Meet Marigold

Another first for our family -- a pet!

We finally bit the bullet and committed to another family member. G has been wanting a kitten for ages, and so, for an early birthday present, she adopted Marigold today. She is about nine weeks old, and so far, seems to be adjusting well. 

G is just beside herself with happiness. 

BD is not as thrilled. He has been repeatedly telling us that he wants nothing to do with a cat. He announced to Win (as though ratting us out), that "Susan and Gwyn are planning on getting a cat." 

But, he might be coming around. He still hasn't touched her once, but he likes watching her play, and he even volunteered to feed her in the mornings. 

As we were all sitting in the bathroom this afternoon watching Marigold sniff her new surroundings, BD whispered to me, "I hope she doesn't attack my dangly bits." 

I told him, "As long as you keep your pants on, I think you'll be fine."

Lantern Festival

Friday night, we headed to the big city to attend the Lantern Festival at the Missouri Botanical Gardens in St. Louis. Aunt Kiki had invited us, and it was an amazing experience.

It was a little stressful leaving the farm. Lem hadn't been anywhere all week. The skies opened up and dumped rain the hours before we were supposed to leave, and we were worried about flooding on the roads, and the creek was really high. But luckily, it stopped, and after we waited about 30 minutes, everything was fine.

Mike met us for dinner at the Thai House in Columbia, and we got to the gardens later than we planned, but it worked out perfectly. We arrived about 10 minutes before 8 p.m. when they turned on the lights.

It truly was magical. Amazing lit up exhibits showing Chinese culture were placed around the garden. It wasn't crowded at all, not at all like the Garden Glow at Christmas, so we could move at our own pace and not worry about losing each other. And it smelled so good! All the flowers were giving off their best scent for the night. Everyone attending seemed so happy and calm.

I didn't bring my camera, because of the potential rain, so all my pictures are from my phone. I think they turned out all right.

Information:
Lantern Festival
Thai House

On Saturday, we had a party with all the Fuhrmans. Dad grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, and it was a beautiful day. All the cousins played -- they loved the hammock and the sandbox. Lem got a game of poker going. Uncle Jack got into it and he and Lem played for a while. Lem wanted to play for money, but wisely, they stuck to just poker chips.

Before everyone came, we got a little fishing in.

Oliver!

First day of summer, and we zoomed up to the Farm to see Oliver, Paul, and Lindsay. They were visiting, on their way back to Minnesota from their epic sailing adventure.

The cousins took to each other immediately, particularly Gwyn and Oliver. It was great to see Paul and Lindsay, too. Lem, of course, immediately challenged Uncle Paul to a game of chess, once he heard Paul claim that he could beat him in four moves.

Mike and Johnna came over in the evening, and Dad grilled pork steaks. We all sat out on the porch for dinner, Lem monopolizing the conversation from the head of the table.

The only person missing was Win. 

Snowmaggedon '15, Day 1

Snow, hot chocolate, and a fire.

President's Day greeted us with a snowstorm. Finally, here in middle Tennessee, we got real snow. And we've been lucky, because just south of us, including Nashville, got mostly ice.

So, today, we spent as much time outside playing in this glorious snow. The kids really wanted hot chocolate by the fire, so Win changed things up a bit and made a little bonfire outside.

I have to say, I am so happy to have a wood stove and a "mud room" area in the basement. Dealing with all the melting snow and wet clothes when we come inside is not so bad when you can set everything by the fire to dry.

Roasted Chickpeas

My wonderful sister-in-law has started a food blog, Blog na Cozinha, and everything she posts makes my mouth water.

This week I tried her Roasted Chickpeas, and honestly, they totally blew my mind. I like hummus, but I've never been a huge fan of chickpeas on their own. But the recipe was super easy and I had everything on hand, so I made them for an afternoon snack.

I didn't have chipotle powder, so I used my favorite spice, cumin. They came out delicious, and wonderfully crunchy.

Here's the recipe. Give it a try. Roasted Chickpeas.

Up in the Air

Whenever we are in St. Louis, we like to do the "touristy" things. Last Christmas we toured the Budweiser Brewery (something I probably never got around to blogging about.) This year, we went to the St. Louis Arch.

It was a Monday afternoon, and it was cold, rainy, and very foggy. Not ideal for viewing the city from up high, but it meant that the place was almost completely deserted.  We quickly bought tickets and got on the next ride up. We all squeezed into cable car. Lem and Leni were not fans.

