My Little Helper

She likes to set the table for dinner.

Gingerbread House

Bean Dip made a gingerbread house at school. He came bounding off the bus, covered with frosting, and really happy. He's so proud of it. He even said he put two secret "guns" on the roof to defend his house from zombies. (They are M&Ms.) He said it was a secret because you can't have guns at school.

Rotary Park

This a catch-up post from the first week of December.

We were looking for something to do, so Win and Bean Dip took Baby G and I to BD's new favorite park, Rotary Park in Clarksville. It's more like a nature preserve or state park, with lots of woods and walking trails. There was a great playground, and after the kids had played, we went for a hike in the woods.

Contemplating crossing the creek.

Throwin' some rocks.

Zombie huntin'.

We hunted zombies, played with sticks and threw rocks in the creek. Good, simple, outdoor fun.

A Night Out

Friday night, we decided to go out to dinner, but were having a hard time deciding where. Win wanted to try a new place, and after lots of research on the Internet, he found a steakhouse in Oak Grove. But when he called Rich to invite him, Rich told him the place had burned down this summer. So ... we ended up going to the Blackhorse, even though it wasn't new.

However, when we got there, there was a long wait. The hostess told us we could go upstairs to the Tap Room to wait, and possibly get a table up there. The Tap Room is the bar area, and we ended up eating there. So we ended up getting a "new" dining experience after all, and it was more our style anyway. Even though it's the bar, kids are allowed until 9 p.m. It wasn't too "bar-ish" since it was early, more a pub-like atmosphere. Is it weird that I miss being able to take my kids to bars, like we did in Europe?

Anyway, we had a great dinner, the kids eating almost all their mini-pizzas (G got black olives, BD got mushrooms), while watching big game hunting on the TV. No squeamish stomachs in this family. Afterwards, we were all kind of wound up, so we went to see Christmas on the Cumberland, the light display at the riverside park in Clarksville. We got a primo parking spot, and the lights were fantastic. G walked the whole time, pointing and telling me what everything was. At the end was the playground, so they played for a few minutes in the dark. The whole thing was coated in ice, and for ten minutes all I heard/saw was BD giggling, then falling, and giggling and falling again. Win went with G, and all I saw was her hanging from his hand the whole time. The whole way home she kept saying, "Please, play more?"

So our evening ended up exceeding our expectations by quite a bit.

Happy Days

Jessica works at Clinique in Dillard's, and we like to go visit her whenever we are out shopping. Baby G loves it, and is getting quite comfortable in that department store. Especially this week, when we've been doing lots of shopping.

We stopped in on Friday. It was a Clinique Happy promotion day, which meant chocolate and free samples of the frangrance. G had a blast. She got her own little bottle of perfume, lots and lots of chocolate, and a little makeover. She climbs up in the white chair, looks at herself in the mirror, and asks Jessica for a butterfly. Jessica obliges, giving her a little butterfly on her cheek, using eye shadow. On Friday, she also got a heart and a Rudolph nose. And she even got a scarf just like Jessica's.

It was really funny to watch her. And all the other saleswomen love her, they kept telling her how pretty she was and offering her more chocolate. At one point, G ran to the end of the aisle and said, "I won!" Then she turned around and strutted back, looking like she was walking the runway.

I've already told Jessica she will have to teach G how to wear makeup, when she's about 16. But right now, the butterflies and perfume are perfect for this little girl.

Getting in the Spirit

This past weekend and week, we've really gotten into the Christmas spirit. We put our tree and decorations up on Saturday. I like to decorate later and keep the tree up longer after Christmas. Anyway, the kids were beyond excited, to the point that I finally sent them upstairs to watch TV, while I finished the lights.

They helped put on the ornaments, though, and they have been playing with the Nativity scene. It's pretty sweet to hear them talking about Baby Jesus as they play. Win took the both to Wal-Mart to find some outdoor decorations, and came home with lights and light up candy canes.

Friday we went to Win's company Christmas party. Note to self, when attending an Army function with free food, show up on time. We got there late and ALL the food was gone. Bean Dip and Baby G got the last few pieces of salami and that was about it. Santa came and gave out presents, but neither kid of ours wanted anything to do with him. They had fun doing the coloring/cutting activities set out for the kids instead.

