Magic? Worm

Well, late last evening Brian returned home (yay!!). As any good traveling dad does, he brought home junky surprises for his kids. His surprise for Addy was a Magic worm (see picture below). Perhaps some of you have seen this in any of several souvenier stores...there is usually some video playing of how amazing this little creature is and how it looks so real moving around and around like its alive. So, the video suckered Brian into buying one. The video never tells you how it actually works, you just have to buy one to see. He surmised that it was weighted somehow so that gravity made it move. When he pulled it out of his bag to show me, I just started laughing. You see, a few years ago I, too, was conned into buying one of these! So, Brian asked, "where is the one you bought?" to which I replied "I probably threw it away!" The "magic" is that it is tied to an invisible fishing line so your friends can't see it and think its moving on its own. WHAT CRAP!!! We both laughed that we were mesmorized by its magic and suckered into buying one.


So, this morning Addy wakes up and goes to her surprise. Brian opens it up and puts the string on the worm.
Brian: So, see, Addy you pull it around like this and it looks like its moving on its own.
Addy: Uh-huh
Brian: See, it looks like its moving by itself because the you can't see the string
Addy: What do you mean, Daddy, I can see it! Its tied to its nose!



So, I guess you can't fool a 3 year old, but you can fool a 33 year old!!!

Until next blog,
Jen

As long as I know how to love, I know I'll stay alive

Yes, I will survive. Brian has been gone since Thursday morning for a work meeting in New Orleans and won't be home until late tomorrow. I tell you what...I don't know how single parents do it!! And I've had LOTS of help from my mom, nieces, and in-laws and I'm still POOPED! OK, enough complaining...the kids actually have been very good for the most part, and today we even had nice weather to go out and play! Here are a few pics, but I'm just too worn out to do a lengthy blog!

While I sorted laundry, the kids did water paint in their high fashion sunglasses!





Addy insisted tonite on wearing her new "Chuck Taylors" to bed (she got to wear them after her bath and while reading stories, but I put my foot down to actually wearing them in bed!)



Keith models his new eco-friendly "g" diaper (the liners are biodegradable, flushable, and compostable!) He loves them and they work pretty well (unless runny poop is involved then, not so much)




Until next blog, and I have more energy,
Jen

Thoughts on Heaven

I had an interesting conversation with Addison today that I thought I'd share with you on today's quick blog post. I have no idea why she brought this subject up since, at that time, we were playing with matchbox cars in the leaves outside.

Addison: Mommy, I don't want to die. But everyone has to die, don't they?
Me: Yes, we all have to die. But, Addy, you don't have to worry about it, because if you believe in Jesus then you have the comfort of knowing that something better is waiting for you after you die. Do you know what that is?
Addison: Heaven! Thats where Peepaw and Pickle are.
Me: That's right, and you will be able to be with them and all your other loved ones that have gone before you. And heaven will be spectacular (by the way, thats her new favorite word). The bible says that the roads will be made out of gold, so just imagine how amazing everything else will be!
Addison: Do you think that there will be mountains made out of candy in heaven?
Me: I bet so!
Addison: And Keith and I can eat and eat them for a long, long time and never get belly aches.
Me: Yes, you can. So, see, you don't have to worry about dying. OK?
Addison: OK. Can we go to McDonalds and get a milkshake now?
Me: Sure.

So, this conversation leads me to a good blog question for anyone to comment on...I know we can't possibly fathom what heaven is like, so the very thought of trying to answer this question with our limited minds is preposterous...but just for fun...What would your heaven be like???

My answer: Of course, I can't wait to be with my dad and grandparents again (and anyone else who might go before me!), so that is something I always think about. But, besides that, I would have this amazing voice that would be so awesome that, if I wanted to, I could win American Idol, no contest. I would also be able to eat as much chocolate as I want and actually LOSE weight while doing so!! And there would be flowers EVERYWHERE!! And heaven would look like Walnut Grove.

OK, your turn!!!

Until next blog,
Jen

Pumpkins out the wazoo!

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Addison who had a best friend named Pumpy.



Since Pumpy was a pumpkin man, the whole month of October (especially the end) was full of excitement for the both of them. And, as a good family would, her whole family joined with Addison in the adoration of everything pumpkin! Whenever they drove down all the familiar streets, someone from the family could be heard shouting "Look! A Pumpy!" as a new halloween decoration was spotted in someone's yard. The family went to several orchards to track down some of Pumpy's lost relatives. They also planted pumpkins in their garden, which amazingly was the only thing that grew that year (and practically took over the whole back yard!) Many junky things like flashlights, napkins, and plates were purchased if they had a pumpy face on them. Nana baked cookies with pumpy's on them! And Grandpa Billmeier even decided that this year he would celebrate his birthday on the Pumpkin train!





Even our friends decided to join in on the pumpy fun! Laura and Jared Hill hosted a pumpkin-carving contest (Due to the graphic nature of this contest, Pumpy was NOT invited!) Here is Hunter presenting the final display (ours is the cat-face).



Since Addison's family bought and grew so many pumpkins, her mommy and daddy decided one day to have a carving extravaganza since, of course, they had nothing better to do with their time!



The month of pumpkin-palooza was nearing the end and it had really tuckered out Addison and her brother, Keith. So, while her mom and dad put together the costumes for the final pumpy celebration, the kids lounged...






And on Pumpy's 3rd birthday, Addison and Keith got dressed up to go beg for candy which would rot their teeth and make the guts of their mom and dad bigger!! Since Addy went dressed as Pumpy last year for Halloween, she decided this year to go as the other love of her life, a monarch butterfly (hmmm...I wonder where she got that from???) and Keith dressed up as one of his favorite toys, Thomas the tank engine. Addy later told me that Pumpy went trick or treating with HIS mom and dad (who, strangely, are stuffed frogs!) and that Pumpy dressed up as Jesus.