This sums up our ride to the top.

Hannah and Leni, 630 feet up in the air.

Family photo win: No restraining required.

In awe.

We didn't spend too much time at the top. Really, it was so foggy it was hard to see much. And it was almost empty, so we didn't have to fight for a spot at a window. But it was still as cool as I remembered from being there as a kid, looking down on the city from those tiny windows.

After we returned to solid ground, we toured the museum located beneath the arch. It's about the expansion of the West, which was pretty interesting. It's a small museum, so all in all it was a nice little afternoon outing. We did not watch the movie on the making of the Arch, so we have a reason to return.

And now our kids can finally say they've been up in the Arch.

For more information:
The Gateway Arch
Budweiser Brewery Tours

This week, my brother, his wife, and his son are embarking on a grand adventure. They are heading for sunny beaches and the warm waters of Mexico on their 36-foot sailboat. It's been an adventure that has been a long time in the making, so I'm really excited for them.

My sister-in-law, Lindsay, is blogging about their adventures at Just Drop It, if you'd like to follow along.

Bean Dip's birthday party was this weekend, and I am pretty sure it was a success. My mom was here, and Katherine and Collins came as well. We also had the neighbors, Alex and Mary and the kids, and Ivy came as well.

We kept it simple this year. We did pizza for the meal and I just bought mini cupcakes for the cake part. My cherry cake for his actual birthday was enough baking this week. I also had fresh fruit and veggies and hummus as well, something healthy to balance out the delicious pizza. My mom was a great help in that she did all the food prep while I tore around the house cleaning up.

We had the pool and the slip'n'slide and games set up in the backyard.  BD and Ivy picked up right where they left off and and ran around playing all afternoon. G and Cameron spent (quite literally) hours in the pool. They came out only for the science experiment, food, and presents. And the occasional cupcake. They swam until 7 p.m.

We did the silly putty experiment for all the kids. I also just had that as the "goody bag" for the kids. They got to take home the results of their experiment. Basically, we mixed glue, water, and borax to make a wonderful goop like silly putty. The sound of the kids saying "wow!" all together when the mixture came together was priceless. It was fun, a little messy, and a lot of fun.

After that, we ate, opened presents and had cake. This year, I got all the birthday stuff wrapped up fairly quickly, and then I could relax! We spent the rest of the evening hanging out. BD put together all his new Legos, finally quitting at almost 10 p.m. when he couldn't function any more. Win had to help him with his last one. It was a great party, and I know BD was really happy.

Silly Putty Recipe: http://pagingfunmums.com/2014/06/13/frozen-silly-putty/

This week, Bean Dip's school had Family Fitness Week. Parents were invited to come to school and participate in their child's PE class, and on Thursday night, the school hosted Family Fitness Night. Bean Dip was so excited about it, so we went.

It really was a lot of fun. The PE teacher started everyone off by leading a dance to warm up our muscles. Then we were free to try all the different stations around the two gyms. The students were familiar with it all, so they were in charge of explaining each one to their families.

The perk of going to a brand-new school? Fantastic facilities. Bean Dip's gym is equipped with a "bouldering wall," rope climbs, a climbing wall, hoola hoops, jump ropes, pull-up bars, etc. Bean Dip couldn't wait to show off how he does the bouldering wall, which has climbing wall hand grasps but works more like monkey bars -- you use only your upper body to work your way across. He zipped across it no problem. He also zipped up the rope as well, smashed through the rope jumping, and spent the rest of his time on the climbing wall. G had fun too, running around, jumping on the trampoline, working out her muscles with the free weights. The whole time, fun music was blasting and all the kids and parents were running around.

And so on Friday, G and I came to Bean Dip's PE class, which was much of the same, only we had to follow the teacher's instructions. BD was so happy that we were there, and we had a good time again. I even tried out the climbing all this time. And as we were leaving, one of the other PE teachers told me BD's one of the only first graders that can do the bouldering wall.

Can we just call this an act of God?

We are on Snow Day No. 5. The late winter storm that moved through Sunday night was the one that finally hit us hard. We got about 4 inches of sleet with an inch of snow on top, and it's been so much fun. The first three days off of school and work was understandable. Yesterday was not a complete surprise, but today?! It was warm and sunny yesterday and the roads were looking much, much better. I guess the backroads and parking lots are still covered, and Tennessee is not prepared for this kind of weather. Our street didn't get plowed until late Wednesday afternoon.

