THE WILDER FAMILY

BOOKENDED BY ROYALS AND TERRORISM

2011-05-03T14:40:00.002-06:00

During the time that I’ve been on ‘blog hiatus’, many times I’ve thought, ‘oh, I’ll definitely blog about this’. And then I don’t. I feel like I’m not keeping up enough with the blog so I just don’t write at all. Maybe there’s a happy medium. I do like to write, and I still keep my little journal at home, however, with our crazy schedule there’s just no way to commit to writing several times a week. I guess I need to be OK with just updating when I can. So that’s my goal. When something strikes me, I’ll let you know.

This past weekend was Sydney’s 7^th birthday. This is not a well known date in history, but it seems as if there’s always something going on around her birthday. On the exact day she was born- April 30, 2004 –Ken and I watched TV from my hospital room as the United States media outlets released graphic photos of American soldiers abusing and sexually humiliating Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison. The country was in an uproar and an in-depth investigation began headlining the news for many months to follow (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Ghraib_torture_and_prisoner_abuse). While there haven’t been any major events on or around her birthday for the past few years, this year was a big exception!

Headlines from Friday, April 29, 2011:

· http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2011/royal.wedding/?iref=allsearch

· http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/29/live-updates-the-royal-wedding/?scp=3&sq=prince%20william&st=cse

· http://www.people.com/people/package/0,,20395222,00.html

I know some people think it’s silly, but I can admit and own up to the fact and I am fascinated by all things Royal. I loved Princess Diana and have watched her and Prince Charles’ wedding too many times to count. I wanted to dress like her. I jumped on the ‘I hate Camilla’ bandwagon when it became very apparent that Charles was seeing her even though still married to Diana. I was ‘Team Diana’ all the way when she and Charles divorced. I loved the fact that she was making her own way in the world and seemed to be finally discovering true happiness in the world. I mourned along with the rest of the world on the night that she was killed- I can tell you everything about that night: where I had been, what was on TV when it was interrupted with the news, etc. And I sobbed as I sat up all night to watch the funeral. I was 5 when Charles and Diana were married. Sydney was 6 when William and Kate were married. I hope this is something she is interested in as well so it can be something we share. There are so many bad things in the world that this is something fun and happy to remember. I can’t wait to watch William and Kate forge a new and modern approach to the monarchy.

Sunday evening, after a long birthday weekend, things were winding down and we were at the neighbors’ house. Sydney was playing with the girls and I was watching TV with my friend when a text came through on her phone from another one of our friends: ‘We got Osama’. What? We initially didn’t think anything of it- blowing it off as a joke or something like that. Then, texts started coming through on my phone from the CNN Breaking News feeds that I subscribe to:

· Osama bin Laden is dead.

· Congressional and administration officials tell CNN Osama bin Laden is dead.

· Osama bin Laden killed at a compound in Abbottabad Pakistan, after a firefight, President Obama said Sunday.

· US Navy Seals were involved in mission that killed Osama bin Laden, a senior defense official said

· Osama bin Laden was shot in the head during a U.S. raid, a congressional source familiar with the operation says.

· Osama bin Laden has been buried at sea, a U.S. official says.

· A DNA match confirms Osama bin Laden was killed, a senior administration official tells CNN.

We immediately turned off the movie we had been watching and were instantly glued to the TV. Images of bin Laden, 9/11, Ground Zero, the White House, and many others were splashed all over the screen. The world’s MOST WANTED terrorist has been killed. The one most of us thought would never be found, had not only been found, but had been terminated. I am a very proud American, but that extra sense of pride and love for your country that only comes along once in a while was presenting itself that night. Does my daughter know who bin Laden is? No. But she knows we killed the bad guy. She may not understand the situation now, but someday she will read about it in her history books. And it makes me pretty happy that she never really has to know who bin Laden is, as his reign of terror is over. I understand that inevitably someone else will come along- someone just as crazy, or crazier, than he. But for now, the world feels a little safer.

2011 is a birthday year we will never forget.

HIATUS

2011-01-28T08:45:00.001-06:00

I'm not doing a great job of keeping up the blog. I'm officially on hiatus. You can keep up with us and check out new recipes for your family at the 'other' blog Monday Night Morsels.

JANUARY 4

2011-01-04T15:05:00.003-06:00

Just one of the few pictures I took on the New Orleans trip-from-hell. Clowns are creepy. This one was no exception as it towered over me at probably 10 feet tall. I liked the vivid colors though.

JANUARY 3

2011-01-04T15:03:00.002-06:00

The very last school day at Menlo Elementary. They 'left their mark' on the walls of that old building.

JANUARY 2

2011-01-04T15:02:00.002-06:00

He's aiming, what of it?

JANUARY 1

2011-01-04T15:01:00.001-06:00

DAILY PHOTO

2011-01-04T14:59:00.000-06:00

Because I’ve been SUPER bad keeping up with the blog, I’ve decided to try a new twist on it for the new year- that will hopefully help me keep up better. I take SO many pictures that I think I’m going to try to post a picture a day. That way some days I might just post a picture and other days I might post something to go along with the picture. Right now I have a few days to catch up on, so here goes!

HOMECOMING WEEK

2010-09-23T11:51:00.011-06:00

I have to admit it...I've always loved the 'theme' weeks for Homecoming. I liked to go all out in high school. But now, it seems the elementary school students get into it just as much. This made me very happy. Sydney had I had a great week figuring out outfits for the days. Here are our materpieces.

Day 1: Western Day

Day 2: Pajama Day

Day 3: Baseball Day

Day 4: Disney Day

Complete with Princess Bun

Day 5: SPIRIT Day

CATCHING UP

2010-09-07T09:44:00.009-06:00

Ho-hum...I recently realized I have a LOT of catching up to do as far as blogging goes! Some of it may be kind of backward, but I'll do my best. Sydney started 1st grade last week and is loving it so far!

Of course we had to do the 'first day of school hair-do' picture:

Obligatory First Day of School picture with Jadon Wilson at the bus stop:

And, getting off the bus at school:

This is Sydney and her good friend Alexis discovering that their lockers are RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER this year:

FATHER'S DAY BOATING

2010-06-21T14:55:00.010-06:00

Grandpa got a new boat recently and wanted to take Sydney and Jasper out for their first ride on Father's Day as well. We ate our lunch, took some naps, and headed out to Lake San-Roy so the kids could try it out.

Sydney got a little scared when the engine 'died' as soon as we took off from shore. But, Adam was able to get it going after a few minutes and she ended up having a good time. Jasper enjoyed himself very much, but it's sometimes hard to tell when he's doing his 'very serious concentrating' face.

We did a little fishing.

Then Gram and Gramps took the boat out for a little spin together too.

FATHER'S DAY FISHING 2010

2010-06-21T14:45:00.010-06:00

In keeping with tradition, the 'Dads' got up early on Sunday to go on their annual 'Father's Day Fishing' excursion. Adam, Nat, and Jasper came out Saturday night and spent the night at Mom and Dad's so Adam could get up early and go with the boys also. This year the group was bigger than normal...it was: Adam, Grandpa Paul, Ken, John Wilson, Dave, Chuck Benedict, John Doud, Pat Doud, Cliff Powell, and Jeff Sherman. They headed out at 5am to the lake in Greenfield. They spent the morning fishing and Grandma, Me, and Nat hung out with the kids at Grams house.

The boys called a little after noon and said they were on their way home. When they got home Syd and Jasper were excited to see the fish bounty.Before lunch, the fish cleaning had to be taken care of. Sydney and Jasper were very interested to see the insides of the fish, and even held one up befrore Grandpa fillet'd it.Happy Father's Day to our favorite boys and dads!

GOOD EGG DAYS

2010-06-21T14:41:00.006-06:00

Good Egg Days was held again this year on Father's Day weekend. We didn't do much in the park, but we did watch the parade and spent some time uptown at the carnival. Barb and I took Syd, Sam, and Noah uptown together...and even though the carnival was a bit lackluster this year, they enjoyed themselves all the same.

POPSICLES WITH GRAMPS

2010-06-21T14:37:00.003-06:00

FIRST CONCERT!

2010-05-27T09:51:00.008-06:00

For Sydney's birthday, we got her tickets to the Taylor Swift concert. It took a while for it to all sink in, especially after we got there. After every song she kept saying 'Is she going to sing another one, or is that all?' Then she would screeeeeeeeam like all the rest of the little girls around her.

We went with Katie Powell and her daughter Breanna. The girls had an awesome time, but were pooped after the show! We left a few minutes early so we wouldn't get stuck in traffic.

The tickets we got were in the 17th rown, on the floor in the middle section. They were awesome, and at one point in the show, Taylor walked right by us. She was about 3 feet away and I though Sydney might pass out. Unfortunately, with all the commotion, I wasn't able to get a picture of her when she was that close. But I did get some other random awesome photos just because of how close we were.

WILDCAT PRIDE

2010-05-27T09:44:00.005-06:00

This year the Spring Concert theme was 'Wildcat Pride'. The entire show was written by Jay Peasley (the music teacher, Mrs. Taylor's, brother). He did a great job, and the kids love singing his songs. They ended the evening with the school song.

I scored a fabulous deal on e-bay for the perfect dress for Syd to wear for the concert. Chasta had some ribbon that matched the dress, so I stuck that in her hair. I must say, she looked great!

Sydney tried out for one of the 'group solo' parts in the concert, and she got it! Here she is stepping up to the mic for her part of the show...

GYMNASTICS MEET 2010

2010-05-20T12:16:00.009-06:00

Sydney advanced to Beginning: Level II this year in her gymnastics classes. She has come so far, even from last year! She really likes it, and is going to continue to go to classes during the summer- mostly for something to do.

Saturday, May 8th was her Gymnastics Meet at the Adel High School. She did very well. We are so proud of how much she has learned!

Getting ready- and a pep talk from Lori!

Cartwheel!

Backroll...

Full turn jump...

Headstand

Great job Syd!

CLOSURE

2010-05-09T21:04:00.001-06:00

Because of all the snow and cold in December, we did not have Grandpa Bob’s burial right after the funeral. Because his birthday would have been tomorrow (May 10th), and because we wanted him to be buried before Memorial Day, the date for the burial was set for Saturday, May 8th. It has been unusually cold the past week or so, and Saturday was no exception. We headed out to the Catholic cemetery, all bundled up, and ready to say our final good-byes. I was not feeling emotional at all, until I stepped foot out of the car. Then all the emotions I felt in December, when he first passed away, came flooding back to me.

Seeing the headstone, that I had seen many times before, but this time a new date had been added to Grandpa’s side, was harder than I thought it would be.

I still love their stone as much as I did the first time I saw it. They took a rock from the farm and had it cut in half. They left the back in its rough, original condition. When you walk up and down the rows of the cemetery, theirs is identifiable even before you see the name. Unique. Different from everyone else. A little rough and weathered on the outside, but smooth and soft and beautiful on the inside. Appropriate. The same way I saw Grandpa.

The 21-gun salute. Also so appropriate. A group of men that Grandpa had stood alongside so many times, now paying tribute to one of their own. It represented so many different things, to me. Those men are the ‘old guys’ that I grew up with. Almost all of them, at one time or another, have spent time in a ‘sittin’ chair’ and Dad’s store. I’ve watched them go from being my Dad’s age, to now being elderly. They are farmers, veterans, grandfathers, and friends. I’m so proud to know them all. And I’m proud to have been the Granddaughter of one of them as well. And now again, writing this, my emotions are running high. I’m writing a post through tears that I began thinking would be an easy one.

I suppose it’s bound to be this way. What do you say to, or about, someone that was a constant in your life for 33 years? Maybe not always a loud force, but strong and silent nonetheless. Always there.

