Yesterday after supper Scott suggested to the kids that we all go for a little bike ride. Gage had gone with a friend and his Dad about a week ago and they rode their bikes to Stamart on the corner of State St. and Divide and got ice cream, so he said that's where he wanted to go. He insisted that the way to get there was first going to his friend's house. :-) I told him that probably there were a few more routes that might be more direct, but if he wanted to, we could ride by T.J.'s house and see if he wanted to go with us to get ice cream. YEAH, he replies! We rode our bikes to T.J.'s house and then took the back way to Stamart. That's a pretty busy gas station, so I was a little concerned about that. We went in and got some soft serve ice cream, which was delicious, and MUCH cheaper than Dairy Queen. I'm sure we'll be going again sometime.
After we ate our ice cream we hopped back on our bikes to head to the Capitol to ride along their paths. Emma wasn't listening to me and nearly got ran over in the Stamart parking lot and then as we were headed down Divide Ave. to get to a place where we could get up onto the sidewalk, Emma decides to veer out close to the center of the right lane of traffic. As I'm yelling at her to "GET OVER", Scott finds a place for us to get up onto the sidewalk and we continue on our merry way. Those are some very hilly paths and are alot of fun to bike down on the Capitol grounds. You can get to going VERY fast down the big long sidewalks headed south towards Boulevard. We stopped at the end of the "mall" so the kids could check out the monument that is there and after they were climbing on it for a minute or so, Emma hopped off and started sprinting towards us with a look of horrror. I couldn't figure out what was wrong and after I asked her, she yelled, "There's a bee and it hurts!" She was crying like crazy saying her nose hurt. A wasp stung her right on the end of her poor little nose. A few seconds later, we could see the little welt and the red dot right in the center. I told Scott that we should probably go home because I didn't want to be far from there if she was to react to the sting. I am not sure if someone is allergic to bees, does that mean they are allergic to wasps as well? If anyone knows the answer, I'd like to know. She has been stung by a bee once before that I'm aware of, and I know that if she were going to react, this would be the time. So, we hopped back on our bikes to head for home. We followed a few of the trails through the trees and it just happened to be the same time that the sprinkler system starts up. Nice! I got soaked and so did Emma. Then Scott discovers that his tire is flat, despite the fact that he filled it up just before we left. As we're headed through the trees, and I'm following Gage, there was a branch that was sticking out over the path and Gage grabbed ahold of the branch while he rode through and then let go just as I was headed through. Thankfully I saw it coming before it had the chance to knock me right off my bike! When we made it to the corner to turn to our house, Scott headed home with his flat and the kids and I went the other way to take T.J. home. As we're headed up the sidewalk I hear this big crash and look back and Gage had wrecked his bike and was hopping up saying, "I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay!" Thankfully he landed in the grass and didn't get hurt. I decided it was a good time to get T.J. home before he got hurt because he was next on the list for something bad to happen! I felt like we were the Bad News Bears on Bikes! Despite all of that, it WAS a nice little ride. The weather was perfect. I am enjoying this cool summer we are having!
Speaking of biking incidents, just as we were pulling into the YMCA parking lot this afternoon to pick Emma up from Day Camp, this guy comes barreling down the parking lot on his bicycle. I don't know if he started braking because he saw me drive into the parking lot, or if he just hit a slick patch of sand (it had just stopped raining) but he had a terrible crash. His bike went flying and he rolled 2 or 3 times before he came to a stop. He got up and I rolled my window down to see if he was okay. He looked stunned, like he had no idea what had just happened. He said he was okay and thanked me for asking him. OUCH! I know if that had been me, I would have been mortified just to know that someone saw me crash and would have cared less about any of my injuries at that moment. I think that it might have been a good thing he wiped out on the patch of sand because he was going fast enough that I think he might have crossed right in front of me or crashed into my car. Thank goodness that didn't happen.
Emma sure is enjoying her Day Camp. I was very worried it was going to be too much for her after just finishing up with Camp Edventure and with this being an all day camp. I was worried for nothing. She is LOVING it! When we went in to get her she was all wound up and excited and messing around with one of the Camp Directors. I told him, "Geez, I can sure tell that she's not having any fun at all!" He replied with another sarcastic comment and said, "Yeah, Emma cries when you leave her here and begs us all day to call her mommy because she wants to go home!" When we got in the car Emma says, "Mom, was he just kidding and using sarcastic?" :-) Yes Emma, we were using a little sarcasm there. I suppose I should stop worrying about next week's 3-Day Day Camp, Prancing Ponies, in Pick City. She'll be gone from 8a-6:30p, which includes the hour long bus ride to and from camp. I'm pretty sure she has the energy she needs to survive it!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Telemarketer in the flesh
We had a good weekend in Tuttle. The kayak is awesome. The only way it could be better is if we had one for each of us, or at least 1 2-man and another single kayak. There was ALOT of fighting going on as to who got to use it first, who used it the longest and who had more turns. Gage was pretty good at it and Emma was too. However, Emma was obviously tired and had a few fits in it while we were trying to get a picture of her stuck in the weeds.
Oh, and unless I can find waterproof books, you can't kayak and read at the same time. :-) Thankfully I didn't test it out the first time out and ruin a book. There is alot of splashing going on and drips of water off the paddles.
Emma started her week at YMCA Day Camp. Nature in Pictures was the title of this camp. Of course there was no literature sent out about the camp and what they needed to bring. I packed the basics, like sunscreen, rain jacket and bug spray. When I got there to sign her up, I asked them if they would be providing lunch and he said that they needed to have their own lunch. CRAP! They also needed to have swimming suits. I told Emma to sit there in the lobby on the sofa with all the other kids so I could run home and get her a lunch and her swimsuit. Thankfully we only live a few blocks away from the YMCA and it didn't take me too long. They were going to be sharing cameras unless they had their own. I just didn't feel right leaving my digital camera with Emma, so I told her I would buy her a disposable one today that she could use the rest of the week. She seemed fine with that plan. I'll be more prepared tomorrow.
