Plenty of Amusement: Part Two

Our afternoon at the Amusement Park was spent part drying off and part thrill rides.  The boys were busy checking out the wave pool again while the girls were busy on helicopters, boats, spinning things and fast log rides.  I was busy taking photos, watching bags, and catching giggles and smiles.  I'm committed to keeping my feet on the ground at all costs.

I was happy when one of our stops was a magic glow show; I'm still trying to figure out how he did some of the tricks. Too bad we didn't find the theater during the storm, it would have been a nice place to ride it out.  Next time.

We loved our day at the Amusement Park. Everyone left exhausted, but filled with great memories. Of course to make the boys day even better, we stopped off for some BBQ at a little place in Des Moines with an award winning brisket and ribs.  I kid you not; when I told the boys we were ready to leave so that we could stop for dinner at Smokey D's, I think they both jumped a mile high.  Mr C might have even hugged me and kissed me. 

Guess the way to a teenage boys heart really is with food!  I'm not exaggerating when I say that the Brisket, the sauce and the atmosphere were out of the world. Mr A's pork tenderloin was bigger than the plate, and C's hand, and was scrumptious.  It was according to Mr. A the first time in a long time that he's asked for a doggy bag. 

As thanks to Dad for working so hard so we could go on a trip like this, we brought him home a brisket sandwich.  Two hours later (stored in my cold box in the car) he said it was still "to die for" good.  Maybe BBQ is always the way to a "boys" heart!

Top Ten Day trips; wish we had thought to put this day our Summer Bucket list, it would have been given a huge star next to it for being such a stellar event.

Mid Summer Festival: Fun While it Lasts

Sunday was the Mid Summer Festival hosted by the local Scandinavian organizations.  It was fun to have our Norwegian Grandparents in town for the festivities. This years' event was even bigger and better than previous ones with a full stage for the musical talent and flag ceremony.

Sadly, Miss M who is by the far the most "Norwegian" (and the most German and English) was unable to attend because she had a babysitting job lined up. Miss M loves all things multicultural and has learned the most of her heritage.   Thankfully, she was content to hear second hand from us and see the photos.

Miss A was thrilled that she was asked to pass out flowers for the Memorial Remembrance for the Norwegian Tragedy last summer and for the May Day Pole that they hosted for the opening ceremony. While she was a little shy asking if people wanted a flower, once Dad was her partner and he did all the talking, it got easier.   Miss A loved the Trolls and was psyched to see the Vikings fight.
 
Too bad our summer drought ended just before the party really started.  Really, it had been weeks since the last rainstorm and right as they started the flag procession and May Pole Raising, the heavens opened up.  We braved it out for a little while but when it appeared that the rain was not going to let up we called it an event.
 
The evening wasn't totally a bust, however, since we did end up going out for Pizza at one of our favorite family run pizza parlors.  It might not have been very Norwegian of us, but according to both Mr C and Miss A it was scrumdeliicious!

Easter Sunday 2012

Easter morning at our house is a little less chaotic than it was when we had three little kids awaiting the bunny's arrival before Church.  Now we have a deal with the "bunny" and the Easter Baskets await the kids on the fireplace with presents from the parents and then the eggs are scattered in the yard with candy while we are at church.  After checking out their stash, we enjoyed our traditional Resurrection Roll breakfast and got ready in our new Easter clothes for church.

It's a great compromise.  Miss A gets a chance to experience all the fun while the big kids get to be of the action, too.  Thankfully, Miss M is more than willing to hunt eggs with A.  After coming home from a wonderful service celebrating our Risen Savior, it was a mad rush to gather as many eggs as possible.

Lunch at Nana and Papa's meant not only a great brunch, of which I only had to provide Fruit Salad , but an afternoon of Master's watching, bingo games, balloon races in the backyard, and a little bit of dress up. 

