Adventures at the Library

Well our family have had an extreme rash of not so good days in the last few week, but I thought that everyone would enjoy our library adventure yesterday evening.

Hubby and I picked the kids up from daycare yesterday and decided to get them signed up for the summer reading library program on the first day.  In route Pumpkin announces that he needed to use the restroom.  The restrooms in the children's department are a lot nicer than the main library restrooms.  So Pumpkin and I headed upstairs while hubby and Princess returned our previous library books.  Pumpkin raced up the stairs and ran into the bathroom.  

He must of really needed to go.  He came back out of one of the two children's department restrooms.  I noticed that he had not flushed (he also did not use toilet paper).  So I asked him to flush the toilet.  He ran over pushed the button and ran back out.  As he reached the door, waste water shot about three to four feet out of the floor drain and started spreading across the floor.*  Shocked I tried to tell one of the children's librarian at the desk while guarding the door so no children could enter.  We turn around just at the right time to see a flood of water snaking out of the other bathroom door that was closed.  It probably went a good five feet outward.  

I turn back around to let them know of the second problem and the head children's librarian (who is a real sweetheart) is calling into the radio "EMERGENCY!  Maintenance to the Children's Department!  EMERGENCY!"  Within minute staff are rushing towards the bathrooms.  Hubby hear the radio call downstairs and rushed up the stairs with Princess.  Of course we are in the middle of all the chaos.  We did find out that they had been having problems with the toilets earlier in the day, so thankfully we really were not at fault for the whole diabolic.

Now that I am sure that you are indeed laughing!  Have a great evening!  Don't forget to visit your local library and collect some of your own unique memories!

*Please note- No children were harmed during this misadventure at the library.

Time Flies

April is almost over.  Where has the time gone?

Just a little bit of what we have been up to:

• I chased butterflies.
• Princess and I got our hair cut.
• Pumpkin's class performed a play.
• We had a family adventure to the City Museum.
• Princess rocked her kindergarten screening.
• The yearly ant invasion continues.
• Spring wildflowers have finally arrived.
• Pumpkin finally received an evaluation through the local special education district.
• We had Easter fun.
• We have figured out our summer game plan. 

 sliding fun

Easter kiddos

egg rolling

trout lily

 butterfly

 

Chicken Licken play

jelly fungi

grandma and I

~ sometimes I just feel like a giant! ;-)

Fall Family Woodland Adventure

A couple weekends ago we took a hike through the forest and prairie of a local conservation area.  The kids had a lot of fun and they found a lot of leaves, seeds, and twigs.

Pumpkin seemed to be the most entranced by sycamore bark that was rolled into tubes strewed across the dry creek bed of a ford.  Princess enjoyed all of the pretty leaves.  A few nights before the hike we had a hard frost so in areas the ground was carpeted with green paw-paw leaves.

Life Goes On

I meant to post sooner than now.  Famous last words of a parent!  (wink, wink)

We visited a pumpkin patch over the weekend and I have been taking some seasonal nature shots with the camera.

Things have been extremely crazy and stressful at work.  Anytime someone new comes along it is bound to happen.  Hoping that the dust settles in a few months as a new normal is established.  Although it is tempting to stay home with the kiddos, especially with all of the problems that Pumpkin has been encountering lately.

Pumpkin is still having a few rough patches at school, but on the bright side we had two good days last week and today was a good day.  So we are making a bit of progress.  Our pastor has been helping us and suggested have one to two goals to focus on each week to make progress easier to accomplish.

We took Pumpkin to our pediatrician this afternoon.  His ears are good, but it looks like he needs to have his tonsils removed.  I will have to call the ear, nose, throat specialist office tomorrow.  I imagine that if they take his tonsils out that they will either put a third set of ear tubes in or take the remaining non-functioning ear tube out of his right ear.  We also talked with our pediatrician about the reoccurring behavioral glitches that Pumpkin has been having at school and she has recommended that we see a behavioral pediatrician.  She said that it might be possible that he has some processing problems, but without testing and an official diagnosis she does not want to prescribe medicine.  So we are looking into a friend of the family that is planning to open a clinic in town soon.  If that falls through we will probably have to drive at least an hour or more to see a specialist.  She said that an out of town specialist could take up to six months to get into for a first appointment.  I am not for sure if our health insurance will cover any of this, so prayers would be appreciated.  In the mean time our pediatrician recommended that we wean Pumpkin off his allergy medicine to see if it has an affect on his behavior.
 