Gage and I had a guy show up at the door selling cleaning solutions. We had this happen last year or the year before when Scott was home and he bought the stuff. We still have some left, which is why I was hesitating to buy more. It's not always a good thing to have your kids standing around when you have a high-pressure salesman giving you their spiel. Gage mentioned cat pee and the guy jumped right on that. I told him that if he could get cat pee out, I would buy a bottle. We went to Gage's room first, which really, I have that spot fixed. You can't smell the cat pee at all and you really couldn't see a stained area. We went to Emma's room next and there was a spot in the middle of the floor from the other night. Emma had her blankets laid out on the floor and was going to campout on the floor and stupid Griz peed on her blankets. Of course it soaked through into the carpet and I was out of our miracle "STINK-FREE" solution that you put on it. I used the other powder stuff we have and let it sit overnight and then vacummed it up. I hadn't checked to see if it worked since then. I wasn't convinced that the orange based stuff he used was going to work. He sprayed it on and tried doing his magic. I don't think he got the entire spot. I got a number that I can call and told him I would have to talk to my husband. :-) He didn't really want to do that because he wouldn't get credit for the sale. I told him to tell me his name and I would ask for him and I finally got him to leave and believe it or not, I did not buy his stuff. After he left Gage says, "Mom, is that what you call a telemarketer in the flesh?" YES GAGE! THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THAT WAS!!! UGH! No more answering the door for the next week or two!
Oh, and unless I can find waterproof books, you can't kayak and read at the same time. :-) Thankfully I didn't test it out the first time out and ruin a book. There is alot of splashing going on and drips of water off the paddles.
Emma started her week at YMCA Day Camp. Nature in Pictures was the title of this camp. Of course there was no literature sent out about the camp and what they needed to bring. I packed the basics, like sunscreen, rain jacket and bug spray. When I got there to sign her up, I asked them if they would be providing lunch and he said that they needed to have their own lunch. CRAP! They also needed to have swimming suits. I told Emma to sit there in the lobby on the sofa with all the other kids so I could run home and get her a lunch and her swimsuit. Thankfully we only live a few blocks away from the YMCA and it didn't take me too long. They were going to be sharing cameras unless they had their own. I just didn't feel right leaving my digital camera with Emma, so I told her I would buy her a disposable one today that she could use the rest of the week. She seemed fine with that plan. I'll be more prepared tomorrow.
Gage and I had a guy show up at the door selling cleaning solutions. We had this happen last year or the year before when Scott was home and he bought the stuff. We still have some left, which is why I was hesitating to buy more. It's not always a good thing to have your kids standing around when you have a high-pressure salesman giving you their spiel. Gage mentioned cat pee and the guy jumped right on that. I told him that if he could get cat pee out, I would buy a bottle. We went to Gage's room first, which really, I have that spot fixed. You can't smell the cat pee at all and you really couldn't see a stained area. We went to Emma's room next and there was a spot in the middle of the floor from the other night. Emma had her blankets laid out on the floor and was going to campout on the floor and stupid Griz peed on her blankets. Of course it soaked through into the carpet and I was out of our miracle "STINK-FREE" solution that you put on it. I used the other powder stuff we have and let it sit overnight and then vacummed it up. I hadn't checked to see if it worked since then. I wasn't convinced that the orange based stuff he used was going to work. He sprayed it on and tried doing his magic. I don't think he got the entire spot. I got a number that I can call and told him I would have to talk to my husband. :-) He didn't really want to do that because he wouldn't get credit for the sale. I told him to tell me his name and I would ask for him and I finally got him to leave and believe it or not, I did not buy his stuff. After he left Gage says, "Mom, is that what you call a telemarketer in the flesh?" YES GAGE! THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THAT WAS!!! UGH! No more answering the door for the next week or two!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Haven't forgotten
No, I haven't forgotten. However, I must apologize for the hiatus. I have been addicted to these Jodi Picoult novels and can't seem to keep my nose out of them. I have read 4 of them in the past few weeks and had to get another one today for our weekend in Tuttle. I wonder if I can read while kayaking?
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Happy "Early" Birthday to me!
This is one way for Scott to assure that I will go back on the words, "I swear I am NOT EVER coming back here", that I uttered the last time we were in Tuttle. I hear Lake Josephine calling my name. :-)
I had this on my birthday wish list last year, and because of the screaming deal Scheels had on this kayak, it finally came true!
I wonder if this will help tone up my flabby arms? :-) I'll probably get stranded in the middle of the lake because of cramping arms. No pain, no gain.............right?
I had this on my birthday wish list last year, and because of the screaming deal Scheels had on this kayak, it finally came true!
I wonder if this will help tone up my flabby arms? :-) I'll probably get stranded in the middle of the lake because of cramping arms. No pain, no gain.............right?Saturday, July 18, 2009
Happy 13th Birthday Dustin!!
Last year at this time, we were doing this and this to celebrate his 12th birthday. We sure wish he was here again with us this year!! Happy 13th Birthday Dustin!! (Kysa - Good luck in the land of the teenage hormones!................YIKES!)
Yesterday we went straight to the movie theater after getting home from Camp Edventure to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. IT WAS SO GOOD! I think it might be one of my favorite Harry Potter movies yet? I read the book to Gage about 2 years ago now, so I figured I wouldn't remember anything about it and be lost, because I didn't take the time we needed to rewatch all of the previous movies to catch myself up. I actually did remember alot of the stuff, believe it or not! There was one scary part that made Gage, Emma and me jump out of our seats, but other than that, it wasn't that bad. I heard that the final Harry Potter book, Deathly Hallows, will be made into 2 movies so they can do it justice, and they will be released in 2010 and 2011, or 2011 and 2012. I can't remember which. We'll be ready, whichever it turns out to be!
