Here are some pics from our trip to Indy and the Japanese Hibachi grill we stopped at on the way home. Lots of fun.

Favorite Photo Friday

Happy 4th of July

We are in the middle of Iowa were we spent the night last night. Got a late start since the car was still not ready from the body shop. But all is well now since we are on the road and should arrive in Indy late this afternoon. I think I counted 186.4, "how many minutes until we're there". Yes, I was ready to scream or heavily drug the child but I resisted. I tend to be the driver so I can avoid all the request, referring for wrestling matches and just zone out at the wheel. Rock doesn't seem to mind so it works out well. I also have a hard time relaxing since Rock sleeps best behind the wheel. scary
Rock and the kids are at the pool while I catch a quick blog moment and then it is back to the open road and 'another tank of freedom.'
These are some freedoms I am thankful for...
the ability to worship how I choose, being able to have any job that suits me and choosing my own healthcare, the blessing of sending my kids to any school and educating them how we see fit. And if I want to be a crazy, wacked out live-in-the-hills all natural hippy ~I can (I think I will be saving that option for later). My granddaddy fought in one of the world wars and for that I am thankful. My list is longer but the troops are back and it's time to hit the road.
Many blessings to you and your family as we celebrate our priceless freedoms.

Do you have those days when you feel like this. You just want your mom to to give you a big kiss on the head letting you know that all is right with the world. I feel like this lately. Yes, it is 5 am and I am blogging. I woke up with heartburn and then began to think about all the stuff I need to do to get ready to leave. We head for Indy tomorrow evening.

Why do I struggle with the anxiety related to travel? I know it is really not that big of a deal but still I get all worked up about it. Oh...to be a kid again and just hop in the car ready to go. Find that spot in the back window (days before seat belts) and hunker down for the long haul. I never appreciated my parents enough, do any of us when we are kids. Not a question really.

I know I just need to make a list and then get the stuff done. It's not that hard. I'll do it and I'll get everything ready~forgetting something I am sure (that's why there's a walmart on every corner right!?) We are going to my former home for goodness sake~what's the big deal. The 16 hours on the road! Look for the mommy-van filled with kids, bags and parents and honk and wave if you pass us. We've got a "full tank of freedom" (Rock quote-not mine) and we're not stopping till we get there.

Have a great holiday everyone.

Is that not the cutest face? Remember Parker? This is him at his first birthday eating cake just a few days ago. I just want to kiss those cheeks and I can't get over those gorgeous green eyes like his moms. A few days ago we decided when we will make the Indiana trek to see my family and it is only a week and a half away. I can't wait to see this little guy. Almost everyday I hear all about everything he is doing and listen to him in the background and for the first time I miss a child that isn't mine. I wonder if this is something like what grandparents feel about their grandkids. Maybe. I think that it has been about 3 years since the whole fam has been back there so I suppose it's about time. I just dread the 16+ hour trip with my 'adorable and well behaved' children. It will be worth it.

In the midst of a pitty party I came across this video on another blog I read. You have all probably seen it (I don't watch these shows on TV) but it is worth posting. I got choked up as I watched. It is one of those clips that is so sweet and wonderful. You have to see it.

Almost Father's day

I know that it's almost father's day but this 'Photo Friday' is about mom and her kids...

Have a great weekend. Love to you all.

Summertime Favorites

It's finally raining and I am not acting as a lifeguard for a few hours. I know that about summertime with a pool-just roll with it. Anyway, I have a bit of time on the computer so I decided to post our summertime favorties. Enjoy...

1. Flowers, flowers and more flowers. They are the best in making things outside beautiful.




2. Puppies and kitties. I guess it is more like springtime but we get to enjoy them thru the summertime. There is nothing like sitting on the deck in the evening petting a nice contented kitty (except if you are allergic I guess).




3. Going to the lake. Be it swimming (which I don't do-see http://kimosd.blogspot.com/2006/07/fishing.html ), boating, fishing or whatever, it is always fun to go to a lake.



4. Baseball and softball games. A great way for the kids to let off some steam and have some fun as well as getting to know our neighbors while eating sunflower seeds. That shows true neighborly-ness when you can eat sunflower seeds in front of them.

5. Camping. Need I say more, we love it. Especially in the mountains or in the hills (Black Hills). Awesome family together time.

