Lake of the Ozarks, part II

Here's a picture of where we stayed. We had everything on the left. The right side where the towels are was rented out by someone else. Starting Wednesday morning, several people started getting up around 6:00 to get on the boat before too many other boats were out. I was not one of them. Barrett is a good sleeper and he'll sleep until 7 or 8:00 so I got up when he did. Later in the day, they took the tube out. They had a good time on it. Darren said the tube was so big, you couldn't really fall off of it. He got some pretty elbow burns. Here Darren is goofing off

We had not gotten Barrett in the water so I figured why get a swim diaper and swimsuit when we're on the boat. Well, it was a pretty warm day and they decided to take a dip in the lake. Needless to say, when I changed him once I got back, his diaper probably weighed 10 pounds. But, he loved the water! There were so many flies so the kids loved helping swat flies. That evening, we decided to take the boat out after dark. Some decided to get in the water, I opted not to. I'm not really sure why, it sounded like a good idea when I got in the boat...it was dark, it was the lake, I don't know how to swim. I would get in the lake when I was younger where I could touch, if I couldn't touch, I'd use a life jacket. So why in my older age would it freak me out? Who knows, maybe next time.

Thursday was our 15th wedding anniversary! I know, it's really hard to believe. We didn't do anything specifically for our anniversary but maybe we'll get a date night soon. Darren took Becca to the indoor pool and I went to the laundromat. The indoor pool had a bridge that separated the 3 foot from the 5 foot, which then went to 9 foot. So, Becca loved jumping off the bridge into the shallow end. She did it over and over and over, but she also practiced swimming. Later, we went down to a pier where you could jump off from various heights. Becca, who is not afraid of much, was jumping off everything. She was also talking or screaming every time so she would swallow a little lake water from time to time.

Hanging out on the pier By the time Barrett and I got down there, Darren was getting tired since he had been skiing, swimming, etc. For Barrett, he got back in the water. But when Darren was really tired, he handed Barrett to me who screamed. Well, that was our cue to leave; he would not have stayed on the pier without trying to jump in. All this sun and swimming and skiing caused Becca to fall asleep later on the boat as we were out seeing the sights. That evening, we got several anniversary cards and since it was the last night for Darren's brother and family, we had a nice steak dinner.

Earlier in the day, someone had found a little beach/restaurant. So, in the early evening, we took the boat out and let the kids play. They played in the sand some, but mostly played in the water. Coming home, the water was pretty rough so we didn't do much sightseeing before we turned the boat towards "home". Becca's cousin and first cousin once removed

Saturday morning, they took the boat out for one last time. We packed the car up and after lunch, headed home. The rest of the family didn't leave until Sunday morning. We were considering stopping about 15-20 minutes away where there was a strip of souvenir shops, but we were only 5 minutes away when both of the kids were asleep. Did I mention how nice it is to travel with Darren? I'm so used to traveling without him and driving the whole way, I forgot how nice and relaxing it can be. I read my book all the way home, with breaks for conversation or dinner, etc. I had it almost read by the time we arrived home. I had to finish it that night because it was such a good book. If you haven't read it, The Wednesday Letters is a great book. Because I wasn't driving all day, I had a little energy and unpacked all the kids stuff, suitcases, bags, etc. Our suitcase sat for a few days but it eventually got put away too. I could definitely enjoy a family vacation, especially with Darren along, every year. Thank you to Darren's parents for taking us on vacation with the whole family.

As an aside note. I found out this week that the doctor did not get all of the splinter out. There was a little left which got infected. They could not put stitches back in because it needed to drain. At least this is a vacation he'll never forget.

Lake of the Ozarks, part I

Sunday, the 18th, we left for Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri to spend a week with Darren's family. There were 17 of us and we were only missing 1 nephew who just got a new job. It is so much nicer traveling when Darren is with us; I didn't drive at all. Sunday was just spent relaxing, getting settled, going to the grocery store, etc. Before the trip, we were told to be thinking about something to make. We would each be responsible for 1 night; which meant only 1 night to cook and 1 night to clean up and have the other nights to just enjoy.

The place we stayed was nice. They had playgrounds, an indoor and outdoor pool, laundromat, tennis and volleyball courts (which we didn't use) and a game room with pool, ping pong etc (again, which we didn't use). The cabin was fairly nice. There was a nice deck and we climbed the stairs outside to get to "the under 50" cabin upstairs. We borrowed skiis, a wakeboard and a huge tube and then rented a boat. The boats were nice and convenient; just had to walk down the stairs from our deck and be on the water. We didn't get a huge boat so we had to take turns using it. Monday was spent on the lake, relaxing on the deck and playing on the playground. Monday was also Becca's first time skiing. Darren said she loved it and didn't want to quit. I took some pictures and video from our deck and got as close as possible. I took this video from our deck. The squeaking is from the boats parked at the dock

Tuesday started off good. We were relaxing and boating as usual when Becca's cousin's husband got hurt. He was walking on the deck without shoes and got something in his foot. Not thinking much about it, he sat down to get a closer look and realized there was a piece of wood wedged a good several inches into his foot. They considered trying to pull it out but he was sweating and it was bleeding and it was decided it would be best if he went to the ER. The doctors tried pulling it out and it broke off twice. After a few cuts and 5 stitches, it was out. He had to hobble around the rest of the vacation but he was a trooper. Tuesday was Barrett's first time on the boat and he really enjoyed it.