And then on Saturday, I went out by myself for our Meetup Moms Night Out Christmas party. There were about 10 of us who went to Olive Garden for dinner. It really was fun -- good wine and good conversation. We did a little gift exchange at the end as well.

And then on Wednesday, we had the Meetup kids' Christmas party. It was at a new business in Clarksville, Kids'n'Play, and indoor playground type place. G loved it and didn't want to leave. They had a giant playground and a large imaginary play area. We had pizza and then did a little book gift exchange. And like I said, I had to drag G out of there.

Whew! And yesterday, Bean Dip had his class party. They did a gift exchange as well, giving everyone a gift. We did packs of cards for games like Go Fish and Old Maid. Bean Dip helped me wrap the night before, and he was so excited. He did not stop talking for an hour straight while we wrapped. He came home with a pile of stuff, but his favorite was a toy jet.

Between all of this partying, G and I have been attempting lots of Christmas shopping. I finally made a plan yesterday and knocked out just about everyone on our list. It helps to get to visit Jessica during our shopping trips, but that is for another post.

I did something sweaty today

I was going to opt out of yoga with Jessica today, for no reason than that I'd had no sleep and it was really cold out. But then I read Samantha's blog post, and I thought, crap, I should really go. So I did.

Yoga was great, but when I went to pick up Baby G, she was in tears and had been the whole hour! I felt so bad. I thought they would come get me if she didn't stop. The only thing I can think of is that she wasn't full on crying, just whimpering in the most sad, pathetic way.And she was so excited to go. But last time she had her big brother with her.

She didn't talk to Jessica at all, and she gave me the silent treatment all the way home. But then she started laughing when the garage door didn't open right away, and she's been her happy self ever since. So I guess she's forgiven me.

I wonder if that's going to be my last yoga class for a while.

More Adventures in Cooking

Last night, I finally made a successful beef stroganoff. It's one of my favorites, and Joy of Cooking came through for me. I think the secret is making the sauce separate from the meat. The kids both cleared their plates, something I did not expect. These days, I never know what they are going to eat. I made tuna noodle casserole a few weeks ago, and thought, "They'll love this, they love tuna, mushrooms, cheese and noodles." Nope, neither one would touch it.

Anyway, Win flew last night, so I introduced the kids to Disney's Beauty and the Beast. I had requested it from Netflix. I had forgotten how much I like that movie! Bean Dip laughed quite a bit, but at the end said he didn't like it (with a smile, though). Baby G said she liked Belle's yellow dress and the Beast. I like this movie because the villain Gaston isn't scary, he's actually pretty entertaining.

Birthday Cooking

Monday was Win's birthday. He requested homemade fried chicken, greens, mashed potatoes, and apple pie. His Southern roots are showing. Since it was his birthday, I decided to attempt this whole fried chicken thing.

I ended up cooking all day. Pie first, which came out perfect. Then I tackled the mustard greens -- another first for me. The chicken took longer than I thought, and we ate late. The verdict? Mashed potatoes, check. Garlicky and creamy. The greens were very tasty but sandy (even though I'd washed them!). The chicken had way too much breading, so much that it was like a shell. Also, the "organic" chicken breasts were so large they didn't cook through. But the pie made up for it all, and Win was happy that I'd attempted the chicken.

Maybe I'll try the chicken again next year.

St. Nick's Day, '11

St. Nick came this morning. Bean Dip was super excited, I think this year he's really getting into the Christmas/getting presents spirit. Although he's a little skeptical about Santa -- when I told him he had to behave if he wanted Santa to bring him presents, he said, "Well, maybe there's an Evil Santa who will bring me some." Can't get anything past this kid. (I'm pretty sure he got the Evil Santa idea from Calvin and Hobbes.)

Either way, he has the best reaction when opening presents. St. Nick brought them new pajamas, and when BD opened his, he said, "This is just what I always wanted!"

They each got PJs, an ornament, a book, and Jelly Beans. Baby G asked BD to help her open all her presents. She didn't eat a single jelly bean, but after BD said he thought they were pills, he ate the whole box (it was little) for breakfast. The sugar crash came right before the bus came, when he burst into tears when I told him he couldn't take his toy gun to school.

Oh yeah, and random Bean Dip quote. When he woke up this morning, he came out and said, "In a few days, I want to go to Puerto Rico. I want to try some new food." He has been asking when we are going to go somewhere. He definitely has the travel gene.

