Pardon Me While I Catch My Breath

These last few days have been a blur as the kids and I have run around trying to check off a number of things on our Summer Fun list as the end of summer breathes down our necks.  This week so far has had two pool play dates, with friends we haven't seen yet this summer, a trip to the Hammond's Candy Factory for a tour, samples, and purchases (of course!), and then the aquarium. 

Whew.

It's been a little exhausting.

Even The Little Man is pooped.  He was asleep by 10:15 last night and slept until 9:30 this morning.

Either that or he's growing again.

So, here are some pics of our fun:


The candy factory tour would not have been as much fun if we didn't go with our cousins:

See? It's much more fun to wear a factory hat with your cousin:

Yes, The Girl is already sporting a cheek full of candy a full two minutes after arriving.

 This candy story was amazing. I loved the colors, textures, and the smell...oh, the smell...it was delicious:

This pic is called, "Mine, mine, mine."  And you have to say it just like the Seagulls on Finding Nemo.  Here are the boy's hoarding caramel coated marshmallows:

Loving the old delivery truck parked outside.

The crew watching the candy get packaged up:

It was a super sweet day:

The next morning we got up early and headed out for the aquarium.  I really love the way our city's aquarium is set up.  After hitting up a few aquariums in other cities (Boston and Maui), I've decided ours is pretty awesome. 

Same crew, different day, different location:

Exploring the Colorado River tanks.

 Hitting up some grub after all our exploring.  Yes, The Girl is crossing her eyes.  She's a keeper some days.

Is it wrong that I ate fish tacos for lunch?

Also, The Hubs and I celebrated number twelve, yesterday.  He sent me a sweet love note via Facebook:

 

I think the traditional gift for your twelfth anniversary is a Facebook note, right?  Well, since it is so close to silk or linen, I'm going to keep it.

RIP Midnight

If you ever had a goldfish for a pet as a child, you know first hand how long they live. 

It's a short life.

When The Girl first asked for a goldfish almost two years ago, the first scenario that came to my mind was that we would buy all this stuff for a fish, it would only live for a few weeks, and then I would have a devastated child who mourned the life of said fish for longer than the fish actually lived.  Scenario two was we would have this fish, she would keep it in her room, and each month I would come in and clean out the nasty aquarium cursing the day I agreed to the whole idea.

Scenario two was the path we took.  Except, I only cursed once in a while. 

And it was all inside my head. 

Unless, The Hubs was around, and then I let him know how I felt.

I was SHOCKED that our fish made it as long as it did.  Who knew goldfish could live for almost two years?  The Girl was a fantastic goldfish momma.  She always remembered to feed it, she decorated the aquarium, and paid close enough attention to the fish to know when he/she was not doing well, or needed the water refreshed (AKA needed her mom to clean the tank).

Unfortunately, Midnight got a bad case of swim bladder disease, and never recovered.  Interestingly enough, or not, this is the same way Calico died just a few months earlier.  I guess it's a common thing, and after reading that article, it is treatable and preventable.  Ooops.  I guess we are a day late and a dollar short.

I was very proud of The Girl.  She handled everything very maturely.  When it became clear that Midnight was not going to make it, she told me that she would much rather Midnight be in fish heaven where she would not be suffering any longer than to keep her here.  We all said our good-byes,  took some last minute pictures, and cried a bit.  The Little Man was very tender towards his sister saying, "I know just what it feels like to lose your favorite fish."  He's sweeter than sugar.

Rest in peace, Midnight.  Thanks for hanging out as long as you did.

R.I.P. Calico

It was a sad day yesterday.

Well, actually all week.

Except we have been having fun all week, just with the sad in the back of our hearts/minds.

Somehow, our sweet Calico grew ill.

And when I say sweet, I mean she was sweet to have lived for over a year, which spanks any record previously held by me in keeping a goldfish alive.

Anyway, she tried very hard to hang in there.  I'm not even exaggerating slightly by saying that she lay on the bottom of the tank, upside down, for a week.  She was breathing the whole time, and would sometimes flip her little fins around. 

I thought it was cruel to keep her in that state, but you try explaining to a six year old that we are flushing his fish down the toilet while she is still alive and "might just make it".

Finally, for Calico's sake, the time came last night when she went to goldfish heaven. 

There were tears.  Sobs.  Wailing.

It wasn't easy.

Just to make things worse, as if I could take anymore of my boy's broken heart, as we prayed last night, he poured salt on my mommy wounds.

"Dear God and Jesus, would you help my heart to feel better (sob, cry, sniffle).  My fish calico died tonight, and I am so sad.  Thank you. Amen."

Gulp.

Heavy hearts.

She was a good fish.

Or he.

We never knew.