I was fortunate. When I was born I had 6 (yes, 6!) Grandmas. 2 are still living, and the 4 that have passed lived long enough that I remember them all. However, I only had 2 Grandpas. One died too early, when I was only 3 1/2. That left Grandpa Bob. Somehow, not surprisingly, he was able to fill the shoes and keep up with those 6 Grandmas. Don’t get me wrong, I still sometimes mourn the loss of Grandpa Diddy, and what might have been. But, Grandpa Bob was enough. I’m not sure how he did it, but he just was.

A TESTAMENT TO OUR MARRIAGE

2010-05-09T20:27:00.001-06:00

It is my own personal opinion that, when a newly engage couple goes to visit their pastor/minister/rabbi/whatever for their ‘pre-marriage counseling’ that he or she takes them through all the necessary steps and the says, ‘OK, you passed. That was the easy part. You have one final task. Here is a giant trampoline in a box. Including an enclosure. Take it home. Put it together…as a couple. Come back tomorrow, and let me know how that went.’

Ken and I got Sydney a trampoline for her birthday. Because there is only one of her, we decided she probably didn’t need the 12 foot tramp and just went with the 8 foot one. We began putting it together around 5:30pm and ended….well, let’s just say it was after dark. One of us would have to keep jumping in front of the motion light so that we could see what we were doing.

Ken loves to look at the ‘picture on the box’ and make his attempt at assembly that way. I, on the other hand, like to read directions and follow them, step-by-step, to a T. You can imagine how well this usually works out for us. However, after dumping out the box and looking at all the pieces (and realizing that his daughter could potentially end up injured if he were to make a mistake in assembly), Ken decided that using the directions was probably warranted, in this instance.

I am proud to say that Ken and I would have passed this portion of the pre-marriage test with flying colors. There was grunting, sweating, and maybe one or two cuss words, but we got ‘er done! In one evening.

Sydney was patient. Sort of. Not really. But, sort of. When Ken and I were laying on the ground, in very flattering positions, Sydney grabbed my camera off the patio and began snapping away. Ken figured out what she was doing and was able to bring himself to a halfway decent position… I, on the other hand… Not so much.

We let her jump a little bit before we put the enclosure on. If anyone ever needs any help or direction assembling a trampoline for your kids… ask someone else.

THE BIG 6!

2010-05-06T11:58:00.006-06:00

Friday, April 30th was Sydney's 6th birthday. I was working on a huge event here at work and was unable to get away on that day to take treats to Sydney's class. However, since Ken is working nights, he's home during the afternoons and was more than happy to take a visit to Mrs. Jones' kindergarten class.

Thursday night I made the 'tie-dye' cupcakes that has become tradition with Sydney. This year I used the 'neon' food coloring instead of the plain food coloring, and boy, were those cupcakes bright! I didn't take any pictures this year, unfortunately.

Sydney wore her favorite outfit (of the moment) to school on Friday. The pink shirt and ruffly skirt with matching flip-flops.
She got her birthday crown, and once again, the cupcakes were a huge success!

SOCCER - SPRING 2010

2010-04-29T15:36:00.003-06:00

Soccer season is underway! Sydney has developed more aggressiveness and skills and is very much enjoying the soccer season thus far...of course it couldn't be because she is on the same team as one of her 'besties' Jadon Wilson.

Games one and two were last weekend. Unfortunately, the first game they played was against 'THE' team. Let's just say that this team is comprised of ALL males (in a league that requires the teams to be co-ed), a team that puts one kid directly in front of the goal at ALL times (in a league that is 3-on-3 and you are not allowed to have a goalie), a team that allows the older brother (I'd say he's 10-12ish) to REFEREE the game (and the whole time he's giving directions to, and yelling at, the kids on his team...not to mention constantly getting in the way of the players), and a team that has parents that are all-around bad sports. Sydney and her 2 teammates were fine as they have dealt with this team before. However, the 4th player on their team, a newbie and preschool age girl, had never played soccer before and didn't enjoy her first experience against Team Yellow. She jumped out of the game onto her daddy's lap and that's where she stayed the rest of the game.

This left Team Purple with only 3 players so no one really got a break.

I'm proud to say...even though we don't keep score, we beat them 2 to 0.

SUCK ON THAT Team Yellow!

The 2nd game went much better for Team Purple as we played Team Gray that is comprised of 100% preschool age kids that are only playing in their 2nd soccer season. We creamed them, sadly. Sydney scored her first 2 goals of the season and was very proud of herself! We even convinced Teammate #4 to jump back in for game 2 and she ended up doing a great job as well.

I know, I know. Common sense would tell us to mix up the teams more evenly. Try to convince some of the parents of that. Oh well, I guess we deal with those kind of people for the rest of our lives...might as well get Sydney started now.

Game 3 was last night and we played Team Gray once again. To make it a teensy bit more fair, we played them 2 against 3. Sadly, it didn't make much difference. Although they all had a good time as both teams are made up of really good sports (and parents with good sportsmanship).

For anyone interested, the remainder of Syd's games are:

Saturday, May 1st @ 10:30 and 11am
Saturday, May 8th @ 10am (Sydney is not actually playing this date because of Grandpa Bob's burial and her Gymnastics meet)
Saturday, May 15th @ 11 and 11:30am

POETRY PARADE

2010-04-29T15:31:00.006-06:00

The Kindergarten class worked very hard on learning tons of different poem throughout this past semester. On Friday, April 9, they put on a program for parents and grandparents. They recited all the poems they had learned and held up chracters that corresponded with their poems. Sydney was paired with her friend Alexis. They did a great job.

After the poems, they sang some songs for us.

The kids have also been working on reading skills, so they grabbed some books and went to read to their visitors. I'm amazed how much Sydney has progressed, in just the past 2 months!

It was a fun afternoon and a great way for the kids to show off all their hard work!

EASTER PART III: SUNDAY AFTERNOON

2010-04-09T11:50:00.007-06:00

We have some great friends that live just around the corner from us. They are orignally from Texas and don't have any other family members that live here in Iowa. We decided to do Easter lunch together since we had celebrated with our family the day before. We had a great time even though Chasta was feeling a little under the weather.

We had homemade lasagna, garlic bread, fresh green beans, and apple and cherry pie for dessert!

We took over our 'Hilbilly Golf' game and after the half hour that it took for Ken and Phil to put it together...

we actually got to play a few games! Phil and Chasta were newbies to this game and they really enjoyed it. I think I know what Phil is getting for Father's Day this year!

The girls did a little Easter Egg hunt and played on the trampoline.

HAPPY EASTER!

EASTER PART 2: SUNDAY MORNING

2010-04-05T13:20:00.005-06:00

Sydney woke up Sunday morning only to find her Easter Basket had been filled while she was sleeping! She got: Alvin & The Chipmunks Soundtrack CD, Princess & the Frog dress-up outift, an Easter Book, and some candy! She was very excited!We went to church and Syd wore her new brown polka-dot bubble dress from Target. It looked SO cute on her and she got bunches and bunches of compliments.

EASTER PART 1: GRAM & GRAMPS HOUSE

2010-04-05T11:48:00.017-06:00

We celebrated Easter with the family on Saturday so that Adam and Nat could spend time with Nat's family on Sunday. The weather was sunny, warm-ish, and BREEZY! But, that didn't stop us from having a great day.

The kids got Easter baskets from Gram and Gramp. Sydney got the Alvin & the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel movie and Jasper got new rain boots. They both also got candy, of course.

After a quick lunch we colored Easter Eggs. Jasper wasn't really interested in the eggs last year, but this year was a whole different story! He was very pick about the color he wanted each time and he would remind his mom each time she took his spoon away that he needed it back.

Sydney was into coloring as usual. She did a great job and spent a lot of her time laughing at the silly things Jasper was saying.

After the coloring of the eggs, Jasper's nap, and some serious Barbie playing by Nat and Syd, we had an Easter Egg hunt. Jasper was into it the first time around, but coulnd't be bothered with it after that. There are more important things to do at the farm...like ride 4-wheelers with Daddy.

After we hid the eggs for Syd a couple times, she took her turn and hid them for Grandpa. And then helped him find them.

After a wonderful supper, there was lots of playing, wrestling, reading, laughing, and hiding. Before we left, we all enjoyed some angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream!

OPERATION: SURPRISE 30TH BIRTHDAY PARTY

2010-04-05T11:25:00.025-06:00

Adam's 30th Birthday was actually on Easter this year. Natalie wanted to surprise him and did a great job organizing the event! She had her aunt Jodi pretend to be planning a 50th party for her husband...even making and sending an invitation for the 'fake' party to Adam and Nat's house. I knew he didn't have a clue because I'm pretty sure if he did, he would have asked me about it at some point.

It was at the shelter house in Centennial Park in Waukee. Surprise!!

Lots of people came out to help celebrate and the weather, despite being a little chilly, held out for us making for a very nice evening.

The dinner crowd...

We missed out on Christmas with the Diddy side this year because it was on the same day as Grandpa Bob's funeral. The Hancock's had Jasper's name in the kid drawing and held on to his present this whole time. He loved it. And spend the rest of the night wearing his fireman hat, carrying his ax, and randomly shouting 'we-ooo we-ooo we-ooo!'.We stopped the kids from running around just long enough to snap a family picture.Adam got lots of nice (and funny) presents from everyone.Jasper learned how to tap a keg.

Other random shots from the night...

MANNEQUIN-IZED

2010-04-01T07:53:00.006-06:00

Seen the Old Navy mannequin commercials? Now you can make yourself into one...

Melissa

Ken

Kyren

Sydney

LOOKIN' SPIFFY!

2010-03-16T08:10:00.005-06:00

We had Jasper spend the night on Saturday, so I decided to be brave and take them both to church Sunday morning. Jasper did just fine with the help of Sydney, some John Deere Fruit Snacks, and 'Bah-Bees' (Barbie's) to play with.

Take 1 (Eyes Closed)Take 2 (Cat in the way)

Take 3 (Not too shabby!)

GO DOG, GO

2010-03-16T08:04:00.003-06:00

Sydney has progressed so much in her reading lately. She picked up 'Go Dog, Go' this weekend and could read a huge part of it. Jasper soaked it all in...

PINE TREE PERFUME?

2010-03-15T15:08:00.002-06:00

Sydney has managed to inherit almost all of my weird little idiosyncrasies, including the one where I'm a wee bit obsessed with smelling things. All things. OK, I take that back. Most things. So, of course, she spends more time smelling the scented markers than actually coloring with them.

Sydney takes the lid off the green marker, holds it to her nose, and her eyes just light right up.

'Mom! Smell this one...I didn't know they had this kind of smell!!'

'Oh yhea, OK, let me see...' I smell the marker. In my professional smelling opinion...a little pine tree-ish, a little something else that I can't put my finger on.

'SEE?'

'See what?'

'Did you know this one smelled like that?'

'Like what?'

'You know...like Grandpa. It smells like Grandpa...like his pillow, or like his body smells. Not stinky like after work, but like he smells when he gets out of the shower. You know?!'

I don't know that I agree with her on this one, but it makes me happy all the same. It was such a sweet moment and it made her so happy that I couldn't help be emotional about it. I guess it's one of those times where having a quirk like smelling things isn't so bad. I have it too. There are 3 smells that remind me of my Great-Grandma Wilson who I loved SO much. I almost can't smell them without tearing up: 1. Palmolive Dish Soap, 2. Strawberry Milk Mix, and 3. Pink Avon Bubble Bath.

VALENTINE'S DAY 2010

2010-02-18T16:20:00.008-06:00

We all got in the spirit...

Sydney got a new 'Princess and the Frog' stocking hat and gloves, the Uno Moo game, some heart shaped 'peeps', as well as the glasses and the headband. She was thrilled.

I got flowers at work from Ken. They were a beautiful spring bouquet...reminding me once again how much I cannot wait for Spring to get here!

