Friends and Scorpions

I heard from Princess Kickapoo 8 and she told me all about the Rainforest Cafe and how awesome it was and how it looks like a real rainforest and it had thunder and lightening but no rain... She told me of the huge sandcastle she and Kyle built with Grandmommy and Pop and how it had seperate quarters for the boys and the girls and they were protected by the moat.. What fun.

Back here on the home front, I called up the parents of a friend of Drama Queen 5 and asked her folks if the friend could come over and spend the night. It worked out that she could and the girls had a fantastic time together. Drama Queen feels left out sometimes since there aren't any little girls her age right around our home. She knows one a couple blocks away, but she is a bit clingy to her mom and doesn't like to spend time away from her which makes it difficult to get her to come over to play. So it was extra special that her friend got to come over and even better that she got to sepnd the night. They played together all afternoon and then spent about an 1 1/2 in the pool. They were great with Big Talker 3, even asking him to come play with them instead of running him off. Then it was time for bed, around 9:30. Drama Queen sleeps in a loft bed (and has room under it to play) but her friend was afraid that she might fall out of the tall bed and Drama Queen is afraid of scorpions (more later) so they ended up sleeping on the couches up in the game room.. very cute!

The story of the scorpions is either funny or sad, but at this point it's probably getting close to being a real problem... See, Jethro put on his boots one day back in college only to get a nice sting in between his toes by a scorpion. Then back in San Antonio I was putting up Christmas lights and got stung by a scorpion. A few months later, I was lounging on the couch and a scorpion fell on me from the top of the couch and stung me. So, now that we're living in a neighborhood that is still under construction, there are plenty of opportunities for scorpions to visit us. Jethro has told the kids how to shake their shoes out in case of a scorpion and we've seen one in the house, upstairs in the bathroom. The bathroom which is right next to the girls' bedroom. Add all of that to a big brother who tells her at night as they are supposed to be going to sleep, that the scorpions are waiting to get her and I guess this is how full fledged phobias are born. We've talked to Laughing Son 6 about not telling her that kind of stuff, but I guess it's time to get serious... poor thing!

Anyhoo, her friend has gone and we're outside riding bikes and scooters and firetrucks and playing fetch wtih Blondie... not a single scorpion in sight.

A Cup Half Empty or Half Full?

Today is the first day with only 1/2 my kids. It was a tough choice whether to keep the bottom half or the top half, but I opted for the bottom half since at least then I could enjoy the silence. Well, okay that's not entirely true... I kept the younger half of my brood. The older 2 siblings are enjoying their very first ever vacation away from home without their parents. Yes, they have reached the age where Grandmommy and Pop can take them without us. So yesterday Jetrho drove Laughing Son 6 and Princess Kickapoo 8 half way between Houston and San Antonio to meet his folks. Princess Kickapoo was more than excited - rip roaring ready to go! Laughing Son cuddled with me several times before leaving and told me how he was giong to miss me while he was gone.. I think he was a bit anxious, but not so much as to keep him from going.
Last night I got an email from them saying that they missed me already and loved me.. that was nice. And today, Granmommy and Pop sent pictures and a note that said that Princess Kickapoo "told Grandmommy that this was the bestest day of her life. Really!"
So those of us left behine decided to make a special day of it. We went to the Children's Museum in New Braunfels. It is a magical place where kids can run around and play and never be told not to touch something or even to put away the toys! The space includes a rocketship with a million buttons, an ambulance complete with sirens, a hospital nursery with babies and rocking chairs and doctors and nurses garb to wear... there's a bank with an ATM which spits out money that can be turned in for a prize upon exiting, a batcave, a fishing pond, an old itmey farm house and 2 horses a teepee, 2 tents and a campfire, a house to build and my favorite of all, a kid sized store with kid sized shopping carts and kid sized check out lanes. Also, an HUGE outdoor water playscape and inside an entire room of easels and paint, ready to go. And the best part for me is that there are docents who walk around cleaning up after the kids... they put away the toys that my kids get out.. and my kids literally RAN all over the place from one area to the next. They had a blast!! It was a special time just for us since the other kids are at the beach.

A Tough Week

My babies leave for a week without us... :( they're getting too big!