Thanksgiving '11

We ended up having a great Thanksgiving. Between Jessica and I, we had piles of food, and who knows how much butter we used. Rich and Jessica came, and Alex and Stout. The kids were so happy to see the dog.

I had a few hiccups -- I decided I put too many eggs in the cornbread dressing (that I made for the first time), so I made a second batch last minute. Then I was afraid I'd overcooked the turkey, because when I pulled it out and took the lid off, the meat was falling off the bones. But I let it rest for a good 30 minutes, and it ended up being pretty dang good and not dry at all.

Jessica made an apple pie and cheesecake for dessert, and oh my, were they delicious.

Baby G fell asleep 10 minutes before everyone showed up. I woke her up for dinner, but she refused to eat anything. She jumped right in for dessert though, starting with ice cream, then cheesecake, and then apple pie.

After dinner, we had a little fire outside in our fire pit, and Bean Dip and Baby G played with glow sticks and Stout. For a while, G just stood there yelling, "Stout!" over and over and laughing.

Bean Dip announced that he was going to bed at 8 p.m., but Baby G stayed up late, hanging out with Jessica and I. We were all exhausted, but it was great to have out own little Thanksgiving celebration with our Army family.

What Makes Me Happy: A Good Book

So last week I mentioned I'd read a couple good books. Well, I'm finally getting around to talking about them.

The first two were random library finds. This was the first.

I think the title is embarrassing, but the story was a light, fun romance about a bluestocking falling for her favorite author, while bouncing back and forth from England to Ireland. It is one of those books that reads like a romantic comedy movie script, but it was fun, and I really enjoyed it.

The second library find was not completely random -- I follow the author's blog and knew she had a new book out. It was this one:

This is her first novel, after writing several memoirs. I love her style of telling the story directly to the reader, complete with footnotes to further explain things to the reader. Again, this was another very light, silly book. It's about a couple who buys the house that was Jake Ryan's home in Sixteen Candles. It turns out to be a money pit. I don't think her writing appeals to everyone (I think snarky is the best way to describe it), but I loved the main character's obsession with John Hughes' movies and constant snide remarks about the Twilight books. I think the author is hilarious.

And then, after all this light reading, I read something slightly more substantial. This:

I had read about the book and Johnny Depp in Vanity Fair, so I really really interested in reading this. It was fantastic. I can't believe he wrote this book at age 22. I don't really know how to describe it, but it is a novel set in Puerto Rico in 1958, and the main character is a journalist come down to work for a failing English newspaper. He falls for a girl. In a lot of ways, it brought to mind A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway (I read that before these three books, also very good), and also The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
I read a review of the movie and the author said it was a story "that, sadly, didn't seem to go anywhere." I took offense to that, because sometimes the point isn't about the story having a definitive ending. I think sometimes it's nice to be left wondering what happens to the characters.

Now I'm reading For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway. So far, so good. I think it's going to take me a while, though.

Overheard ...

The other night, this is what I heard coming from the other room:

Whack Whack.

Bean Dip: Oooowww! Gwyn, stop doing that!

Baby G:  OK. Sorry, Momo.


Whack Whack.

Bean Dip: Oooowww! Gwyn, stop doing that!

Baby G:  OK. Sorry, Momo.

Whack Whack.

Bean Dip: Oooowww! Gwyn, stop doing that!

Baby G:  OK. Sorry, Momo.

Whack Whack.

This kept going on until I came in and broke it up.

He's so patient, and she's so polite, but perhaps she could be a little nicer to her big brother.

The Last of the Leftovers

Last night we had the last of the Thanksgiving turkey. There are still a few containers in the refrigerator, but I think we are pretty much done with leftovers.

This is my favorite leftover turkey recipe: Turkey, Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup. I made it pretty much the same as the recipe, except that I added peas and green onions at the end. I just like having some color to my food. I also added carrots, and I had some leftover gravy that went in too. Oh, and I used brown rice instead of wild. It's a simple, delicious recipe.

I also made a new favorite: Almost No-Knead Bread. I love that you make it in a Dutch Oven. I used almost all beer instead of water, and the flavor really came out.

A warm, hearty meal for a cold, wet, winter evening.

Career Advice

This morning at breakfast, Bean Dip asked if he had school today. I said yes, and then I said Baby G and I were going shopping.