Grandma & Barrett Barrett thought he'd try and drive

Random musings

My daughter loves to find rhyming words. She'll say, "let's rhyme silly things" and come up with "have you ever seen a dog wearing a pog?" Sometimes they're not real words, sometimes they are. Well, one day Becca went with her daddy to get some gas. After getting buckled, she said, "Hey daddy, F#$@!* buckle". Darren was trying to decide whether to comment or let it slide. He just told her that was not a very nice word. To which she replied, "what the "f" word?"

Barrett's hair was getting long again. My mom had trimmed his bangs some so they wouldn't be in his eyes but it was time for the rest of the hair to be trimmed as well. People comment on his beautiful hair all the time; I think he has beautiful hair and hated to do it, but he is a boy so it should be done more often, I suppose. Here is a picture of him before his haircut. Darren took him to a barber shop and he came home looking like this. Now,he still is handsome and I do like the haircut, especially once I got a chance to get used to it. That being said, I was upset/sad when I first saw him walk in the door. I don't know if was the drastic change (on Sunday, people just passing by, didn't recognize him at first) or the fact that it made him look more like a big boy, but I got choked up and didn't know what to say. I'm not generally an emotional person but for some reason, seeing him brought tears to my eyes. I somehow expected him to act differently, like Darren brought someone else's child home. It was an odd, surreal feeling when he still acted the same and I "realized" he's still my sweet little boy. Gosh, how will I do when he starts school?

Summer

Summer really is flying by. I leave for vacation in a little over a week and when we come back, there is only 2 weeks until school starts. So, what have we been doing with our time? Well, you already seen some of the fun things we've done so far. After we got back from OK, it was time to jump into VBS. This is always a fun but exhausting week. The previous 2 years, I have helped with crafts but this year, being that I'm a paid nursery coordinator, I naturally was in charge of the nursery. We only had 7 or 8 on a good day that ranged in age from 9 months to almost 3 years old. (The nursery was only open to VBS workers) I know all the kids but I'm rarely in a room with them or teaching them; I had so much fun. We smashed apples, painted with kitchen utensils, "walked on water", used paper "rocks" and a sheet and played the parachute game(where you shake it until all the rocks fell out), made mud, and many other things. The kids favorite thing was probably the parachute game, even our most shy kid loved it, it was the first day I heard him say more than 2 words. The theme was Saddle Ridge Ranch so the last day, some church members brought their horses out for the kids to see. Let me say this before you try and watch the following videos (if they will ever upload). One, my camera is so old so the quality is not great. Secondly, I had my nursery kids with me (and some others were helping me too) but I was trying to keep an eye on them and wasn't paying attention to the fact that I kept moving around. So, you may not want to watch the video much but if you look in the middle of the group in the dark purple shirt is Becca. She got chosen to go up on the last day to help lead the singing.

The next week we were doing something every day. I had kids at my house a couple of times, went to see a free movie at the theater, had t-ball 2 nights, got some work done at church and Becca and I got haircuts.

Fourth of July was fun. Every year we're invited to some friend's house who has a big family/friend gathering. There's tons of food, homemade ice cream (chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and banana) I love chocolate ice cream but as far as homemade goes, banana is the best and strawberry is a close second. There were some kids there that Becca could play with. Becca is at that great age that I don't have to keep an eye on at all times. She was running around outside and inside with the kids her age and older; Darren or I would check on her once in awhile, but we knew she would be close. Barrett didn't stray much from me but he had fun. The fireworks were getting ready to begin and the kids were on a blanket and Barrett was standing in front of them watching them with his back to the fireworks. Now, I had given him his blanket knowing they were going to start in case he needed a little security. The look on his face was priceless. There were a couple of booms and he stopped, looked around, then turned around, saw the fireworks and heard the noise and his face changed, dropped his blanket and came towards us fussing. Darren scooped him up and he enjoyed the rest of the fireworks from the comfort of daddy's arms. The other day, Becca wanted a little alone time so she went in her room and shut the door. Barrett followed her and sat down by her door. He follows her around and it is so cute.