Scott was waiting for us in the lobby of the movie theater to take Gage with him to the shooting range. He bought Gage some private lessons so he can learn how to properly shoot his gun. It was a pretty good deal that the guy gave to Scott. Usually he charges $60/hour, but he charged Scott $40 for the 2 hours that they were there. That was really nice of Mark to do that! I think it was actually a good idea too, because Gage is just not very receptive to learning things when it is Scott and I teaching them. He's been holding his gun really weird when he shoots it and I think Mark may have straightened him out. Or at least showed him the proper way to do it.
After they got home, we ate supper and then Gage went to his friend's (T.J.) house to spend the night in his attic fort. Since Gage went to do that, we took Emma to the Sleepy Hollow Summer Theater to see The Wizard of Oz. It was SO GOOD! It was LONG too! It started at 8:30 and I think we got home around 10:30. The weather was beautiful. After the sun went down behind the trees (right before the play started) it cooled off a bit, but we had taken jackets and blankets, so we were well prepared. During intermission Scott and Emma went to get a snack and Emma told Scott that she really wished Gage was there with us because she knew he would like it too. I was so glad to hear that. They fight so much all the time that you wouldn't know they even like each other, so it's nice to hear stuff like that every once in awhile. I wished that Gage was there too, because I also knew he would have liked it. The gal playing Dorothy did an AWESOME job! She actually sounded JUST like her and looked alot like her too. If they did Annie, I wouldn't even have to learn the lines, I already know them all. :-) Emma could get a perm and play the part, while I said her lines. LOL!
I'd say that with all of those activities yesterday, we're nearly broke! It costs SO MUCH money to do those things, and to do them all in one day hurts the pocketbook! I'd bet we were close to $100. Good thing we're staying home today! :-)
Yesterday we went straight to the movie theater after getting home from Camp Edventure to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. IT WAS SO GOOD! I think it might be one of my favorite Harry Potter movies yet? I read the book to Gage about 2 years ago now, so I figured I wouldn't remember anything about it and be lost, because I didn't take the time we needed to rewatch all of the previous movies to catch myself up. I actually did remember alot of the stuff, believe it or not! There was one scary part that made Gage, Emma and me jump out of our seats, but other than that, it wasn't that bad. I heard that the final Harry Potter book, Deathly Hallows, will be made into 2 movies so they can do it justice, and they will be released in 2010 and 2011, or 2011 and 2012. I can't remember which. We'll be ready, whichever it turns out to be!
Scott was waiting for us in the lobby of the movie theater to take Gage with him to the shooting range. He bought Gage some private lessons so he can learn how to properly shoot his gun. It was a pretty good deal that the guy gave to Scott. Usually he charges $60/hour, but he charged Scott $40 for the 2 hours that they were there. That was really nice of Mark to do that! I think it was actually a good idea too, because Gage is just not very receptive to learning things when it is Scott and I teaching them. He's been holding his gun really weird when he shoots it and I think Mark may have straightened him out. Or at least showed him the proper way to do it.
After they got home, we ate supper and then Gage went to his friend's (T.J.) house to spend the night in his attic fort. Since Gage went to do that, we took Emma to the Sleepy Hollow Summer Theater to see The Wizard of Oz. It was SO GOOD! It was LONG too! It started at 8:30 and I think we got home around 10:30. The weather was beautiful. After the sun went down behind the trees (right before the play started) it cooled off a bit, but we had taken jackets and blankets, so we were well prepared. During intermission Scott and Emma went to get a snack and Emma told Scott that she really wished Gage was there with us because she knew he would like it too. I was so glad to hear that. They fight so much all the time that you wouldn't know they even like each other, so it's nice to hear stuff like that every once in awhile. I wished that Gage was there too, because I also knew he would have liked it. The gal playing Dorothy did an AWESOME job! She actually sounded JUST like her and looked alot like her too. If they did Annie, I wouldn't even have to learn the lines, I already know them all. :-) Emma could get a perm and play the part, while I said her lines. LOL!
I'd say that with all of those activities yesterday, we're nearly broke! It costs SO MUCH money to do those things, and to do them all in one day hurts the pocketbook! I'd bet we were close to $100. Good thing we're staying home today! :-)
Friday, July 17, 2009
Happy Birthday Colton!
Last year at this time, we were doing this and this to celebrate Colton's birthday. We had a great time. Gage was sad this morning, knowing it is Coly's birthday today, remembering the fun we had last year. Happy Birthday Buddy!
Today, after Camp Ed, we are headed to the Grand Theater to see the new Harry Potter movie, The Half-Blood Prince. The kids are super excited about going. I am too, actually! We are going to the 12:30 matinee, and hopefully will save a few dollars. I'm also hoping that by going during the day, that the scary parts won't be so scary after we get back outside and it's daylight. I think Gage will be fine, it's Emma I'm worried about. She'll probably be fine too. I'm trying to decide if I should feed them a PB&J on the way to the theater for lunch, or be a totally lame Mom and let them have popcorn and candy for lunch. LOL!
Yesterday, we ended up only giving away our free blizzard punch card to the fifth family at DQ. We only had 5 that we knew show up during our shift, so I didn't have to buy the blizzards for the 10th group. I was really wanting to though. I know there were some friends that went to different DQ's, to support the Girl Scouts, and I'll bet that we would have been close to 10 if they had all come to the one we were at while we were working. I posted a bunch of cute pictures on Facebook if you want to check them out.
This afternoon Scott and Gage will be going to the Shooting Range as Scott has gotten Gage a couple hour lesson there with the guy that runs the place. I don't know if he's planning to take Gage out hunting and let him shoot, or if they are just working up to that point? Then, after supper Gage is going to a sleepover at his friend's house. T.J. said Gage would be his first guest in their newly renovated "attic fort". He's pretty excited about that. Emma wasn't. However, we are going to go to the Sleepy Hollow Summer Theater tonight at 8:30 and see the production of The Wizard of Oz. It should be pretty good, so looking forward to that. I wonder how chilly it's going to be, since it's an outdoor theater? I suppose coats and blankets wouldn't be a bad idea.
Not too much going on this weekend. It's supposed to be nice, weather-wise, so I'm hoping that holds true.