Bean Dip said, "You mean your job?" (I've told him that my job is taking care of him, Baby G and Win. His job is going to school.)

Then he said, "I know a job for you. You should be a bagger at the store. Because all the stores have baggers!"

I'm glad he's looking out for me.

Bean Dip Shorts

 And here is another post I found, unpublished. This one is from Feb. 11, 2011, so Bean Dip was about three and a half.

Walking back to the car from the commissary, he started lagging behind and announced, "I'm tired. I need some 5-Hour Energy!"

On the way home, we passed some soldiers walking by with their guns. I pointed them out to Bean Dip. A few minutes later he says:
"Mama, do you know what kind of gun kills dinosaurs?"
"No, I don't. What kind?"
"A dinosaur gun. Did those soldiers have dinosaur guns?"

I asked him what he had for snack at school. He said he had a granola bar. Then he said, "It didn't have anything I like in it, but it didn't have anything I didn't like in it, so I ate it."

Gotta love this kid.

Bean Dip Speak

 I had started this a long, long time ago, and just found it. It's dated Dec. 11, 2009, and it's some of Bean Dip's words and phrases from then. He was two and a half:

1. Counting: 1,2,8,9,10,11,12,13,18,19,18,19 ...

2. Describing his painting: A blue dinosaur, green dinosaur, red dinosaur, and orange Mama, Dada, Lem, Gwyn

3. "Dorry"(sorry), "Wen"(Gwyn), "Peas"(please), "Mana"(banana), "Mato" (tomato)

4. "No, Mama. I don't like that!"

5. "I do all by myself"

6. "Wait one minute."

7. In explaining why he woke up in the morning: "Well, I was in my bee (big) bed, and I was sleeping. The heater woke me up! I run in Mama's room and jump in my sleeping bag."

8. When he's ready to get up he comes to my bedside and says, "Mama, time get up. George on."

9. We asked him what he's going to plant in his garden, and he said: "Hmmm. Beans, corn, noodles, meat, and deer!"

It warms my heart.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thankgiving Feast: Pre-K Style

Yesterday was Bean Dip's Thanksgiving party at school. To say he was excited yesterday morning was an understatement. He has been talking about it for weeks, since he brought home the potluck sign up sheet and told me his teacher told him to bring salad.

On Friday, he brought home an invitation. Because of the size of the classroom, only one parent was invited. This time, Win went. It's not often when he can go, so he got to do this one. Bean Dip was so excited, but a little worried. Monday night when he was going to bed, he confided to me that he was worried Dada wouldn't wear his Pilgrim hat. (Of course, Win did.) The adults were the Pilgrims and the kids were the Native Americans. They had a parade through the school ("To a different hallway!" BD said.), then sang their Thankful song, and then had the feast. Then Bean Dip got to come home early with Win.

So, the salad BD took. I planned to make a standard salad -- lettuce, tomato, cucumber, croutons, etc., with ranch dressing. But no, not for Bean Dip. Have I mentioned that his favorite thing is capers? He informed me that he wanted "salad with capers, tomatoes, that salty white cheese, and croutons." And olive oil and balsamic vinegar "to sweeten it up a little."  So, I thought, why not make the salad I always make? I got delicious baby greens and made it to order. BD was convinced that everyone would just love capers once they tried it.

I don't know how it went down, but about half the salad came home. Bean Dip said it was delicious.

The Menu

For Thanksgiving, we are staying home. Rich and Jessica, and maybe Alex are coming over. Jessica is helping me with the food. I'm happy we're home, even though I miss all our family. My family always does a huge Thanksgiving party with all the extended family. I definitely miss the after-meal walk through the fields. But at the same time, I like getting a chance to have our own traditions. I like that for us, Thanksgiving means spending it with friends who are family.

So, between the two of us, we have quite a menu.
From me:

Turkey and Gravy
Southern Cornbread Dressing
Nana's Sweet Potatoes
Artichoke Dip
Jalepeno-Cranberry Chutney

Jessica is making:

Mashed Potatoes
Broccoli Casserole
Barley and Arugula Salad
Roasted Vegetables
Apple Pie
Chocolate Tart

I think we'll have plenty of leftovers. I'm nervous about the cornbread dressing -- I am going to attempt Win's mother's recipe. I'm worried because she doesn't have an exact recipe, and also, I've never had her dressing before! I've had my aunt and uncles Texas style dressing, I'm hoping they are similar.

