Of Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails...

Being with two little boys all day is a lot of fun! They love to play in dirt, wrestle, jump off couches, drive cars on walls, climb everything and run all day.

I get to have conversations like this one that took place last night after the 5th time tucking Ethan back into bed because he was "scared."

Ethan: I'm not scared anymore Mom.

Me: Good. Now you can just close your eyes and think about happy things like cupcakes, and carousels, and playing at the park.

Ethan: And bugs...

and catching bugs...

and playing with bugs...

and putting bugs on houses...

and smashing bugs...

and wiping them on things...

Me: (Even though I was thinking EW!) I said, yep, all those happy happy things.

So here's a few pictures of my boys...doing what they do best...being boys!

Ethan getting ready to pet the boa constrictor at the library yesterday. Later that night when Clark asked him what it felt like, he said, "it was smooth kind of like touching a carrot."

Ethan is quite the climber...

And Caden is usually only one step behind him.

Caden taking a little rest. I'm sure his stomach was full...before noon today along with his breakfast he ate 2 pages from a library book that he ripped out (still trying to figure out how I'm going to explain that one to the librarian), and a leaf from the biggest known cherry oak tree in Indiana.

An Inside Look at the Mysterious World of the Morning Mall

My best chance at getting a workout in is to load the boys in the stroller and go walking. Unfortunately it has been so hot here the last week they meltdown after being in the stroller just a short time. After doing a little research this weekend I discovered that the local mall opens 3 hours early specifically for mall walkers. 4 laps = 3.5 miles...perfect! Today we headed out early for our 4 laps!

I was surprised at how busy the parking lot was when we got there considering none of the stores were opened yet. When we went inside I was blown away at the sight. There were hundreds of senior citizens walking the mall. Most of them weren't wearing workout clothes like mine, most had on nice slack shorts and there were plenty of bright Hawaiian print shirts. I got stuck for awhile behind a threesome of ladies wearing white jeans bedazzled with rhinestones. The common thread that tied everyone together was the all white walking shoe.

I quickly realized people were there for more than just a workout, this was the social event! As we walked by the food court the tables were packed with people meeting and greeting and sipping on their fountain sodas. It sounded like a family reunion. I heard snippets of conversation about a husband's recent kidney removal (the scar was about 3 inches), a recent trip to Branson, and a lady's 8 great-grandchildren.

The icing on the cake though was when we got to the open area in front of Macy's. There were about 12 grandmas line dancing! They had their boom box plugged in and were just dancing away. It looked like so much fun, I wanted to join in. Ethan cheered them on each time we walked by.

The only people besides us that appeared to be under the age of 75 were two teenagers that were sitting in a photo booth doing who knows what, they were still there each time we passed by.

A few minutes before 10, as the stores started to open the morning mall walkers disappeared. Within minutes the mall just looked like a normal mall. I felt privileged to witness the mysterious morning mall world. I'm definitely planning on going again, maybe next time I'll do my hair and put on a little makeup so I fit in with the crowd better. Who knows, maybe I will make a friend here after all!

6:15

So the last couple of days my boys had little colds and being in a new place they were really struggling sleeping. Since we are in tight quarters with our neighbors I can't really let them "cry it out," so I've been up with them. One night I ended up getting up with them 12 times! I don't think I've slept 3 consecutive hours for most of the week.

So this afternoon Clark and the boys all fell asleep in the living room. I was back reading a book in the bedroom and fell asleep around 4:00. I woke up and glanced at the clock, it said 6:15. I panicked! I knew Clark needed to leave Monday at 5:30 am to be to a surgery. Since I had slept so soundly I thought we had all somehow slept through the night.

Completely out of it, I ran into the living room and yelled in a haggard voice, "do you know what time it is?" In the process I woke up all of the boys, Clark kept saying, "it's 6, it's fine, I already missed it" (referring to a church meeting that was at 5 on Sunday). I could not understand why Clark was so calm about missing his surgery and couldn't figure out why he wasn't getting ready to get out the door.

It took about 5 mins. of chaos for Clark to figure out that I thought it was Monday and was able to calm me down...what a crazy pants I am.

Later tonight as we were chatting I made a comment that this fourth year has some challenges, then we both looked at each other and at the same time pointed out that we have completed one week of this year. Then we both laughed, because sometimes when you want to cry it's just better to laugh.