HOMEMADE VALENTINES

2010-02-18T16:18:00.002-06:00

Syd and I got crafty and made a couple Valentine's of our own. They were very easy to do. We took blank notecards and cut out a red square for the background. Sydney cut out strips of green for the stem and 3 green 'ovals' for the leaves. We used a cupcake paper for the flower part and cut out pictures of her to put inside. Very cute!!

KINDERGARTEN VALENTINE'S DAY PARTY

2010-02-18T16:14:00.007-06:00

Here is Sydney, ready to go to school on the day of her Valentine's Day party.
Complete with a heart hair-do.
The stash she came home with, and the 2 boxes she decorated, 1 for school and 1 at Cyndi's Daycare.

CLOWN FACE

2010-02-18T15:24:00.003-06:00

If you'll recall, Sydney got a makeup table/vanity for Christmas from Santa. Her friend Brinn came to visit a couple weeks ago. The girls had a blast playing with the makeup/polish/vanity and they even convinced Brinn's brother, Cael, to get his 'face done' as well.

TALLER THAN THE CAR

2010-02-18T15:18:00.005-06:00

The 'back way' to Mom & Dad's house has always been a bad road during the winter. Drifts cover most of it, and being that it is a 'Level B' maintenence road, it's always last on the county's list for plowing. This makes it impassible lots of the time and then only one lane after it is plowed. Nat & Jasper came to visit Syd & I for the afternoon 2 Sunday's ago since Ken had to work and Adam was feeling under the weather. Dad suggested we make the trek on their road to get some pictures of the kids on the big drifts. Sydney wasn't so sure about getting up there at first, but once Grandpa made his way up there, she quickly followed suit.

SLEDDING

2010-02-18T15:13:00.007-06:00

Really? Has is really been almost a month since my last post?? I think there must be a typo somewhere.

Jasper, Nat, and Adam were out for the afternoon a couple weeks ago. Grandpa built the kids a 'sledding hill' in the driveway because the snow was (is) still too deep to try and walk down to the hill at Potter's to sled. They are both still little enough that they had a blast and the hill was just the right size for them...and for us adults too!

BUT...SOME OF THE FROST IS PRETTY

2010-01-28T08:48:00.005-06:00

CAN YOU FEEL THE LOVE TONIGHT?

2010-01-28T08:34:00.005-06:00

Ugh. I feel so out of it. This winter weather is taking it's toll on me - just as it is everyone else. I've NEVER missed so much work, and, if the Farmer's Almanac is correct, we're not done yet:

February 3-7: Rain to snow storm, possibly 14-18 inches. February 13-19: Snow, then sunny and cold. Temperature average: 26 degrees (3 below normal).

Dear Lord Baby Jesus. Please. No.

With the amount of snow we have now, Sydney is able to walk up the drift, over the top of our deck, and down the slope on the other side. That's just not right. This is what we're working with:

In other news...last weekend Ken took Sydney to her first Broadway musical. They went to the Civic Center and saw The Lion King. They had a great time and Sydney can't stop talking about Simba, his dad, and his uncle. And how his uncle killed his dad. And, why? Why would he do that? I'm pretty sure this was Ken's first broadway experience as well and I think he enjoyed himself just as much as Sydney did. And, of course, Sydney convinced her dad she needed some souveneirs, so she came home with a stuffed Simba, a t-shirt, and a full-color commemorative program. Along with a half-eaten $10 chocolate chip cookie.

HAPPY 2010

2010-01-08T16:58:00.007-06:00

Sydney and Jasper had a slumber party at Grandma and Grandpa's house while their respective parents got to have a night out on the town with friends.

Ken and I went with our group to Des Moines for supper at the Samurai Steakhouse. It's a new hibachi-style grill resturant with great steak, chicken, salmon, and sushi. We had a large group (18 people!), so they put us in a private room, which worked out great. Some of us (not me, of course) can get a little loud at times.

Our cook was doing double-duty that night because they were so busy due to it being New Year's Eve, so he had to cook on both grills. He did a great job and performed a few tricks for us. Here he is catching the egg on top of his head/hat.

We all got to take our turns catching veggies in our mouth as well.

Brian caught his on the first try...and Luann, well, Luann just has a big mouth:

After dinner we headed back to Stuart and all met up and Mike & Courtney Johnson's house. We drank some wine, played some 'Band Hero', ate some munchies, laughed, and drank some more. It was a great time and they were very gracious hosts.

We had a champagne toast at midnight and we couldn't have asked for a better way to ring in 2010! We have awesome friends and we love you all!

WILSON FAMILY CHRISTMAS 09

2010-01-08T16:51:00.008-06:00

Even though we didn't get to be together on Christmas Day, we made up for it and still had a great time together. Among other things:

Adam got the 'Wilderness Family Trilogy'. You're Welcome.

Natalie got a Snuggie.

Dad got a Wii fishing game that all the boys liked.

Jasper got tractors.

Sydney got outfits for her Build-A-Bear animals.

Mom did NOT get a pepper grinder.

Ken got a battery charger.

I got a jewelry armoire.

But, most importantly, we all got to be together. We had a great meal and great fun!

DECEMBER 26, 2009

2009-12-30T11:46:00.001-06:00

I said earlier that Christmas this year seemed a little off. The main reason for that is due to the passing of Grandpa Bob. He left us on Sunday, December 20th and we said our final good-byes on Saturday, December 26th.

The visitation was at the Catholic Church from 9am to 10:30am. Rosary was said between 10:30 and 11am, and then the service started at 11:00am. Funny stories were told, Father Ray did a wonderful service, the music was beautiful, and of course, some tears were shed. The church was still decorated for Christmas and it couldn’t have looked better. Grandpa was adamant when he got sick that everything be kept ‘personal’ when he did pass away. His headstone was made from a big rock found at the farm a number of years ago and his remains will forever be encased in a urn made by his grandson, my cousin, Scott Sherman. Scott did an excellent job on this tough project left to him, and Grandpa Bob would be very proud of the final product. It is beautiful. 2 readings from the Bible were done by my aunt and cousin, Roni Wilson and Lori Sherman. The gifts were given by my 3 cousins, Dave Wilson, Erin Wilson, and Rhea Schirm. I was told that it is customary during a Catholic funeral for someone from the family to get up and thank everyone for coming. Then I was asked to be that person. I didn’t want to ramble on all day, but did manage to come up with a few sentences to say that I thought were appropriate. I made it through, but barely. My brother had to follow me and was asked to read a passage from Grandpa Bob’s favorite poem. He also made it through and did a great job. My cousin, Jeremiah Wilson, was left to present the flag to Grandma Rita, and this was a very emotional scene for us all.

After the service there was a lunch at the church. We visited, shared stories, and watched a video with pictures of Grandpa Bob. It was a hard day for all of us, but I’m so thankful that everyone was able to be there and to be there for each other.

There were lot of lovely flowers and there were three that are very special and mean a lot to me. Ken’s work, the Union sent these: Kyren and his family sent a red begonia with a nice personal note: And, my wonderful friends, who have been so supportive and understanding and who I love SO much, sent this beautiful rubber plant with peach carnations:

I have so much more to say and would like to share more pictures of Grandpa Bob, but for now I will leave it at this: When I was born I had 6 Grandmothers and 2 Grandfathers. My Grandpa Paul passed away when I was 4 years old and I have almost no memories of him. Somehow, even though he was far outnumbered and was left as the only Grandpa… he was always able to be more than enough.

CHRISTMAS MORNING 2009

2009-12-30T11:25:00.001-06:00

Sydney ran into the bedroom bright and early Christmas to inform us that Santa had been here! We all took our bathroom breaks and then headed out to the living room to see what he had left. Sydney was SO excited to see the Polly Pocket Swimming Pool that Santa had left (this was one of only two things she asked for this year). What she didn’t expect was that Santa also left a Polly Cruise Ship. ‘I didn’t even order that!’ she shouted. Well, she might not have ordered it, but she loves it.

Santa also left a new vanity, or ‘makeup desk’ as she calls it. She has been putting on makeup and brushing her hair ever since. We’re working on making a place for it in her room so that it doesn’t have to sit in the middle of the living room for much longer.

In her stocking Santa left: hat/mittens, the movie Ice Age 3, 5 Junie B. Jones books, a cat and dog Christmas ornaments (to represent Harry and Daisy), a cat toy to play with Harry, Kidz Bop 16 CD, and probably other things I can’t think of right now!

The big present from us was her ‘Baby Alive’ (the 2nd of the two things she asked for). She was SO excited and has been ‘feeding’ her at least once a day since she got her. The peeing and pooping was a deterrent for me, but it’s actually not as bad as I thought it would be. It’s just water (or colored water for the poop), and the cleanup is easy. Ken got a remote control helicopter, a new shirt and hat, a Garmin GPS for the car, an indoor/outdoor thermometer, a movie, a CD, and some Wii games.

I got an I-Pod shuffle, an I-Pod player, a jewelry armoire, a movie, 2 CDs, and a lovely new ring for our 5-year anniversary/Christmas present! We had a great morning at home that turned into the entire day! So much snow had fallen in the night that it was impossible for us to get out to Mom & Dad’s for Christmas and Adam and Natalie were also not able to make it to Stuart. Mom & Dad had no power in the morning, but it came back on around noon and they showered up and came in to visit us. Dad and Ken got out the snow blower and cleared our driveway while Sydney showed Grandma all the things she got from Santa and from Mom & Dad.

CHRISTMAS EVE 2009

2009-12-30T11:11:00.001-06:00

Christmas just seemed a little...off this year. For many different reasons. One of them being that a huge snow/ice storm made its way to Stuart on Christmas Eve day causing cancellations of all services at the churches and making it almost impossible for people to get together like they wanted to.

People were coming and going from Grandma Rita's house all day, instead of the traditional supper/evening celebration. Some people came and left early in order to avoid the impending storm, and others didn't make it at all.

We made it out there by mid-afternoon and had fun visiting with everyone. Sydney got to open her present from Grandma Rita (bouncy ball, piggy bank, Little Pet Shop cat/dog grooming station, koosh ball, etc). She had a blast with the bouncy ball...and still is here at home! (thanks Erin, I stole your picture!)

When we got home from Grandma's, we had no electricity. We lit all the candles we had and Sydney and I did some coloring by candlelight. Electricity came back on by 6:30pm and we were all happy about that! Sydney got to open one present on Christmas Eve, and it was a pair of new warm fuzzy fleece lined pajamas!

Sydney set out a plate of cookies for Santa and made sure to leave a note so he knew they were for him. Here she is with the cookies and modeling her new PJs.

Then it was off to bed to wait for the big guy!

KINDERGARTEN CHRISTMAS PARTY

2009-12-21T13:56:00.012-06:00

Friday afternoon I took off work early to go to Sydney's Christmas party. She was SO excited for her mother to come to school- think she'll be that excited if I do it when she's in Junior High? I better enjoy it while it lasts. We were in charge of sugar cookies for the occasion, so I headed over to the school armed with 2 dozen of them and my camera. Since Sydney brought the cookies, she got to hand them out. She though she was big stuff when she was doing that.

They all got frosting and sprinkles and got to decorate, and then eat, the cookie however they wanted.

Is there something on my face? No?

After the snacks, Mrs. Jones read a Christmas book to the class. Then she played a game similar to that of 'Heads Up, 7 Up' to hand out her Christmas gifts to the kids.

To blow off some of the steam and hyper-ness created by the party, after the gifts were handed out the kids headed back to the mat to dance and sing some of their favorite songs.

'The Alphabet Song'

'A-Tootie-Tot'

Sydney got to ride home from school with me, which was almost as exciting to her as me being at the party in the first place. We had a nice afternoon with the Kindergarten Class!

Sidebar: We're down 2 of the 4 loose teeth. Number 2 came out Saturday evening, the 19th. If she looses the next 2 anytime soon, she's going to have some trouble doing any sort of biting from the bottom part of her mouth!