It's been a week - we're back at home and trying to settle into our routine. But it's been tough. I had a cold that I brought back from North Carolina and add to that migraines, that equals a slow start... then Friday it turned ugly... 2 migraine doses and I started coughing up techni-colored pieces of my lungs! Ugh! I spent the night sleeping upright in bed, which is, let me tell you, Oh, so Comfortable. If you've never tried it, you really ought to, just so that you can write in your memoirs that you have. Went to the Dr who said it's a sinus infection- isn't THAT lovely?
So, our trip across the great divide known as the southern United States got off to a phenomenal start. 14 minutes away from Wolf Laurel, we had to stop at the pharmacy to pick up a refill on my migraine prescription... I'm just going to 'run right in" while Dad digs out a toy accidently packed away. 15 minutes later, Jethro comes inside and says, "WHAT IS UP?" See, my insurance company thought that they didn't need to have but a single lone soul working on Sunday morning, and the pharmacist wasn't sure they would cover a refill after just 2 weeks (it is usually a month, but I had been assured for this it would be only 2 weeks). Jethro said, "Forget it, you have 2 left. We can always stop somewhere else along the way ICE." So, away we went... approximately 17 minutes later, Drama Queen informs us that she has to "Go" and yes, it IS an emergency. We stop and she does in fact live up to her promise. Back on the road, and 25 minutes later a certain young man informs us that he has to go as well, and it's not something that can be done on the side of the road... So, we're about 56 minutes away from our point of origin yet already an hour and 40 minutes into our trip! Needless to say, Jethro was not the happiest of campers about these turns of events. I however was cracking up! Only in our family!
We did make it home and everyone was happy to see our own house. Drama Queen 5 was especially happy to see our family dog Blondie, over whom DQ had cried on no less than 3 seperate occasions. Equally happy we grown ups were to see an absolutely immaculate home... thanks to my mother! She was house and dog sitting and she is a fabulous cleaner and I swear, it was cleaner coming home than when we left, and it was clean when we left.
All that soon changed though, as the Organizing Bug hit me. See, while in the mountains, I discovered a tv show called Clean House. (if you are familiar with it, skip ahead.. It's a show where people nominate loved ones to have their homes cleaned up and organized. You would be amazed at what filth some people live in.. Cluttered and dirty and NOT organized.) So, I get home and unpack... or start to unpack when I realize that my cabinets under the bathroom sink are not organized. And the cabinet in the toilet room is also not organized. Then I pull out some shelves from the garage that haven't been used since our last house and get everything ready to put them up in our closet, which is, well, semi-organized. Jethro comes down and insists that these shelves are too small and maybe we'll get new cabinets in the laundry room and I'll get the shelves from in there.. well, I'm a woman of the moment, the here and now, not the "maybe in the future" and that won't do... So, I start reorganizing everything in my bathroom, closet and my bedroom .. I get all the VHS tapes (yes, as in the Very great mass of disney Handed down to us by everyone we know with older kids cuz we Still have a video tape player in which our kids can watch them) and reorganize them and take all the DVDs and place the discs themselves into sleeves and pack up the cases in the attic and now we have all movies put away and not neatly stacked in our room (phew!)
Three days later, my cabinets would make even the most OCD of people (and you know who you are) proud, and I'm still sick and feeling lousy ( but I have CLEAN and NEAT cabinets). I even took a very long and very hot bath (and that is a very big deal.. I never take baths.. Jethro does occasionally and he was amazed to find me in the tub with the lights off and a candle on)... I can tell you that I will most certainly be doing that again!

I love listening to my kids talk... "Momma, will you inside-out this shirt for me? It's too soaking hard for me. I'm trying to do it faster... like this fast (said as he runs out of the room and back)" Or how about this one, "I want to stay it right here" (None of my kids know about the word KEEP, they all use "stay it" instead)

As for the rest of the week, I finally was able to check email around Thursday night (could finally tolerate the light of the monitor) and opened my inbox to discover that I had more emails in it than I did when I had a real job and left for vacation. It's tough being a stay at home mom (of course, being the Cheer Comissioner for the BVYA, the PTC President and the webpage designer/advertising person for your new almost ready to launch church helps! ) No rest for the weary... (that's an interesting phrase, now isn't it.. and one that I'm living this week!)

