Colin's 14th birthday

Happy Birthday Colin!  We love you!

 Colin turned 14 years old today!  He is pretty easy to please, and only wanted grilled steaks, home made chocolate pudding, chocolate cake, and corn on the cob!  :)  Those things are easy enough! 

I had to laugh a little bit this morning at mass, they announced it was "somebody's" birthday and there was cake and ice cream downstairs after mass.  Colin got all excited - how nice that they were honoring him!  I had read in the bulletin that it was another member's 80th birthday party!!  I told him unless you are 80 and not 14, the cake down there is NOT in your honor!!

His big plans include trying to pass the driver's test to get his farm permit.  I am comfortable with his driving skills (we have been practicing) but I am a little uncomfortable with his lack of sense of what is dangerous!  Colin is a great kid though.  I have been truly impressed this summer by his work ethic.  He doesn't complain, jumps in and we get the job done.  Lining fields is not a hard job, but it is time consuming, hot, and dirty work!  He has also been helping in the concession stand, and I would not have made it through having the girls gone without his and Cam's help.  (Side note - thank you Madison for the Revolutionary War hats -- you know that Cam will be wearing his proudly to your graduation and wedding). 

 Since we had to go to Kansas City to the airport to pick up the girls, Jim took Colin shopping at Cabella's.  He was pretty excited with his new stash of fishing lures!  I think he had fun with his dad, and what should have been simple turned into quite an adventure! 

 Mallory and Madison landed safely with their group.  They had a wonderful trip, and were happy to be back in Kansas.  Jim and Colin finished their shopping excursion and found them at the airport.  They headed out, only to have the girl's car stop running on I-435.  Jim called me and said he thought there was something majorly wrong.  He had taken their car because his starter has been acting weird, and my van has a questionable tire.  He said that another 4-H family had stopped to help, and that the dad was off buying some gas.....just in case, but Jim said he had put a lot of gas in the tank before he left, so he felt sure that wasn't the problem (their gas guage sticks a little bit, but it was saying 1/2 a tank).  I told him I would head that direction and we could call one of my cousins to haul the car home.  I didn't make it very far before they called back to report that the gas had done the trick and they were once again on their way home.  I breathed a sigh of relief because I was so excited to have my 3rd driver back-- didn't want to lose the car!!  :)  Needless to say, the story has a happy ending.  The girls made it back safely, had a wonderful trip, and the little kids were extremely happy to see them!  I was too! 

I was cleaning house today and kept hearing Harper say "WHOOOOO WHOOOOOOO WHOOOOO" so I went to see what she was up to -- she said "Hi Momma - I'm a scary goat"  -- who wouldn't be scared of this??

Now we are off and running in a new week.  Somehow, I don't think this one will be nearly as crazy as last week was!

I keep getting great reviews from the girls on their trip.  I have been enjoying their daily updates on the Frontier Extension District facebook page.  That is where I picked up these photos.  If I know my girls, these will not be the kinds of photos that they bring home! 
The little girls really miss the big ones.  Harper was even up in the night crying and asking for Madison.  The boys won't say that they miss them, but I did hear Cam say he can't wait until they get home because Madison gets up earlier than he likes to and she watches the little ones -- he wants to sleep in again!

Quincy had a friend over last night.  We had someone to cover the concession stand, so I decided it was a good evening to hang out at the pool.  Unfortunately, when I got them all to the pool, it had closed due to a poop accident.  Needless to say, everyone in town now knows the pool was closed since the 2 girls had to tell EVERYONE!!  Little girls are so funny - they spent an hour obsessing over who might have done 'it' and deciding that it was a boy who picks on everyone -- he was the reason they did not get to go swimming!  Guess that girl "cattiness" starts early!

We have been staying extremely busy with our regular duties and our extra ones.  I have always loved summer, but we may have taken on too much this time.  I would also say that it is not the work that bothers me.  I am not a people person!  I would happily line fields, make food, and scrub toilets if everyone would just leave me alone and let me do it my way!  Yep, I am self centered enough to think that my way is the best/only way!  :)  Jim and the kids have been great help.  Our family has a system and it is working pretty well.....and I am seeing that our kids know how to work hard, which makes me proud of them.  The only one who complains is Saige - but only when she can't see where I am at!  And yes, I did make two 5 year olds stock a cooler with soda and sports drinks last night.  Are there child labor laws against letting them work for Popsicles?

Travelers

We have been hearing great things from the traveling girls.  They even called tonight to catch up a little bit!  I really liked this photo of them at Mount Vernon.  Mallory reported that she wished she had more time to spend there!  I remember thinking the same thing when I visited!  The little girls have been missing them really bad!  Quincy told Harper "I bet the girls really miss us" to which Harper responded "yea they should come home now!"  The good news is that our neighbor Bev is home from her trip - that was a great source of anxiety to Quincy - she didn't think Bev should be gone so long! 
I admit that I miss the girls for more reasons than just that they are my kids and I love them.  Today was a busy day, and having an extra driver around is very helpful!  Jim and I got it all done, but in the end, I felt like I got hit by a truck and now am so wound up I don't think I will be able to sleep for a while yet!