Anyway, it has been lots of fun. Fort Campbell was closed the first three days as well, so Win was home too. The sleet isn't great for making snowballs, but it is a lot of fun to skate on. Win got out our random extra tire and pulled the kids around on it. We've watched lots of movies and hung out with our neighbors, and been very thankful to have a 4-wheeled drive vehicle.

It is supposed to be in the 50s today, and it's wonderfully sunny out. And a high of almost 60 tomorrow, so the sleet should be gone by the end of the weekend.

On the Weekend ...

We had a great (but busy!) visit at home this past weekend. We went up Thursday night in order to have a little more time with both families.

Friday afternoon we went to Laumeier Sculpture Park in St. Louis. It is a great outdoor museum, that is free, and is a great little outing. Friday night, however, was the big event -- Game 6 of the NLCS. We watched with all of Win's family and a few friends at Llewelyn's Pub in Webster Groves. The kids only lasted the first 3 innings, so I had to take them home, but almost everyone else stayed to watch the shutout win. Next up, the World Series against the Red Sox!

Saturday, we headed to the Farm. My parents were having a bonfire party that night, one of the reasons we went home this weekend. It was a perfect night for it -- cool, clear, and a full moon. It was a lot of fun catching up with people, including my friend Kelley from high school and her family. The kids had a blast with their cousins and aunts. We stayed up way too late and ate and drank way too much, but it was so much fun.

A quick drive back to Tennessee on Sunday, and then back to the grind on Monday. Surprisingly, everyone seems happy to be back on a normal schedule after Fall Break.

I had a wonderful Mother's Day, and I didn't take a single picture. The kids both gave me flowers they had grown at school, and sweet cards -- Baby G's was a magnet picture frame with a picture of her in it, and Bean Dip gave me a picture of a flower, with his handprint as the flower. They were both very sweet about the whole holiday. Bean Dip planned some "surprises," one of which was telling Win to make me pancakes and bacon for breakfast. The other was he planned to get up early and clean up the living room for me. Unfortunately, I cleaned it up the night before, and he was super bummed that I had ruined his surprise. It still makes me smile that he wanted to do that.

It was a beautiful, sunny, cool day. We decided to take a family run in the morning. Both BD and G ran for part, then they hopped in the stroller that Win pushed. It was a lot of fun, and with Win pushing the stroller, he was slow enough that I could keep up with him.

We went to Bread Co. for lunch, then headed town to Liberty Park in Clarksville. The kids played on the playground for a while, and then we fished at the marina. We didn't catch anything, but it was just so peaceful and wonderful being out in the sun.

Win grilled chicken for dinner and that was about it. On Monday, Win took the car to get cleaned, inside and out, for me, and he also bought me some of my favorite perfume.

I'm very thankful for my little family.

After a long, long wait, our soldier is finally home! Win got home very early Monday morning, and we are so happy he is safe and home.

Easter 2013

Happy Easter!

We had a wonderful Easter this year. All the snow had melted away in time, and the sun was (mostly) shining all day. It was warm enough for the kids to go barefoot, and for us to eat dinner on the porch. All the family came, including Doc and Collins. Everyone was happy, and there was no fighting.

The kiddos were excited to wake up to filled Easter baskets, and I think they ate their weight in candy. In addition to candy, Baby G got fairy wings and a silk streamer, and Bean Dip got more army vehicles and army men. So G was dancing around in wings while BD carefully set up all 100 of the army men for an epic battle.

We went to early Mass, and had to sit up in the choir loft. BD had complained about going, but he was quiet and well-behaved. He liked following along in the song book. G was excited to go to "God's house" as she calls church. She was just as excited to wear her party dress and new dress shoes.

The party was all afternoon. After dinner, the kids hunted eggs, and BD declared himself the winner with the most eggs. Then everyone headed down to the lake, to fish and enjoy the sunshine. It was great. Little Jack, G, and Collins all caught fish. BD had fun playing at the edge of the lake, and all the grownups oohed and aahed over the fish.

G and her fish.

After everyone left, Dad and I went back down to fish a little bit more. I didn't catch anything, but it was such a gorgeous evening that it didn't matter.

Happy Easter!

Christmas Party

Win's family had their annual Christmas party this weekend, and we were here for it. It was lots of fun; it's always good to see all their friends. Some of Win's friends came too, so I got to catch up with them as well, and hear a few new stories about Win back in the day.