KINDREGARTEN CHRISTMAS PROGRAM

2009-12-17T13:56:00.006-06:00

No, I don't know why she is standing like that. I forgot to snap a picture before we left for the concert, so I was trying to get a quick one before I left her in her classroom last night. In all the pictures she's sort of shrugging her shoulders. No. I don't know why!

Sydney had a small part in the program last night when she sang 3 other kids into the microphone for their 'solo' parts. My dad was taping the program and JUST as Syd was walking up to the microphone, the camera said 'Disc Full'. Oops. Apparently I forgot that, not only was her tumbling meet on there, but her preschool graduation was recorded on there as well. Time for a new Disc I suppose. Good thing I had my handy-dandy digital camera with me to take a couple videos. The solo (she is hard to see because she can barely reach the microphone, but that's OK, you could still hear her for sure).

Sydney's (and every other kid, I think) favorite song of the evening. El Fiesta.

The Christmas Blues.

And...Merry Christmas to You, With Love

LIKE EVERYONE ELSE IN IOWA...

2009-12-17T13:52:00.010-06:00

We had a blizzard. With lots of snow. And missed school days. And a lot of 'together' time inside the house. And missed work days.

You get the picture. Or, if you don't, here are a couple actual pictures.

THE GIGGLES

2009-12-07T12:29:00.002-06:00

Saturday morning before we left, Jasper and Syd were playing in Jasper's room when we heard him start giggling. It was the cutest laugh and they were having such a good time together, I couldn't resist getting it on camera...

BREAKFAST WITH SANTA

2009-12-06T22:22:00.001-06:00

Saturday morning we headed to Pleasant Hill with the Wilson’s. They were having a ‘Breakfast With Santa’ event that we wanted to catch before we headed for home.

When we first got there, the line for Santa was short so we took the opportunity to jump in and get some quality time in with the big guy…and the Mrs. Sydney was totally feeling it…Jasper, not so much.Just so you REALLY get the point, let’s examine Jasper’s face a little closer…

Yhea. Not feeling it. After Sydney felt she had adequately explained to Santa what she wanted for Christmas (a swimming pool for her Polly Pockets), we headed to the table to chow down on some pancakes and sausage.

All was going well until another costumed character made an appearance…Frosty. I think it was the big head that did it. Jasper was, once again, in meltdown mode for just a moment until his daddy scooped him up onto his lap. Here he is, still leery that the big white dude is going to try and come over and talk to him while Adam, Nat, and Syd try to reassure him that all is well.On the other hand…Sydney loved him.There was also face painting. Sydney chose the ‘Snowflake Princess’, complete with glitter They also had a book fair set up and balloon animals. Besides the books, everything was free at this event. It was a great time and we thank those that put it on!

CRAZY HAIR

2009-12-06T22:10:00.001-06:00

Sydney spent the night with Adam and Nat on Friday while Ken and I were at my Christmas party. When we got to the house Saturday morning, the 4 of them were toasty on the couch reading some books. Jasper was sporting his best ‘bed-head’…or, what those in my family might call, the best ‘Melissa-hair’.

THE CRAZY EYE

2009-12-06T22:06:00.001-06:00

Ken is notorious for having ‘crazy-eyes’ in pictures. He can have both eyes open perfectly and still somehow looking drunk or high or crazy in any of the pictures we take of him.

Friday night was no exception. We got dressed up, left Sydney with Adam and Nat, and headed out for the DMU Christmas party at The Embassy Suites. Usually DMU has a photographer to take pictures of the couples that evening, but I had heard that this year they were cutting back and one of the first things to go was the photographer.

So I stuck in my camera to make sure and get a nice picture of Ken and I all dressed up, spending a rare evening together.

Take 1Take 2 Take 3

Aaaand finally…take 4

BETTER THAN ADVENTURELAND

2009-12-06T22:00:00.001-06:00

Sydney’s music teacher called me the other day and asked if I was going to be home that evening. She had something to drop off at my house. Hmmm. What could it be.

As it turns out, Sydney was the top seller in all the K-5 students at WCV for the Fine Arts Fundraiser. And, was awarded with…

ONE HUNDRED TWO FIFTY

2009-11-30T14:48:00.002-06:00

Interview with the star after the great-tooth-pulling of 11/29/09:

A SHINY DIME OR A PENNY

2009-11-30T14:36:00.003-06:00

Talking to Natalie on the phone after the great-tooth-pulling of 11/29/09.

GOOD THING THE TOOTH FAIRY HAD SOME ONE DOLLAR BILLS IN HER PURSE

2009-11-30T14:05:00.006-06:00

In October when Sydney and I went to the dentist for our 6-month check, he advised her that she had a loose front tooth. She looked in the mirror, he pointed it out to her, we went home, and she forgot about it.

About a week ago, she came to me and said that she could feel the loose tooth now and showed me that she could wiggle it back and forth now. It was wiggling very little so I figured it would be a while before it was ready to come out. Every day she gives me the 'Loose Tooth Update'. I finally looked IN her mouth the other night and realized that her adult tooth was almost completely grown in behind the baby one (!). This freaks me out a little bit because I want her to have good teeth and would hate for her to have to have braces...but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Last night I asked to see the tooth and how far she could wiggle it now. It sort of grossed me out when she bent it all the way down to her gums. Blech! But, I told her...it's time to get this thing out! That freaked her out a bit...there was some crying and such, because apparently I'm such a monster of a mother that she thought I was going to throw her down on the ground, sit on her, tie up her hands, pry her mouth open, and pull out the tooth using rusty pliers. She might be a little dramatic. I calmed her down, reassuring her that I wasn't going to pull the tooth and that I know it's scary at first but it really doesn't hurt.

In fact it will surely hurt LESS than getting her ears pierced (which she insists that she wants, please, please, please Mom!).

After the drama, Ken and I put her to bed. I was this close to turning the light off in her room when she let out a yelp and said 'My tooth is out!'. I didn't believe her because she's been saying 'I think my tooth fell out' at least once a day for a week. I turned around and, sure enough, there she was with a little gap in that big grin* holding a tiny pointy baby tooth in a bloody kleenex! There were lots of smiles, some phone calls to grandma and Adam & Nat, and then we got the container and put it under her pillow. Good thing the tooth fairy set her alarm to get up at 1:00am because Miss Sydney set her internal alarm and got up at 3:00am to check out the goods. She even came to our room to show us the $1 bills!

*Yes, I do wash her face. She had just gotten done brushing her teeth and apparently didn't get all the toothpaste off. In my defense, it wasn't that noticable in person.

AND SO IT BEGINS…

2009-11-22T21:32:00.001-06:00

Christmas Season is upon us! Stuart held their annual ‘Light the Park’ event on Saturday night. Barb and I took Syd, Noah, and Sam up for the evening and they had a blast. The chamber really goes all out and it’s really turned into a nice little thing.

Dad’s lighted ‘Good Egg Man’ made his annual appearance, as did his rocking horse. The kids participated in a snowball/snowman throw to get light up necklaces.

They played in the park, sat on Santa’s lap, and took a ride on a horse and buggy- with Santa at the wheel. Here is Sydney asking Santa for a Polly Pocket Swimming Pool.I wish this picture would have turned out better since I’m usually behind the camera. Oh well, when Barb is your photographer, what do you expect??!! :)

THE REASON FOR STUART’S TOILET PAPER SHORTAGE

2009-11-16T21:39:00.001-06:00

We have a tradition among the couples that we hang out with…if there is a party or a get together that we’re all attending, should one of the couples have to leave early (or just not attend at all) due to prior commitments, this certain couple may very well become the victim of a lovely TP attack.

Ken and I have never had the priviledge of being the victims before, but Saturday night made up for that for sure! We all got together and Chasta and Phil’s for the Iowa/Ohio State football game.

Ken and I had to leave during the 4th quarter because we had plans in Des Moines with Adam & Nat, Stacy & Charlie, and Amanda & Levi.

We got home about 1:30am.

Very impressive work!

It’s nice to be loved!

20 QUESTIONS

2009-11-11T15:43:00.002-06:00

Sydney is at 'that age' where she asks a ton of questions as she figures things out. Sometimes they make perfect sense and then other times... I wonder where she came up with them! Last Sunday as we were driving to the mall, she came up with a doozy! Our conversation went something like this:

Mom, what would happen if I swallowed some pieces of glass?
Well, you would have to go to the hospital and get fixed.

What if something broke and a piece of glass flew through the air and cut my throat?
Same thing, you's have to go to the hospital because that would make you very sick.

Would we call an ambulance?
If it was bad enough.

Who would drive me if we didn't call an ambulance?
I would.

What if I was with Daddy when it happened?
Dad would drive you.

What if I was home alone?
You aren't old enough to be home alone yet, so we don't have to worry about that.

What if I was old enough to be home alone?
You would have to call for an ambulance yourself.

What if I couldn't talk because I swallowed so much glass?
...

Could I text them?
What? Who?

The ambulance people.
Text?

Yes! Text!
Sure.

Would I have a cell phone?
Oh! Look! The mall! We're here (thank God!)! Adam! Nat! Jasper! Kyren! Get out of the car. No more talking. About anything. Specifically glass and the swallowing of it.

POCAHONTAS

2009-11-02T16:24:00.005-06:00

Sydney looked so cute in her outfit yesterday that, after church, I made her play in the leaves before she changed. With the braids and those bright colors she looks a little bit like a little indian girl, no?

I'LL TELL YOU A TALE OF THE BOTTOMLESS BLUE...

2009-11-02T16:07:00.007-06:00

Sydney wanted to dress up like Gabriella from High School Musical for Halloween. The problem with that is, she kind of looks like Gabriella already, and Gabriella is just a regular person. There's really no costume. I was worried Syd would be disappointed if she dressed up and people thought she was just being herself. I let her look through a costume catalog and she ended up deciding on Ariel, the Little Mermaid. Despite the yucky rain and cold on Friday night, Saturday ended up being a great night for trick-or-treating. After the adults napped and recovered from the earlier soccer game, we all assebled at Amber and Ben's house to make the trek uptown for the Halloween Cuisine, sponsored by the local businesses.
The Girls: Chloe, Erin, Kiersten, Syd, and Caeleigh

Sydney got lots of candy and goodies. She even managed to keep her wig on for the entire trick-or-treat night. I was sure I was going to end up carrying it halfway through the evening.

The Whole Group: 1st Row- Corbin, Syd, Caeleigh. 2nd Row- Erin, Kiersten, Chloe, and Kiefer. 3rd Row: Brinn and Allan.

Besides uptown, we also made stops at Grandma Rita and Grandpa Bob's house (although they were at church), John and Roni's, Jeff and Gina's, and Grandma Doris'. We were all pretty pooped at the end of the night. Thanks goodness for that convenient extra hour of sleep daylight savings time provided us with Saturday!

A BUNCH OF OLD, OUT OF SHAPE PEOPLE RUNNING AROUND

2009-11-02T11:16:00.010-06:00

I'm not sure whose idea it was - I'm guessing Luann's. Ken and I were invited to play in the FIRST EVER Moms vs. Dads End-of-the-soccer-season Soccer Game. We didn't have anything better to do that morning and thought 'Why Not!?' We gathered at the soccer field on Saturday morning around 11am. The Moms dressed in their finest PTO Purple Shirts and called themselves the 'Purple Passion'. 1st Row: Katie Powell, Chasta Longworth, and Amber Norem. 2nd row: Moi, Luann Sechrist, and Kelly Wilson

The Dads dressed in red to represent Coach Phil's Big Red Machine team colors. 1st Row: Brian Sechrist, Shane Powell, and Andy Davis. 2nd Row: Ken, Phil Longworth, and Ben Schwery.