The cranberry chutney is a recipe from Venusja, it was one of my favorites from last year. I hope mine tastes as good as hers did.

Company Cookout

Today, Baby G and I went to a cookout for Win's company. He sent me a text last night, telling me about it and asking if I could bring pasta salad. So ... this morning I ran to the store, made the salad, and 10 minutes later we left for the event.

I'm glad we went. This was the first work event I've been to since we've moved, so I finally got to put faces with names. It was good that I went, met some people, and socialized with the people Win works with every day. And also finally got on the FRG email list.

The park was really nice, it was off-post but still part of post, and the pavilion was right next to a creek and playground. They had a little fishing competition for the kids, cornhole, and later the guys played football. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

My Birthday

Back up two weekends ago to my birthday. We spent the day in Nashville. I wanted BBQ and to visit the botanical gardens. So that's what we did.

We ate lunch first, at Hog Heaven in Nashville, near Centennial Park and Vanderbilt University. Hog Heaven has won awards for its BBQ, and my parents have eaten there and loved it. It is take-out only, but that works perfectly with the park across the street.

I was super excited to get some amazing BBQ, but sadly, it just wasn't up to par. I wonder if maybe it was just an off day, or we were too early (it was barely noon). Win said my pulled pork the weekend before was better (that made my day). But the location was great -- we sat at the park and listened to sound checks for the Musicians' Corner (modeled after Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park in London). And I loved the vibe of the area -- eclectic and full of university people.

We headed over to the Cheekwood Botanical Gardens (it was a straight, 15-minute drive from the park). FYI, if you are military, ask for the discount! It's 50 percent off. The gardens were beautiful, and they had a model train exhibit outside, which the kids loved. We checked out the art museum, which had a Wild West exhibit from the Buffalo Bill collection in Cody, Wyoming.

We headed home soon after that. Almost two hours of walking, and it was time. Rich and Jessica came over later that evening, to watch the LSU-Alabama game with us. Jessica made me an amazing chocolate-coconut cake, and they all helped me drink my fancy bottle of Champagne (Moet Imperial Rose) that Win got me. Bama lost, which was a disappointment, but I had a good birthday in spite of it.

For more information on Hog Heaven, click here. I would definitely give it another chance, clearly, it has fans!
For more information on Cheekwood Botanical Gardens, click here.

Continuing on with Our Weekend

So Saturday we hung out with the family in St. Louis for the morning. Win went to coffee with his dad, and Katherine and I took the kids to downtown Webster Groves (another great area to visit in St. Louis). We got "ice cream" (really, it's frozen yogurt), and went to the bookstore. Then packed up and headed east to Illinois to visit my family.

My uncle was in town, and after dinner, Paul and Lindsay arrived from the airport. I haven't seen them since Christmas. It was great to see them, even if for such a short time. They stayed in town longer, but we headed back home on Monday.

The rest of our weekend was spent at the farm and with the fam. Win did some hunting, and the kids did some exploring. I love being home.

Veterans' Day '11 at the St. Louis Zoo

 We spent the long Veterans' Day weekend at home, visiting both our families. We spent the first two nights in St. Louis, and on Friday, we went to the St. Louis Zoo. I think the last time we went, I was eight months pregnant with Baby G. It was July, and we petted the sting rays.

Anyway, it was a little cooler this visit. We had to see the penguins. Baby G loved them.

Then we rode the train, and visited the Children's Zoo. I hadn't been before, and it was totally worth the money (the St. Louis Zoo is free, but the Children's Zoo isn't). We went inside to the discovery center, where they had all kinds of interactive toys. They had several volunteers carrying around animals. We petted a chinchilla and guinea pigs, then both Bean Dip and Baby G petted a snake. I didn't get too close to that one.

Outside was a great playground, more animals to see, and a petting area full of goats.

I thought this picture was pretty funny.

After the goats, we hopped the train to the exit and headed home. I love the zoo, and St. Louis has a fantastic one.

Hello

So I took a little break from here this past week. Things have been busy! But I'll catch up this week:

We just had a fun weekend at home, visiting both families.

Last weekend we went to Nashville for my birthday.

I also finally found some good books to read (the real reason why I hadn't been online much).

Tonight at Dinner

Baby G was asking how old we all were. This is how it went down when I told her my age:

Baby G: Mama?