As you can see, the trick or treating was a success and, while coming off of one the biggest sugar highs of her life (second only to her first birthday after eating sugar for the first time), Addison climbed into bed, hugged Pumpy, sang him Happy Birthday, and then exclaimed "I love Halloween!!"

Happy Belated Halloween to all my blogging fans!

Until next blog,
Jen

Walton Acres

One week ago, my mom, myself, and the kids roadtripped to Loogootee, Indiana - home of my mom's side of the family - The Waltons. No, not John-boy (although we do have a John Walton in the family!!), but rather my grandparents, Obottee and Pop-Pop, where they had their hog and dairy farm. Sadly, they are no longer living, but the farm is still in the family and I always enjoy taking the kids down there to enjoy a small taste of farm living. So many great memories from my childhood are from our visits to the farm...four-wheel rides (some of which ended up crashed against a hog barn), playing in the hayloft (and sometimes getting locked in!), feeding the baby calves and letting them suck on your fingers, taking hogs to market and then playing "hogs going to market" with my brother and cousins, finding litters of new kittens to cuddle with...ok, I could go on and on. There are times when I am sad that my kids won't be able to have as many of these memories, since we rent out the farm and don't have "unlimited" access to the farm. But, visits like this one hopefully allow for a sampling. Here are the photos...the fall colors were just beautiful down south!

The scenery on the drive down (yes, I took this picture while driving!!)


Addy pets the piggies


Keith meets the pigs, a little scared at first!


The kids run up the chute that loads pigs to market (where's my hot shot??)


Addy finds a woolly worm


View of the woods behind the fields (anyone else ready to move with me to Loogootee??)


Since we went down there and back in one day (one way is a 2 hr drive) we were all a little wacked out of our minds! Keith, my little sleeper, fell asleep for a bit...


...Addy played with her gum (even though she's not supposed to!)...


...and Nana played with my camera!!


Until next blog,
Jen

What would you have done?

Sorry for the lack of blogging...I've got some pics to post but not much time today. I do want to share a story with you, though, and get your thoughts...

So, today the kids and I went to the grocery store. As I was loading up my organic produce into my super-sized SUV (in other words, I wasn't portraying a picture of poverty, I'm sure) a well-dressed, well-groomed, 30 something woman came up to me with the following plea: "I'm sorry to bother you, and I feel really silly to ask you but I've had some mechanical problems with my car and will have to make an unplanned overnight stay here until my car is fixed. I don't live here, I live in Cincinnatti, and of course, since I wasn't planning on it, I have no way to pay for my hotel room. I'm $16.38 short and would really appreciate you helping me out if you could. I'll be more than happy to take your name and address and pay you back once I get home." So...in my mind I'm thinking "so, you don't have an ATM card, or a credit card...no one to call that could pay for it with their credit card over the phone...blah blah blah". But I also thought, who am I to judge...I only have $5 cash, I might as well give it to her because, hey maybe she does need the money. So, I gave her my $5 and said don't worry about sending it back to me (to be honest, I just wasn't comfortable giving her my address!)

So, my question to you, my blog-audience, is...what do you think you would have done in this situation? Do you think I was scammed?? Should I even care if I was???

Until next blog,
Jen

What do a bad hairdo, saddle sores, and 51 stoplights have in common??

They are all things I need to blog about!!!

BAD HAIRDO: The first weekend of October, our friends Ray and Janet and their kids Zachary and Lucy came over to visit. We had a fun time getting ripped-off at Beasley's harvest festival, and then enjoyed a tasty meal and good conversation while we watched the Cubs lose. While we were watching the Cubs game, Zachary and Lucy got a little bored and decided to play hairdresser with Addy's box of hair accessories. I think Janet decided to do her hair like this for school that next Monday. Sorry Janet, I just couldn't pass up this opportunity to embarrass you.




SADDLE SORES: Last Saturday afternoon my brother took Audra, Brooke, myself and Addy horseback riding. (You have to be 3 to go, so poor Keith had to stay home and take a nap). This was a first time experience for all the youngins'. It was a gorgeous day and while we were in the woods we saw a family of deer, including a little baby. So cute! I realized I wasn't quite as limber as when I owned my own horse some 15 years ago, and was walking a bit stiff the next day. But we all had fun and are ready to get our own horses!! Of course, I forgot my camera, but did have the camera on my phone, so here are some very crummy pictures from that experience. Sadly, the picture of my brother on his horse didn't get saved for some reason.

Addy and Brooke at the stables


Audra reluctantly gets on her horse



Brooke on her horse "Andy"


Addy and Jen riding "Sara" (taken by Brooke while she was on her horse!)


51 STOPLIGHTS: Our friends Stephanie and Mark came over for "game night" and counted that many stoplights between their house and ours!!! Now, thats what I call devotion to game night!!! I'm not sure why we call it "game" night, it should be changed to "Puerto Rico" night, because that is always our game of choice!! We all laugh because Brian always has so many questions and seems to not know what he's doing, but in the end he always does really well. This was his second win in a row, so he continues to hold the Puerto Rico Championship belt, and this time he set an all-time high score. I, of course, came in last AGAIN.

Mark and Stephanie...getting ready to face the stoplights on the road back to their house



Senor Brian, Puerto Rican champion



The loser (self-photos are NEVER flattering!)



Mark's take-home scrap bag for composting...as he picked it up to take home he exclaimed "LOOK! I can see it composting already!!". (both of our families are beginning our journey to a compost utopia!)



Just FYI, this post took me nearly 1 hour because the blog photo upload was painfully slow today. UGHHHH!!!

Until next blog,
Jen