Who knew that Miss M could get more hairy!  Miss A thought the Bunny Ears really added to her bright pink twirly dress and Mr C enjoyed not only "critiquing" the golfers on the 2nd hole, but also some putting on papa's putting green.  Honestly, I think the kids just enjoy getting a chance to hang with their cousins.  Seems we don't see enough of them in the winter months!

We finished our evening with a fabulous dinner of pork tenderloin, Girl Scout potatoes and asparagus.  I heard rave reviews for the meal.  In fact, Mr C might have said it was two great dinners in a row!!

Miss A told me it was her favorite Easter ever.  With all her "years" of experience to draw from, I'm surprised she can choose. 

Happy Easter!

Valentine's Day: Chinese Takeout is a Winner

For the past 14 years, give or take (minus one time when we were traveling over the 14th), we've ordered Chinese Takeout for the family for dinner on Valentine's Day.  It all started when Mr C was a baby and P and I celebrated with a nice dinner out a few days before Valentine's Day.  We wanted to do something with C on the actual day.  P suggested that we order in Chinese Food.

Chinese takeout on Valentine's Day is now our family tradition!

While we go out to eat a few times a month (maybe once or twice a month is more accurate), we don't really do take out dinner very often with maybe the occasional pizza  If we are all home for dinner, I normally cook a real meal.  Making take out dinning a real treat, this year I even had plastic plates and silverware so that the mom (or more likely the dad) didn't have to do the dishes afterwards.

We did have formal stemware on the table because in my kids mind it's not a special occasion if there isn't Sparkling Apple Cider to drink.  P and I shared a lovely bottle of Pinot Grigio from our fabulous wine store, Trader Joe! 

Another great family tradition that we have between February 1st-14th is a secret valentine that we do special things for such as leave treats on their bed, give extra hugs and kisses, and all over share the love!  This year I got smart.  On the same day we drew names from a bucket, I had a bag of small little candies, note cards, stickers, and toys that you could take anything from and give away.  That way those with little resources or access to "stuff" weren't burdened with coming up with ways to trick mom into going to the store!  

I speak from experience.

It's fun to see on Valentine's Day who our special friend has been these past two weeks.  Amazingly, the "doing" must have stepped up a little this year as two of five were convinced I was their person!  Miss M told dad she was shocked he was her secret valentine as "the gifts and cards were so good I thought it was Mom for sure!" 

We had a fabulous dinner and conversation around the dinning room table.  While we had our celebration end a little early in the evening to fit in BB practice and dance, we still  had a chance to enjoy opening cards from Grandparents and each other.  We had a huge laugh over the Spanish card that Mr C got and the fact that both Mom and Dad and B & B gave Miss A the same exact Hallmark card.  It was a perfect way to celebrate Valentine's Day! 

The kids were thrilled with their gift: Mario and Sonic at the London Olympic Games for the Wii.  We'd enjoyed the winter games so much we can't wait to try our hands at gymnastics, track, and equestrian.  Mom was thrilled that she scored this game at Walmart on a price match and saved 8 bucks!  Wow, the bargain shopper comes through.

To finish off the evening, we enjoyed some pineapple and strawberries with chocolate sauce.  You've got to have chocolate on Valentine's Day right?  At least that is the thought of some members of our family.  I'm still more of a jelly bean and Chuckles girl!

Poor Poor Walter....

Poor Walter.  Our friendly snowman must have gone wandering on Sunday night and decided to take a siesta on the driveway.  Sadly, when P left for the office on Monday morning, he didn't see Walter (guess it was still dark outside) and ran him over.

Now my husband is not a cold blooded killer, I'm sure it was purely an accident. My children, however, are not so convinced.  Their first reaction (besides tears and wailing) was that they always knew Dad hated winter.   They think his "burnt orange" blood has infected him so much that he would even kill a snowman!

Dad came home from work that night full of remorse and was apologetic.  He claims that Walter must have blended in with the little dusting of snow on the driveway and he never saw him. 

We've all learned a lesson.  Next snow, we are going to have to tell our snowmen friends that nighttime journeys around the neighborhood are not allowed!