Me: Tomorrow I'm going to be __.

Baby G: Wow!

Bean Dip: Wow, you are going to be huge!

Baby G: See? My belly button!

Photo by Bean Dip

I really like this picture. It's always fun to see photos from his perspective.

Carving

Saturday was spent getting ready for Halloween. Bean Dip and Win got some decorations, and we carved pumpkins. We tried one of those kits where it helps you carve a fancy one. What that meant is that I ended up doing all the carving. They turned out great, and the roasted pumpkin seeds we had that afternoon were delicious.

Bean Dip took these photos.

Dunbar Cave

 

Sunday morning, we got out into nature at Dunbar Cave State Park in Clarksville. We wandered around the lake, attempted to fish and checked out the cave. The path turned into a one-mile hike through the hills and woods. The kids hiked the whole way, and we all felt better after some fresh air, exercise, and beautiful scenery.

Halloween '11

We had Spidergirl and Optimus Prime this year for Halloween. Both were so proud of their costumes, and both were so excited. For weeks, both have been yelling, "Halloween!" anytime we drive by a decorated yard. We ate early and were ready early, and they were begging to go trick or treating way too early. But once in got dark, we headed out. Our neighborhood was packed, and lots of houses had very elaborate decorations. Bean Dip loved it all, and wasn't scared. Baby G didn't seem scared, but she didn't seem too impressed either. She did what Bean Dip did last year -- was too excited too early and then was way too tired by evening. She went to three houses, then asked me to open a sucker for her. Then she climbed in the stroller and watched the rest of the evening from there.

We did our rounds, then headed back home to turn on our lights and pass out candy. The kids enjoyed that as much as trick or treating, I think. The only problem was we ran out of candy so quickly. Next year we'll be doubling our amount. Later, we went through the kids' loot, and I let them eat whatever they wanted. That turned more into a tasting game -- opening lots of things but only trying one or two pieces. That was OK with me.

Another First

Today was Bean Dip's first day riding the bus. Can you tell he's excited? We were out at the stop a good 10 minutes early this morning. Baby G cried when she couldn't get on with him.

Happy Halloween!

My Two Shadows

Short Visit

Story time

On Sunday, we had a quick visit from my parents. They had spent the weekend in Nashville, and stopped to see us on their way home. The kids were quite literally bouncing off the walls with excitement. So we went to the park, and then picked up Chinese food for an early dinner. 

A Visit to the Civil War

On Saturday, we went to a Living History Event at Fort Defiance in Clarksville. I had been looking forward to this for weeks, thinking it would be a really big event. I was a little disappointed then, when we got there and saw how small it was. But it was still a good event, and a good way to spend a beautiful fall afternoon.

Fort Defiance is the Civil War fort in Clarksville. (This is the South down here.) There was no actual fighting here, but over in Dover, Tenn., near the lakes. We spoke with a re-enactor for a long time, and he told us all about it. Then he and Win started trading war stories, which was just as interesting.

Anyway, the fort is a beautiful little hidden spot in Clarksville. It is on a bluff overlooking the confluence of the Cumberland and the Red rivers., and was built to protect Clarksville from the Yankees. There is a great little museum and some walking trails. Because of limited parking, we had to park down the hill at a shopping center, and take a shuttle to the fort. The shuttle turned out to be a school bus, and of course, the kids loved that.

Do you see Abe?

Ready for the "boom."

The big event was the shooting of the canon. It was very exciting. And the kids didn't freak out, probably because they were expecting it. But immediately after, a regiment started its shooting demonstration with muskets, and that caught us by surprise. Baby G just burst into tears, and when they kept shooting, she kept crying. I finally had to leave the area. But other than that, we had a really good time.

A Shot in the Arm

On Monday afternoon, after I picked up Bean Dip from school, we headed to post to get our flu shots. I also planned for BD to get his last round of immunizations until he is 11.

Baby G was sound asleep, and Bean Dip was in a fantastic mood when I picked him up. He talked nonstop until we got to post, when he finally asked where we were going. I told him, and he immediately got upset. When we finally parked at the hospital and found the clinic, he burst into tears when he found out he was getting not one, but four shots. He proceeded to cry while I got my flu shot, while they took so long to set up all his shots, and then started screaming when they showed me how to restrain him while they gave him the shots in his arms. To top it all off, Baby G sat there crying, too, because of what was happening to her brother.