6. Worm hunts (for the kids-gross!). I think it is self explanatory.

7. Going to the park, any park it doesn't matter. Always lots of fun.

8. Swimming in the pool (suit is optional, I guess). Loads of fun to be had by all.

Well, that's it for me. The rain has stopped and I am back to my post as the lifeguard. Got to get them nice and tired before it is time to head to bed. What are some of your favs?

Caden Rain

Today (Wednesday) was Caden's 7th b-day. It is rather hard for me to believe that so much time has passed. I don't have any babies anymore and everyone is in school now. Woo Hoo!! There were so many days that I longed for this time, imagined what it would be like and now here it is. Everyday has a new experience in it and I am grateful for the family God has given me but I do love some freedom now and then.

I think that in the case for many 2nd borns, they are planned and eagerly awaited. I had a tubal pregnancy between Izy and Caden (the reason for the 4 years) which made his birth very anticipated. Izy was 4 and wanted a sibling and I had gotten over the initial shock of having kids (I got pregnant with Izy 1 month after the honeymoon-accidentally) and was ready to get going with more kids. I don't remember much of the pregnancy except the constant backache I had but I do remember what a happy guy he always was. I would tell people that he was my 'joy'-always smiling and teasing you with those big brown eyes. He loved being around people and was a big flirt!

He has had his ups and downs (I will spare you the details) but despite it all he is one great kid. There are so many things about him that are so unique and wonderful, I just love him. He does try my patience more than I would like to admit but it all comes with the package and I will keep this little guy. He is an amazing boy and despite everything but more importantly-mine.

Doesn't this look idyllic? This is the dream of mine for summertime with the addition of a raft floating in the perfectly temperatured water, a great book and a cool drink. Summertime perfection!

This is actually more like it...kids splashing & jumping, making a huge commotion. The pool is a little different too...bright blue with blue blow up ring. Yes, I do make the joke that we look like that sterotype low-income family with the pool, trampoline, swing set and old camper. Well, not this year! We had the 18" one described before but this past fall we decided to toss the 18" (the ring got a hole I could not find) and spring for a new one. That has been one of my jobs this spring-find a new pool.

After much debate and looking at our budget, I decided on the same type (easy set up) in a metal ring and at a whopping 24" we should be able to accommodate you and all your friends. I spent Saturday putting it together and it has been filling ever since (11,000 gallons takes awhile).

The pool is suppose to be 4 feet deep like our old one but I think that somewhere along the line that number got a bit skewed because this bad-boy is up to my neck and HUGE, for us anyway. It will be perfection next year but this year I think we'll only be able to fill it about 80% or 1/3 of the kids that come and swim won't be able to touch.

It is finished filling now but believe it or not it is 70 outside and no telling how cold the pool is but these crazy kids of mine got into it anyway, mutiple times. Shortly with the solar cover it will warm up and I will get my dream day.

Summer is Here!

Everyone at the farm is gone this week so I got the job of mowing the grass. Here at the farm there is ALOT of grass. We have been having lots of rainy days so I knew that as soon as the rain stopped I would need to mow or it will turn into a jungle. In the morning the rain had stopped and it seemed to dry up a bit so I got to it. It was overcast and the wind was blowing to I put on some grubby shorts and a jacket. It was cold, windy and overcast and I was getting covered in grass so I wasn't too concerned with the sun. Evidently I should have been.

These are my knees and when I say they are hot I am not referring to my sexiness. You can't even imagine how hot my skin is and I took this pic this morning not last night. My forhead looks the same. It is pretty bad next to my pasty white legs. I look like a tourist who didn't know any better except I do know better. I am big on sunscreen so this caught me off guard. The first sunburn of the season always signals summer is here.

Happy 12th Anniversary

Here we are-12 years and three kids later. Rock always says, "it just keeps getting better and better." For the most part I would have to agree. Things were rough when we first got married and I got pregnant one month after the wedding. Wasn't quite ready for that, neither of us were. But I must say that I wouldn't change it now. I'm glad that Izy came into our lives because at that time she was like my best friend-one that keeps you up all night, pulls your hair and spits up on your favorite shirt. Really, it was shortly after Rock's dad passed away and he spent alot of hours working and I had only been living here a few years so Izy and I were two peas in a pod.

