Thursday 11 September 2008

My Favorite Quote of the Day

Apple: "C-Ray, you have to wait until I get my cow hat on, THEN you can milk me!"

I could try to explain it, but there are just no words...

Thursday 4 September 2008

Short (but eventful) Trip to Minnesota

So we decided to make a quick trip to Minnesota for Labor Day weekend. Mack's car that he leased before we moved needed to be returned, so we decided it just made sense to go then, what with the holiday and all.

Mack took the three big kids in his car and I took Little One with me in the van, which was a fair trade since the air conditioning in the van (which we already got fixed one time this summer) has decided not to work again so we got to make the trip with the windows down. I am much more okay with being hot than Mack is, so I volunteered to drive the van, and he wisely countered with an offer to take the three kids who don't scream at the top of their lungs for the duration of any road trip. I was on my own with Little One the screamer (who actually did okay this time- she figured out pretty quickly that she couldn't hear herself over the wind noise). I was a little nervous, because one of the rear tires on the van was a little iffy, but I was determined to just make the best of it. Just in case, we stopped to get gas and a can of Fix-A-Flat for the iffy tire. We forgot one thing after another and ended up "checking out" three times.

We arrived in Minnesota and spent the night with Uncle M and Aunt J (Mack's older brother and sister-in-law). First thing Sunday morning, Mack went out to his car to go get muffins for breakfast for everyone. He discovered that his car had been broken into and the kids' portable DVD players stolen. Upon filing the police report, we were told that we were the 8th call that morning from that area with a car break-in. We hung out for a bit, then decided to make our way to the state fair. We had a good time, except Faithie kept complaining about a headache all day. It was hot out and she had ridden some rides, so I more or less ignored her complaints, telling her she needed to drink more water. When we were just about ready to leave, I actually really LOOKED at her for the first time, and her eyes were glassy. I felt her face and knew she had a fever (Even though Mack told me I was crazy. I felt like Marie on "Everybody Loves Raymond" who can feel the fevers that no one else can). Sure enough, we arrived back at Uncle M and Aunt J's and I found she had fever almost 101- poor thing, we dragged her around in the heat at the fair all day when she really wasn't feeling well.

On Monday, we made the long, hot, windy drive home :) It was fairly uneventful, except for Peanut getting stung by a bee that flew into the van. Much screaming ensued, but thankfully she wasn't allergic (it was her first sting so there was no way to know how she would react to it). We arrived home to two still-living parakeets and Wife breathed a big sigh of relief.

On the plus side, we got to spend time with Uncle M and Aunt J, which is always a welcome event! And the "guys" got to watch the first Husker game together, which was nice for them. And, the kids had not yet seen their new baby girl, (yet to be blog-named), who is two months old now. They were quite taken with their new cousin, and can't wait for her to be big enough to play with!

Maiden Voyage of Our New Backyard Patio and Firepit

So the back part of our backyard used to be a huge patch of "native grasses and wildflowers." Thanks to my great gardening skills, it turned into a huge patch of weeds under my care! It drove me crazy, so this summer we tore it all out and had a lannonstone patio laid and firepit built. It turned out really nice and we have really enjoyed using it the past month. Most of these pics are more focused on the firepit itself, rather than the people, for the benefit of family members who have been asking to see pictures of our little project.

The whole crew

Marshmallows!
Notice the intense concentration on those little faces!