I have been falling behind on my intent to participate in "Making Your Home A Haven."  Week One focused on lighting a candle daily and praying for peace.  It took a while, but I did finally find a candle that does not make my allergies go haywire.  So far, I only lit it on Saturday.  I did better at remembering to pray for peace for my house, peace for my family, and peace for me.  It does have a calming affect to repetitively pray for such simple requests.   Week Two focuses on a planning a family game night and to pursue gentleness in the home (quiet voices, gentle touch, controlling anger).  We have yet to partake in a family game night this week.  Hopefully we can play some Candy Land on Thursday or Friday evening.  The kids really seem to enjoy this particular game.  Gentleness was lacking this evening with nerves frazzled, but we always have the chance to begin anew tomorrow.  I am hoping that as I work on this journey that my life with feel less stressed and more blessed.

Well, I suppose a good night sleep would help, so I better be thinking about heading that way soon.  Blessings and peace to all!

Vacation Days

This week has flown by and I only have one day left before returning to work.  Honestly, it would be nice to stay home with the kiddos.  I will miss morning time leisurely snuggles.  I will miss taking Pumpkin to and from school.  The kids have seem to have less behavior issues since they have spent time home with me.  Although, Princess has apparently started the tantrum stage.  She was crying and sulking in our bedroom earlier because Pumpkin was mopping the kitchen floor, not her.  But Pumpkin was mopping the kitchen floor because he had decided to make apple juice on the kitchen floor.  He gathered a large bowl, about six apples and the potato smasher for his unsupervised experiment.  It was not too successful and the floor was quite sticky. So we had to clean the floor. 

Anyway, during this vacation we checked quite a few things off our to-do-list: 

We took a drive north of our town, down an old rocky road to watch part of the meteor shower Sunday evening.  Since we were in the middle of no where, we were standing in the middle of the road watching the sky.  We saw the Milky Way (which we cannot see from out house), the Big Dipper, Cassiopeia, the crescent moon, and a handful of shooting stars.  We let the kids lay on the hood of the car to watch the stars.  As we saw headlights in the distance, we scrambled into our car to be better protected.  A very old, old car drove by (maybe something from the 1920s or 1930s), then "Aaauuugah! Aaauuugah!"  Hubby and I burst into laughter!  Then the little car chugged off over a hill and we continued star gazing for a while longer.

On Monday the kids and I visited the children's museum.  The kids had a lot of fun.  

On Tuesday we went to the state fair.  Boy was it expensive.  A bottle of water was $3.00, that is absurd.  We did get to partake in some fair favorites: elephant ear, funnel cake, and lemon shake-up.  Yum!  Both kids got to milk a cow and we saw the Butter Cow.

On Wednesday, Pumpkin started the first grade.  We met his teacher on Monday.  Pumpkin and I went over the class expectations at least once a day every day this week since the meeting.  For example, one expectation is to be respectful of the teacher.  So I asked Pumpkin how he could be respectful and he said listen.  He was so nervous on Tuesday night that we prayed for him and his teacher and that has seemed to help.  So much so that he asked for the same thing the next night.  What a sweetie!   Anyway, I was so happy that first half day when he came out of the school to be picked up that he was not the child holding the teacher's hand.  Yay!  Oh, Wednesday afternoon and night we cleaned Pumpkin's room.  It is a miracle, I can see the floor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On Thursday, Princess and I ran a few errands and she got a new pair of shoes.  We played with chalk outside and swung on the swing.  She passed out in the hallway about an hour before we were to pick Pumpkin up from school.

On Friday, Princess spent the day with great grandma and I completed a few volunteer hours as required by the school.  It was an enlightening experience and gave me some ideas that I can utilize when I return to work.

Today we visited the library and then went on our regular routine to the grocery store.  Princess wanted some Fancy Nancy books and I found a few Elephant and Piggie books for Pumpkin.  He was too busy playing with the train set to look for books today.  We even picked up a few Halloween and Christmas books too.

This week I have read the following books: 1) Daughter of Jerusalem by Joan Wolf.  It was really good and was a fictionalize journey of Mary of Magdalena that utilized facts from the Bible.  It really made me think about the miracle, awe, and uncertainty of the times when Jesus lived. I discovered Joan Wolf about a month ago and am impressed by her biblical fiction.  2) Positive Discipline by Jane Nelsen Ed.D.  I only have three chapters left of the book.  It has some very interesting concepts and focuses on encouraging children not discouraging them.  I have applied a few of the concepts on the children and they do seem successful.  I have been reading this book for a while.  But once I decided to take notes restarting from the beginning, it has gone a lot smoother.  I have been reading one chapter a day during vacation.  3) A Reluctant Queen by Joan Wolf.  I just started this afternoon.  It is the fictional story of Esther based on the facts of the Bible.  It is definitely interested reading about the women of the Bible and getting a glimpse of what their lives may have been like.