We opted for the middle when it came to field size, deciding to play on the U-10 field. THANK GOD we didn't try to do the high school sized field. I surely would have died. The ladies were out numbered 7 to 5, so we enlisted the help of one of the men- poor Jay. After the first couple times up and down the field, we were all breathing heavy. We decided then that we probably needed some sort of score cap so that we wouldn't be playing all day. It was decided that we would play to 5 and best 2 out of 3 games wins.

Just to prove that we actually did play, I am including a few action shots for you: The Dads dominated the first game winning something like 5 to 1.

Kelly Wilson showed up to help us ladies just before the start of the 2nd game and she was a much needed help for us! We traded Jay back to the men and, thankfully, Shane agreed to switch up and help out the ladies by playing as our goalie. The ladies dipped into the bag of (dirty) tricks and actually kept up with the men fairly well the 2nd game.

There were a few minor injuries and only one major injury (Chasta got into a fight with the ball and lost).

After an hour and a half, 2 wins for the men, lots of cussing and name calling, and a bunch of bruises, we called it quits. The whole crew after the game (Look! We're not dead!):We had a great time. Just think, there is a soccer season in April. You know what that means? I need to start my spring training, RIGHT NOW.

HALLOWEEN PARTY FUN

2009-11-01T08:57:00.001-06:00

We have made some new friends, Amber and Ben, who are fairly new to the neighborhood. They have been wanting to have a get together for quite some time just to get to know people better. Well… let me just say, after Friday night they probably know a lot of us better than they ever wanted to! They were very gracious and wonderful and hosted ALL of us plus ALL our children. Good thing they live in a big house.

Amber and Chasta were part of a group that dressed up as the Cullen baseball team (those of you familiar with Twilight will totally get that). They convinced Katie (which isn’t hard to do) that she also needed to dress up. So she ended up dressing up like… a ‘streetwalker’? A tramp? Not sure what you’d call it, I just know, with that wig on her head, it was really to hold a serious conversation with her that night. In a more sanitary version of bobbing for apples, Amber came up with bobbing for apples (for the adults) and bobbing for marshmallows (for the kids). She spiced it up by putting whip cream on all of them! They were hung from a string in her kitchen (good thing she has floors that clean up easily) and then the contestants went to town! First up for the adults: Luann and Kelly. I think Kelly ended up winning, but I was laughing so hard I couldn’t tell you for sure. Second round was the great Dr. Phil against Amber and Ben’s son Eric. Dr. Phil was behind almost the whole time, but I’m thinking he came back with an impressive huge bite for the win.

The we have the kids. Sydney was up against those in her ‘age bracket’: Blake, Jadon, and Caeleigh. I think Caeleigh too this round with a little help from her hands! Here are some picts of the other kids as well… We called it a night around 10:30, although Ken and I left the party alone. Sydney was invited to spend the night with Caeleigh and she has been so excited about this for weeks. I was a little worried just because this was her first official (non-family) sleepover. I was a pretty big chicken when I was little and called my parents from sleepovers to come pick me up on a number of occasions! She must be braver than her Mama because she survived the night with no problems!

PAINTIN' PUNKINS

2009-10-27T11:17:00.006-06:00

This fall has been so wet and cold that there's barely been time to go outside, let alone make the trip to an actual Pumpkin Patch. However, this weened the sun made a brief appearance and Sydney was invited to tag along with Barb, Kathy, and the other kids to the patch between Earlham and Adel. She had a great time and told me all about it when she got home! She brought a pumpkin home with her, so we decided to paint it.

It turned out very nice, but is very 'busy' considering that all 3 of us were painting it at the same time! Hopefully it will be nice the next couple of days and we can maybe get some pictues taken of her jumping in the leaves!

KINDERGARTEN

2009-10-02T09:16:00.004-06:00

Syd's Kindergarten picture turned out pretty good! Looking at this one next to last year's preschool picture just amazes me how much she has grown in such a short time!

GOOD-BYE SPIDER TRUCK

2009-09-30T10:41:00.005-06:00

Dad has always referred to his old brown work truck as the 'Dodge-O-Matic'. Why? I can't be sure. I think because he was always driving manual shift vehicles until he 'got old and lazy' (his words, not mine). He's had the Dodge for...a long time.

Sydney loves to ride with Grandpa, and as soon as she could talk, she re-named the Dodge-O-Matic the 'Spider Truck'. She said the windshield looked like a spider web. Which it does. Recently the Spider Truck's heating system shucked out and 4 new tires were needed. Since it's been around for so long and he's gotten far more than his money's worth, Gramps decided to get rid of the Spider Truck and get something 'newer'.

We just had to get a picture of Grandpa and Syd in the spider truck before Gramps took it to Hawkeye Auto Salvage. (This picture was taken over a week ago and the truck is still sitting at the store because, as Dad puts it, 'it's still got a half tank of gas left and I don't want to waste it!).

SOCCER SEASON: TAKE 3

2009-09-28T18:22:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago Sydney started her third season of soccer. She played last fall and then again last spring. She was very hesitant and didn’t hardly ever get close to the ball. She was intimidated by the bigger kids and stayed as far away from contact with people as possible. I wasn’t sure she’d be into it, so I gave her the option. She decided she DID want to go out for soccer again. Wow. What a difference a summer makes! Sydney is more aggressive when it comes to going after the ball. She is less afraid to get into the cluster of kids and the possibility of falling down. The first game she scored 7 goals. Last weekend she scored one and just this Saturday she scored 3! This sure beats the 1 goal she scored in the spring and fall season combined last time!

Saturday Adam, Nat, and Jasper came out to her game. John and Roni and Barb, Rhea, Noah, Samara, and Kiersten also came to watch. So nice of everyone…Syd was glad you were all there!

I think she likes soccer a little better this year because one of her very best friends is on her team. Syd and Kamryn waiting to go in:Getting in the crowd and taking the ball away! Block it!! Yay! First goal of the day!! Scoring the 2nd goal! Taking a break – having a snack with Grandma, Grandpa and Jasper: I know what you’re thinking, and yes, she always plays with her tongue out. Nat wanted a picture of she and Jasper and Syd after the game. Syd was OK with it. Jasper…not so much.

THROUGH THE YEARS

2009-09-21T07:37:00.019-06:00

Man, I love this website. Picture Ken and I the same age and how we would look through the years together...

Homecoming 1978

Senior Pictures 1982

1960

1964

1970

1984

1988

1996

1956

1964

1968

1980

1994

1998

LABOR DAY 09

2009-09-10T06:52:00.003-06:00

We spent the afternoon on Monday with the 'other Wilder's'. In Des Moines. We don't get to see them all that often, so it was very fun to spend some time with them. We had great food, conversation, and company. Tonie and Jabreea are great cooks and there was food galore! Sydney got to spend time with her cousin's Andrew (Jabreea's son) and Amaya (Jadon's daughter). They are both great kids! Thanks for having us Tonie and family!

I-CUBS GAME WITH TWO 5-YEAR-OLDS

2009-09-09T06:37:00.011-06:00

I got some free I-Cubs tickets through work for last Friday’s game. I knew that most people would be at football games on Friday, so I called up Kelly Wilson and invited her and Jadon to go to the game with Sydney and I. We both have husband’s that work nights, so it worked out great. Friday night was ‘free bike helmet’ night, so the kids went and got their heads measured and received new helmets. Unfortunately they were already out of the size smalls they both needed, so they were given mediums in the hopes that they will be grown into them by next year…or probably the year after that, in Sydney’s case!

We ate some typical ballpark food including nachos, pretzels, hot dogs, etc. and then headed inside the stadium for the game. We had pretty good seats on the 3rd base line. The things the kids were most impressed with were: the airplanes flying intermittently overhead, the foul balls flying out of the park, and the music playing inbetween innings. The things that upset them were: the fact that they weren’t able to catch any of those foul balls, that we woulnd’t let them sit and play on the dirty concrete stadium floor, and that neither the t-shirt gun nor the hot dog gun shot any goodies their way.After the game were fireworks. This, of course, was their favorite part of the night, and one of the main reasons I picked that date to begin with for my tickets. They put on a great show for the last fireworks of the season. The kids were exhausetd and fell asleep on the way home.

Thanks Kelly and Jadon for being our ‘dates’. We had a great time!

VIDEO CATCH UP

2009-09-04T11:36:00.003-06:00

I just uploaded all recent videos to Vimeo today and figured I would share a couple. This is the breakdown: Jasper talks alot, loves sweet corn, and wants grandpa to play with him at all times. Sydney sings 'Fearless' sideways, 'You Belong to Me' partly sideways, does 'cannonballs' in kiddie pools, and likes to paddleboat. I think that pretty much sums it up. Enjoy!

Jabbery Jasper from Melissa Wilder on Vimeo.

Jasper - Sweet Corn from Melissa Wilder on Vimeo.

Sprinkler - Father's Day 2009 from Melissa Wilder on Vimeo.

Taylor Swift - Fearless from Melissa Wilder on Vimeo.

Taylor Swift - You Belong With Me from Melissa Wilder on Vimeo.

Cannonball! from Melissa Wilder on Vimeo.

Barb and Kids Paddleboating from Melissa Wilder on Vimeo.

VACATION 2009: FAMILY PICTURES

2009-09-02T13:15:00.009-06:00

After the wedding, with a beautiful background AND everyone dressed up, we couldn't resist the chance to get some family pictures. They all turned out great. Don't worry Becky, Jill, and Shani: I have copies for you all that I will be putting in the mail soon! I promise.

Wilsons/Wilders

Wilder's

Wilson's

Grandpa and Grandma with Grandkids and Chew Weeds

The Henry's

Eddie, Becky, Grandma Doris, and Jill

'The Girls': Natalie, Becky, Mom, Gram Doris, Me, Jill, and Shani. And, I LOVE this picture!
Cousins! Me, Jill, and Syd
We were sad that not more of our family could be there, but are so thankful that we were able to make it out. It was a special occasion, a great day, so nice to spend some time with the family that was there, and a big Thanks! to Eddie and Jill for including us in on their special day.

VACATION 2009: JILL & EDDIE

2009-09-02T13:04:00.011-06:00

Despite the Lance Armstrong debacle, Sydney and I still managed to make it to the wedding site, albeit 15 minutes later that we said we would. The wedding and reception were held at this great little mountain ski resort called Cooper Mountain- this is not to be confused with the larger, more commercial, and more widely known, Copper Mountain, which is not too far away.

Cooper Mountain has an interesting history, dating back to World War II. Taken from their website: In 1942, the U.S. Army selected a training site near an isolated railroad stop of Pando, CO. Nearby Camp Hale was built as the training site for the ski troopers of the famed 10th Mountain Division. After training, the 10th Mountain Division was ordered to Italy in 1945 to spearhead the advance of the U.S. 5th Army. In a series of actions that included impregnable Gothic Line in the Appenines and secured the Po River Valley to play a vital role in the liberation of northern Italy. By the time of the German surrender in May, 1945, 992 ski troopers had been killed in action and 4,000 wounded, the highest casualty rate of any U.S. Division in the Mediterranean. There’s a very nice memorial set up at the bottom of the mountain, unfortunately we left too late in the evening and it was too dark (and we were too tired) to stop and get pictures or look at it.

The wedding took place outside on the deck of the lodge. Jill waited upstairs and Eddie rode up in a carriage pulled by 2 mules. The wedding was fantastic: unique, short, personal, and happy. I should say ‘happy for everyone but the flower girl’. She wasn’t feeling it. At ALL. After the ceremony, the wedding party headed out on a mule and carriage ride. Another carriage and another set of mules showed up shortly after that and offered to give rides to those who wanted them. I think Jasper, Sydney, Kyren, and Isaac (and Adam and I) were the first ones on!The night was filled with great company, wonderful food, and lots of fun! Congratulations to the lovely couple and Eddie- WELCOME (to our crazy family)!