The Hamburger Joint to End All Hamburger Joints

Mr C finally got to celebrate his Amazing Race win last season with dinner out on Saturday night.  If the truth be told, he "won" with a Mexican Cantina as his choice, but we kindly asked him to reconsider.  None of the girls in the family like the restaurant he choose. Thanks Mr C for caving into peer pressure (sister pressure?) just this once!!

The "winning" restaurant is an old fashioned Hamburger Joint that serves it's burgers on paper napkin.  It's a place that I used to go with my grandparents and we'd scout out the Fly Boys from a nearby Air Force Base.  Only back then, the restaurant was in a small old house that while it served great burgers and fries left much to be desired in decor. 

Today, its a hip restaurant with fun nostalgic pictures and memorabilia and big flat screen televisions. Their burgers, however, are just as good, and maybe even better than I remember.  Miss A said their grilled cheese might have been the best she's ever tasted and Miss M and Mr C thought the fries were to die for.

There is something about a great burger joint that just makes you feel All-American.  The fact that the San Francisco 49'ers game was playing in the background only added to the atmosphere.  I think Mr C is contemplating trying the "Stellanator" the next time we go.  It's like 8 patties, buns and all the fixings.  Considering the record is 156 attempts and only 3 successful patrons, I'm not thinking he has a chance. His picture sure would look cute on the Wall of Shame though!

Teenage boys have bigger eyes than stomachs even when they are growing like a weed. I'm glad this Burger Joint is a little bit of a drive for us because if he had the chance to build up his stamina he might just make it.

We can hardly wait for the next Amazing Race Season to begin; I'm already planning my winning restaurant.  I've got to win one of these times, don't I?

Who Doesn't Love Chicago at Christmas?

Traditionally, we don't travel at Christmas.  It's a crazy time of year for my husband at work, it's crazy expensive to fly anywhere, and since P's parents come for Thanksgiving (and we send presents back with them for the Chicago crew) along with weather that can be dicey for us, we just stay put. 

Not this year.  No way. No how. Our eldest niece was getting married December 28th and we would do whatever we could to make it to Chicago and be part of the festivities.  Miss A and Miss M would never have forgiven us if they missed this wedding and the fact that they had adorable new dresses to wear for the event was just part of the equation. They love weddings.

So two days after Christmas, off we went to Chicago land.  The amazing part is that nowhere along the route did we run into bad weather or a stick of snow.  In fact, we didn't even see any snow on the fields or roads anywhere.  It looked like we were traveling in March instead of late December.  Not that my weather channel loving husband was complaining at all. 

It was a short, but oh so sweet trip to Chicago with the Wedding on Wednesday and a work day on Friday for P and, of course, our annual New Year's Eve celebration that weekend.

After a long day of traveling and getting settled into our hotel room, we enjoyed "cocktails" with Bestemor and Bestafar in the lobby. Mr C. Miss M, and Miss A had their first taste of Tonic Water with Lime.  Let's just say I'm not thinking they will be hitting the bars later in life for high balls.  Yeah. (May that be the case Lord, please) They did however enjoy the free cookies and popcorn.  Good choice. 

We had a fun dinner at a "healthy" Mexican Cafe' where the food was so good you didn't miss the fat and calories.  Then we spent a few hours walking around an outdoor Outlet Mall in the Suburbs and while Christmas Cash and Gift Cards were burning holes in two little girl's purse.  They did a good job of not overbuying or settling for something.  They are their father's children!

As we all tucked into bed that night back at the hotel, the excitement was evident; Miss A and Miss M who I had the joy of sharing a queen sized bed with could hardly fall asleep. They were looking forward to the wedding so much that it was hard to sleep!

Trip to the Apple Orchard

We are always in search of fun fall things to do as a family and last Sunday's family outing was probably one of our best in the past few years. We went to a small town nearby known for all things "apple" and had a blast exploring nature, picking apples, and just marveling at Gods' beautiful creations.