Well things will start to get back to normal on Monday.  Pumpkin will be in school and hanging with great grandma before and after school.  Princess will start at her new daycare that has a preschool curriculum.  Daddy will be working and I will be working.  It has been nice to be on vacation and my batteries are recharged a touch.

Last Hurrah of Summer

Summer is almost over.  We have not done too much this summer, but we are trying to make the most of the time that is left.

Two Sundays ago we visited a museum in our state capitol.

Last Thursday we visited the zoo for the first time this year.

Friday was the kids last day at daycare and I am on vacation.  Nine whole days away from work!  Only happens once a year.  Too bad it is not a paid vacation, but beggars can't be choosers.

Yesterday we had a tea party, got haircuts, and decorated little plant saucers for miniature bird feeders.

Today the kids are playing in the kiddie pool in the yard, while hubby and I try to accomplish a few needed projects.

Plans for the next seven days include:
- Taking the kids to tour Princess's new daycare that has a preschool curriculum.  Yay!!!!
- Playing at a children's museum.
- Visiting the library.
- Meeting Pumpkin's new teacher and starting 1st grade.
- Visiting the state fair.
- A mommy / daughter day.

Roller Coaster Of Life

The past seven days have felt like a roller coaster with its ups and downs. 

Monday was Memorial Day.  I found out in the morning that a dear man from my little country church had past away.  He was 96 years old and was an amazing person.  It is truly a blessing to have known him.  In the afternoon we decorated graves.  The first cemetery we decorated four graves from my husband's family.  The second cemetery we decorated my mom and maternal grandpa's graves.  We dropped the kids off before the next cemetery.  Then head to my paternal grandma's to get the flowers, by the time we got to the third cemetery we had to turn around and leave.  The wind started blowing, branches were flying by, and the rain coming down so hard you could barely see.  We drove back to our house to take cover in the basement.  When we came back up to get the kids one of trees in the front yard that was damaged during the ice storm of 2006 had limbed just peeled off it.  It looked like string cheese.

Tuesday, I finished decorating the graves of my paternal grandpa and uncle at the third cemetery.  We had a delicious family dinner at my maternal grandma's house.  Then everyone went outside to help pick up sticks from the storm the day before.

Wednesday was a ROUGH day at work.  Enough said there.

Thursday afternoon was the visitation, funeral, and grave side services of the gentleman that I had gone to church with.  I arranged to be off work for several hours so I could attend.  The funeral message was wonderful and encompassed the Christian example that he lead his life by.  The songs were perfect, two of his favorite: Amazing Grace and In the Garden.  I will always associate In the Garden with him.  He was the Sunday school superintendent and would lead us in reciting Psalm 19:14 (Let the words of my mouth, and the mediation of my heart, be acceptable in your sight, Oh Lord, my strength, and my redeemer)  before we left the church for the day.  He would go out of his way to help others and was like an extra grandparent to me.  On Sundays, him and his wife would give me quarters to do with laundry while I was in college.  Sometimes they would send little treats with me, like a loaf of homemade bread or a jar of homemade jelly.  I was able to hug his wife, but was saddened to discover that this kind grandmotherly lady has dementia. 

Friday went fairly well until the evening.  During the day, I caught these little guys just outside the building at work.

In the evening we were in for some storms, so we kept an eye on the local weather station and the pending storms. The tornado sirens went off shortly after 10:00 p.m., so we took sleeping Pumpkin and Princess to the bathroom in the basement.  We placed a blanket on the floor and laid them down on it.  The lights flickered a few times here and there.  Eventually we heard the all clear from the sirens.    Since we were unsure if there would be any additional sirens, we placed the kids in their sleeping bags on our bedroom floor and left the hall light on so we could get moving faster if necessary.  As we monitored the local weather station reports were coming in from the area we live in.  We heard our street mentioned as being a war zone.  We looked out our windows and had no trees down and no visible damage from inside the house.  I finally got the internet up and heard about all sorts of storm damage.  The major street that we just live off of was closed, many were trees down, reports of a trampoline in a tree, someone said that they had heard the whistle of a tornado near the cemetery just south of our house.

Saturday morning just after midnight we received an automated phone call from the local police department telling residents to not leave their houses due to downed trees and downed power lines.  If there was an emergency call 911, but do not leave your house.  Okay, that sort of scared me more than the facebook reports.  I only got about three hours sleep worrying about family members and friends in the area.  At five in the morning, I got dress and walked around our house.  Thankfully we did not sustain any damage at all.  By seven thirty I had talked to both grandmas and by eight I had talked with my dad.  I had thought about calling my pastor and his wife and assumed since my grandma that lives to the southwest of us and only two blocks from the church was fine that I didn't need to bother them.  We had signed up for a canoeing class, so we viewed some of the damage on the way to the class.  Massive trees were down, a box truck contorted and bend, small limbs and sticks littered the road ways, massive traffic of people gawking at the devastation.  

