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."

Oh, the possibilities ...

The reward for school supply shopping? Checking out the LEGO section in Target.

"My strongest power is my true potential ability."

    July has been slowly drifting by. Today we sweated it out at the farmer's market to buy some honey. It was so hot, ice cream was necessary at 10:30 a.m.


    The rest of the day we stayed home, the kids are always happy playing LEGOs. Today, it was a mash-up of Arctic ones vs. Frozen ones. While they played, I picked veggies from our little garden.

Friday Night Movie Night

Camp Invention

This week, Lem attended Camp Invention. It was a week-long day camp sponsored by the school system. It is a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) program, and with an only $20 registration fee, I had immediately signed him up.

On Friday, there was an "open house" so the families could see what the children had been up to all week. It was great, because although Lem had been telling us all about it all week, it was hard to visualize exactly what he had been doing.

So, there were four classes that they attended each day, taught by local teachers. The kids were divided into groups led by high school interns. So, in the first class, the object was to invent a device that will make everyday life easier, build a prototype, and then "pitch" the idea to their parents. So Lem came up with a hoverboard. He said it would help you get around faster, wouldn't pollute the earth, and cost only $500.

Hoverboard prototype

The next class was all about taking apart their Take-Apart Item, which they were required to bring from home. Lem brought in an old stereo. Once they took it apart, they were supposed to design a video game called Mazeworld, using those parts. They each got a cardboard board on which to build their games. They also came up with a player, and a villian.

In the third class, they learned about different inventors, and then in groups, built some of those inventions. They included rockets, defibrillators (a word Lem cannot say, hahaha), tower buildings, and deep sea data collectors.

The last class was called Cartwheels, and that was everyone's favorite. Small groups built gokarts, and then they got to race them through an obstacle course that included water balloons and wet sponges. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see the gokarts, as they had had to take them apart, but it clearly was a lot of fun.

Lem loved it. He was talking a mile a minute when we got there yesterday, trying to tell us everything in one breath. And at full volume, as well. He already wants to attend next year. He's realized how much fun summer camps can be.

For more information: Camp Invention

Yesterday, we attended a FRG pool party. A FRG member hosted it at her house, and we had a blast. The kids swam nearly the entire time, until their lips turned blue and their teeth chattered from the cold. Both of them went off the diving board, too, for the first time. Gwyn was the first. She came up to me and said, "I'm going to jump off that thing." And she did, with no fear, as you can see above. She yelled, "Cannonball!" and leaped off. With her floaties on, she popped right back up and was ready to do it again.
And Lem, he did it without much fanfare, but without much hesitation either. And no floaties for him. There was one boy at the party his age, and they played the whole time. Gwyn was the only girl that wasn't an infant, and she gravitated toward the big girls -- the hostess's teenage daughter and her friend who helped keep an eye on all the little ones in the water.
The food was great, and the day ended with snocones for the kids. A great way to kick off the summer.

Lem finished up British Soccer Camp yesterday. It ran all week, from 9 a.m to 12 p.m. The weather on Friday was the complete opposite from what it was on Monday -- Monday we were all in sweatshirts and rain jackets, and Friday, we were slathering on sunscreen and seeking shade under umbrellas.

Lem had a blast. He is already talking about attending next year. He got a great evaluation from his coach, who said he has great skills and great character. He praised him that he never had to tell Lem something twice, and he he always played hard. Lem was named MVP of his team several days. And his team represented Italy in the week's "World Cup." And the best part, Italy won the World Cup.

Lem took on a leadership role in his team, as well. He said, "Everyone seems to think I'm the captain. If I tell them to play a position, they do it." He seemed OK with it, though, and would spend the car ride home each day strategizing how to make his team play better -- who should play goalie, etc. And it sure seemed to work, since they ended up being champions.

Gwyn and I didn't stay to watch all the camp. We ran various errands and met up with friends. But Friday, we stayed. We came prepared to camp out with backpacks full of snacks and entertainment, chairs, and umbrellas for shade. We had a pretty good time hanging out.

And perfect timing -- the Women's World Cup kicks off today. We will be watching and cheering -- Gwyn and I for team USA, Lem for Italy.

We came home to a garden that had exploded in our absence. The cucumbers are taking over, the lettuce had bolted, and the potatoes are flowering. And the lilies! These were here when we moved, I am beyond excited to see them blooming. They are gorgeous. Everything else is blooming as well. I am loving all the color, this is what I wanted in a flower garden. Now, to mow, weed, clip, and clean up everything.

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

This morning, the first thing the kids wanted to do was go fishing. After the excitment of last night, they couldn't wait to get out there. They finally got going around mid morning, and unfortunately, the fish weren't biting too much. It was getting hot, so it was time to give swimming a try.
Gwyn was super excited to go, she and Oma hopped in first. I came down a little later, and then Lem came skipping down. We spent a long time floating a splashing around, it doesn't get much better than this.

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. 

A bit of a throwback story for today ... Another one of those videos showing a baby reacting to their favorite song just popped up on my feed again, and it reminded me of Gwyn.

A few of you may remember that as a baby, Gwyn was not a huge fan of the car. And we spent a lot of time in the car when she was little, driving from Alabama to home, or to the beach, etc. The only music that calmed her down and usually put her to sleep was rap. And I'm not talking about any old rap. She liked the hard stuff. The hardcore gangsta rap from the streets, man.