We could not have asked for more perfect weather.  It was sunny and in the mid sixties; perfect for a light sweatshirt.  Our first stop was a tree farm that Miss M and I had visited a few years ago with her Girl Scout Troop and we enjoyed sharing the adventure with Mr C and Miss A.  There were hammocks to make out of fabric, a tall tree house to climb, and a trail that took us deep into the woods. 

Miss A complained that she had never walked so much in her life, but the huge smile on her face told of her joy.  Mr C believed that the sign declaring the trail at 2/3 of a mile was just to trick unsuspecting guests into venturing out on a forced march.  In his "expert" opinion, it was closer to 2.5 miles!  (The Boy Scout comes through)  Miss M's only complaint was that there was so much to see "off " the trail including big drop offs next to streams, walking paths that promised treasures, and of course trees that would have been perfect to climb.  Too bad mom and dad are such rule followers that we made her stay on the path.

There were so many photo ops; the bridge over the leaf covered stream, the walking path covered with leaves of all colors, and the "three little bears" chairs that were just adorable.  Even big man Mr C looks mini in that big chair.  Next year, we are dragging the kids there in their Sunday best and capturing a Christmas Card moment.  This year was all about making the memories and having fun.



Finally, our afternoon would not have been complete without a trip to the orchard for "pick your own apples."  When the hay rack ride driver told us to be sure to sample the different types to help us pick which ones we like the most, some members of our family took him at his word.  I think between Mr P and Mr C a least 10 apples were consumed.  Miss A and I decided that Jonigold were our favorites, while Miss M and the boys are divided between Winesap and Braeburns. 

Really, can anything taste as good as fresh fruit right off the tree? They are right when they say that Fresh Local is the best!  Our ten pound bushel of apples is nearly gone, just a few days later and I was told in no uncertain terms that I should just leave them plain, no apple crisp, no apple pies (which is good since I don't know how to make pie crust anyway.) or any other apple "snack."

We finished off the afternoon at the cafe eating apple pie, sampling apple wines and apple slushies, and resting our happy bodies before calling it a day!  I think this could become one of my favorite top ten days of the year!  Happy family equals Happy Momma.

Fall Festival: Girls Have Fun While the Boys Work

Mr C's school has an annual Fall Festival complete with games, rides, and a fantastic Cake Tent filled with all type of goodies.  If you ask C why he choose to come to the school, he might admit it's because last year he won a cake in the "cake walk."  As "parents," this year we were asked to bring six "cakes" or baked goods.  I brought six pans of Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls.  They not only are delicious, but are really the only baking I know how to do.

I was thrilled to see they had the rolls marked for fifteen dollars a pan and within the first hour had already sold one pan.  While we were in the tent (for about ten minutes), two separate buyers also scored a pan once they saw the note saying it was PW's recipe.

P and Mr C were signed up to work the Enchilada booth, but they refused to allow me to photograph them dishing up the Mexican goodness.  According to P, they are going to volunteer for this booth again next year.  It's the nicest couple who run the place and the enchiladas are to die for.  I really wanted a picture to capture the moment, but I'm trying hard to let Mr C be and not embarrass him with my photos.

While it was a little chilly in the early afternoon, it was perfect for a Hay Rack Ride around the property and the girls I loved seeing the school grounds, the horse barn, meadow, and back to the football field.  I loved that the hay rack ride was without any "hay" which was perfect for our sensitive allergies.  Mr C's campus is beautiful and the view they have of the prairie from the edge of the property is remarkable.

The girls also got a chance to go on a short horseback ride.  There are a number of horses on campus and it was fun for the girls to get a chance to ride.  I'm thinking maybe later this fall we can volunteer to take some apples to the horses and see them up close at the barn.

I can see why Fall Festival is a yearly tradition for so many families.  We were there for such a short time this year do to the other "activities," but next year we'll block out the day for some fun family fall traditions.

