Wicked

Nate and I went to Wicked on Thursday.  It was definitely the fanciest date we’ve had in a very long time.  I loved the show.  Nate was wise and bought the soundtrack last week so we could be familiar with the music and the story before we went.  I think going in with a little background info made it loads more enjoyable. 

The girls have become huge fans.  They got out the little insert from the CD with the lyrics so they could sing along as they listened to the music over and over again.  I’m pretty sure they have the whole thing memorized.  I told them to start saving up so they could go with us the next time it comes to town.  For now they are happy with watching little clips that we found on YouTube.

Camping with the Eckardts

We had a fun little camping trip with our neighbors this weekend.  It was brave of me to go camping on Friday the 13^th, especially when there were thunderstorms in the forecast, but it turned out to be a great trip.  We found a fabulous double spot in Willows Campground.  It was huge and right next to the river.  Perfect.   It sprinkled a few times here or there, but it didn’t start raining in earnest until we were all packed up and heading home.  I’m hoping that my rain curse might finally be broken.  For a 24 hour camping trip, we made lots of memories.  These are a few of the things that made this trip memorable:

• The wildlife – a moose, a weasel (and the dead mouse it was carrying around), and a carnivorous bumble bee (Nate and Ben looked it up in my old insect and spider field guide and say that it was not a bee at all but a Sacken’s Bee Hunter or some other closely related robber fly)
• Ben cutting himself on the saw (twice) and whacking his shin on the sharp edge of a fallen tree during night games
• Making some quick alterations to Emily’s watershoes with a pocket knife (while they were on her feet)
• Claudy losing one of her favorite flip-flops in the river and me tearing a hole in my favorite swim shorts on the trailer door
• Nate rescuing Korbin from being swept down the river
• Nate rescuing Elise from being swept down the river (she had her life jacket on) – I’m glad that Elise has a scream that can be heard a mile away and I’m glad that Nate is calm and quick on his feet
• Playing sardines and kick-the-can (with glowsticks in a pop bottle)
• Maddie having a slumber party with the girls in our trailer and Ben having a slumber party with Korbin in the Eckardts’ trailer
• Abby being up all night with achy legs and then sleeping until 10:00; Nate being up all night with Abby
• Trying Ziploc bag omelets for breakfast
• The girls collecting bags full of horsetail to use as money
• Playing Pictionary, UNO, Mystery at Hogwarts, and Sequence
• Ben building a “kiddie pool” in the river

It was a good fun time!

Peach and Pit

About a year ago, one of the ladies that I visit teach shared this cool idea with me.  Every night at dinner they have their girls tell a peach and a pit from their day . . . something wonderful and something lousy.  We tried it out at our house and it has become one of our favorite things.  We’ve heard all kinds of stories, both good and bad, about what happens during the kids’ day.  It’s been a great way to keep me and Nate “in the know”, especially during the school year.  And if ever we forget to ask, Elise is sure to get the ball rolling.  Lately we’ve had lots of days where the kids each have two or three peaches and they can’t think of a pit.  Those are good days.  I did laugh last night when two out of four of our kids said that going to the dentist was their peach.  Those dentists really know what they are doing giving out cool toothbrushes and tokens to pick a prize on the way out.

4th of July

We had a fun family day on the fourth.  Heidi and Aaron came up with their family in the morning and hung out with us during the parade.  I hate to say it, but the parade has become increasingly lame over the years (more and more people handing out flyers for their businesses and fewer and fewer people handing out candy).  Lee’s Market saved the day by throwing the kids loads and loads of candy when they held up their Lee’s bags.  Thank you Lee’s!

After the parade we went to Heidi’s parents’ house for Pizza Man pizza and swimming.  The water was nice and warm and we all had a great time.  We picked Heidi’s parents’ brains about their pool and deck installation.  We are almost ready (a year or two away) to do a similar setup in our backyard.  It’s always helpful to get advice from someone who has already done it.

Our evening entertainment was a BBQ at Jody’s house.  It was nice to hang out with family and relax for a while.  The highlights were lawn games, water balloons, basketball, and fancy patriotic nails.  Nate and I are rarely party poopers, but we bailed out before fireworks.  We had taken the kids to the Pleasant View Founders Day fireworks the week before, so we didn’t feel too bad about it.  We had been playing for too many days in a row and were just plain worn out.  Not all of our kids were thrilled with the idea of coming home before dark, but they got over it.  We saw a cool heart shaped cloud on the drive home.  That was almost as cool as fireworks.  Almost.  (It was a better heart when Ben spotted it, but it took me a minute to get the camera out and roll down the window.)  I know that it makes me sound like an old lady, but after a few busy days and late nights it was sure nice to have everyone in bed before 10 p.m.

K-1 Boating Trip - Take One

After our plans fell through on Friday, we set a date later in the month for everyone to get together and go boating.  Then we decided that maybe we should have two K-1 boating parties this summer.  Hilary was out of town with her family, but Keri and Cyd headed up with their kids on Tuesday.  The weather cooperated and the kids all got along wonderfully.  I’m always a little surprised at how well they hit it off since they only see each other every year or two.  Nate was a trooper and spent the day in the boat making sure all of the kids got lots of turns so the moms could just hang out on the beach and catch up.  He got some extra excitement when he had to jump in and rescue Abby.  The kneeboard flipped over while she was riding and her legs were stuck in the strap.  Luckily she was able to get her head out of the water before he got to her and helped her get her legs loose.  The kids were all impressed that “he jumped in the water without a life jacket on!”  Apparently that is the mark of a true hero.  We had such a fun day.  We’re looking forward to an encore in a couple of weeks.