Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Act 1, Scene 2

Sometimes you see your child's occupation very early in their life. I happen to know that Mary is going to be a Director when she grows up. You know...the person on the set that tells other people how to act their part. She will often tell me how I should say things or act things out. I look at each of these "directions" from her as if they were a "scene". For example, every time we put her to bed she asks me, "Is this milk?". It's really a redundant question, because she can SEE that it's milk through the sippy cup. I guess the question comes up because sometimes I give her milk, and sometimes I give her water. So I do my part and answer her, "It's milk, Mary". Then she proceeds to ask that question about five more times as we shut the door and go down the stairs. It's not uncommon to hear one of us calling out "It's milk!" repeatedly, in the distance. I'm noticing this has been getting worse. Lately, she is not liking the way I answer and she'll correct my "lines" by saying, "Mommy, say "Yah!" not "It's milk!". So I go along, because frankly, it's easier, and also, it's just not worth the battle to do otherwise. Another "scene" we play is sometimes she want to SEE the milk, so I have to open the lid and show it to her. Like to prove it or something.

We even set each scene at bedtime. She must have all her props in place: Strawberry Shortcake pillow, two blankets (Winnie the Pooh and Strawberry Shortcake), her sippy cup, and whatever miscellaneous prop she decides to bring to bed that night. Tonight, she was put to bed by her grandma. For some reason, she doesn't always direct these alternate actors as finely as she directs me. She allowed grandma to put her to bed without her favorite prop, her drink. This baffles me. I would never be able to get away with such a thing. Anyway, tonight, at 3:30am (hence my odd blogging time), she mumbled through the monitor..."I can't find my drink". Like any mom who can hear anything in the middle of her deepest sleep, I jolt from the bed remembering that my mom didn't put her to sleep with her drink. I quickly fill up some milk and run upstairs to make a quick transaction so I can go back to bed. The longer these interactions are, the more likely I will not be able to go back to sleep.

Unfortunately, Mary took this opportunity to direct me on how I should be giving her the milk. Imagine having a director who doesn't speak very good English and she is trying to instruct you at 3:30 in the morning. The mind eventually gets awakened to the point of no return. "Sah it's milk, Mommy". Me-"You want to see the milk?" I exasperatingly open the sippy cup of milk and show it to her in the dark. Mary-"NO! Sah it's milk!". Me-"It's milk, Mary". Mary-"NO!!!" and this went back and forth and then she said, "Out there!"...and she pointed to the door "Open the door!" I couldn't believe that my simple transaction had to be an acting scene that needed perfect execution at 3:30 in the morning. Me-"You want me to go out there and show you the milk?" Mary--"NO!!". Finally, I gave her the milk, and like playing the hot and cold game, I broke my actions down until I got it right. She wanted me to say "It's milk!" behind the shut door as I often do when I'm leaving her after putting her down. I tend to avoid yelling from behind the shut door when I want all the other children to continue sleeping, but I broke my rules tonight just to satisfy this demanding director. She was going to wake them up anyway if I just didn't get it right.

I finally got it right. After I executed my lines just as she wanted them. I slid back down the stairs and crawled back into bed. Only to have my mind resist going back to sleep. I started writing the blog in my head and here it is. If it is not regurgitated out of my mind, I will not sleep. I'm hoping this will do the trick. Now it's back to bed...because I'm sure my little director will wake me up nice and early tomorrow!

Saturday, July 21, 2007

A Poem About My Dad

OK, Stacey, get your Diet Coke. You'll need it for this one. Today we are celebrating my Dad's 70th birthday and I decided to write him a poem. I started it yesterday and just finished it this morning. Ted insisted I hand write it, which I did. But here is the typed version:

A Poem About my Dad

If you were to ask me
To tell you about my Dad
I’d say he is the strongest man
A girl could ever have

I don’t mean strength in muscles
Although he has those too
I mean a strength that leads a family
With truth and fortitude

He led us like a man who could
Not do it all alone
He drew upon his Father’s strength
Much greater than His own

And if you were to ask me
How did he protect you?
I wouldn’t say “With hired guards
And a loaded gun or two”

We left the house each day
With a prayer of protection
His hand was firm upon my head,
His voice—strong but with affection

There was no greater way than this
That he could show his love
For when he prayed we felt God’s power
And His Spirit from above

And what if you asked me
Were you very rich?
I’d say we had the greatest wealth
A girl could ever wish

It may not be the riches
Of which you have in mind
He gave us things that can’t be bought…
A far more lasting kind

And then you might ask which gift
Does stand out from the other
I would have to say it was
The way he loved my mother

He always said she had great class
And how she was so pretty
She stooped to love this poor, young boy
Who grew up in the city

He loved her through her illness
To honor her was his mission
“Love is not an emotion”, he’d say
“Love is a decision”

“But what about some fun?”, you’d ask
“Did you have that too?”