VACATION 2009: IT'S TOTALLY LANCE'S FAULT

2009-08-27T14:50:00.001-06:00

When we originally decided to go to Jill’s wedding, we planned to just stay in a hotel. Jill said this might be difficult because there was ‘something going on in town’ the same weekend that we were going to be there. She suggested the cabin’s, and they were much cheaper than any hotel, so we decided to do that instead.

I agreed to do Emma Henry’s hair for the wedding as she was going to be the flower girl and wanted her hair braided. Sydney and I got ready first and headed towards Cooper Mountain. The others were going to follow later. When I got into town, the traffic was at a dead stop and the street was filled with people. I noticed a large sign that said ‘START’ on it was at the end of one street. I figured there was some run or race or something going on that was about to begin. Because of where the people were, there was nowhere for me to go. I was stuck and I just knew I was going to be late.

The longer I sat, the more annoyed I got. Come on people. It’s just a race. What’s the big deal? Let’s get this thing started already. Oh… Oh! Yellow shirt, wrist band, biker shorts, nice body, lots of PR people. Hi Lance Armstrong. That’s right. I’m annoyed. Now Sydney, CRAWL IN THE BACK AND HAND MOMMY HER CAMERA. LANCE ARMSTRONG IS OUT THERE. WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN’T FIND IT?! LANCE ARMSTRONG. RIGHT BESIDE THE CAR. MAKING ME LATE FOR THE WEDDING. Forget it. Get back in your car seat. Buckle up. They’re letting me through. No pictures. (Just a by the way. Lance Armstrong won the Leadville 100 that day.)

‘Something going on in town the same weekend.’ Um, Jill, you could have been a LITTLE MORE SPECIFIC. Something along the lines of, ‘make sure you leave WAY earlier than you could ever possibly need to because chances are if you don’t you may just run into all the crazy fans of only the most popular bicycle rider EVER,’

I made it. 15 minutes late. Emma got her hair did. All was well. And I have no Lance Armstrong pictures to prove it.

VACATION 2009: WINDOW SHOPPING

2009-08-27T14:31:00.005-06:00

Saturday morning we woke up, shivered, ate some breakfast, shivered some more, put on every piece of clothing we had, shivered some more, and then discovered 2 things… the thermostat, and a camera. With film in it. Buried in the fold out couch. We’re SO getting it developed. Maybe there will be something interesting on it! Stay tuned to future blog posts to see THOSE pictures. As long as they’re not dirty. Or maybe even if they are.

We headed into town to do a little sight-seeing and shopping before the wedding... but, watch out for cows!

Leadville is a cute little town with lots of shops. We didn’t buy much, actually now that I think about it, we didn’t buy anything. Oh wait…I bought Syd a pair of sweat pants at the stinky thrift store. SCORE! We didn’t have all that long to be in town because we needed to eat lunch and head to Cooper Mountain for the wedding.

A few random shots from Leadville.

VACATION 2009: DESTINATION, LEADVILLE

2009-08-27T14:11:00.015-06:00

Leadville, Colorado, for those that don’t know, is around 2 hours southwest of Denver. STRAIGHT up into the mountains. Straight. Up. Into the mountains. It is an old mining town and is something like 10,600 feet above sea level. Our directions to Leadville were great. The directions once we GOT to Leadville…well, let’s just say, we made it. Eventually.

Not only does my cousin Jill live in Leadville, Colorado, she actually lives 10 miles outside of Leadville. On a gravel road. Through a gate. 2 ½ miles. Through another gate. Some more miles. In the middle of nowhere. Surrounded by 1 or 2 (billion) Aspen trees. I’m all for privacy, and maybe even a little seclusion, but that was ridiculous. However, the cabin she reserved for us was great and cute… And the view was absolutely incredible… And her house was super close, just down the road about a half mile.

We got to Leadville around lunch-something time. Mom and Dad met us with sandwich stuff, fruit, drinks, and we just ate at the cabin. We didn’t have plans for a while, so we spent the rest of the afternoon exploring around the lake where we were staying.

All the rest of the family was at Cooper Mountain preparing for the wedding, rehearsal, and dinner, so Mom and I ran to town to get something for supper for the evening and stuff to make s’mores. We went to Jill’s house and cooked supper. Grandma Doris was there also. We made taco salads, visited, and finished up the food for Jill’s reception the next day.

We gathered some wood at Jill’s and headed back to the cabin. The kids made some s’mores and it quickly cooled down and then started to rain. We moved all our stuff up on the porch and stayed out for just a bit longer. We proceeded to freeze to death all night because none of us discovered the thermostat until the next morning...Idiots.

VACATION 2009: RACINES AND THE BRONCOS

2009-08-27T07:11:00.011-06:00

Thursday night was our last evening in Denver before heading off to meet up with the rest of the family. Even Jesse put on his party pants and shed his party-pooper nickname to join us for a nice dinner. They took us to Racine's and the food was terrific, especially the dessert! Another Stuian/friend of Erin's/person whose Grandpa used to live in our house/distant family member, Ryan Beaman, has recently moved to Denver. He joined us for dinner and we all had a grea time.

We packed our stuff and headed to bed fairly early to prepare for our mini-road trip the next day. For some reason Adam was being psycho about eating at Denny's, so we met them at their hotel and headed there for breakfast. During our breakfast we got the pleasure of seeing a disgruntled bird commit suiscide less than 2 feet away.

After Denny's we headed back across the street (literally) to make a stop at Invesco Field and the Bronco's Gift Shop. Kyren and Syd had not spent any money yet, so we gave them $20 to spend at the Bronco's store. Kyren picked a Broncos jersey that was on clearance, and Sydney chose a teddy bear dressed as a Bronco's cheerleader. Ken doesn't root for the Broncos, but they do have orange as one of their team colors (his fave), so he had to get a shirt also.

Family Picture outside Bronco's stadium... Adam, Nat, Jasper family picture in their new shirts (Jasper's was free...just sayin'). As you can see, Jasper was over the picture taking by this time- or maybe he was upset because he knew he was wearing a 'hot' shirt.
After a quick stop at the gas station and a car wash, to get rid of the 700 miles of bug guts we both had caked on our vehicles, we headed to Leadville.

VACATION 2009: CHILDREN'S MUSEUM

2009-08-27T06:56:00.017-06:00

Mom, Dad, Grandma Doris, and Ken got to Denver around 3:30am Wednesday night/Thursday morning. I slept in the living room so I could go down and meet them in the parking lot so they didn’t all have to get out. Ken came to stay with us at Erin’s while Mom, Dad, and Gram kept going on through to Leadville to help with wedding preparations.

We slept for a couple more hours and then Adam, Nat, and Jasper arrived around 6:00am. We let them in and were thinking that Jasper would go right back to sleep, at least for a little bit. Boy were we wrong. He was up and happy and chatty. Syd and Ky finally heard him around 6:30am and came out to see what was going on. Jesse got up to get ready for work, so by that time we were ALL up for the day.

We ate breakfast at Erin’s, everyone took turns getting ready, and then we headed to Erin’s work (The Children’s Museum) around 9am. Amy Horn and Henry met us there for the morning. Henry is an old pro at the museum (they’re members), so he headed for his favorite part- the dalmation dog at the fire truck.

There are so many things for the kids to do there, it’s just awesome.

Construction zone

Basketball courts Grocery store/Resturant Garden Toddler Soft Play area There are also some fun and interesting things outside.
Chalkboard cow.Sand/rock pile. Playground. Rock sculpture garden. We didn’t even make it through half the stuff they have there. Oh well, I guess that just means we’ll have to go back and see the rest the next time we’re there.

After the museum, the whole crew went out for lunch. Henry fell in love with Kyren so Ky rode with them to the resturant. We had a great lunch at Pasquini’s Pizza. Everything was delish! After lunch we were all exhausetd from getting up so early and spending the morning at the museum, that we decided to go take some naps before supper. Adam and Nat went to their hotel to check-in and nap there. Ken, Ky, Syd, Erin, and I all went to Erin’s apartment and layed down for a bit. Thanks SO much to Amy and Henry for coming to hang with us for the morning, we had a GREAT TIME and we love you guys!

VACATION 2009: CASA BONITA

2009-08-27T06:33:00.011-06:00

After resting up from Water World we decided to get supper at Casa Bonita. For those that haven’t been to Casa Bonita, it’s definitely not culinary perfection…but all the fun stuff makes up for the (not so great) food. Tables are set around a pool in a cave-like setting. Performances take place every half hour or so and include things like cliff divers, pirates walking the plank, a sheriff and bad-guy shoot up, anything that involves someone ending up in a pool of water really. Inbetween performance times there are people walking around selling souveneirs, a strolling Mariachi band, puppets, magicians, Mexican dancers, and flame jugglers.

After dinner we watched the pirate show…

Played some arcade games in both of the 2 arcades (I’m great at skee-ball, by the way)… Got an old time photo taken…

Took a few other pictures…

And grabbed some free candy on the way out… Sydney was so excited because she learned a new word on this day also. The word...'party-pooper'. And, for the record, Party-pooper = Jesse.

VACATION 2009: WATERWORLD

2009-08-27T06:24:00.001-06:00

Our first full day in Denver we slept in a little bit and then headed out with Erin, Jesse had to work, to Village Inn for brunch. Erin was, once again, a great navgator and led us in exactly the direction we needed to be. We had a great brunch and even got free pie because it was ‘Pie Rush Wednesday’ (not sure what that actually means) (and none of us got to eat our pies because they all became pie soup after spending the day in the hot car).

After Village Inn we went to do something that is entirely safe to do directly after eating… swimming! Denver had one of the biggest water parks in the country and it’s called Water World.

What’s that you say?
Today is Denver Firefighter day and olympics at Water World?
The news and radio stations are there?
The parking lot is completely full?

Well, by all means, that’s totally fine, it can’t be that bad, let’s go there anyway. Because just what I want is to be near a TV camera in my swimsuit.

After figuring out the mystery of the ‘Water Park Lockers’ and walking on cement that was around 287 degrees, we actually had a great time. Thank goodness Erin was there otherwise I would have been completely stressed. It’s virtually impossible to keep your eye on more than 1 child at this place and it helped me a ton to know that Erin could watch one while I the other.

The kids loved it. Sydney was so excited that they actually had water slides that emptied into 2 foot deep water, made especially for kids her size so she could go down by herself. I figured we would all enjoy the lazy river, but it ended up being more ‘hard work’ and less ‘lazy’ that we thought it would be. I’m pretty sure the kids’ favorite part of the water park was the wave pool. Every 15 minutes the waves come and they were taller than I. I kept a hand on Syd to be sure not to lose her, but she would just laugh and scream along with everyone else.

I didn’t take my camera to the waterpark, but did take a couple disposable waterproof cameras I got on e-bay. I kept one and gave one to Erin. You never know what the quality will be on those kinds of cameras, but I figured between the 2 of us we might be able to get a couple good shots. We got them developed and there are actually quite a few good ones. Unfortunately, to post them on here I will have to scan them in. I’ll get to that sometime…

We headed home to Erin’s around 3pm that afternoon. We stopped at Sonic for ice cream. Mistake. We ordered 2 shakes and 2 ice creams and we sat and waited for 35 minutes. I can usually be patient, but this was ridiculous. The ice cream tasted good, but by the time we got it, I just wanted to be at Erin’s changing out of my wet clothes and resting up for dinner.

VACATION 2009: Day 1

2009-08-25T13:52:00.004-06:00

After some last minute running around and tying up loose ends, on Tuesday, August 11th, I packed up the kids, as well as myself and Erin (Wilson) and headed west in the Equinox. Destination – Denver. More specifically, Erin and Jesse’s apartment. We left Stuart at 11:45am.

The trip was overall uneventful except for one minor bad decision on my part. How was I to know the exit was closed and you couldn’t get back on the interstate and we’d have to go back 10 miles(at least) to the other exit and get back on and turn around??!! There was a sign? Oops.