Today, after Camp Ed, we are headed to the Grand Theater to see the new Harry Potter movie, The Half-Blood Prince. The kids are super excited about going. I am too, actually! We are going to the 12:30 matinee, and hopefully will save a few dollars. I'm also hoping that by going during the day, that the scary parts won't be so scary after we get back outside and it's daylight. I think Gage will be fine, it's Emma I'm worried about. She'll probably be fine too. I'm trying to decide if I should feed them a PB&J on the way to the theater for lunch, or be a totally lame Mom and let them have popcorn and candy for lunch. LOL!
Yesterday, we ended up only giving away our free blizzard punch card to the fifth family at DQ. We only had 5 that we knew show up during our shift, so I didn't have to buy the blizzards for the 10th group. I was really wanting to though. I know there were some friends that went to different DQ's, to support the Girl Scouts, and I'll bet that we would have been close to 10 if they had all come to the one we were at while we were working. I posted a bunch of cute pictures on Facebook if you want to check them out.
This afternoon Scott and Gage will be going to the Shooting Range as Scott has gotten Gage a couple hour lesson there with the guy that runs the place. I don't know if he's planning to take Gage out hunting and let him shoot, or if they are just working up to that point? Then, after supper Gage is going to a sleepover at his friend's house. T.J. said Gage would be his first guest in their newly renovated "attic fort". He's pretty excited about that. Emma wasn't. However, we are going to go to the Sleepy Hollow Summer Theater tonight at 8:30 and see the production of The Wizard of Oz. It should be pretty good, so looking forward to that. I wonder how chilly it's going to be, since it's an outdoor theater? I suppose coats and blankets wouldn't be a bad idea.
Not too much going on this weekend. It's supposed to be nice, weather-wise, so I'm hoping that holds true.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Funny Story
The other night at Emma's baseball game, I asked her why she wasn't running the bases as fast as she could. She said, "Well, Mom, it's because I don't have enough water!" I asked, "What does that have to do with it?" She told me that if she runs too fast, she'll get hot and she doesn't have enough water if she gets hot. Well, last night Emma had another baseball game. I told her that we were going to ensure that she would be able to run her fastest. We took 2 water bottles and 1 bottle of G2 gatorade. You wouldn't believe how fast she ran......................to the bathroom! LOL! Actually, it did make her run the bases faster because she had to prove herself right and me WRONG! Hey, whatever it takes. When she got to the spiffy bif, a man got there right in front of her and so she had to stand outside and wait. She was doing the potty dance like I have never seen her do before. I almost got up to run over there and help her because I wasn't sure if she would be able to get her pants down in time. Those dumb uniform pants are tight around the waist and even I have a hard time getting them buttoned. When she came out her shirt was untucked and I thought her pants were falling down, but it must have been a figment of my imagination, because she didn't even unbutton her pants OR unfasten her belt. There wasn't time. LOL! I did get her shirt tucked back in and then she was good to go. Hopefully I can remember to bring lots of water for her remaining baseball games. :-)
Today is Girl Scout Blizzard Day at Dairy Queen today from 3p-7p!!! Emma and I are scheduled to be at the DQ on Washington Street from 4-5:30. We will be standing along the street waving signs trying to get people to stop and buy blizzards. For every blizzard sold, the Girl Scouts get $0.50. The featured today, which is also the "Blizzard of the Month" is the Tag-a-long Blizzard. These are the yummy peanut butter pattie Girl Scout cookies mixed into DQ's famous blizzard treat. We should have fun. I made my status update on Facebook a challege to all the Bismarckians and said for the 5th family who shows up (that I know) I will give them a free blizzard punch card that I've filled up. My sister, Kysa, challenged me to "pay it forward" to see if that increases sales, so I thought that was a good idea. So, I am going to give my free blizzard punch card to the 5th family who shows up and for the 10th family, I will buy blizzards for the entire family!!! These have to be families that I know, of course. However, it doesn't have to be just my Facebook friends, it can be friends that were referred by them too. (I don't know how else I can get this advertised besides my FB page and my blog.) They will also be selling last year's featured blizzard on Girl Scout Day, which was the Thin Mint blizzard. We get $0.50 on EVERY blizzard sold though, not just ones with Girl Scout cookies, so if you aren't a fan, you can just buy your favorite blizzard treat. Also, to add to the fun, there are cookie costumes for the girls to wear. There are only 2 of them, so they will have to share. They are the Thin Mint cookie costume and the Tag-a-long (a.k.a. Peanut Butter Pattie) costumes. I'm not sure if I will be able to get Emma into one though. As tough as it was to just get her to wear Girl Scout attire this morning, I'm pretty sure I will be unsuccessful at pleading her to wear a costume if she doesn't want to. I can't wait to get pictures and I already have scrapbook ideas flowing through my head! :-) Hope to see you at DQ!!
Today is Girl Scout Blizzard Day at Dairy Queen today from 3p-7p!!! Emma and I are scheduled to be at the DQ on Washington Street from 4-5:30. We will be standing along the street waving signs trying to get people to stop and buy blizzards. For every blizzard sold, the Girl Scouts get $0.50. The featured today, which is also the "Blizzard of the Month" is the Tag-a-long Blizzard. These are the yummy peanut butter pattie Girl Scout cookies mixed into DQ's famous blizzard treat. We should have fun. I made my status update on Facebook a challege to all the Bismarckians and said for the 5th family who shows up (that I know) I will give them a free blizzard punch card that I've filled up. My sister, Kysa, challenged me to "pay it forward" to see if that increases sales, so I thought that was a good idea. So, I am going to give my free blizzard punch card to the 5th family who shows up and for the 10th family, I will buy blizzards for the entire family!!! These have to be families that I know, of course. However, it doesn't have to be just my Facebook friends, it can be friends that were referred by them too. (I don't know how else I can get this advertised besides my FB page and my blog.) They will also be selling last year's featured blizzard on Girl Scout Day, which was the Thin Mint blizzard. We get $0.50 on EVERY blizzard sold though, not just ones with Girl Scout cookies, so if you aren't a fan, you can just buy your favorite blizzard treat. Also, to add to the fun, there are cookie costumes for the girls to wear. There are only 2 of them, so they will have to share. They are the Thin Mint cookie costume and the Tag-a-long (a.k.a. Peanut Butter Pattie) costumes. I'm not sure if I will be able to get Emma into one though. As tough as it was to just get her to wear Girl Scout attire this morning, I'm pretty sure I will be unsuccessful at pleading her to wear a costume if she doesn't want to. I can't wait to get pictures and I already have scrapbook ideas flowing through my head! :-) Hope to see you at DQ!!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Tournament
Gage had his second Lower Minors tournament game last night. It was a COLD and WINDY one! Geez! I wouldn't have been surprised to see the rain drizzle turn to snow. We had coats and blankets and were still cold!