Jethro, Tess, Jed and LilyMae

I'm so about the 4th of July up at Wolf Laurel. We've been here 4 years together and in that time we've met a few polite folks who know Mom and Pop and politely visit with us while at the Friday Niters or what-not. This trip, we've met a few folks we actually like! ha! You know what I mean.. where you like her and he likes him and you both actually like the whole couple and enjoy the entire time together AND your kids get along and they're the right ages and.. well, you know!

Recently, Jethro and I went to Vegas with some friends, Mike and Sheri. Jethro likes Mike alot and I like Sheri alot and you know, it's hard to find friends where you both like each other alot... We had such fun in Vegas with Mike and Sheri! It was our first trip with another couple and it was fun.

Well, we met another Mike and Sheri this week. In an effort to protect their privacy I'll call them, hmmmmm, how about Jed and LilyMae. Jed and Lily Mae are Chloe's and Kendall's parents who Kickapoo met earlier this week. We've chatted a bit and enjoyed each other. Then last night was 4th of July and we spent the evening together and the kids all got along and we got on famously. So today, the last day of the vacation.. we "said" we'd get together, but did we really want to spend our last day with some folks we might never see again? Did they really want to spend their last day with us? YES! We called and set up dinner... they supplied a million dollar view in their beautiful cabin and Jethro supplied leftovers mixed with freshly cooked chicken for a delicious dinner. We finished it with some wine and delicious cobbler that Jed's mom made. As the 6 kiddos sat frozen in front of the television, we adults visited outside for another couple of hours. None of it felt labored, none of it felt strained. It just felt comfy and that is a nice feeling. Too bad they live in Florida and we're in Texas....

I'm attaching a picture that Princess Kickapoo 8 took right as we were leaving... check out the camera angle (from a kid's view) as well as some of the kids on the couch hangin'.

Specifically check out Laughing Son 6 and Chloe.... As inseperable as Princess Kickapoo 8 and Chloe were (let's see if I can explain this... hmmm, Can you say, "Joined at the hip?") tonight, the same could be said for Kendall and Laughing Son... they were really having fun together. And she has this huge stuffed bear, Ofa, who she sleeps with and who is her big time favorite that Laughing Son 6 carried around all night and she let him!! It was very cute. Jed said something about getting Laughing Son 6 one of these when we get home, but I don't think it was the bear he was interested in, more likely the person attached to the bear! (on a side note, I'm glad he was able to have fun with Kendall... he didn't get to spend as much time with Peyton as he wanted to -life's not fair :o( - and he was a bit pouty earlier today about that).

I know I'm sounding sappy here (blame it on the wine) but I am still thinking Beaches!!!

4th of July - Mountain Style

Princess Kickapoo, Chloe and Kendall in the parade. Princess Kickapoo and Kendall climb the rock wall.

Laughing Son (on the left) scales the wall as well.
Big Talker stopped the parade to grab some candy along the parade route.

Laughin Son, Big Talker and Drama Queen really cleaned up on parade booty.
For the past several years, we've heard about the 4th of July at the cabin. This year we finally got to experience it. What Fun! There were 3 large inflatables for the kids, including a 20 foot tall rock climbing wall. There was a face painter, cotton candy, sno-cones and popcorn (all you could eat) and a great band started playing around 6 pm. I got to try some North Carolina barbeque, whose sauce is vinegar based rather than ketchup. Different and yummy!

Before that, though, we drove up to the country club and watched the annual pet and golf cart parade. All the way up the mountain, we kept telling the kids not to be expecting much. It will be small and not very long and not very elaborate, we said. Upon arrival, we had to park and walk a bit, but especially Princess Kickapoo 8 and me. See, she was invited by her friends Chloe and Kendall to walk in the parade with them (we tried to get a cart but found out a bit too late). So up the very steep road we climbed until we found all the carts getting all lined up. What a thrill for an 8 year old to get to walk in the parade!! All in all there were probably 30 golf carts. (we saw Savannah as well). All were 4th of July/America proud type themes and a good many were Olympic themed with the Olympics around the corner, but no matter the theme, we were pretty impressed with the amount of work and effort put into these carts.. They were great! And each cart had candy and toys for the kids along the route (which is all of a 1/2 mile long), so my kids cleaned up on candy- after all we did have 3 sets of hands grabbing for them!