So, obviously, she grew out of her loathing of car rides, and we stopped listening to that music, for obvious reasons. (Hardcore gangsta rap isn't really appropriate for children. At least not for ones who can understand the words.)

This week, as we were moving, we spent a lot of time in the car. My iPod was on shuffle, and when one of these old favorites popped up, we listened to it for old time's sake. And I kid you not, Gwyn's eyes immediately got this glazed look, and she was asleep by the time the song was over. This happened again the next day, in the morning, as well, although she didn't fall asleep.

I thought it was so funny that even after about 3 years of not listening to it, it still had the same affect.

Her favorite album? Blood Money by Lord Infamous. Her favorite song off it is Chopper Talk.

Bean Dip's birthday was really nice. We didn't do a whole lot that day -- swimming lessons in the morning and cake in the evening. But he was happy all day, and not horribly impatient about getting to open his presents. He's maturing in that aspect, and it is wonderful.

Swimming lessons went well, even though I forgot their goggles. On the way home, I asked BD what he wanted for lunch, and he picked Subway. Perfect. He ordered his sandwich, much to the delight of the workers and the old guy behind us. The sandwich he picked was: roast beef on Italian bread, no cheese, heated, with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, olives, yellow peppers, jalapenos, and steak sauce. He ate the whole thing and said it was delicious.

We did a little science experiment that afternoon. We made silly putty. It was a project Win found on the Internet. Basically, you mix glue, water, and borax, and it turns into the crazy goop. We used clear glue and added food coloring and glitter. It was super easy and so awesome to watch it change from liquid to solid. BD has been into chemistry lately, so this was a fun, easy experiment.

We went out to dinner at Olive Garden that night, a nod to BD's "Italian" heritage. Olive Garden is the most "Italian" restaurant in Clarksville. We had a great time, and the food was delicious. Baby G ordered spaghetti with marinara sauce and shrimp, and BD chose one of the small plates off the adult menu -- polenta with shrimp, olives, and capers. It was really good -- we traded plates after a bit so he could eat the rest of my risotto while I ate his polenta.

Bean Dip had decided he wanted a party on his real birthday. We settled for sharing his cake with the neighbors. So after we got home from dinner, we got everyone together (that included Scott yelling across the cul-de-sac to Earl) for cake and ice cream. This year, BD requested a cherry cake. I ended up making a vanilla cake layered with homemade cherry filling, homemade vanilla butter cream, and fresh cherries on top. It turned out amazing -- I think I've finally mastered buttercream (the secret is to have the butter really soft). So we all had a little party in the driveway, and BD also got to practice his skateboarding.

We got him a skateboard for his birthday, which I think was a complete surprise for him, and he loves it. He also finally got his much-wanted alarm clock, a Lego Darth Vader one. And of course, more Star Wars Legos.

Seven!

I just read this blog post, which was pretty much exactly what I was going to write about today, minus the sponsor, of course. The absolute best thing about where we live right now is our neighbors. And now that it's summer, we are spending more and more time outside with them.

Kellie (from across the street) and I joke about our "stalker" children. They are always watching out the window to see if the others are outside playing. The minute they do, it's constant begging until we can go outside. I don't mind, because they have so much fun together, and Kellie and I can hang out while they play.

Yesterday, we headed out. It was cool, and Kellie had her windows open, so Gwyn and Lem stood at the curb and yelled across the street to tell Cameron (in the window) to come outside. About 5 minutes later, they were out. Soon after, Earl showed up on his bike (he lives next door to us) and started teaching Lem to play four square. Then Kellie's next door neighbors showed up -- Sherlique and Jemaya. And soon after, Caleb from a few houses down joined in the game as well.

So there was a lot going on, and we spent the whole afternoon outside. It's so nice for many reasons -- being outside, unstructured playtime, socialization, and a break for me. Eventually, we had to come inside for dinner, but soon after we were back outside so Lem and Earl could play two square, and Cameron and Gwyn could pretend to be birds and dogs.

I think this is what summer is all about.

Pickin' on the Porch

On Saturday, we went to Pickin' on the Porch at MB Roland Distillery in Pembroke, Ky. This is a free summer concert series the distillery hosts. You are welcome to bring your kids, dogs, food, chairs, etc. Just don't bring your own alcohol. But that is fine, because the moonshine they make is delicious, and if you aren't interested in moonshine sno cones, they also sell craft beer by the growler. They also have food trucks as well, in case you forget to bring a picnic dinner.

The music was old country -- lots of Merle Haggard, and the band was excellent. The back porch of the old farmhouse that is the distillery store was the stage, and we had great seats -- excellent views of the band and for people watching.

We all had a good time. The kids danced and inhaled their never-ending sno cones (you buy a cup and it's good for the whole summer). We got dinner from the food trucks, but next time we'll bring a picnic. We sat with friends and just had a great time out in the country listening to good music.

For more information: MB Roland Distillery.

We spent what was hopefully one of the last hot days of the season outside, enjoying our Redneck Riviera -- blowup swimming pool, beach umbrellas and camp chairs in the backyard. We have had this snorkel for years -- Uncle Mike gave it to Bean Dip when he turned 3 -- and the kids have just figured out how to use it.

There's lots to be found at the bottom of a 1-foot deep pool.

Our neighbors came over and joined us after lunch, but unfortunately, thunder sounded soon after. Our pool day quickly ended after that.