Things have changed so much since then and I don't want to repeat any of it but I wouldn't change a thing. I have a tendency to be a realist and I know that hard times are mixed in with the good ones and so I am hoping for more and more good times together as a family. Each and everyone of our kids are such a blessing and I couldn't ask for more. That goes for Rock as well. He is a wonderful, honorable man, one that you can believe what he says. He is one of the rare ones that likes to talk and is a great listener (when he's not too tired). Always the first to apologize, I actually learned to apologize from him and his example. In my family that wasn't one of our strong points growing up. I know that I can trust him and he will be faithful to me and in taking care of our family. As for me, well, we all know that I am perfect and that anybody would be thrilled to have me for a wife and the mother of his kids. Truthfully, Rock is very patient and that is a big bonus for me since I am far from perfect.

We make a good combo and I am thankful for the last 12 years and looking forward to lots more. Thanks for being there babe-love you.

chicken

All of you with these 'chicken fears', do you know that I grew up right outside of town on the 12th hole of a golf course? My parents never let us have any pets and now I have 45 chickens and then some. I have to say that sometimes when they look right at you it is hard not to imagine them jumping on you to peck at you but hey, you press on and they are quite interesting little creatures. They are also quite interesting to watch, especially with 3 different age chickens interacting with each other.

This is one thing that I am not so sure about just yet but we will see. There are a few ornery ones that I wouldn't be so sad about losing so maybe later this summer I will invite you over for a homestyle BBQ

Later I will post some actual pics of my chickens. They are really cute and beautiful, not like the ones on the trucks.

Blanket town update

In case you were wondering what happened last night -they played outside, Pst Steve took Sage and his kids to get milk at a farm and Sage got to drink milk 'from a cow!', poor kid grows up on a farm and doesn't know that is where his milk comes from (where are his parents to teach him these things?!), checked the 42+ chickens, looked for barn cat kitties, hit some balls and played in the hose some more. By the time all this was finished and everyone had a snack and cleaned up they were all so tired they wanted to sleep in their own beds. Yeah for me!! About an hour ago I dismantled the town while everyone was outside playing and I haven't heard a word about it since. I did make them clean up all the little extras on the floor when they got back but all seemed to work out fine. What was I worried about?

Parental Supervision

I guess I am guilty of not providing enough 'parental supervision' because this is what I woke up to this morning. Most mornings about 8:30 I am awakened by someone asking me to get up to ... Not this morning. They were too busy creating a blanket town in my living room. Geez Louise, who told them to use board games to hold the blankets in place? Not me, I never taught them to create a blanket town at all, mainly because I couldn't handle the mess. Evidently this even has different areas for each kid. Wow that Izzy is quite creative.

This whole thing can be chalked up to Izzy who is now out of school and ready to self-entertain. It has already begun, melted chocolate on the cabinets (she was babysitting and they needed something to dip the pretzels in), tissue boxes emptied of all their tissues (she needed them to make beds for the many webkins that live at our house), wet clothes and towels (they were using the hose to spray each other on the tramp, swings and slide) multiple times during the day. Now they want to sleep in the blanket town which I know the results of; no sleeping, but lots of waking mom for 'whatever' the current problem is. Oh how I want to say "No way" but I remember doing it as a kid and how dare I deprive them of this memory. Be proud of me, I have really not said one word about the living room and I pointed that out to Izzy, she said "good job mom".

This is one of the entrances to the blanket town.

Well, "good job mom" to me. I will let them attempt to sleep in it and leave it up until the morning and then we will be done with it. Now if I was a really cool mom I'd sleep in it with them but I'm not, and I am OK with that. Anyway everyone will appreciate it if I get a good nights sleep because in the morning and all day tomorrow I will be much happier.

Now, if only I could get Izzy to be this excited about housework and chores-I won't hold my breath for that one.

Night time visitors

Do you have little 'night time visitors'? It seems that I have had them alot lately. Bad dreams, distrubed sleep, itchy skin, bathroom visit, the list goes on and on. I am not throwing this out there for advice (I know how to kick someone out). I am just mentioning it. When my kids were wee babes we did the 'cry yourself to sleep' method and they were all great sleepers, not perfect but pretty darn close. There is something to be said for walking you baby into their room and they try to dive into bed because they know what's coming. That has got to be the sweetest thing ever, so worth those hours of crying that you have to listen to in the beginning. Anyway, I digress...my night time visitors are bigger, wiggiler and sometimes have the worst breath ever!