He did stop crying long enough to ask what the shots were for, and said goodbye and thank you through his tears as we left. We had to wait for 20 minutes in the clinic, and both of them kept crying for a good 10 minutes. And my stupid phone didn't get any service, so there was no chance of my go-to quieting app -- Netflix.

So then, to get it all over at once and further torture myself, we stopped off at the pediatric clinic so Baby G could get her shot. The nurse decided to give her the shot instead of the mist because of her runny nose, and when G heard that she said, "Please, no shot," and started crying as well.

But we all survived, although Bean Dip keeps telling me he "doesn't like to talk about it." He did say, when I was telling my mom and Win that he got two shots in each arm, and "that equals four."

I will just say, I prefer the vaccine shots when they are babies. They don't know it's coming, cry only for a little while, and then usually take a long nap. That's much better than dealing with kids who know what's coming, and have decided they don't want it. Maybe he'll be better at 11?

What's Going On This Week

We have a visitor this week. His name is Stout, and he's a Boston Terrier. We're dog sitting for a friend. It's going well so far; he's a sweet little dog and well behaved. The kids adore him. Bean Dip is so funny, he talks to Stout like a person: "Stout, do you want to come play with me?" "Can I please have that?" And Baby G, she just laughs and laughs at him. She is very concerned with him eating and drinking. She is always saying, "Stout, drink water!" and "Here Stout, eat! See? Yummy!"

This is definitely good practice us. Eventually we'll get a dog. But right now it's fun just to "pretend" having one for a week.

Dreaming of Sugar Sand

It was 8:30 a.m. and 50 degrees out, but we finally got sand and nothing was going to stop them.

Riverview Mounds Farm

Sunday, we headed out to Riverview Mounds Farm in Clarksville. We were mainly in search of a pumpkin for Bean Dip to take to school on Monday. We ended up having a great time. We went early, so it wasn't crowded, and there was lots of fun stuff for all of us to do. We even got to see a little history on the hayride -- the two Native American mounds that are on the farm, and what the farm is named after. You can read more about them here.

We did the corn maze, played through the playground, took the hayride and picked out a pumpkin. G got a pony ride, but Bean Dip wasn't interested. On the way home, they both fell asleep and took long naps, which was wonderful for me.

Photos from the Park

Here are a few photos I took this weekend at the park. I think Billy Dunlop Park has to be a hidden jewel of Clarksville. It's just beautiful -- surrounded by woods, there is a creek that runs along the sweeping green fields. There is a short, paved walking trail, and a great playground. It's wonderful. 

We spent the afternoon there, fishing and playing on the playground. I took a lot of photos, thank goodness for digital cameras. They were mostly of Baby G, but even she is starting to protest all the picture taking. So I'll catch her while I can.

 

And Then There's This One

Troublemaker No. 2. Her favorite things right now? Tattoos, motorcycles and rap music.

Overheard

As we were leaving the park today:

Bean Dip: Bye!

Little Girl: You can see me tomorrow!

Bean Dip: Can I have your number?


I think we are in trouble.

Yoga

So I went to my second yoga class with Jessica today. And this time I tried out the childcare for both Bean Dip and Baby G. It is in the gym, so they were just a room away from me. I wasn't worried about Bean Dip (he actually hugged me and said, "I love you!" when I told him we were going), but this was the first time for Baby G. I spent the first half of yoga worrying about the kids instead of my breathing, but of course they were fine. They were the only ones there, and the two women were very nice. They gave them a snack and each a pumpkin to take home. Baby G got a little sad when the other kids left, but her big brother and Bunny helped her through it. And I had a great time at yoga, even though it was really hard this time!

Fall Break at the Farm Pictures

The lake.

Collins learning how to shoot a bow.

Emilie's baptism.

A tree climbing lesson.

Fish fry on the porch.

Down on the Farm

We had a great weekend at home in Illinois. Win hunted and fished, the kids fished and learned how to clean fish. We carved pumpkins we picked from the garden, grilled burgers and sat out in the yard with the family, and also Ed and Collins. Bean Dip and Baby G took care of crushing all the cans -- Bean Dip can reach the can-crusher now, and Baby G was his helper. We watched Mike practice his tree climbing, and got a lesson. And the kids got rides on both the four-wheeler and the tractor.