In Which my Blog Becomes a Photo Album

In my attempt to make sure that I am photographing my own children more, it seems as though I now have a lot of pictures to share.  Also, I am trying to be very intentional in how we spend our time this summer, since this winter was a total blur, and I now realize how precious our time is together.  So, about once a week, we have been going on little "field trips".   Being more intentional about taking photos + being intentional about how we spend our time = LOTS OF PICTURES OF OUR ADVENTURES.

On this, here, blog.

Since I can hardly wait to tackle the "Blogger photo Uploader Monster" let's get at it.

First up: The Fourth of July.

Yup, just a little behind.

The Little Man came up with the idea of going to a MLS game (that's Major League Soccer for all you non-sport watching types)  (Oh wait, that's me), and then watch the fireworks after the game.  I have to say, it was a great idea, and the firework show was probably the best I've ever seen.

Two thumbs up, Little Man!

We started with a dinner that is reserved for special occasions.  Not only because it's one of my most favorite burgers around, but because the calorie and fat count are so astronomical that it's a wonder we don't instantly clog an artery.

Look, all things good are going to cost ya, right?  That's why we like to practice moderation when it comes to Smash Burger. (Note: I think the look of pure pleasure is clearly written all over The Girl's face in this pic):

Back to pure goofiness:

The man with the plan:

You can't go to a game with out Dippen' Dots.  Plus, it was a little toasty out...even in the shade.

While the game and the side show (see above photos) were fun, this is what I came for:

It was after this night out that I was gifted with the whole family sleeping in until 9:45.  It all started in the car:

The next day we enjoyed "hangin'" with our friends at the annual 4th of July picnic our church throws.

That's all I got from that event as I spent the afternoon eating my own body weight in potato chips and french onion dip.  Hey, I was trying to make a healthier choice and avoid the hamburgers and hot dogs (I think I already mentioned the calorie count of the Smash Burger I so thoroughly enjoyed the night before).  Moderation, people, moderation.

Ahem.

Later that week, we headed a bit out of town and took a tour of the Celestial Seasonings Factory.  It was actually fairly interesting to see how they organized things, how all the machinery worked, and to see the mass amounts of tea.  Seriously, I never knew that much tea existed in all the world let alone just in this factory.  But our favorite parts, as if I have to tell you seeing as how I've already exposed you to my eating issues, was the free tea sampling.  We got to try all sorts of teas, hot and cold, and for free.  And not for free were some pretty amazing Biscotti.  Perfect.

That's The Girl enjoying her tea time snack.  What?  You don't usually enjoy your tea with a bag of potato chips?  Well, if you had a peanut allergy, that might be the only thing you find that is safe.  So, you just roll with it.

OK.  Here's the deal.  This is a working factory.  With food.  That other people eat.  There is no risking hair contamination.  The only thing funnier, was the men with the beard protectors AND hair nets.  Awesome.  (That's my mom.  She's been joining us for our little "field trips"  and I'm sure she's thrilled to see herself, hairnet and all, on the blog.  Way to be a good sport, Mom.)

Some souvenirs.  If you know me in real life, you should ask me about my chap stick obsession.  These little beauties joined the collection, and I'm fairly certain that they are rare finds:

Next up: The Aquarium.  Little factoid for ya: I've never been.  I know.  How many times have I been to the zoo or the museum?  Well, too many to count, but somehow I've passed up this place.  So, since it was our first time, you know there are going to be a TON of pics.  Here's what I whittled down to:

They each had a turn in the dive suit:

What's she looking at?

Oh!  Well, hello.

We went with our cousin, aunt, and our field trip buddy, grandma:

I found out on this trip that The Little Man is fascinated by sharks.  So when we saw this guy swim up to the glass, after freaking out for a bit, he had to have his picture taken.  Not a great shot, but they swim fast.

"MOM!  LOOK A SHARK!" Considering we were at an aquarium, I heard this a few times today.

The Girl taking in the hugeness of this fish:

 This picture just makes me laugh.  All three of them looking up into a tank:

Both kids were ecstatic to be able to touch a starfish.  The Little Man was proud of how brave he was.  Those starfish are frightening, I tell ya.

MOM!  Look at this big fish with big teeth!

Oh, hi Mr Barracuda.  Nice of you to show us your teeth.

 

You too, Mr. Shark.

Jelly fish are so beautiful to me.

The Girl was dying to get her pic taken with this fish.  I'm not sure why, I just obliged.

SHARKS!

Every once in a while we would see a large sea turtle swim by the glass.  This one came by just as I had my camera out, and like The Little Man, The Girl told me to quick take her pic with the turtle and sat down next to it.  It quickly swam away.  She then asked, "Did you get it? Did you get my picture with the sea turtle?"  As I took a look at the LCD, I just looked up and said, "Yup.  Sure did!  You're good to go!"

I think she totally had a silhouette in mind when she asked.

Livin' the Life Continued...

Where did we leave off.

Oh yes, the toads.  Or frogs? No, I am pretty certain they are toads.  Who knows.