You could definitely tell a difference last night, that this was a tournament game and that it could be their last of the season. Everyone was very excited and you could see the stress level increase as the game went on.
We started out batting since we were the "away" team and we had 3 up and 3 down. All 3 boys hit the ball and one hit an awesome shot into right field and the right fielder had the "catch of his lifetime". This was a tough team we were playing! They scored 3 runs through a few of the innings and then into the 4th inning, they had a less experienced pitcher on the mound so we batted and walked a few runs in to tie up the game. It was 3 to 3 at the top of the 5th, and final, inning. We didn't score any runs. The boys were nerved up and also very excited going into their last chance in the field to hold off the other team on scoring any runs. A couple got on and the whole left side of the field was dancing around, almost as if we had won the game. The coach kept telling them to settle down, but it was really hard for them to do for some reason? Not sure if it was the weather or what? Anyway, AMAZINGLY we held them off and they didn't score a single run. Tied. 3-3. Game over. Well, in this instance, they flip a coin to see who the winner is instead of going into extra innings. Our coach had the coin and asked who wanted to call the flip. Our team all raised their hands and they were deciding whether to call heads or tails. I was a mess. I knew if we lost, Gage was going to be a pain in the ass, because he was already pouting when they went out to field the last inning saying, "We're going to lose!" with a big pouty face on. (Takes after his Dad there!) Anyway, one boy said, "Tails never fails". The majority called heads. The coin was flipped. Heads it was! We won the game! The boys were jumping all around the place and hollering like crazy. I felt horrible for the other team. That's just a stinky way to lose the game. However, I was glad that I didn't have to deal with a pouting, poor sport at home! Now, because we won, we play again on Sunday at 6:30p. UGH! We have church volleyball at 6:30p on Sunday too. I thought we were free and clear of any schedule conflicts as far as our Sunday evening volleyball was concerned, but I was wrong. I would be surprised if the boys win the next game, so hopefully there won't be any more problems. However, if their excitement about winning the game has anything to do with the rest of the games they play, they'll certainly finish out in 5th place. They can't finish any better than 5th.
After we got home, we had hot chocolate. I don't think I've ever drank hot chocolate during the middle part of the month of July, EVER! If this is a sign of what our upcoming winter season has in store, we are in TROUBLE! We'll think last winter was nothing!
You could definitely tell a difference last night, that this was a tournament game and that it could be their last of the season. Everyone was very excited and you could see the stress level increase as the game went on.
We started out batting since we were the "away" team and we had 3 up and 3 down. All 3 boys hit the ball and one hit an awesome shot into right field and the right fielder had the "catch of his lifetime". This was a tough team we were playing! They scored 3 runs through a few of the innings and then into the 4th inning, they had a less experienced pitcher on the mound so we batted and walked a few runs in to tie up the game. It was 3 to 3 at the top of the 5th, and final, inning. We didn't score any runs. The boys were nerved up and also very excited going into their last chance in the field to hold off the other team on scoring any runs. A couple got on and the whole left side of the field was dancing around, almost as if we had won the game. The coach kept telling them to settle down, but it was really hard for them to do for some reason? Not sure if it was the weather or what? Anyway, AMAZINGLY we held them off and they didn't score a single run. Tied. 3-3. Game over. Well, in this instance, they flip a coin to see who the winner is instead of going into extra innings. Our coach had the coin and asked who wanted to call the flip. Our team all raised their hands and they were deciding whether to call heads or tails. I was a mess. I knew if we lost, Gage was going to be a pain in the ass, because he was already pouting when they went out to field the last inning saying, "We're going to lose!" with a big pouty face on. (Takes after his Dad there!) Anyway, one boy said, "Tails never fails". The majority called heads. The coin was flipped. Heads it was! We won the game! The boys were jumping all around the place and hollering like crazy. I felt horrible for the other team. That's just a stinky way to lose the game. However, I was glad that I didn't have to deal with a pouting, poor sport at home! Now, because we won, we play again on Sunday at 6:30p. UGH! We have church volleyball at 6:30p on Sunday too. I thought we were free and clear of any schedule conflicts as far as our Sunday evening volleyball was concerned, but I was wrong. I would be surprised if the boys win the next game, so hopefully there won't be any more problems. However, if their excitement about winning the game has anything to do with the rest of the games they play, they'll certainly finish out in 5th place. They can't finish any better than 5th.
After we got home, we had hot chocolate. I don't think I've ever drank hot chocolate during the middle part of the month of July, EVER! If this is a sign of what our upcoming winter season has in store, we are in TROUBLE! We'll think last winter was nothing!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
"We have a little situation here!"