Baby G got all dressed up in her Christmas outfit, and was so excited for the party. She is just like Gramma -- she loves people. She stood at the door greeting everyone, telling them her name and saying she was three years old. But she only lasted until 7:30, and then she took herself up to bed. Bean Dip lasted much longer, running around, bar tending, and playing with Win's friends (Jim paid him a dollar for doing 20 burpees.) BD did not dress up. He straight up refused to wear his nice shirt. He dressed himself in his red henley, green camo pants and red Chucks, and declared himself ready to party.

I asked Bean Dip on Saturday afternoon if he still hated The Nutcracker. I thought maybe after he had had time to think about it, he might like it better, and I was right. Everyone who asked him about it at the party got a "It was good," answer from him. And he told me, "Maybe we should see it again." I think he would like to sit up in the second tier of seats.

The one thing he really wanted was a Nutcracker. He called my mom right before they left to come to the party, and asked if she could bring him the one she had at home. She did, and he was so happy. It was kind of funny, because of course G wanted to play with it too, and they were fighting over it, just like Clara and her brother in The Nutcracker. But they got over it.

We found some pistachios (the only nuts that we had still in a shell), and he stood in the kitchen cracking nuts and sharing them with everyone who walked by. I think he made quite a few friends that way.

Thanksgiving 2012

Thanksgiving dinner on the porch.

An after-dinner walk.

We were in Illinois for Thanksgiving. I hadn't been home for Thanksgiving in five years, since Bean Dip's first, which was a family reunion as well. It was great to be home and share the holiday with family that I haven't seen in ages, and also for them to meet Baby G.

It was a classic Thanksgiving at the Farm. The weather was warm enough that we were able to eat outside on the porch. Baby G started out in the dining room, but after everyone had filled their plates and headed outside, she realized that we were the only ones left inside. She was so confused: "But there are places for everyone to sit!" I carried her favorite chair outside, and we all sat down as a family. (She was fine with Bean Dip sitting outside though. She said, "Lembo can sit outside!" He did, choosing the head of the table.)

The food was amazing as usual. After dinner, some of us took a walk, to make room for pie. And then it was time for pie -- two kinds of pecan, apple, pumpkin, and G's new favorite -- cranberry mousse. (It was pink!) She had three pieces and another one for lunch the next day.

Bean Dip, Abbey and Jack joined some of us later for a game of Catchphrase. Aunt Sue had the junior version, so the kids could play with us. And of course, there was some football watching.

We all really had a good time. On Friday, we packed up and headed West to St. Louis to spend time with our other family, and enjoy leftover Thanksgiving with them. It was great to see all of them as well. Bean Dip got to go see Wreck-It Ralph with Doc, which was fun for both of them. BD was super excited to ride in the Blazer. And after the movie, they went to the coffee shop for coffee and hot chocolate. I know BD liked having some time alone with Doc. And he loved the movie.

Baby G was upset that she couldn't go. I explained to her that BD needed some time by himself with Doc, and I promised her we would see the movie at a later date. I also reminded her that she had had an outing with Grandpamp, all by herself. She had gone to town with him to run some errands, and she got to ride in his truck. She actually understood that.

She was also fine because she got to go shopping with Katherine and I. Katherine took me clothes shopping for my birthday, and I happily found some things I love. After, we went to our own coffee shop, for tea and a treat for G (a fruit tart). So we all had our own special outings.

And now we are home and back to the grind. Only a month until Christmas!

Fall Break

The schools here take a whole week off for Fall Break. We busted out of town as soon as Bean Dip got off the bus on Friday, and headed north. The temperature dropped about 40 degrees in the four-hour-drive, but we arrived at the Farm safe and sound.

We spent the first half of the week there, not doing much but hanging out at the farm. The kids (and I) needed some country time. I even squeezed in a shopping/lunch day with Mom, and of course the kids, after I chopped off my hair on Monday. Tuesday we had the Farm to ourselves, and spent it mostly outside. And on Tuesday night I had a dinner date with my favorite high school friends. It is always fun to catch up and see them, and our standing O'Charley's dinner date is becoming a great tradition.

The second half was spent in St. Louis with Win's family. It was much of the same, hanging out and visiting with everyone, including Katherine's wonderful cousins, who were passing through and heading home from a summer out West. On Friday, I caught up with Rachel, my college roommate. She was on bed rest, so I brought her lunch and we spent the whole afternoon catching up. Saturday we wandered around Webster Groves, which was having an art fair. We heard great live music, saw Irish dancers performed, visited the bookstore and saw all kinds of interesting art. Sunday morning, we ate breakfast out at the incredibly popular Boardwalk Cafe in Webster Groves.