These guys:

Well, they were everywhere.  The Girl LOVED being a toad mommy for a day.  I think she may have enjoyed that more than catching bugs.  It's hard to tell because the toads were so novel that it may have influenced her excitement for them.  We did eventually convince her that they could not come home with us.

Earlier, that same day, we were able to spend the afternoon fishing.  Just a short distance from my Uncle's farm, there is a prime fishing spot off of a little bridge.  It's a spot where you literally can't pull the fish in fast enough.  Sometimes you pull the fish up two at a time here.  My kids will never, ever, know or have the patience for real fishing because of how spoiled they were here.  I'm going to be honest, I don't know or have the patience it takes for real fishing because of this place.  I can remember fishing here at this same spot as a kid.  It was so fun to see my own kids having just as much fun here as I did when I was young.

Here they are, the Fishing Fools:

As you can see, from the bend in the pole, they already have a fish (or two) hooked.

After a few rounds of fishing with adult help, each kid got a chance to reel in a fish on their own:

Ahh, sweet success (thankfully, there wasn't even a chance that they could fail.  Is that still called success?)

And a few of them without fishing rods because they are cute:

OH!  I almost forgot one of the best parts of this afternoon.  Well, maybe it wasn't the best part for me, but the kids sure thought it was super fun.

Yup.  That's my kids.  Riding in the back of a pickup truck.  Sans their cars seats.  Heck, sans the seat belts.  Yup, there they are just feeling the freedom of an open country road and the wind blowing through their hair.  They thought this was pretty cool.  I'm glad they thought it was fun. 

They better not EVER do this again unless we are on the same country road.

*ahem*

More happiness at freedom found:

The next day there was a restful morning to be found.  I have never been happier at my choice to switch the kids over to PBS this summer than that morning.  Yes, the hotel we stayed at did have cable complete with Nickelodeon, but it was a Sunday morning and none of the shows they knew were to be found.  Except!  Except for on PBS.  *sigh*  Oh yes, PBS had shows my kids loved on for two straight blissful hours. 

After sitting around for  awhile, we (my mom and I) thought it would be best to exercise the children.  The small town we were staying in did have a park, so we packed them up and headed out. 

We really should have considered why there was no one at the park for a little longer than we did before we slathered everyone up in sunscreen, but we just thought we were lucky and were going to get the park to ourselves.  I think the people who live in that small town were looking out their windows at us and kind of snickering and saying something like "City Folk" or "They sure aren't from around here, are they?"

To say it was hot and sticky would not quite describe that afternoon.   Now, I am sure that there are some of you out there reading this thinking I am some sort of big ol' wimp because I can't handle a little humidity.  Well, you are right.  I can't.  I can't even say that I am willing to try, actually.

Shortly after arriving at the park, the kids started to feel like they were going to melt (because we probably actually were melting internally), and The Girl had to use the restroom (of course she did).  So as I scanned around looking for something that looked like either a bathroom type building or even an outhouse, I spotted an open door on an out building that was located across this grassy area/field-ish type thing.  All we had to do was get there.

Alive would've been nice too.

There in that grassy area is where the blood sucking bird like creatures mosquitoes hang out when it's so hot and sticky you feel like your insides are liquefying.  Upon entering the field, we awoke them from their daytime slumber, and they were oh so hungry.  Thankfully for them, we were able to provide them with a couple quarts between the two of us.

Awesome.

We quickly decided that heading over to a Dollar Store that we saw on the way to the park would be a much better way to stretch our legs.

Later that day, we had a chance to visit the farm my Grandma was born on.  It is still being worked by family today and has pigs and cows.  Usually we visit in the spring when all the pigs are having babies and it is way too fun to see the little guys all fresh and new.  In August they look a little different:

They smell a little different too:

(Oh, by the way, that sky in the background?  Yes, it is green.  We had a little storm blow through shortly after this picture was taken.)

These guys are watching the storm brew and probably wonder what we are doing outside when clearly the weather is taking a turn for the worse.

That is the only picture I have of The Little Man on this farm.  You might be able to make it out here, but he is holding his nose.  What you can't see is that he is having a very difficult time, not just with the smell, but apparently he's not real fond of animals.  Pigs, cows, dogs, cats: The Little Man is not at all interested, and also is a bit fearful.  I think he might have been trying to find his happy place.

The next morning, we packed it up, gave another pint or two of blood, had some issues with the bugs again, and headed out for a long day on the road.  I was really worried about The Little Man.  Historically speaking, he is not the best at road travel.  Or sitting for more than 30 minutes in general.  However, he surprised me.  He did great!  He's even asked when our next road trip will be.  He likes them because "They don't cost a lot of money, but we still get to do fun stuff."

Oh, and the copious amount of Gobstoppers that I serve all day long probably help too.

I have to say, I too would like to hit the open road a little more often that we have.  The kids did awesome, we had a great little get away, and it was nice to be together as a family without any distractions.

Except PBS.

We liked the PBS.