Emma has been saying some funny things lately. One of them being, "We have a little situation here!" LOL! Last night after she was in bed, I was in the downstairs bathroom and she hollers out, "Uh, Dad......we have a little situation here!" I hollered back, "What's your situation Emma?" She said that she thought Dad missed a page in the book they were reading at bedtime. Dad came upstairs to confirm with Emma that they didn't miss any pages. I don't know where she came up with this? I don't know if it's a statement that Junie B. Jones makes or what? Emma LOVES Junie B. Jones. In fact, that's about all she will let us read to her. I'm almost so sick and tired of the books (I think we've read each one of them (and there's over 25 in the series) at least 3 times. Scott does most of Emma's bedtime reading..........at least when he's home anyway. Most of the reason for that is because I am totally tired of reading those books. We read all of them to Gage and at least 3 times to Emma. I think they should be retired. I try buying her other books that I think she will like, but she won't even give them a chance. I did buy one at B&N the other day that I think she is letting Scott read to her now.
As far as summer reading goes, the kids have been slacking a little this summer in comparison to the past 2 summers. Part of that is because of Camp Edventure and the other part is because we have had so many activities going on that get over too late at night and there's no time for reading before bed, unless they stay up past 10pm. Gage has a ton of books that he hasn't read yet that I was hoping he could get through this summer. I don't think it's going to happen. He has picked up in the reading department here in the past couple of weeks, so I'm glad about that. He seems to be like me, if he has a good book, he'll read it until he finishes it. If he doesn't, he tends to find other things to do with his time.
I have been reading some of the Jodi Picoult books. "My Sister's Keeper" was the first one I read, and I just finished "Perfect Match". Both were VERY good books. I headed back to B&N yesterday to get another one. This one is called, "Plain Truth". I just started it last night and I'm sure it will soon have my full and undivided attention! We've definitely had some good, rainy, reading weather.
Tonight Gage has a baseball game. If his team loses, it will be his last game of the season. His practice yesterday was rained out so the team didn't get that one last practice in. I don't really think it will matter too much. We also have the Zoo Members' Annual Picnic this evening. I love going to it every year. Mostly because I love that I don't have to cook supper. They grill hamburgers and hotdogs and then you get chips, ice cream and a drink......all for free, because we are members. It is raining and doing some thundering this a.m., so hopefully it will clear up so it won't be cancelled. We've never had rain for it, as long as we've been going, so I don't know if they will do it rain or shine, or if they will postpone it. They also hire a DJ that plays music for the kids to dance to. The kids like doing the Chicken Dance and the Bunny Hop.
I saw advertised on television the other night that the Sleepy Hollow Summer Theater will be doing The Wizard of Oz, July 12-21. I think Emma would LOVE that. I think I would LOVE that! :-) Gage is spending the night with a friend Friday night, so I am hoping it doesn't rain so we can take Emma to it so she won't be so upset that Gage is going to a friends house for a sleepover and she isn't. A friend of ours has a daughter in a play with Dakota Stage, so maybe we can fit that into our schedule too? Emma usually enjoys those sorts of things, although we haven't done anything like that in awhile. I remember when she was just little, when we went to Sesame Street Live, and how mesmerized she was. I have pictures of it in her scrapbook. The Sesame Street Live is coming to town again in August and maybe we'll have to go to that. Those darned things cost so much money though. We'll see. It might fall on the same dates as Emma's Prancing Ponies Day Camp in Pick City for Girl Scouts though, so we may not even be able to go. I'll have to check on that.
As far as summer reading goes, the kids have been slacking a little this summer in comparison to the past 2 summers. Part of that is because of Camp Edventure and the other part is because we have had so many activities going on that get over too late at night and there's no time for reading before bed, unless they stay up past 10pm. Gage has a ton of books that he hasn't read yet that I was hoping he could get through this summer. I don't think it's going to happen. He has picked up in the reading department here in the past couple of weeks, so I'm glad about that. He seems to be like me, if he has a good book, he'll read it until he finishes it. If he doesn't, he tends to find other things to do with his time.
I have been reading some of the Jodi Picoult books. "My Sister's Keeper" was the first one I read, and I just finished "Perfect Match". Both were VERY good books. I headed back to B&N yesterday to get another one. This one is called, "Plain Truth". I just started it last night and I'm sure it will soon have my full and undivided attention! We've definitely had some good, rainy, reading weather.
Tonight Gage has a baseball game. If his team loses, it will be his last game of the season. His practice yesterday was rained out so the team didn't get that one last practice in. I don't really think it will matter too much. We also have the Zoo Members' Annual Picnic this evening. I love going to it every year. Mostly because I love that I don't have to cook supper. They grill hamburgers and hotdogs and then you get chips, ice cream and a drink......all for free, because we are members. It is raining and doing some thundering this a.m., so hopefully it will clear up so it won't be cancelled. We've never had rain for it, as long as we've been going, so I don't know if they will do it rain or shine, or if they will postpone it. They also hire a DJ that plays music for the kids to dance to. The kids like doing the Chicken Dance and the Bunny Hop.
I saw advertised on television the other night that the Sleepy Hollow Summer Theater will be doing The Wizard of Oz, July 12-21. I think Emma would LOVE that. I think I would LOVE that! :-) Gage is spending the night with a friend Friday night, so I am hoping it doesn't rain so we can take Emma to it so she won't be so upset that Gage is going to a friends house for a sleepover and she isn't. A friend of ours has a daughter in a play with Dakota Stage, so maybe we can fit that into our schedule too? Emma usually enjoys those sorts of things, although we haven't done anything like that in awhile. I remember when she was just little, when we went to Sesame Street Live, and how mesmerized she was. I have pictures of it in her scrapbook. The Sesame Street Live is coming to town again in August and maybe we'll have to go to that. Those darned things cost so much money though. We'll see. It might fall on the same dates as Emma's Prancing Ponies Day Camp in Pick City for Girl Scouts though, so we may not even be able to go. I'll have to check on that.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Going fast
This summer sure is going fast. I'm hoping it slows down just a little before school starts. Baseball is nearing the end of the season. Gage played his first tournament game last night. They lost, but since it's a double elimination tournament, they will play again tomorrow night. They are supposed to practice tonight, but it has been raining all morning and it's supposed to continue throughout the day, so not sure if they will get that practice in or not. Emma had a T-ball game last night and she has just 3 more games left of the season. The T-ball group does not have a tournament since they don't even keep score.