I can’t express the joy we had
With all he let us do

I remember camping trips
And floats down Jack’s Fork River
Jumping off of rocky bluffs
The water made us shiver!

He discovered Rocky Falls
And caves that no one knew of
It was the beauty God created
In nature that he loved

Of course we loved to sled with him
In the “prairie” on a hill
The cold wind in our faces
Those rides were such a thrill

My dad didn’t only watch
“I’ll do it too!”, he'd tout
I think he had a kid inside
Just waiting to come out

“And what about now?”, you’d say
“You speak just of the past”
And I would say the things he gave
Are ones that always last

I see the things he’s shared with me
He’s sharing with my kids
The same whispers in my ears
Are whispered now in theirs

You know the prayers he taught me?
I pray now with my own
The same Prayer of Protection when
My kids are leaving home

And now my family’s camping
At those places that we did
My kids are jumping of those bluffs
Where I jumped as a kid

I know my dad is older now
And he can’t always stay
But the gifts he’s given me are ones
You cannot take away

You see, he’ll never really leave
His presence is always felt
And if you asked me "Why?" I’d say,
I see him in myself

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

The Saga Continues...

I know you all don't want to hear more about my mini-disc melodrama, but the saga continues. To explain why buying this mini-disc is so complex...there are about 25-30 different models that have been released since the mid '90's. It has taken me forever to understand their differences and when I was looking...I didn't really know which one I wanted.


Let me give you a brief rundown of what I am looking for. I want a mini-disc that you can plug in a microphone and record live music, interviews, or talks. THEN, I want to be able to upload the file to my computer....THEN, I want to be able to burn it to a CD (or just keep it on my computer for blogs. I've been borrowing my brother-in-law's for these very needs. BUT I WANT MY OWN!!! I've already told you many of the uses I have planned for it . And many of the uses I have already borrowed my B-in-law's to do them. But I still want to have one the fun of recording the kids and any other music need that comes up.


Anyway..this strong desire started back in May, when I borrowed my B-in-laws for about a month. By mid-June I had found a good deal on one and received it, only to find out I couldn't upload any of my recordings!!! So I put it on eBay to sell it. Back to the drawing board. Now I know I need a Hi-MD to record. So the same day I sold my mini-disc, I bid on a Hi-MD and won it. When I received it in the mail, it didn't work! It was obvious they didn't test it. He said, "I took the buyer's word for it that it worked." Not a good idea! The most recent installment on this saga happened when I bid on one last weekend, won it, and then discovered that it does not record live stuff. You can only copy CD's to it, but there is no way to record. UGH! It was misrepresented by the seller so I didn't pay and sent an e-mail explaining why. Now I'm back on eBay looking for something that is fairly hard to find at a decent price. I think I understand the model numbers and all their differences now. I'm ready. It's just such a cool gadget, I don't want to give up. I told Ted it can be my Christmas and b-day gift, I don't care! I think he's heard all this before. I get all my gifts early and I pick them out myself! Who knows better than me! Well, I'd always be happy with a surprise trip somewhere...hint...hint.

Monday, July 16, 2007

Helping Them Move On

Last Saturday we moved the couple who lost their children in a car accident. I was prepared for it to be a difficult day. Most of their toys went to Goodwill. As I was going through their stuff, I wondered how I would feel having my friends picking up my precious children's belongings and throwing them in a pile in the yard for Goodwill. It was like going through a valuable archaeological dig site. You knew that every item was precious. It was attached to a person and a story and needed to handled reverently, with care.

It was all sadness. With this group, we can never be expected to not crack a joke about something. But the overall feeling was somber and sweaty with our heads absorbed in what it must be like to lose your only children. The mother did break down and cry a couple of times in her dad's arms with her brother nearby consoling her. But for the most part, she focused on the task at hand.