2 meals, 2 fill ups, and 1 10 mile back-track later, we made it to Denver around 10-something p.m. Which with the time change was actually 9-something p.m. our tine. We chatted with Jesse for a bit (after he finally woke up and opened the door for us!) and then headed for bed. My kids actually slept all night because, I’m sure you’ve heard, THE KIDS DON’T SLEEP. They never, ever, ever even shut their eyes for longer than a blink THE ENTIRE CAR RIDE. I sometimes wonder really what the agenda is and what their goal is by being up every waking minute of the day. It was great to have Erin as my co-pilot. She helped tremendously with directions all the way there and was great to have to talk to. I probably would have been able to do the trip by myself, but would most definitely have had to break it up into 2 days with a motel stop in between. The kids did great on the trip also.

THE BIG DAY

2009-08-20T13:52:00.010-06:00

So... I’m skipping ahead. I have lots of things to type and lots of pictures to post from vacation, but today I’m doing something easy… First Day of School! This morning was Syd’s first day of kindergarten. I’ve been a little worried about this only because last year seemed to be a bit traumatic for her, and, in turn, traumatic for me. But, yet again, my daughter has proven me wrong.

Last night we got the outfit picked out and then she told me that she wanted her hair straight for the first day of school. And, just in case I didn’t hear her the first time, she said it again, ‘STRAIGHT’. Got it. So, we grabbed the stool and the flat iron and got to work. She was pleased with the outcome and ready for bed shortly after completion.She was all smiles this morning. Up and ready to go without argument, and was acting very independent and mature the whole time. When we were doing pictures she said 'Mom, make sure you get one with my new backpack in the picture!'

She fell right into place in the bus stop lines and was very excited to see her friend Jadon (as well as grandma) when he arrived with his mom.I drove to Menlo and met her getting off the bus. She was sitting in the first seat of the bus with Jadon right across from her in the other seat. She jumped off the bus, followed the ‘leader’ and headed straight for her classroom. Her teacher, Mrs. Jones, was waiting in the hallway to greet them and most gave her hugs like they had known her forever. She made a beeline for her locker to deposit her bag and jacket. I offered to hold her papers while she took her jacket off and I got the look of death, ‘Mom, I can do it myself’. I snapped a couple pictures of her at the locker and at her desk and then headed on my way.I was expecting way more drama from my little drama queen, but the morning was very pleasant and exceptionally atraumatic.

CREEPY HOLLOW: NOW WITH MORE CREEPY

2009-07-31T06:43:00.011-06:00

Those of us from Menlo/Stuart know ALL about Creepy Hollow. A grown over road, a one-lane bridge, out in the middle of nowhere, etc. A place where people would go to do one of 3 things: 1. underage drinking, 2. making out or 'parking', or 3. scare the crap out of each other. In Junior High and High School, because we lived so close to it, my friends and I were always going down there to do number 3. There were stories of 'Crunch-Crunch', the crazy man who lived in the trees and made a crunching sound as he walked on the leaves and sticks, as well as the 'Hook-Man', the crazy man who might scrape your faces off if you're not careful. Needless to say, I'm a big chicken and was ALWAYS afraid of that place. I didn't find it cool or fun and I did NOT want to explore anything down there.

As the years have gone by things have deteriorated at Creepy Hollow to the point that it became necessary to restrict traffic from going down the road. Due to the deep crevices in the road, as well as the bad conditions of the bridge, the county decided to shut down the road. To ensure this, they took a saw (or something), cut across both sides of the bridge, and let it fall down into the creek.

Sydney and Grandpa explored down there for the first time this summer, and she just loves it (I sometimes think she's can not possibly be my child). She isn't scared at all. She even told me the story of the 'Hook Man' the other night (as if I didn't already know it). SERIOUSLY! I'm wanting to know why my father found it appropriate, or even necessary, to tell this fable to my 5-year-old. Regardless, it doesn't fase her at all and she loves going down there. The other evening we stopped out at Mom and Dad's house and Grandma was in town at a meeting. Grandpa and Sydney thought it was a good idea to take Mom (Me) down to Creepy Hollow to see the 'wrecked bridge'. Because you can't get there by car any longer, the 3 of us hopped on the 4-wheeler and headed down.

I soon discovered my feelings for Creepy Hollow haven't changed and it's a little creepier now that there is a HUMUNGOUS DROP OFF as opposed to a little one lane bridge. I kept waiting for some crazy inbred lunatic to jump out of the woods and kill us. Irrational? Me? Never.

I held it together because Sydney was so excited to show me how she throws rocks off the bridge and how she and Grandpa explore things while they're down there. Good for her. I'm glad she's not scared of these things. I, however, was ready to go as soon as we got there but kept my mind off things by taking some pictures.

Also...at the edge of the bridge there were some stumps, the remains of a campfire, and some beer cans. This leads me to believe that someone voluntarily hung out down there recently. At night. In the dark. On the edge of a bridge. Um... how can I put this so you'll understand...NO. WAY. IN. HELL.

On the way back I got a few good pictures around our old neighbor, Marie Ferrell's, house. Marie passed away a few years ago and the at the ripe old age of one-hundred-something-unbelieveable. She lived on the farm as long as she possibly could- well into her nineties. Because her kids are older and rich and don't need the money, her house is still sitting as it did, most likely filled with Marie's treasures that will rot away before they do anything about it. Sad. One of my fondest memories is of Marie stopping at our house and picking up walnuts every summer. Now, in full circle, Sydney's favorite thing to do is to stop at 'the lady who died's house' and pick pecan's off her pecan tree.

PRINCESS HARRY: GENDER IDENTITY ISSUES EDITION

2009-07-29T07:01:00.003-06:00

Honestly, I couldn't blame him too much if he did decide to bite her.

FLOWER POWER

2009-07-27T21:34:00.001-06:00

Just a little update on the flower garden and home improvements… When we painted our house last summer, we took down our house numbers because they didn’t match, you couldn’t see them from the road, and, well, really because I didn’t like them. I have been looking online all over for a sign that I like that I could hang in the middle above the garage door between it at the basketball hoop. With our house facing the south, it’s hard to hang numbers on it that people would be able to see, so I decided I wanted them on the garage. I didn’t want to put them on either side because I thought that would look uneven, so I decided to hang them in the middle. After looking all over I discovered one thing for sure- address signs are EXPENSIVE. Ridiculous. My dad’s friend has a metal cutting machine and loves to design new things, so I drew up what I wanted the sign to look like and told him how big I thought it needed to be in order for people to be able to see it from the road. Dad took it out to Guisinger’s and they cut it out for me. I LOVE the finished product and it looks great from the street… Another addition to the garage are the 2 hog oilers that dad gave me. I finally got dirt and flowers in them and they are doing great. I believe the white and burgundy flowers on each side are impatients. The yellow ones are some sort of stiff daisy-like thing, and the purple ones in the back are just pretty ones I picked up at Lowe’s. I think they all look great together. At a recent auction I came across a bunch of the old metal (?) washing pans and bowls that are white with red trim on the top. I got them for a steal and so far I have planted flowers in one of them. There was a perfect spot for it just off my deck.

When I started my flower garden this year I had no idea how tall or big some of the flowers I got would be. They all look great, but next year I will definitely refer to these pictures when determining where I want everything to be planted. Tall in the back, smaller in the front. Almost all my flowers are in bloom now. I’m just waiting for the one big group - Zinnia's (?) - to bloom and that should be all of them.

I really want to make a big pretty bouquet to take to work, but I’m afraid they would just die before I got them there. We’ll see. I might pick a few. Right now I’m just enjoying them outside and I keep thinking up ways to expand my flower gardens next year!

FATHER AND DAUGHTER MUCH??

2009-07-27T13:50:00.002-06:00

A picture speaks a thousand words has never proved more real to me than today... I guess I'll let you be the judges. Talk amongst yourselves...

GIRLS DAY OUT

2009-07-26T21:00:00.001-06:00

Today Sydney and I had a fun-filled girls day out. We are exhausted from the busy weekend, but had a great day today with even greater friends!

Around noon we met Megan and Brinn Johnson at Stella’s for lunch. For those that don’t know, Stella’s is the home of the famous waiters and waitresses that pour milkshakes into the glasses of patrons balancing on their head, face, or anywhere else. The girls did order milkshakes, but opted out of the pouring thing just because we had other things to do today and didn’t want to risk getting milkshakes poured on their heads if they couldn’t remain perfectly still. They did like being able to watch others participate though!

After lunch we headed to the Des Moines Playhouse where we saw the show ‘High School Musical 2’. Sydney and Brinn were so excited. We had seats in the 6th row and right in the middle. They were great. They sang along with the songs they knew, and Sydney blushed and covered her eyes at the end when Troy and Gabriella finally kissed after many near-misses throughout the performance. After the show we went to the mall and all 4 of us got pedicures. Sydney wasn’t too sure at first about it, but ended up loving it. I might have created a monster! She giggled when the guys told her she was cute, and she laughed out loud when the girl was rubbing her feet with the stone to smooth out the skin. She got a bright purple color on her toes and even got flowers on her big toes! What a big lady she is!

We gave Brinn a ride home after we dropped Megan off at her car. The girls played for a while at the Johnson’s. Everyone was hungry around 7pm, so we headed to Quizno’s for sandwiches. After supper and a few more minutes of playtime, we headed for home.

Thanks Megan and Brinn. You are great friends and we had a blast. We’ll have to have girls day again soon!

T-BALL OR CHEEEEESE BALL

2009-07-09T12:00:00.003-06:00

There is no team picture because we were the ONLY ones from the ENTIRE team that showed up for pictures. That preeeeetty much sums up our t-ball experience in a nutshell. We're opting out of t-ball for next year. At least the picture is cute.

4TH OF JULY: SATURDAY EDITION

2009-07-06T18:24:00.001-06:00

On July 4th we had another lazy morning. Ken worked for a few hours and Sydney and I just hung around the house. Around 1pm we picked up Sydney’s friend, Kiersten Longworth, and headed to Waukee for the 4th of July parade. We met up with Adam, Nat, Jasper, and Vicki at Vicki’s house. We walked a couple blocks and found a spot next to more of Nat’s family: The Smith, The Swallows, and their family friends, the Zieglers. All the kids got street side sitting, so they had prime spots for catching candy. After the parade we headed back to Vicki’s to get our cars and then went to Junior and Sandy Swallow’s house for some 4th of July fun. They have an annual water balloon fight, and despite the bad weather, this year was no exception. Sydney paired up with Macy Weller (Nat’s cousin) and Kiersten paired up with Lindsey Ellis (a girl from Stuart who is friends with Macy). Of course, the tossing contest soon became a water balloon fight, as I’m sure is always the case, but all had fun nonetheless. After a long fun day at the Swallows’, we said good-bye and headed home. First we made a detour to Gram and Gramps house to do some sparklers and snakes, and ‘poppers’. It started to rain on us out there and the kids had about as much 4th of July fun as they could handle. My camera ran out of battery so there were no pictures from Gram and Gramps, but that’s probably OK, because most likely it would have just been pictures of rainy, wet, tired, crabby girls ready to call it a night. We dropped Kiersten off around 9pm and we got to the house and crashed! Happy 4th of July!

4th OF JULY: FRIDAY EDITION

2009-07-06T18:12:00.001-06:00

Friday both Ken and I were off for the July 4th holiday, as were Nat and Adam. We had a relaxing morning and then headed for Des Moines with Gram and Gramps to meet the Wilson’s at Blank Park Zoo.

It kept looking like it was going to rain, but luckily held off until we were leaving. After the zoo we went to Adam and Nat’s house for supper.

We grilled some steaks and ate fresh veggies from Gram and Gramps garden! YUM! The kids played for quite a while and then we headed for home. Everyone had a great time and everyone, especially a certain 5 year old girl, was VERY tired!