Afterward we had eaten and the kids had faces painted and tummies full of goodies, about 30 minutes before fireworks, it began to sprinkle. We gathered up our wares and headed back to the cabin, where we were sure we'd be able to see them just fine. But by the time we arrived home, the rain had stopped and so we grabbed our chairs and sparklers and headed back down. Remember me telling you about the man smoking on the porch of a fireworks store, directly in front of a "Fireworks: Do Not Smoke Within 50 feet" sign? Well, when Jethro had gone in to buy the sparklers, the guy in the store assured him that these new wooden ones don't burn as hot and therefore are safer for little kids. OK, we're in. What he failed to mention is that they put off enough smoke to give an 8 year old emphysema!! WOW! they were SO smoky.. the kids didn't seem to mind and we had like 80 of these things so we attracted every kid on the mountain and they were all lit directly in front of us! ha!! what a blast!

The actual fireworks show was well worth it... it lasted a good while and packed a powerful punch. Once again, the smoke was a bit thick as we were at ground zero to see the display (we've never been so close before). But it was all good.. especially since Big Talker didn't cry this year like he has always done in the past at the noise.

As for us grown folks, well, we actually rather enjoy the company of Chloe's and Kendall's parents and we all hung out together for the evening. We shared some wine and laughs and visited until 1030. Not to mention all the great folks who know Jethro's parental units and recognize him and they came to visit us as well.

Learn Something New Every Day

I had a bit of a breakthrough today. I know that boys are nice. I know that they are not all meaners who only enjoy acting like turkeys. I know that they do not live to pick on littler boys... But I got to see a few of them in action today and learned that they are actually (dare I print it for all to see?) sweet!

After our trek to the icy cold, difficult to navigate, long to drive to, muddy on the entries and exits and no place to sit river, the kids appetites for swimming had been whetted. So after Jethro took a tee-tiny nap (that bug is visiting him now) we all went down.

Our little ones enjoyed the warmth of the standing water (the in pool temp gauge read 90 degrees- every one of the kids checked it! ha!!) and had the pool to themselves just about. Until the big boys came. There were 4 or so big boys, one of whom brought along his young brother/nephew/cousin. These big kids started whopping and whooping each other with noodles and jumping on each others' heads and splashing and rough-housing together. My motherly instincts bristled a bit. Would they accidently hurt my young? (I felt like an anthropologist studying a newly discovered tribe of hooligans) What do you think happened? Do you think one of them hurt one of mine? NoPe! In fact, here's little Big Talker 3 who got ahold of their ball (the one they had been hurling at each other and leaving large round welts on each others' backs) and asked, "Will you throw the ball to me?" At which point, this boy stops his interaction with the other wild ones and takes a few steps backward and gently tosses the ball to Big Talker. He did this for a few minutes until Big Talker lost interest.

There were other such moments as these and it was then that I realized that unlike my preconceived notions of teenager boys, these were actually gentle to the little ones and careful around them. They even were sweet in ways which surprised me... I guess you really do learn something new every day.

Pictures... The kids trying to get Dad in the pool. Noodles tied into knots are what the girls love! Laughing Son doing cannonballs.

Shall we gather at the river?

Mom and Pop are hikers. They go hiking all the time and then Mom writes about the hike and the trip out... how long it takes to do the hike and you'll see, etc. So when we arrived there is a large cache of articles and brochures about hiking trails organized into a nice folder. I dug through and found a place not too far away called Hot Springs. I spoke with Mom and Pop and confirmed that this is a nice place to take the kids. So, with Big Talker 3's squeaking's voice and scratching (yes, this bug has found its way to Big Talker now) we headed out.

It took a little searching but we finally made it to a river in a narrow area with lots of small falls. We did a bit of a walkabout and finally found a spot to drop our things. As promised, the water was "soaking cold." I didn't even wear my swimsuit (I'm no idiot) but everyone else did!