Some of us took some things that were going to the poor, which felt weird. Here my friend had already sacrificed her children, and now we are adding to our own riches by taking her childrens' toys. She didn't mind. She didn't need them anymore. This is another odd thought. I know I feel weird when I get rid of baby stuff. It's like saying goodbye to an era in life. I just can't imagine not needing any more kid stuff. I have it all around me. I receive hand me downs for future years, I save Sam and Abby's stuff for Ben and Mary. I have many ages represented in my house. To rip all that out would be like ripping off a part of my body. We all do it gradually...but rarely is it all done in one day. They say that losing a parent is losing your past and losing a child is losing your future. I'm always planning the future with my kids in mind. We're planning a full family trip to Disney World (NO CAMPER) in either the Fall of 2009 or the Summer of 2010. I talked to my sister, Lisa, today and told her we need to do big family trip sometime when the kids get older. We do this every year, but I want to get a big house on the beach and share it for a week. I think that would be awesome! I'm big on planning for the future. I don't know what my future would feel like if the kids weren't sharing these vacations with me. I'm already to aware that their time with us is relatively short. They will be out of the house, one by one, before we know it.

The sudden death of my friend's children makes me want to embrace them more, smile at them more, kiss more parts of their bodies and enjoy them more. And it also makes me want to pray for my friend every day and not feel my part is over because I helped them move. Her pain is daily...from the moment she wakes up to the moment she falls asleep.

Friday, July 13, 2007

A Snapshot

What's on the top of my to-do list (this month)?
--Need to check out a piano my Aunt has for sale on an Estate she bought. The sale is Sunday morning.
--Work on PTO slide show
--Help brother, Kevin, with my Dad's slide show for his 70th birthday
--Get ready for Door County trip at the end of month
--Work on scrapbooking!!!


What have I accomplished?
--I uploaded some digital pictures of my dad and gave them to my brother for his slide show
--Had in-laws over for dinner
--Got Ben and Mary started on their summer schedule of Parent's Day Out (had my first one Wednesday and it was awesome!)
--Finally scheduled Sam's initial Ortho visit
--Scheduled two Chuck E Cheese fundraiser nights for school
--Received a "Child Identification Kit" in the mail from our Insurance Agent. Of course he gave me two instead of four...but I made it work and so far have gotten fingerprints of Sam and Abby and need to do Ben and Mary. I'm not a very good "preventative measures" person because I'm not a huge worrier, but this fell in my lap so I thought I would do it. I had to fill out height, weight, identifying marks (moles, etc), an updated picture, address, phone number, doctor, etc. I'll keep it in our fire proof safe
--Got a babysitter for a date night Saturday night
--Got a babysitter for Saturday to help our friends move (the ones that lost their children in the car accident)


What's bugging me?
--When will Ben be ready to go poop in the potty chair?? I'm sick of changing poops for two kids when I should only be doing one and even SHE is on her way out the door. I think when Mary turns three, I will step up the potty training. She hasn't seem interested thus far, but I usually wait until they are three and put them in underpants. Have some accidents until they realize this is it and then it's all done in about two weeks....or so it was with Sam and Abby. Ben has proven to be a challenge on the poop end. I'm not a pusher, so I've held back and let him go. I might try to step things up with him when I train her. He might need a greater push to do things. Sometimes I dream about that magical place where there are no diapers, no wipes, no need for a diaper bag. I know it's coming soon. I know it's almost within my grasp. When that happens I will put Mary in a big girl's bed to match Abby's. And...the other day we were in the car and Mary was marveling over Abby's earrings and said, "I want earrings like Abby". So I, like a good mother who is always looking for an incentive, said, "When you start wearing underpants and going potty and poop in the potty chair, I'll let you get your ears pierced."

Did I just make that decision? Well, her cousin has her's pierced and she is only 10 months old! It's the Italian tradition! Why not?? It's really like I'm swapping the bottom for the ears...I'll take the ears. For the record, Ben turned four in May and Mary will be three in November.