We went to Tuttle Friday night to stay the night, then we came back home Saturday evening. It wasn't such a great time. Scott was not a whole lot of fun to be around. The entire weekend, actually. However, this is probably not the place to get into that, which is why I haven't posted in a few days. You know the saying, "If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all"? Well, I decided to not say anything at all.
The kids are at Camp Edventure this morning. They sure are enjoying it this summer. I'm hoping it helps Emma out in the fall since she will be in the big Northridge building with the rest of the kids. I think she is going to adapt quite well. We were very fortunate to get the most requested teacher at Northridge for her 1st grade year, so we are thrilled about that. I need to get started with some school shopping. Emma's closet has dwindled down quite a bit. We were lucky last year and hit a great garage sale and she had TONS of pants. All of them are almost at capri length right now. Some of the jeans are okay to wear as capris, but when they have flared legs, it doesn't look so good. These kids are growing like weeds! Even Gage has outgrown all of his pants. We are lucky enough to get some hand-me-downs from my friend Amy for him though. I LOVE HAND-ME-DOWNS! Unfortunately we don't get many of those for Emma.
I have a couple of errands to run this morning. I need to get Brie's prescription refilled and see about getting an appointment to get the oil changed in my car. I also have a pesky check engine light that's on that I am praying doesn't end up costing a whole lot. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
We went to Tuttle Friday night to stay the night, then we came back home Saturday evening. It wasn't such a great time. Scott was not a whole lot of fun to be around. The entire weekend, actually. However, this is probably not the place to get into that, which is why I haven't posted in a few days. You know the saying, "If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all"? Well, I decided to not say anything at all.
The kids are at Camp Edventure this morning. They sure are enjoying it this summer. I'm hoping it helps Emma out in the fall since she will be in the big Northridge building with the rest of the kids. I think she is going to adapt quite well. We were very fortunate to get the most requested teacher at Northridge for her 1st grade year, so we are thrilled about that. I need to get started with some school shopping. Emma's closet has dwindled down quite a bit. We were lucky last year and hit a great garage sale and she had TONS of pants. All of them are almost at capri length right now. Some of the jeans are okay to wear as capris, but when they have flared legs, it doesn't look so good. These kids are growing like weeds! Even Gage has outgrown all of his pants. We are lucky enough to get some hand-me-downs from my friend Amy for him though. I LOVE HAND-ME-DOWNS! Unfortunately we don't get many of those for Emma.
I have a couple of errands to run this morning. I need to get Brie's prescription refilled and see about getting an appointment to get the oil changed in my car. I also have a pesky check engine light that's on that I am praying doesn't end up costing a whole lot. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Back at it
We're already in full swing back at our usual pace of life. The kids went on an all day field trip yesterday to the ND Game & Fish Department for Camp Edventure. They went fishing and both Emma and Gage said they caught little ones. I'm sure they were fishing at the O.W.L. pond. Don't ask me what that stands for though. :-) I had a few errands to run so did a little bit of that. I spend less money when I stay home though, so that is what I will be doing today......or at least this morning anyway. We are going to the Elks pool with some friends this afternoon, so that should be fun. The kids are excited. Aside from swimming while we were in Iowa, this is the first time we've been to a pool here in Bismarck this summer. It just hasn't been that hot to want to go. In fact, it's 59 degrees right now, so unless it warms up, it's going to be a chilly one!
Yesterday evening Emma and I went to a Girl Scout event at the Superslide. For $3, they got a hot dog dinner and unlimited rides on all of the rides for 2 hours. There were so many people there though, that they didn't get to ride them as many times as usual. They had a great time though and all of the pictures I took are posted on Facebook, so go check them out. While we were standing in line for the water balloon fight at the Superslide, the ambulance, firetruck and 2 police cars pulled into the driveway by the shelter that's just outside the superslide gates. My nosey, rubber-necking self had to go see what was going. I guess a part of me still likes that high adrenaline field of emergency health care. Anyway, there was a younger gal, probably early teens, laying on the ground next to a car. I'm guessing she got hit by the car. They were putting her onto a backboard at the time I started snooping. What a scary accident! I'm sure the person who hit her was a mess, just as much as the girl was scared. It didn't look like there was any family around, so I don't know if she was part of the Girl Scout event at the Superslide, or just someone using the walking trails. I sure hope she is alright. I talked to Emma about the situation on our ride home, hoping that this might remind her to be extra careful when she's out in parking lots etc. If it can happen to a teenager, it can certainly happen to her too!
We had ballgames a few days this week. Gage starts tournament games on Sunday. Unfortunately his first game falls on the same date and time as the Scout Family Swim Night. I wish that didn't have to happen. Missing the swim night will make Gage ineligible for the Summertime Pack Award pin. He didn't get it last year for the same reason. Oh well. Can't win them all.
I can't believe how fast the summer is flying by! School will be in session before we know it. I want to try to get Gage scheduled for getting his tonsils out before the school year starts up and if I don't get on the stick, it's not going to get done. I think all I need to do is call our pediatrician and ask her to give us a referral to our ENT doctor. I would like to do it when nothing is going on, but there never seems to be a time when we have nothing going on. I don't want him to miss school. He's had 2 strep throat infections this past winter, so it's time they come out. Maybe I'll get that call in to the doctor today, since I'm thinking about it.
Yesterday evening Emma and I went to a Girl Scout event at the Superslide. For $3, they got a hot dog dinner and unlimited rides on all of the rides for 2 hours. There were so many people there though, that they didn't get to ride them as many times as usual. They had a great time though and all of the pictures I took are posted on Facebook, so go check them out. While we were standing in line for the water balloon fight at the Superslide, the ambulance, firetruck and 2 police cars pulled into the driveway by the shelter that's just outside the superslide gates. My nosey, rubber-necking self had to go see what was going. I guess a part of me still likes that high adrenaline field of emergency health care. Anyway, there was a younger gal, probably early teens, laying on the ground next to a car. I'm guessing she got hit by the car. They were putting her onto a backboard at the time I started snooping. What a scary accident! I'm sure the person who hit her was a mess, just as much as the girl was scared. It didn't look like there was any family around, so I don't know if she was part of the Girl Scout event at the Superslide, or just someone using the walking trails. I sure hope she is alright. I talked to Emma about the situation on our ride home, hoping that this might remind her to be extra careful when she's out in parking lots etc. If it can happen to a teenager, it can certainly happen to her too!
