any of her classes, so we feel confident that it will be fine to take her out for a day of family fun. We all love to wander the grounds and see everything. We also have quite a list of items to look at and purchase this year. Should be fun!

Ball Battle

The pictures that I have to help illustrate this story are a little hard to see. But I'll tell you, it's a very funny story. I'm sure it's much funnier to have witnessed it, like we did, but in pictures it works okay, too.

Chief, our 3 year old gelding, is a very curious horse. He's always the first to check out if something is making funny noise, but he'll act very nonchalant about it. Almost like a teenager. Anyway, we were throwing the tennis ball for the dogs the other day and Andy threw it to land near the horses. Chief immediately checked it out. Marley wouldn't even think about it, because she's tall enough to get zapped by the electric strands. Sunny, on the other hand, is not only short enough to fit under the fence but she's the real ball fiend. She was going crazy trying to get to the ball, but Chief wouldn't let her. Chief would stand over the ball, acting like he didn't care, but as soon as Sunny would try to sneak in, Chief would do a little charge in Sunny's direction. This went on for over an hour. Sunny would finally make it in to get the ball, then Andy would throw it back in the general direction and the stand-off would begin again. And for the record, as long as the ball is not involved, they get along just fine! Cheap afternoon humor in our house, I'm telling you!

It's hard to see, but the ball is very dirty and to the left of Chief

Checking out Sunny after she got the ball one time

Sunny sneaking away, with Chief on her tail

We are such dorks. But our animals give our entire family such pleasure, from the big horses down to the little cats. We could, and do, play with them all for hours.