What's my latest obsession?
--I've been thinking about my Australia trip! It's only a year and a half away. I'm planning on the plane ticket being around $2000. Theresa and I are thinking that February will have the best airfares because it's just past the tourist season. I drew up a tentative plan just to see what it would look like:

2/4/09 (Wednesday): Leave St. Louis 6:50pm reach LA at 9:05pm (just over 4 hrs)
Fly out of LA 11:15pm for an overnight flight lasting about 18 hrs
Arrive in Melbourne 9:30am on 2/6/09 (lose a whole day--time change)
Total travel time to get there: 24 hours

2/6-2/17/09 (Fri-Tues...11 days)--Time spent with Theresa
2/18/09 (Wed)--12:20pm--leave Melbourne...reach LA 7:30am same day.
Confusing, I know! But it's really about a 16 hour flight coming home!

Fly out of LA 9:50am and arrive in Dallas 2:50pm. (under 4 hours)
Fly out of Dallas at 4:15pm and arrive in St. Louis at 5:55pm.
Total travel time to get home: 24 hours

I like this flight plan because the layovers are not too long. Since I got the Capital One card in 2005, I've earned enough miles to give me $400 towards my ticket. We've been planning this for 2 years!! It's finally feeling like it's not so far away.



What's been making me happy?
--This summer has gone really well. MUCH better than last summer and that makes me so happy. There are definitely some things I am working on with the younger kids...being more firm as we transition to a time that I am expecting more from them. Some habits are hard to break. This is a hard process and causes more fits, but will be worth it in the long run.
--Swim Team. Love it, love it, love it
--Time with my sisters as they are off work this summer
--Swimming at the neighborhood pool
--Camping

Sunday, July 08, 2007

A Good Meal, A Trick for Teethbrushing

I'm sitting outside Ben's door right now. I love my laptop. It doesn't stop me. I can bring it along wherever I want to go. Sometimes, I'll take it into the family room while Ted's watching TV and finish whatever I was doing. Anyway, Ben is starting to drift off.

Today, Ted's parents came over and took Sam, Abby and Ben to see Shrek 3. Afterwards, they came over for dinner. It was a great meal! We had chicken kabobs. I love kabobs filled with vegetables! I followed this recipe I found on the web it was yummy. I liked having potatoes on my kabob because it was a full meal in an of itself. I definitely recommend it. I was looking for a recipe that had the potatoes in it, and used balsamic vinegar and oil as a glaze. I followed the recipe to a "T", but next time I will either cut the potatoes smaller or cooking them all the way through before grilling. They were a little hard. Jane brought a salad and I made some cheese garlic bread. For dessert, we had the "JELLO No Bake Cheesecake". I love those boxes. It was very light and refreshing. After dinner, we played wiffleball outside and I brought out strawberry smoothies. I bought a packet mix at the store. It called for the packet, 10 oz of milk, 1 cup of sliced strawberries, and 10 ice cubes. Ted said it could be creamier. Next time, I'll my own recipe with no packet. I thought it tasted good, but I could have used a creamier smoothie too.

Ben is officially asleep. One more thing before I unplug and head downstairs. Ben was having a fit as I forced him off the computer to get ready for bed. I knew it would be hard to get him to brush his teeth. Remember when I told him about cavities when we were camping? Well, he was fighting me so hard, throwing himself on the ground when I said,"Ben, we need to brush the cavities off your teeth!" He stopped the crying immediately, jumped to his feet and rushed to the sink!! It was hilarious. As I helped him brush his teeth, I said, "Gotta brush those cavities off. Yup...they are coming right off!" I'll have to remember that one. No late night with questions either. I knew he was tired.

Time to go.

NOTE TO SELF

Note to self: Remember to buy this beautiful plant next year. It's the bright, green, leafy plant behind Sam on the left. It's called a Sweet Potato Vine and it is the "Margarita" variety. I also want to get "Coleus".



I like the variety in the upper right hand corner. They would look great with the Sweet Potato plant in a big pot! Don't forget!!! Too bad they are annuals...