Labor Day: Water Sports Edition

You can't go to the lake without taking a few trips in the boat and, if our kids and neighbor kids have anything to say about it, there needs to be a few trips to the Marina involved. It's all about the candy.  One tradition that the boys love most of all is a race between the paddle boats down the cove to the Marina.

While you can't actually reach the marina on paddle boat (following the no wake cove), you can park at the community center and be within feet of "nirvana."

Last weekend, the smack talk about the "boys" boat crushing the girls boat was sky high.  Since there are only three boys in the group, Miss A was recruited to join the boy boat.  She was fine with the idea because her buddy N was on that boat and she could sit in the back and just enjoy the ride.  The girls including Miss M and Cousin N were overstuffed in the girls boat, but they were ready for the challenge.

Sadly, within a few feet of launch, our paddle boat (boys) lost it's rudder. It just fell off leaving the captain of the boat without any means of steering.  A few futile attempts to make due with an oar and pleas by the boys to make it the tradition happen brought the girls boat back to the dock.  No one wanted to call it a day, but it appeared we were now down to one boat!  The girls valiantly took off and the boys promised to run the shoreline to the marina!  Mother's wisdom said that running in sand would be even slower than an rudderless boat so the boys piled in the car along with Miss A for the ride to the end of the cove to await the girls.

Let's just say there was still a little challenge ahead as the boys decided to run the shore, catch the girls, and began to drag the paddle boat into the dock.  It wasn't what they had hoped for, but the group had big smiles on their faces.  After feeding their faces with candy and ice cream, the boys opted to paddle back while the girls happily joined me in the car along with "former teammates" Miss A and Mr N.  It was a full car load, meaning Miss M got her wish and rode in the trunk.

Let's just say we are a little lax on rules at the Lake!

I love how these kids didn't allow a little change of plans rob them of their joy!  They made due with what they had and made the best of it.  As a consolation prize, we took a boat ride to Sand Mountain and had a ton of fun surfing down the sand!!

Fabulous Fourth Festivities

We just got back from a wonderful getaway to the Lake to celebrate 4th of July.  We had a great time with our friends and family soaking up the sunshine, splashing in the cool water, and dancing on the sand to the sounds of summer tunes.  Perfection!

We made this into our Staycation too by taking a couple of extra days and, after a busy June, it was just what we needed to relax, refresh, and just jump into the rest of summer.  Miss A said there is "nothing like this in America."  Now considering she's never really been outside of the Midwest (except for CA), she might not be the best judge of this, but the sentiment could not be anymore true.

Lake friends were remade instantly with the "boys" jumping into contests with splashes, jumps, football catching and "slap ball" contests that might have made Nana a little nervous that there would be injuries, but made for very happy boys.  The girls were floating around sharing laughs and secrets.  There were nail parties and dancing contests.  When the neighbors DJ asked if there were any requests for songs on Saturday night, I think the girls were in seventh heaven. 

The "little kids," who are more and more becoming equal to the big kids, have become not only great swimmers and jumpers, but also expert Checkers and Sorry players.  At one point Miss A and Mr. N were in one of the bedrooms with the door closed playing checkers in the loft and my husband pointed out that I never would have allowed "closed doors among opposite sexes" with the other children.  I said it was true, but I know both Mr. N and Miss A are thrilled to have any privacy.  Youngest children need it once in awhile.

There is just something about the Lake house that binds our family together, not just with our immediate unit, but the cousins, the adults and the neighbors.  It's almost like it transports us back into time and gives us a glimpse of the simple life with no cell phones, no computers, no distractions.  Just family. Just Fun!

I've even mentioned to my sister in law that when she sweeps the sand off the sidewalk down by the dock it reminds of the woman in the sod house decades ago who kept trying to keep the "dust" down in her home.  It was a never ending task, but she didn't mind because it showed her family how much she cared for them.

Happy Independence Day America. What a blessing it is to call this Land My Home. God Bless America.