I don't know about you but my light sleeping days seem to be over and when I go to bed I fall into a 'mom coma', you know that sleep that comes when you are so tired (it's also sooo late) and you know you will not wake until morning, hopefully rested and having had a brain transplant of some sort, you will be a happier, more cheery version of yourself. I have still to completely experience all of these things but I still have hope. These night time visits have been disturbing my whole plan and I am beginning to resent it.

Don't get me wrong, I have sympathy when 'Mr. Toast' is chasing you with a large knife trying to butter you so he can have you for lunch or you are sure that some sort of monster that I promise, promise, promise, promise, promised,...last night was not there has now show himself and mommy is a liar and deserves to have you sleep right next to her all night kicking her in the back and breathing in her face. I am sure I did not sigh up for this part either. And were does it say that daddy sleeps all night seemingly undisturbed by the nights entire events? Although if by chance he does wake up (it's when I am still awake from the last episode and I fake 'mom coma' so they will go to him) I have to hear about his 'heroic' efforts to calm them and get them back to sleep. Here's a 'bozo' button to pin on that big chest of yours and thanks for all the help all the other 20+ times they got up.

Last night was no different. Feet and knees in my back and arms draped over my neck only to have the sleeping husband decided that he also needs some cuddle time and there I am stuck in the middle. I hate being in the middle, I hate to be hot when I am sleeping and I definately like my space. I lay there steaming, tempted to slip out and go sleep in one of the empty kids beds but I am sure I won't get away without being detected. Alas, what is a mom to do...don't answer that!

Hello there blogging world!

Hello there everyone, I am back for a second time, hopefully no more internet problems. For Mother's Day I asked (sort of demanded) we get 'hooked up' properly and the big man gave in. Now when there is a problem with it I won't have to call him all the time, just call the provider.

This is how I feel right now. Like the little odd ball in life trying to catch up, cute but odd none the less. I don't want this blog to be all complaining, even though sarcastic, humor filled complaining is much more bearable than regular griping. My intentions were to document or diary a part of my life so I suppose it has, booby purse and all.

I could draw endless analogies with this poor sad fellow but I will spare you and just say that I am looking forward to brighter days and happier times. I could use a bit of that, I bet you could too. Sunny days, flowers, backyard grilling, pool time, etc... time that is lighter.

So here's to the days ahead and a good summer, inspite of the bumps in the road. I do plan to blog a bit more now...until then.

Remember Me?

Hey everybody, does anyone still read this non-existent blog? I suppose not since there is nothing to read.

Well, for now I am connected again. I have said this many times but I am convinced that if a man (who shall remain nameless) had been without all this time, I would not be without. I have to be fair, he has been making calls but he is dealing with more men.

Thank God he gave us the more patient heart or I would be even more looney than I am now. It's great being back online but now I am so crabby and irritated that I have nothing inspiring to say. My life is still running along it's crazy path of insanity and I am trudging right along. Spring is here and my life is filled with new babies; 30 baby chicks, 4 new baby kittys, friends with new babies, etc. It is exciting and fun but more craziness non the less. School is about to be out which I am dreading and I am having self-esteem issues regarding my mothering abilities. You know, just the usual stuff. So in the midst of all the junk I am looking for that still small voice to carry me thru. I know he's there I just need a new battery for my hearing aid.

I will be trying to catch up with everyone and stay in touch so let me know you are out there.

No I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. Sometimes I wish but...Our internet went out during that last snow storm and I am waiting for the new modem to arrive so we can be connected once again. I miss all of you and I will catch up ASAP. Later.

Happy Easter Everyone! All is getting better all the time here on my homefront and I am trying to be positive. Most of the time I am a bit moody (not new information!) but yesterday and today I feel great! Probably due to the lack of illness and the sense of spring coming. More importantly I want to be thankful for what this day represents. A beautiful and priceless gift that none other could give. Take a moment and look around and as you soak it all in for that brief second, be thankful for what you have been given...we are so blessed.