Saturday, July 07, 2007

What It Feels Like to Lose a Child

Last week, a friend of mine (a friend of a friend, who became a friend) lost her two only children in a car accident. Her sister-in-law was driving the car with her neice and nephew, Sophie-5 and Nicholas-9, and her own two children (a 2 year old and a nine month old). She pulled out in front of a semi and he crashed into the side of her car. The sister in law broke her back and may be paralyzed and the 2 year old is in critical condition. The other three children died. It's too tragic to even fathom. Now this couple is childless. We were going out of town the week of the funeral so I wrote her a letter. I'm embarrassed to say that I e-mailed it to her (I explained why in the letter). I almost didn't share it because it is very heartfelt and I almost wasn't sure that I did the right thing by getting so descriptive of what I imagined her pain to be. I have to say, the reason why I pushed myself to do it, is because I received a very heartfelt letter when I had a stillbirth and it was my very favorite letter. I took a chance and hoped it would help her like it helped me. Everyone is different. I put myself out on a limb, and wrote from my heart. I felt that if I did that, it would be hard to go wrong. I never expected a response, but always wondered if she had read it. Today I found out from another friend, that she told her unprompted that I wrote her a letter and it really helped a lot. Since it actually helped, I've decided to share it with you. And maybe someone else might find it helpful too.


"First of all, I know it is rude to send this message via e-mail…I wasn’t sure that I had your latest address and I knew your e-mail address. Also, I wanted to make sure you got this right away.

When Vicki called me and told me what happened to Nicholas and Sophie, I was shocked. It just didn’t seem real. That the two lives we just saw in February…the two lively children that played with ours in Erin’s basement…certainly they can’t be gone so quickly?? It is too tragic, too horrible, too shocking to take it all in at once. And if it is too tragic, horrible and shocking for ME, you must feel 100 times more. No one can even begin to fathom your loss. No one will scrape the surface of your grief in their attempts to comfort you with their words. Every person who comes to you will feel greatly inadequate…and I am no different. Some might even say things that hurt you. I think it will be frustrating to realize how little anyone can help you and all the kind words, actions and money given, will feel like droplets in your huge empty well. Despite all of this, you will feel their love, their compassion and their heartfelt attempts and as little as they feel, SOMETHING is making your load just a little lighter. It doesn’t make sense that they would actually have any effect at all, but SOMEHOW you will feel God’s grace. God won’t take it away, but all the prayers that are going up for you right now will be like a blanket of protection around you and Kevin. They will not take your pain away, but be there, day to day to make it just a little easier and will help you to put one foot in front of the other, when you feel totally lost.

Your family has been gouged. Your heart has been gouged and ripped open like a gaping wound. You are missing your most precious children. Everywhere you will be reminded of your loss. You will wonder what your purpose to life is without them. I have NO idea how it must feel. I’m trying to share your grief in my mind and tears flow as I write this. I’m NOT pretending to know how you feel. I’m putting myself in your shoes every day and I cry for you. I believe that when people cry for you, they are taking one small portion of your grief and feeling it themselves so you will have less. I actually believe when other people grieve for you, they share your load and yours will be ever so slightly less. It’s hard to believe but it is true. You will be blessed by every tear shed for you and your children. But I know you must feel like every where you turn you are reminded of the gaping hole in your heart. When you see their shoes lying on the floor, their rooms that are now empty and uninhabited, the dirty clothes in the hamper that still have their smell, their favorite snacks in the pantry. You will realize how much you were dedicated to them, did for them, lived for them. How much of your purposed existed for THEM. When you go the store and see parents scold their children, your heart will cry out, “Love them!!!! Mine were taken away!! You are so lucky to still have yours…” . I think with every new realization of what has happened, it will open a new door of grief and more buckets of grief will pour in. Even being with us, your friends, will be hard and not the way it used to be. You may feel like you don’t fit the way you did before. Everything has changed. Everything feels gone. I imagined your mother and father-in-law…how they must be so crushed. Their family is no longer the same. They have three grandchildren gone. One daughter and grandchild who are struggling to live. It will take them a long time too.