Air Show

On Saturday there was a free festival along the Riverfront of the Ohio River that included an air show. We had a great time watching the crazy stunts and tricks of the pilots.

pictures from courierpress.com

Ethan thought the F-15 was a little too loud.

We thought of my Grandpa and Nada watching the Coast Guard demonstration. A swimmer dove out of the helicopter to rescue someone from the river.

And a B2 stealth bomber flew over the river 3 times. It was pretty sweet!

Caden just putting up his feet and enjoying the day.

The day left me grateful for several things. First I was so grateful that our little family could be together enjoying the weekend. I've learned this week that even though it feels weird to be without a permanent address...just a "visitor" in this town, I don't feel homesick because I'm with my 3 boys.

I was also feeling so patriotic and grateful for freedom and the veterans that have served the USA. I just finished reading this book (which I totally recommend to anyone)-so seeing the WWII style bi-planes in the air show just brought this to life.

A fun first weekend in Evansville!

A Birthday Message for Grammy

Happy Birthday!

We Love You!

Deleted Scenes:

Scene 1: Aren't they the sweetest?

Scene 2: He Gets All of His Dance Moves From His Grammy!

Scene 3: Nothing say Happy Birthday like a bum shake (especially in high waters)!

Sleeping by the Fridge

So the place we are living currently is great...for the price we pay it is amazing...but it is definitely designed for one student, not necessarily one student traveling with wife and 2 kids!

But with a little creativity the kitchen/living room became the boys room as well. When my mom was talking to Ethan on the phone she asked him where he slept, he replied excitedly, "I sleep on the floor in the kitchen!" My boys are too young to remember any of this, right?!?!

Tonight we noticed Ethan sneaking a few grapes out of the fridge after we had put him to bed! I'm just waiting for the TV to go on in the middle of the night.

Having the boys in the living room banishes me to my bedroom during naptime and pretty early at night. This may be the best month of my life...all I can do back here is use the computer, sleep, or read a book...for a whole month I can take a nap guilt free! Muah ha ha!

Our Tavels to our First Destination: Evansville

With sad hearts we left our home and friends in Des Moines last Thursday.

Saying good-bye to Karen. Randy and Karen were the best neighbors in the world! We miss them so much already!

We were planning on leaving at 10 a.m., taking just one car, and first heading to South Bend so Clark could visit a program there Friday morning.

Well at 7:51 p.m., driving both cars packed to the brim, we decided it was too late to try for South Bend so we headed to Fort Madison, IA...en route to Evansville.

My dad was nice enough to book us a hotel room in Fort Madison, and not just any hotel room but the King Suite! We arrived at around 11 p.m. and the boys ran straight for the giant whirlpool tub.

I tried to tell them it was too late for a bath, but before I knew it Ethan had undressed himself and was in the tub...why not? So the boys had a blast "swimming" in the giant tub until midnight!

The next morning after more real pool and tub time we hit the road and headed to Nauvoo for a couple hour pit stop. Ethan thought moving to Indiana was the best thing in the world! We LOVE Nauvoo!

Ethan made his own rope pioneer style.

The beautiful Nauvoo temple.

After wearing the boys out we made the next leg of the trip to St. Louis. We drove to the arch, but there was a Cardinal's game going on at the same time, so parking was crazy! We were too cheap to pay for a spot, so we enjoyed the historical landmark from the car.

Besides being exhausted the drive went pretty smoothly. Except for the stick horse which somehow woke Caden up from a nap, hit mom in the head a few times and frustrated Ethan to tears when it got tangled into his new rope. The day we left Clark made one last run to Goodwill and this horse was in the donate pile. When Clark got back in the car after dropping it off, Ethan had a melt down. Who knew this horse was his "best friend." So Clark went back to Goodwill and asked for it back...I'm afraid he is now with us for the duration of this crazy year.

We arrived in Evansville, Indiana around midnight. Clark went into the hospital to get the key for our place and the boys and I waited in the car. The Life Flight helicopter takes off from the parking lot here, and the boys and I got to watch it prepare and take off about 2 feet away. Ethan is still talking about that!

On our way into town I noticed a billboard advertising the Midwest Dragon Boat Races, luckily we made it right in time, it was Saturday. So we enjoyed a picnic and tried not to melt watching the races.

The next morning on our way to church the tornado sirens started. (It is amazing to me how that sound doesn't even phase me anymore...the first time I heard one in Des Moines I about had a heart attack). We braved the crazy storm and made it to church.

I think our first destination will be an adventure!