We got out the the nature center holding the class and we got to canoe as a family.  I think that the kids had fun.  Hubby did not have as much fun since he was in the front of the canoe and Pumpkin would not stay still and the canoe would rock from time to time.  I sacred Princess once with algae hanging off of my paddle.  She screamed and threw her paddle into the pond, so I had to retrieve it.  After we finished canoeing, I got a chance to take the kids around the pond to explore.  Princess liked the bullfrog that we found the best and Pumpkin liked paddling the best.  After our little adventure we went to the library to sign the kids up for the summer reading program.  Then on our way home, we drove through some of the storm damage to check on my paternal grandma's house.  The road just to the south of the cemetery looked like a war zone  (We live on the road just to the north of the same cemetery).  I hadn't seen anything that bad since the ice storm of 2006.  We were almost to my grandma's when we passed by the church and parsonage.  OMG . . . . . . . I think that I was in shock after that.  Trees just snapped off like toothpicks, debris everywhere, work crews in the area were using the parking lot as a staging area. 

Well,  the possible tornado (it has yet to be confirmed, but for the damage to have clear and long path it just has to be a tornado) started a half a block west of my church and the parsonage, went diagonal through the church property downing a lot of trees but minimal structural damage (windows, roof, awnings) (THANK YOU LORD!), then down the next street to the north about 5-6 city blocks before going diagonal through a section of houses, continued diagonal through the cemetery just south of our house (damaged the mausoleum, toppled trees), the ended across the street from the cemetery at two local businesses (one is pretty much totaled).  The closest it came to our house is about two city blocks to the south (approximately a 5 minutes walk from our house).  I was able to check the graves that we decorated and they were fine.  I also checked the grave of the gentleman that was buried on Thursday just east of the mausoleum, thankfully the dirt and flowers were still there.  I was so afraid that since the dirt had just been dug, that his casket could of gotten sucked out of the ground. 

Also on Saturday my sister's dad delivered a swing set frame.  It is the same swing set that my maternal grandparent got second hand when my mom was three years old, so the swing set is about 55 years old.  We had to go out and by some swings and it definitely needs a paint job.  But not too bad for the years that it has on it.  When I was a kid, it was painted green and yellow, so I hope that we can return it to those colors.  My most vivid memory of the swing was when my brother and I were playing on it in my grandparent's yard.  My brother was swinging and I had a hula hoop that he was swinging his legs into.  Somehow the hoop caught his legs and pulled him off the swing.  My sister's dad spanked me with his bare hands and my two top front teeth caught on his belt buckle.  They were not quite ready to come out but they were no longer in their normal position, so he had to pull both of the teeth out.  Gives me the willies just thinking about it. 

Sunday, grandma and I carpooled to church.  Besides water damage in the basement from the sump pumps not working because of the power outage, there was minimal damage to the building.  I saw some shingles on the ground and some of the awning was missing but not bad considering.  The church's pavilion needs some major work and the parsonage had some damage to the roof and a window blown out.  Thankfully none of the trees that fell or were shredded touch any of the buildings.  Most of the trees on the property were damaged on way or another.  But it is truly a blessing that pastor, his wife, the parsonage, and the church made it through the brunt of the storm.  Anyway, this afternoon we got the swings installed and the kids had fun swinging back and forth.

Well off to have some more adventures.  Hopefully this week will be much calmer.

### 6/3/13 Update: The National Weather Service has confirmed that it was an EF1 tornado with wind speeds up to 90 miles per hour. ###

Family Day

We had a family day this afternoon and went to a neighboring town to meet up with a college friend of mine.

We started off at the local mall and had lunch in the food court.  I think hubby was happy that he was able to get some Chinese food.  The kids and I had sub sandwiches, with the kids sharing a sandwich.  Of course they ate all of the chips and cookies, without sharing with their mommy.  The kids were able to ride on the indoor carousel next to the food court.  I think that they had fun! 

After lunch we visited a children's museum.  It was pretty fascinating and the kids played for two hours.   

They had a water table, gravity activities, a faux castle, a faux boat with life vest, a faux veterinarians clinic, an much more.  Pumpkin enjoyed the water table with boats and movable obstructions the most, typical boy.  Princess was torn between the sand table and faux veterinarians clinic.  We took a few pictures outside before jumping back into the car.

We headed back to the mall for a bit of play in the children's area, then ended out day with ice cream before driving an hour and fifteen minutes home.  Both of the kiddos fell asleep in the car.  So even though we had a few meltdowns, it was a pretty successful day.

I can't wait for the next family adventure!