It was a great visit home.

Today ...

... Was the second full day of school and first day of football practice. Yep, Lem chose to play flag football this fall. I really wanted him to play soccer, but it was his decision.

Anyway, the morning started out pretty rough, because he didn't get his usual TV time to wake up and drink his milk. (For the record, instead of watching TV, he finished his chess game with Oma.) It turned into a huge fight and ended with him losing TV for a week and both of us mad. He was still mad when he got on the bus, but at least he wasn't crying.

Fast forward to the afternoon. He gets off the bus in a fantastic mood. He's wearing a crown, awarded for being the star student the first week of school (which was only two days). He also has a slap bracelet and a flute, which he bought with his good behavior tickets. He's in such a great mood, saying he loves me and I can share his slap bracelet with him.

I was in a much better mood as well, and had already decided that no TV for a week was pretty harsh. I know, I know, you are supposed to follow through with your punishments, or your kid won't think you are serious. But I'd thought about it, and decided that perhaps that wasn't the best route this time. He's going through a lot right now -- dealing with starting school, Gwyn's birthday, and also Win leaving. It's a lot for a five-year-old to handle. He'd been doing well, but this past weekend was rough. As I expected he'd react to the deployment -- he's angry. (Gwyn is sad.)

So, it helped that he was in such a great mood. And it lasted the rest of the night. I think football will be fun, he pretty much just ran and ran for an hour. Gwyn did too, she does her laps across the field. And it was pretty awesome that the coach was wearing a Flash t-shirt. Lem introduced himself to the team as "My name is Lem, a.k.a., The Flash," and the coach was calling him Flash. And his team color is red, his favorite color.

Gwyn's first day of preschool is tomorrow. She is not excited about it. I hope that she is happy once she gets there. She has her Dora backpack and a Dora lunchbox, and it's only half a day.

So many changes these past couple weeks.

Another Hot Weekend in the 'Loo

We headed home again this weekend, to see family again, and also to go to another Cardinals' game. This time, we got tickets for Saturday, which worked out much better for us. Win took Friday off, but ended up having to go in anyway, so we got a late start. Then we sat in road construction traffic for an hour, got rear-ended (that was no biggie, since we were going about five miles a hour), and then because of all that, sat in rush hour/bridge construction traffic when we hit St. Louis. But whatever. The kids were good, and we were all happy to head west.

The game was a lot of fun. We just hung out at home during the day. Lem and Gwyn helped Katherine in the garden, and then, after a long battle, finally fell asleep for a much needed nap. We headed downtown early, to eat dinner first. We ate at Bailey's Range, which was fantastic. Upscale burger and fries, and homemade milk shakes. I got a salad, a Southwest Chicken one, and it was fantastic. Spicy, but great flavors. And delicious avocados. It was a fun place too -- kind of like a cafeteria, with Mason jars for water glasses. And best of all, it was a short walk to the stadium.

Our seats were much better this time (Win was not a fan of my choice of nosebleeds last time), but only got three tickets and thus only had three seats. And we were surrounded by people. Kids under three don't need a ticket, but they don't get a seat either. So it was a long, hot sweaty ball game for she and I, but we still had fun. They played the Cubs, and it was awesome how everyone was good-natured about the rivalry. They had Fred Bird making fun of the Cubs, and when they had the "Guess Which Hat Hides the Ball," they did a Cubs version -- only one hat to make it nice and easy for them.

And the game was great, no scoring except for the seventh inning, when the Cards scored 12 runs. It was a record, and really exciting. Even Gwyn and Lem got into it, cheering and clapping every time someone scored.

Sunday, we had delicious Imo's for lunch, picked up some Schlafly's (love, love, love their Yakima Wheat Ale) to take home with us, and headed to the Farm for a little bit of fishing before heading home. Win and Lem fished and each caught huge bass, and Gwyn swam in the baby pool and played in the sandbox. I talked with Mike and picked some tomatoes to take home.

Lem slept then entire four hour drive home. And because of that, he, and Gwyn, were up until almost midnight. A little rough for Win and I.

Info:
Bailey's Range
St.Louis Cardinals
Schlafly Beer
Imo's Pizza