Preston had a game tonight, and hit a very nice double.  He was pretty pumped up.  As he was up to bat I noticed that he had on one of his cleats and one of Quincy's!  I asked him if mis-matched shoes make you bat better!  He hadn't noticed!!  :)

7 Months of Saige Grace

 Saigie Paigie Poo is 7 months old today!  She is sweet, makes a lot of noise, including growling in the back of her throat, likes to stick out her tongue, and loves, loves, loves to be held, which would be so so much more fun if she would actually hold still!  She likes to see everything!!  She is starting to really love eating actual food too!  Unfortunately, she has experienced some foods which we would not recommend feeding to a baby - such as popcorn, because her big sister Harper is so much help!!

 She also is starting to scoot everywhere and we are having to re-learn about baby proofing a house!!

 Mallory and Madison left this afternoon for their CWF trip.  They are spending tonight in Kansas City, close to the airport because their plane leaves so early!  Tomorrow morning they fly to New York for a couple of days, and then take a train to Washington DC for the rest of next week.  This is a trip they have worked so hard to go on.  Two years of meetings, planning, and fundraising are finally over with!  I know it is the trip of a lifetime, and I am so proud of them!

 Quincy is on a very inexperienced softball team this year.  They are all learning, but I am happy to report that Quincy got a double and ended up making their team's first run of the season.  She was pretty excited!

 Last year, she wanted to be there, but just didn't really understand what to do.....this year she really gets it!  She is paying attention, trying hard and making some great plays!  She is also having a lot of fun!

 It has been a very busy week, and I was very excited to have an evening home, but I must say that I considered for a brief time whether putting Harper on a leash would be legal.  She has had quite a few "adventures" lately.  Today alone she dumped Saige's baby shampoo on the kitchen floor, dumped Colin's tackle box on the driveway, and used an entire jar of peanut butter to moisturize her legs, arms, belly and hair.  We had a long talk over a warm bath and a scrub brush, and she promises to do better from now on!!  No leashes were used to come to this conclusion!

The kids have also been battling impentigo this week.  I must say this is not a fun thing to get, or to get rid of.  I have made multiple trips to the doctor's office, and then the next kid comes down with a spot, which quickly becomes spots.  We are now bleaching our bath tub between kids, and I have lysoled and washed, bleached towels, and everyone is on antibiotics.  The sores are painful, and it is contagious, so it has not been very fun.  I think we are getting close to a cure though!  I hope so, I do love our pediatrician, but prefer not to see him in the summer months!! 

Dirtballs

 Many times since I have been married have I used the term "football widow" but now I have started calling my children "ballpark orphans!"  All we are missing is the redhead one who sings "The Sun'll Come Out Tomorrow" --

 Between taking on the field lining, running the concession stand, and then just the regular amount of games that we have with following 4 teams around, we are at the ball park most afternoons, and all night, every night.  The kids are fine with this....it is fun to hang out with their friends, and they don't seem to ever be clean - which is a dream come true for Quincy!  They had one evening this week when Mallory decided she would stay home - and offered to keep them at home.  The little ones acted like we were leaving them out of something really great!  :)  I am glad they are enjoying themselves so much!

 Just for the record, even if we get home at midnight, all children go through at least a rinse cycle in the tub!  Some nights, they need a double rinse!  I am thankful that Madison's summer job allows her to be home with them in the mornings so they can sleep in!

 The exceptionally long nights are the ones where Colin has Babe Ruth ball.  They play double headers, and each game lasts for a couple of hours.  It gets very long!  For mommas, it is long, but for kids rolling in dirt, eating ring pops, and hanging out with other little brothers and sisters, it is nothing more than a great adventure.  I imagine someday they will tell their kids stories of all the fun they had hanging out at the ball park all summer long!  At least I hope they will be fun stories and good memories!!

Colin ripped a monster hit (a double) - almost tied up their game, but they did end up losing.  It was pretty cool.  I do like watching my kids play!

I took lots of photos

 We had a fabulously busy weekend (as usual).  I tried to be ahead of the game by carrying around the camera.  Harper loves to pose!  So do Preston and Quincy!  Good thing too, because the teenaged crowd in the house is not as willing!

 It was the North Osage 4-H Club's 80th birthday bash on Saturday.  We enjoyed looking over lots of historic 4-H projects, and old photos of people who are now teachers for our kids!  It was a nice party!

 Preston was really happy because they had candy  placed around!

 And cake!

 After the birthday party, Colin and Cam had a game.  While the team was warming up, I noticed Cam was hanging out by the concession stand.  Apparently he thinks if your sisters are working, you can con them out of some sort of free popcorn or something.  It didn't happen for him, and I am not sure his coach was happy with his warm up either!

 Today the CWF group had their last meeting and picnic before their trip to New York and Washington DC.  The girls had a lot of fun playing sand volleyball with the kids they are going on the trip with.  They leave in 12 days and are getting nervous and  excited.  They were not really happy with my idea that their scrapbook when they get back should include all sorts of the preliminary stuff -- and didn't really like that I was snapping photos!

 Which is why there are way more photos of the little girls playing than there are of Mallory and Madison and their group!

 When I got the camera out, they pretended to be texting!  Nice girls - nice!  Someday they will appreciate my photographing their childhoood.  Someday!

 They played a trivia game to see how much they knew about history and the monuments/landmarks that they will be visiting.  One kid suggested that they play this game when they get back rather than today!  :)

Harper was happy to find cookies on the food buffet!  She and Quincy had a great time playing with the little brothers and sisters! 
Now we are ready to start into a new week.  Colin left today for tackle football camp at Emporia State University.  I am going to miss my field lining buddy!  Luckily, it is not a long camp!