Initially the kids didn't quite know what to think. First you have to navigate large river rocks held together with nice liquid mud. The rocks wiggled when you walked on them and the mud splashed HIGH when you fell into it. But it was all worth it when the kids finally made it into the water itself only to find it "ff-fff-ff-ff-ffrreeezzzzzing." Drama Queen 5 had blue lips the entire time. But they all took the plunge. Princess Kickapoo 8 took some convincing and ulitimately did go under the water, but only not to be left out. As soon as she emerged from under the water, she got out of the water and dried off and changed clothes! ha! The one who seemed to most enjoy things was Laughing Son 6. No surprise there... the boy enjoying the tough-to-enjoy! He stayed in the water enough to prune up. Big Talker 3 did get in the water but didn't dig it much. Afterwards he sunned himself on a rock. I went out to talk to him and make sure he wasn't sad. He was fine, just enjoying the sun. Did I mention that this occurred on July 3rd? In Texas on July 3rd I don't think it would be possible to find a water supply anywhere that wasn't close to boiling!

Finally we headed back. Along the way, however, we found some ripe blackberries. Not many, just a few. Drama Queen 5 LOVED them.. she ate several. Not so much for Princess Kickapoo 8, she wouldn't even try them until she found out that these were used to make jam. Then she tentatively tried one (not easy to do with a cluster of fruit no larger than a marble) and spit it out! what city slicker kids I have.

A Little Annoyed

A little annoyed.. that's how I'm feeling right now. You know, I've had migraines since I was 20. I don't complain about them, I try not to make a big deal about them. I figure "there are people far worse off than I am and this could be worse...like I could have leukemia or something..." However, every now and then I get really frustrated and irritated. I mean, give me a break!!! I've had a headache (read migraine) just about every day that I've been up here and Wednesday was the worst.. in fact, Wednesday was one of the worst I've ever had! 3 migraine pills over the course of the day (and you know I take even one of those only in the direst of emergencies cuz they make me feel like cra* before I get better), nausea, 2 2hour naps (because of the effects of the medicine) and I still went to bed with a migraine. Then this morning yep!! still have a migraine! what joy! And don't get me started about how our new (since March) insurance won't cover my prescription anymore so I'm only allowed to treat 6 migraines a month (and I treated 3 of them yesterday!!) and I'm not allowed to use more than one med per month either! There are lots of things about the military medical system that are wrong (it IS socialized) however, they were generous with meds and I could have different types for the different types of migraines I would get (in other words, maybe I need a different med instead of three in one day!)
Okay, so, that's that. I hate to complain, but like I said, I'm very frustrated.
Now about the others... We spent the morning going into Asheville to watch The Bee Movie. Pop was against this since we're in the mountains and he felt like staying indoors was a waste of a morning, however, I love going to the movies and the kids get to go about once per year! It was a good movie and FREE! (If you're not aware of this, Regal Theaters offer a Family Film Festival every summer where on Tuesdays a G movie is played and Wednesday a PG movie is played at 10am and admissions is free.. You can, of course, buy snacks at the snack bar, but a large popcorn and sprite costs $10 and I bring a cup for each kid and the snack counter will give you a little tray for each of the kids and once it's all been divvied up for the 4 kids and the containers are empty, well, you get free refills on large!) The kids enjoyed themselves and I enjoyed a little time with the kids while Dad played tennis with the men from 10-noon.
Upon arrival home everyone took naps (my 1st dose and 1st nap) except Princess Kickapoo 8. She and Dad took a nice long walk up to the ski lodge and lift area for a couple of hours. Around 3:30, we got everyone up and they all went swimming while Laughing Son 6, while no longer carrying a fever and insisting that he felt better, slept until 5:30! He does seem to feel better now, but I am so glad that I insisted on no swimming for him yesterday ( I was feeling a bit like a meaner at first!) The single most important thing for the kids while we have been here, I think, is the swimming pool. I told you of the design and the kids are getting to go almost every single day and they are in HOG HEAVEN!
I'll end on a cute note... a My kids say the cutest things bit...
After getting out of the bathtub, I will ask Big Talker 3 if he's soaking wet or tell him that he is... well, he's adopted that adjective into his speech... "Momma, I'm soaking hungry!" "It's soaking freezing outside" (and yes, he's said that since we've been here since Wednesday morning it was so cold we had to turn on the heaters... it was like 45!) And JUST now.. he said, "That's soaking fast, Momma." ah, yes, He has decided to call me Momma... always Momma and he's the only one. Ha Ha!!

from the mouth of babes....