On Sunday, we went into town for the baptism of the newest member of the family, Emilie, the daughter of my cousins, John and Kelly. It was great to spend the first anniversary of Papa's death by celebrating new life. After church, we all went over to John and Kelly's for lunch and football. Then we came home in time to watch the Cardinals game, and fry the fish we caught for dinner.

I love being home this time of year; fall is so beautiful at the farm. And it was a great little getaway for all of us. Being out of town and out in nature makes everyone happy.

Fall Break, Day 1

So Bean Dip is off school this week, for fall break. It is a little different having him home all day. I left all the laundry/unpacking for tomorrow (?), and we spent the morning at the Customs House Museum in Clarksville. We haven't been since our first visit back in July, and we had a great time. They are running the model trains during this week because of fall break, and it was so much fun to see. The set was decorated for Halloween, and the kids loved it. They played with the Thomas the Train sets, looked at the space exhibit (Bean Dip learned all about satellites and Hurricane Charlie. Baby G learned about astronauts.), then played in the Bubble Cave and play area. It was quite the happening place -- several day care classes were there as well.

After dinner we watched Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon, the third installment of the Transformers movies. It took us three hours to get through, mostly because of bathroom breaks and "talking" breaks. I kept pausing so Bean Dip could tell me things; even so, he talked through most of the movie. He went with Win to see it in the theater, but I hadn't seen it yet. Baby G passed out on the couch pretty early, but she was happy to see Bumblebee.

It was a good movie, but I think I like the first two better. This one was too "end of the world-ish" for me. Also, the final fight scene goes on for what feels like an hour. And there wasn't enough Josh Duhamel.

So, we'll keep busy this week, and hopefully I'll see the end of the mountain of laundry that awaits.

The Injury List

This weekend resulted in:

1 splinter in the sole of a foot
2 sets of pinched (in a screen door) fingers
1 set of smashed toes
1 bonked forehead
two pairs of black-walnut stained feet
a rash of mosquito bites and scratches


Nothing serious, and nothing a bag of frozen peas couldn't fix. These are just the result of playing long and hard in this beautiful weather. We spent the Columbus Day weekend in southern Illinois. Pictures and stories to follow.

Trophy Night

Last night was the last soccer practice of the season, and so it was party and trophy night. It was a lot of fun. The kids received their trophies, had pizza and cupcakes, and then ran the sugar off on the field, playing tag. All the siblings joined in, including Baby G. She finally decided she liked the little boy who shares her birthday, and they chased each other all over the place.

I'm glad soccer ended up being a success for Bean Dip. It was touch and go at the beginning, with him refusing to practice. But after that first game, he was hooked.

This morning he came out, saw his trophy in the table and said, "I'm going to take my trophy everywhere, but not to school or restaurants or stores, because it might get lost."

One Shot

Oktoberfest '11

This weekend we went to the Oktoberfest celebration in Clarksville. While it wasn't exactly like this, we did have fun. We went Saturday, late afternoon, after Bean Dip's soccer game. It wasn't huge, just one large beer/food tent and some questionable carnival rides. But the beer was delicious, the food alright, and the music and shows entertaining. There were German dances and a wood chopping show. The kids rode a few rides (I had to go on the spinning strawberries with them, which was Bean Dip's idea, and then he hated them), and then they had a blast playing in the dirt and rocks outside the tent. We saw a few people we knew, including our landlord. After one last hot dog (for Bean Dip) and giant pickle (for Baby G), we headed off into the sunset for home.

Halloween Sneak Peak

Baby G and I made our monthly trip to Wal-Mart on Friday, and we checked out the Halloween stuff. She saw this costume, and that was it. I had no idea she was such a Spiderman fan. (Although, I'm sure if there had been a Dora costume she would have been hugging it.) I think her favorite part is the spider on the front, she keeps saying, "See? Spider!" (And as I'm writing this, she keeps pointing at the picture and saying, "See? Gwyn Spidergirl.") On Saturday, she wanted to try it on, and then wouldn't take it off to go outside, she didn't even keep her coat on, even though the temperature had dropped considerably. Oh, well.

I looked all over for a zombie costume for Bean Dip, but didn't find anything. I did, however, find an Optimus Prime costume, so I think he's going to be that. Or he's going to be a zombie Optimus Prime. We still have time to decide.