We had ballgames a few days this week. Gage starts tournament games on Sunday. Unfortunately his first game falls on the same date and time as the Scout Family Swim Night. I wish that didn't have to happen. Missing the swim night will make Gage ineligible for the Summertime Pack Award pin. He didn't get it last year for the same reason. Oh well. Can't win them all.
I can't believe how fast the summer is flying by! School will be in session before we know it. I want to try to get Gage scheduled for getting his tonsils out before the school year starts up and if I don't get on the stick, it's not going to get done. I think all I need to do is call our pediatrician and ask her to give us a referral to our ENT doctor. I would like to do it when nothing is going on, but there never seems to be a time when we have nothing going on. I don't want him to miss school. He's had 2 strep throat infections this past winter, so it's time they come out. Maybe I'll get that call in to the doctor today, since I'm thinking about it.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
A week of fun
We had a great week in Iowa last week. The kids LOVE it when we are there and are always so sad when we have to come back home. Gage was SO sad the night before we left. He had already started crying because he missed everyone. He was a mess Sunday morning when we said good-bye. We stopped in Brookings, SD to eat lunch and he started crying again when we sat down at our table. I asked him what was wrong and he said he missed everyone. I'm sure he was remembering last year when we had Dustin and Colton with us when we stopped at the same restaurant. Anyway, when the young lady brought our food to the table, she noticed that Gage was crying and she said, "Oh, what's wrong? Why are you so sad on such a glorious day?" He told her he missed his Grandma and Grandpa. I explained to her that we were just with our family for a week and he was sad to go home. I thought she was going to start crying and then I DID start crying too! Geez! We were a mess. He cried himself to sleep Sunday night and I think that maybe he might be doing better now. I'm so glad that they have so much fun when we are there. Gage is lucky and has 2 cousins just about the same age as him and they are constantly playing and having a great time. Emma isn't so lucky in that department. The next girl cousin in line to Emma is 13, then 16. However, Janey does a great job of keeping Emma entertained. This time while we were back, my brother-in-law's daughter and kids were there. Her oldest, EmmaRaye, is 7 and I thought that maybe she and Emma would play well together. I'm not sure what happened, but they had gotten into a little fight about floaties in the pool and my Emma just didn't want to have much to do with her the rest of the time. I felt terrible with how she was acting towards her and I tried to get her to stop, but she just wouldn't. After I had spent a little more time around them, I think that maybe a little bit of the problem was that the other Emma was telling some stories about things and my Emma does not like it when people don't tell the truth. She's been having some issues with one of her good friends here and storytelling and it really bothers her, so I'm wondering if that had something to do with it? They did start getting along and I saw them holding hands while they were walking around my sister's house one evening, so I was happy to see them doing that.
We got home about 6:30 Sunday evening.............just in time to get to Gage's ballgame. We were all beat. Poor Gage had to play catcher the last inning and he didn't catch one single ball. I think he was completely exhausted after chasing all those balls and all the squatting he had to do. A couple of times he nearly fell over when he was getting into his squatting position, so I know he was so tired.
Yesterday the kids started back at Camp Edventure. This session goes for 3 weeks, so not much longer. Gage wasn't very happy when he got home yesterday. He said that he didn't have Miss Moen anymore and he was sad about that. I am too, because I really liked her. He said they put him in with the 4th graders. I learned last night at Emma's ballgame that they have a lot less kids this session and they decreased the number of teachers, so had to rearrange some of the kids. I told Gage that maybe the reason he was put into the 4th graders room is because all of the other stuff was too easy for him. He still wasn't thrilled about it. He said he didn't have anyone to play with at recess. The one kid that he knows, he says is mean to him. Ugh! I suppose if it's going to get to where he doesn't like going, I'll just take both of them out of it. There's only a little bit left though, so we'll see what happens after today.
I got all of my pictures uploaded to Facebook yesterday. It took me all morning to do, but I got all of them labeled and tagged, so I don't plan to put them on here. It just takes too long.
Today we have a dark, dreary, rainy day. I'm kind of enjoying it. I am going to make myself a "to-do list" of things I want to get done before school starts back up. I'm sure it's going to be a big list.
We got home about 6:30 Sunday evening.............just in time to get to Gage's ballgame. We were all beat. Poor Gage had to play catcher the last inning and he didn't catch one single ball. I think he was completely exhausted after chasing all those balls and all the squatting he had to do. A couple of times he nearly fell over when he was getting into his squatting position, so I know he was so tired.
Yesterday the kids started back at Camp Edventure. This session goes for 3 weeks, so not much longer. Gage wasn't very happy when he got home yesterday. He said that he didn't have Miss Moen anymore and he was sad about that. I am too, because I really liked her. He said they put him in with the 4th graders. I learned last night at Emma's ballgame that they have a lot less kids this session and they decreased the number of teachers, so had to rearrange some of the kids. I told Gage that maybe the reason he was put into the 4th graders room is because all of the other stuff was too easy for him. He still wasn't thrilled about it. He said he didn't have anyone to play with at recess. The one kid that he knows, he says is mean to him. Ugh! I suppose if it's going to get to where he doesn't like going, I'll just take both of them out of it. There's only a little bit left though, so we'll see what happens after today.
I got all of my pictures uploaded to Facebook yesterday. It took me all morning to do, but I got all of them labeled and tagged, so I don't plan to put them on here. It just takes too long.
Today we have a dark, dreary, rainy day. I'm kind of enjoying it. I am going to make myself a "to-do list" of things I want to get done before school starts back up. I'm sure it's going to be a big list.
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