OK

I love being able to go back home and visit. I wish I didn't live so far away that I can only visit once or twice a year, so we try to enjoy as much as possible. The drive down was better this time; we bought a dual screen DVD player so Barrett could watch too and that seemed to keep him from fussing so much...yeah for technology! We left on a Wednesday. I was feeling fine but I had no voice; that made the trip a little trickier because I couldn't talk to the kids very well, Becca had to lean up to hear me. But despite that, the trip was going great; the kids were behaving, we hadn't stopped too many times until we were about 1-2 hours out, Becca needed to potty. I figured I would fill up, potty, get something to drink, etc. We come out and I'm ready to drive off and the car won't start..great. I go inside and ask the ladies if they have jumper cables, no they don't. A man inside said he just took his out; I ask another lady outside, no. People don't seem to be too concerned or helpful. So, what am I to do in a strange town with my kids? My brain starts to do all kinds of things so I call Darren. I had forgotten that there is a loose wire on the battery that I should be able to jiggle and it will start. I finally get the hood open, jiggle it...nothing. Okay, don't panic, just try again. Second time, it starts, thank goodness. I got all turned around after that trying to find the highway, I went the wrong way, but thank goodness for technology again because my GPS pointed me in the right direction.

Barrett did well in the car but he still doesn't sleep much so Thursday, we took it easy and let him get his naps in. We actually took it easy for a few days. We spent some time at my brother's house while mom was at work. Cade and Becca are only 3 months apart so they have a big time playing together.

My sister drove up with her daughter for the weekend. Saturday morning, we had to hit Krispy Kreme where the balloon making clown is there for the kids. I wish I had taken a picture of all 3 of the kids with their balloons. Cade got a bow & arrow, Becca asked for a crown (remembering hers from last time) and Stacy asked for a cat. We then went to Siegi's (where else do you get meat?) and headed to my other brother's house for a cook-out and swimming. Phil was a little under the weather but he grilled for us anyway. I guess Bennett wasn't a big fan of the pool before but after seeing the cousins playing, he decided it wasn't a bad place to be. There was a smaller baby pool that I tried to put Barrett in and he just held on tight and fussed. I don't know what it is about a little pool, but he didn't want anything to do with it. So he just played around the pool. We had a great time hanging out with the entire fam minus my and my sister's husband. This is a picture of the cousins, minus the 2 little ones, Barrett and Pax. Sunday, we all drove to Claremore to see my oldest brother preach at a church. He was going in view of a call so it was neat to be there. It's a small church but great people. After church, they had a huge luncheon, everyone had brought food and a table full of desserts. I am trying to lose this baby weight but couldn't resist a few small pieces. He got the job and will start this weekend, July 4th and move there next week. It's only a 30-45 minute drive, so still not too far away.

Sunday evening, my friend came by to hang out for awhile. Monday, we went to lunch, in the pouring rain, to Mazzios with my sister-in-law, her 2 boys and an old friend and her soon to be adopted girl. We adults did not get much talking in with the kids needing things at different times. But it was still nice to hang out Tuesday, my mom was nice enough to watch the kids in the evening while I went to dinner with my sister-in-law and another old friend. We figured we would have more fun and actually have some conversation without the kids. It really was nice. Wednesday, we went to a place that I now can't remember the name of, with my brother and his family. It really was neat, they have places where you can pretend you're a doctor, a stylist, in a grocery store, cafe, on stage etc. They also have a play area and rock wall. Becca got a cart, went shopping to get what she wanted and took it to the counter Pretending to be a doctor At the cafe I couldn't get a good picture of it, but as soon as Barrett walks in the cafe, he "takes a bite" out of a hamburger chair. Now, he's trying an apple My fearless child didn't have too many problems climbing Barrett loved the microphone There were chairs set up so you could watch the stage, complete with costumes and a curtain. Becca was up there talking or singing or something. Barrett was sitting in the chair watching and as soon as she was done, he gets the biggest smile on his face and starts clapping; it was so cute!

We then got free pizza Thursday, we went to a Tulsa Drillers game with my brothers. My mom kept Barrett. Phil's family left a little early since they had both boys. Becca enjoyed watching the game on the grass but then kept begging to play in the children's area, so I finally agreed toward the end. Steve, Becca and I then walked around; it's a new stadium and it really is a nice place. Becca played a little more in the play area and then we went home. Friday, I met another friend for lunch. I don't always see her every time she comes in town so it was nice to catch up with her. We took Barrett home for a nap and Becca and I went to see Shrek at the movies with Court and her girl. It's the first time Becca saw a movie in 3-D and she liked it. That evening, the family came over for dinner; minus Steve's famiiy who was visiting their family and Phil who was sick. The cousins enjoyed spending a little more time together; Bennett warmed up a little to me, although now next time I come, he'll forget again.

Here is one of the favorite toys at my mom's house We drove home Saturday and got off to a late start because I was picking up a prescription for Barrett, so we stopped a lot more than normal and ended up at home at 8:00. I love spending time in OK but never seem to have enough time to see everyone I want to see or go everywhere I want to go. I don't want to be constantly on the go, mainly for my kids sake and mainly for Barrett's sake...he really needs his naps. I look forward to my next trek there and some more fun being a "tourist".