PROGRESS: FLOWER GARDEN EDITION

2009-07-01T21:05:00.003-06:00

When we moved into our house almost 5 years ago, I had grand ideas for a flower garden. I didn’t realize how much work home-ownership was going to be and it ended up being hard enough for me to try and keep the lawn up (sometimes unsuccessfully) and to take care of Sydney since Ken was gone during the evening for the most part.

The place I wanted my flower garden was on the south side of our house. It seemed ideal and there was a big enough space there for a large flower garden without taking away from much of the yard. Unfortunately some demolition had to take place first. All the insane overgrown rose bushes from the previous owners had to be removed. Anyone ever try to ‘remove’ a rose bush? They’re pretty stubborn little things and like to grow back even if you’re sure you got all the roots.

After the rose bushes were taken care of, the (unused) steps had to be taken out of the from the southwest side of the house. I was able to get this all done myself and then dad helped me make my flower garden visualization real. This is one thing that I am completely like my father…we can see things in our heads and know just exactly how we want them to be. This is frustrating to mom and Ken because they don’t really have this trait and can never seem to be able to ‘see’ what Dad and I are talking about when we’re deciding what to do on certain projects.

2 summers ago (2007) was actually when we started this project. I don’t remember off hand what exactly halted our progress last summer, but the completion of the project just happened about 2 months ago.

This is the Post-demolition before picture: This is the ‘after’ picture and what my flower garden looks like now:

I am SO pleased with the way this has all turned out and it’s just looking great. I don’t even mind doing the weeding because it’s so thrilling to come out the next morning and see all the new blooms on my flowers.

For those interested, the following are the flowers I have planted this year…

Baby’s Breath

Impatients: 3 white plants and 3 orange plants

Gerbera Daisies

Pansies

Marigolds (that we planted from seed, so they haven’t actually bloomed yet, but you can see one little one peeking through)

Red and Pink Geraniums

Pink and Purple ‘creeping’ Petunias

Coneflowers

And then a few things I got from mom that haven’t bloomed yet; I believe one of the clusters is Zinias and the other one is something that starts with a ‘P’, but I can’t remember the name of it right at the moment

I filled in the back of the bed with a packet of Wildflowers

And yes, these are all actual pictures of my flowers. It appears I may have inherited a bit of my mother’s green thumb after all.

FLOWER CHILDREN

2009-06-28T21:21:00.001-06:00

On the way up to the lake today I noticed that the ditches were filled with pretty yellow flowers (weeds). Of course I wanted to stop and take pictures, but wasn’t sure where the best spot would be. I scoped it out the entire way up to Lake Panorama and decided where I would stop on my way home. I had Barb follow me with the rest of the kids, and I pulled off where I thought the best place would be. Even though the kids had a full day at the lake and were tired, hungry, and hot, they were pretty good sports and let me get a few pictures! Keep your fingers crossed that none of the weeds were poison ivy or nettles! I’m sure I’d get in trouble for that one! At least I got the picture…

SUMMER FUN

2009-06-28T21:16:00.001-06:00

Last week I broke down and got out the little swimming pool for Syd. It has built in steps and a little slide. She has spend a fair amount of time in it so far and I’m sure she will use it more in the hot days to come.

Today we went with Barb, Noah, Sam, Emma, and Alex to Lake Panorama for the day. We had a great time. The water (a little dirty as usual) was warmer than I thought it would be. The sun felt great. And the kids had a blast. Thanks Phyl and Roy for always letting us use the house/beach anytime we want!

FOR THE GREATER GOOD

2009-06-25T11:35:00.003-06:00

We are allowed 8 hours of paid community service time here at DMU...every year, I think. So, a couple friends and I decided to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. We had a great morning, even in the humid, hot, wet, hotness. With all the hot. From left: Nancy, me, Sally, Roberta.

IT'S A PONY PARTY!

2009-06-25T08:18:00.015-06:00

The Budweiser Clydesdales made an appearance in Stuart last night, June 24th. The Chamber had originally tried to get them to come for Good Egg Days, but they were otherwise engaged. They did, however, have time this week to come by, so they are bedding down for a few nights at the Rockin' River Ranch just outside of town. Last night was the big 'parade'. A big crowd gathered at the park and the team showed up around 5:30pm. The horses were big and beautiful, of course. They were also very well-behaved and let kids swarm around them trying to get pictures and to see them up close. Later in the evening, Sydney ran to town with Grandpa Paul to get some dog food so they drove by the Ranch to see if the horses made it back.

Sydney said 'Look! Grandpa! It's a pony party!' (The horses were back and were out in the lots getting fed and groomed.) Sydney then said 'Grandpa...how come they didn't invite Rocky to the Pony Party?' Gramp said 'Well, I'm not sure, maybe they don't know him.' Sydney replied 'I know! It must be a pony party for only the ponies that have white faces. They all have white faces and Rocky doesn't have a white face. So this must be the white face pony party.'

Or maybe his invitation got lost in the mail. They should have sent it 'Pony Express'.

FATHER'S DAY 2009: COOL DOWN EDITION

2009-06-23T08:41:00.008-06:00

After all the Father's Day Festivities, Ken had to go home for a nap to get ready for a long night at John Deere. Sydney and I went for ice cream with Grams, Nat, and Jasper before heading back out to Grams and Gramps house. The kids were hot (and a little crabby from the long car ride), so we decided to let them get wet to cool off (after Gramps got the water back on...long story).They had a great time running (and driving) through the hose that Gram was spraying them with.

As always, with water comes puddles. This was one of Jasper's favorite parts and he did lots of splashing.

A great end to a great Father's Day. Hope it was a happy one for all of you great Dads!!

LITTLE CHILDREN; BIG FUN

2009-06-21T22:57:00.001-06:00

FATHER’S DAY FISHING EXTRAVAGANZA! 2009 EDITION

2009-06-21T22:40:00.001-06:00

As is another tradition, the Dads in the family get up early on Father’s Day for a morning of fishing. This year they left around 5:30 and fished the entire time at Lake Anita. There is always competition to see who can catch the biggest (or the littlest) fish. Ken thought for sure this was ‘his year’. He did win something, although it wasn’t the biggest fish award. I believe it was the award for ‘Most Lures Lost’ (6). The big winner this year was Dad. He caught a 5 pound catfish that was around 2 feet long. The Mom’s and kids prepared a wonderful brunch and headed out to meet the guys at the Lake for some grub. This year it was: Us, Mom & Dad, Adam, Nat, and Jasper, John, Roni, Dave, and Chelsey, Cliff and Teresa, Pat and Mary, and Ron and Ginnie. Food was great, conversation was even better. After eating, the guys headed out for a little more time on the lake before heading home. We went down to hang out with them for a little bit, but it was nap-time for the J-man, and it was getting HOT. We let the kids put their feet in the water, see the big fishes, and kiss their daddies, then we headed for home. And just a little sidebar…for the record, I knew we were going the wrong way but decided not to argue with Mom when she said we weren’t. 1 Iowa Map, 2 cranky kids, and an hour and a half later, we made it back to Stuart. Mom won’t live this down any time soon.

GOOD EGG DAYS

2009-06-21T22:28:00.001-06:00

As is tradition, Good Egg Days always falls on Father’s Day weekend. Adam and Natalie decided to come out and stay this time so that Adam could get up and participate in the Father’s Day Fishing Extravaganza without having to drive from Des Moines at 5 in the morning.

Adam came out early Saturday morning to help us (do for us) with a shelving project in the garage. He had some help throughout the day from Ken and Dad and got them done in record time. I haven’t gotten any pictures yet, but will show you his handiwork in an upcoming post.

While the guys were working on the shelves, I had to make a run up to the parade route to drop off Sydney. That’s right folks…this year marks the FIRST time that Sydney participated in the Good Egg Days parade! She was on the float for Cyndi’s Daycare and she had a blast. She told me before the parade not to yell at her because it would embarrass her. I just told her to get used to it. Other family members in the parade were Megan (for cheerleading) and Logan (on a 4-wheeler, for fun or whatever). I went home after the parade to make lunch for the hard-workin’ guys. Sydney went with Barb and Rhea and Noah, Sam, and Kiersten up to the GED festivities at the park. She came home with a new tiara/earring combo, a unicorn tattoo on her arm, and a crabby attitude! It was a long day for all the little punkins!

Jasper and Natalie got to Mom and Dad’s around 5pm and Syd was instantly cheered up! She spent the evening with Gram, Gramp, and Jasper while Adam, Nat, Ken, and I went into town to make an appearance at the Good Egg Days street dance. Natalie and I weren’t really in the mood, but the guys wanted to go up, so we stayed for about an hour and a half- plenty long!

We picked up Syd and headed for home- and bed –so that Ken would be ready to get up and head out for his fishing excursion with the other ‘Dads’.

…THAT’S WHY I PLAY RIGHT FIELD, WAY OUT WHERE THE DANDELIONS GROW…

2009-06-08T20:38:00.001-06:00

Sydney is playing t-ball this year. Last week was the first practice, as well as the first game. You can imagine how well the game went after only 2 practices- the first one being more like organized chaos than anything else! They all actually did great, considering, and were all SO cute. Sydney’s favorite parts of the game (besides hitting the ball…) are wearing her glove on her head like a hat… and writing her name in the gravel…

She’s surely a Super Star in the making!

FOR STEPHANIE WILDER

2009-06-08T20:29:00.001-06:00

Stephanie Wilder, and Kevin sent Sydney the cutest dress and flip-flops for her birthday this year. We appreciated it very much and Sydney has been saving the dress for a special occasion. We were going to Salazar’s going away party Saturday evening and Sydney said she wanted to wear ‘Stephanie’s Dress’. After she got it on she said ‘Mom, take a picture of me so Stephanie can see it.’ So we did. Then she wanted to take one from the back so she could see the whole dress. I explained that the dress looked the same from the back as it did from the front, but Syd wasn’t convinced. So now you get the whole view, and Steph…these pictures are for you.

We are still working on your ‘Iowa Care Package’ to send to you guys. I am hoping to maybe include some garden stuff in it. But I promise you’ll get it before the summer is over! Thanks again so much for thinking of Sydney. You made her day!

GYMNASTICS MEET

2009-06-08T20:23:00.001-06:00

I’m finally getting the pictures up from Syd’s gymnastics meet. She did 2 different tumbling ‘passes’ and did a great job. Her instructor Lori, and her helper Lindsey, are great. We’ve really appreciated Lori’s dedication, knowledge, organization, and professionalism this year. A much needed change from where we were in dance last year!

TAKING A BREAK

2009-05-26T19:06:00.001-06:00

Rewarding ourselves to a much needed weekend away, Ken, Syd, and I took off Saturday afternoon and headed for the Henry’s in Nebraska. We got to their house about 5:30pm just in time for a wonderful BBQ dinner prepared by Rick and Shani. Saturday night Sydney played and played and played with Isaac and Emma, while Jill, Larry, Becky, Shani, and I played cards and Rick and Ken watched the Nuggets/Lakers game (slept). The kids sacked out around 11pm and the big kids sacked out not too long after that. Sunday morning we got up and had breakfast and started preparing lunch for all the other company that was on their way. Adam, Nat, Jasper, Gram D, and Grandma Debbie got to the Henry’s around 11:30. We had tacos with your choice of chicken, shrimp, or beef to go along with them.

Since it was also Isaac’s birthday, Shani’s parents made the trip from Le Mars to be there for the day also. Shani’s dad, Ken, Adam, and Isaac had a heated basketball game of 2-on-2 and Isaac held his own really well against those older guys!

Emma and Sydney continued their ‘girly’ playing, dressing up, running around, and putting on fake sticker earrings.

Ken, Syd, and I headed out for home around 3:30pm with the others following close behind.

It was a wonderful weekend with family, so good to see everyone! A big thanks to Rick and Shani for being wonderful hosts and having room for all of us to stay! We love visiting and will see you all in August at the big wedding!