Laughing Son 6 is running a bit of a fever so he's hanging out with the folks tonight. Dad's talking to him about things as I'm sitting over here working on my blog and here's what I'm hearing.
Dad is asking Laughing Son 6, "What's Mommy good at? What's Daddy good at?" and so forth with each of the siblings... so, In Laughing Son's opinion, here's what the peeps are good at ....
who's good at what....
Princess Kickpoo 8 ... baking, cooking, being nice, tackling dad.
Big Talker 3.... talking, snuggling, breaking things, spilling things.
Mom.... baking, loving her children, being nice, snuggling, cheering for the Longhorns, not picking your nose cuz Daddy's good at picking his nose and Big Talker is the best at picking his nose... Big Talker 3 learned picking his nose from Dad.
Dad's good at cooking and being the goodest, most excellent dad in the whole entire world.
Drama Queen 5 ... snuggling with Brandy (our Golden), tackling with Dad, kissing, hugging, being nice, being sick.
Grandmommy ... all the things that she does for her grandchildren, good stuff that we like.
Pop ... playing games, going to the Home Depot with him, taking vacations with him.
Oma ... taking care of the children, she gives us yummy Sprite.

Smart AND Good-Looking

Back on Friday night at the Friday Niter 2 seperate couples came up to us and introduced themselves with a "You must be Bill and Tracey's son. You look just like him." It was actually very fun. I have always thought that Jethro is the one who most resembles his father.. Dan looks just like Mom and Bill is a mesh of the 2. So, to have folks take a chance by just walking up to us was really fun.

Then today, Pop's college roommate called to catch up. So, I explained to him that Pop and Mom were gone until August cuz they had let their kids come up for the summer. So he asks me, "Are you Dan's wife?" To which I replied, "No.. I'm married to the smart good-looking son!" Ha Ha

You've Got a friend in me...

I'm sorry I missed blogging for Monday... it was a pretty slow day and to top things off, the inet connection was reaallllllyyyyy sssssllllllooooooooooooooooooowwwwwww.. So, um, Monday looked like this.

Rain, Rain Go Away,

We're all playing Sorry today.

And then Uno and Yah-hot-zay

and a drive up the mount in the SUVay.

Applause, applause... I'll take any songwriting offers c/o my agent, 157 LaLa Land...

Today, well, Tuesdays are a kids day in paradise in Wolf Laurel. From 10 till noon are tennis lessons, which the oldest 3 participated in. Laughing Son 6 is our natural athlete and once again he proved that. Although he did swat several balls over the fence with his power swing from baseball on the tennis courts. Drama Queen 5 had fun trying.. she didn't get too tired and she really participated actively the whole time. I thought that 2 hours might be too long, but she did great!

And then there's our Princess Kickapoo 8, the self-proclaimed shy girl who makes friends everytime she turns around. You've heard about Savannah and Kate and now there's Chloe and Kendall. Chloe is 9 and her sister Kendall is 7 and they met on the courts this morning... to borrow from Big Talker 3, they were all "talk, talk, talk, talk, talk."

Then home for a rest (Laughing Son 6 is sounding a bit froggy) and down to the activities office for Craft Time from 2 till 3. Guess who was there? Yep! Chloe and Kendall.

After a very quick change, the entire clan headed down to the pool for a couple of hours... When they returned (I'm not much for the sun in mid-day) I heard about how Princess Kickapoo 8 was invited over to Chloe's after supper.... and her dad and Jethro hung out "talk, talk, talk, talk, talking" and it looks like we're hanging out tomorrow in Hot Springs - a waterfall, natural pool area about 45 minutes away.

What a gift.. what a sweetie...what a truly special little girl we have. You know, everyone assumes that since I can talk to a fencepost and get a reply (I am Indian name "Talks A Lot")that it's easy for me to make friends, but that is not the case. And here's little Kickapoo, shy (so she says) and she's such at ease, and more importantly, makes others feel at ease. What a doll!

Still haven't heard the correct guess for the artist of my song lyric from a couple of days ago, so I have a new one for you.. The title to today's blog is by whom? I'll give you a hint... Toy Story.