It will be a pain that is always there, but somehow you will go on. And you will inspire people around you. You will surprise yourself the day you can wake up without crying. I hope this doesn’t sound like a know what you will go through. It’s my own vain attempt to understand. It’s the one thing I can try to give as one mother sharing the grief of another mother. Little Sophie. Everytime I saw her, I imagined my Maggie. She was my reminder of how old Maggie would be if she were still alive. Maggie was supposed to be born on Halloween. So Sophie was my gauge on what my little girl would be like, what she would be doing now, how big she would be. It in NO WAY compares to your loss. The longer a child is alive, the more it hurts to let them go because you have gotten to know them so much more and loved them so much more. I just wanted to let you know what Sophie was to me. I remember with Maggie, I wanted to sidestep all the days of grief, the crying, the pain. I wanted to fast forward like you would with a remote. I didn’t want to go through the pain. I wanted to try for another child right away. But you can’t speed it up, you can’t replace them. You have to go through it. But you won’t be alone. As much as you and Kevin may feel you are all alone…you will have the support of family and friends. The prayers may seem so futile…but they will give you actual strength. That is why I will pray for you every day…as an intention on my mirror. And I won’t be alone. You will have many other prayers spoken to heaven for your needs and God will answer. I promise He will. He is constant. He doesn’t change. He is the same God who provided you with the gift of Nicholas and Sophie…He will continue to provide great things for you.

If there is one thing everyone knows about you…it’s how much your lives revolved around your children. Everyone knows you loved your kids and that they were your focus. You did everything together. You didn’t get babysitters so you could enjoy your time together…You brought your kids everywhere with you so you could enjoy your time together. Although we can never fathom your full pain…our hearts ache with you and we cry our own tears for you. You remind us to appreciate what we have because you never know when it can be taken away. But you also remind us that we are loved and our sorrows our shared by others as well as our joys.

I’m so sorry to say that we won’t be going to the visitation or the funeral. Please don’t take this as a sign of not caring. We will be out of town this week and so no good way around it. This is one of the reasons for e-mailing…so you could get this message quicker. We will be donating to the fund for the funeral. We will be praying for you for a long time, but especially this weekend as you make arrangements and decisions you don’t feel like making. Although we won’t be there physically, we’ll be there every other way.

Take care sister,

Missy and Ted"

Thursday, July 05, 2007

My Eminence Journal





I kept a journal while we were on vacation, to help you get a true glimpse of what it's like to be on our camping trip. Overall it was a great vacation! Here are my notes:

Day 1--Friday the 29th--We offered to help bring one of my parents' canoes to Eminence. My parents took the other one. There were only 3 spongey things, so we ditched the third and used 2. Lisa tried to make a trip to Cabelo's to get a 4th, but they didn't carry them. We ran out of time so we had to make do. Big mistake. There was loud vibrating hum the whole trip to Eminence. It reverbrated in our chests! The kids were very good about it. We adjusted and shifted the canoe and respositioned the two spongies to no avail. We lived with it for the four hour trip. When we arrived, around 7pm, Uncle Kevin and Grandma and Grandpa greeted us. They offered to take the two little ones down to the rocky shores of the Jacks Fork river to throw rocks. We set up the trailer while they were gone. That evening, our friends, the Blair's, had a campfire. We roasted marshmallows and made s'mores. We were with many of our Men's and Women's group friends and some other church friends I know through my sister. Here's the line-up: The Clegg's (2 adults), the Basta's (2 adults, 3 kids, one on the way), the Vlahutin's (2 adults, 2 kids, one on the way), the Decker's (2 adults, 4 kids), the Blaire's (2 adults, 3 of their kids were present), the Essner's (2 adults, 3 kids), the Gulledge's (2 adults, 3 of their kids were present), my two brothers, my cousin and his wife and their toddler, and my parents. 38 people plus our family of 6!

Ted put Ben and Mary down at 9:45pm. They took 45 minutes to fall asleep. Sam and Abby stayed at the fire with me until 11:30pm!

Day 2--Saturday the 30th--Ben and Mary woke up at 6:40am. We went down to the river to throw rocks and ended up staying there until mid afternoon! We made a couple of trips back to the campsite for stuff needed like swimsuits, lunch, etc. I knew Ben was tired when he had a fit because he dropped a piece of chopped ham on the ground. He had a bigger fit when I told him not to worry about it and threw the ham chunk in the water for the fish to eat. Sam was literally in a panic with screams. It was so bad, Ted had to make a mock recovery of the ham chunk and brought it back to Ben. He then ate it and stopped crying immediately. I'll never figure him out. Not only that, I was grossed out that he ate a ham chunk from the river. Another panic fit came when his eyes started burning (sunscreen or sand...we'll never know). He was screaming. Ted was going to be taking my brother and cousin to drop off point for a float, so he took Ben with his to relieve all of us from his crabbiness. I immediately relaxed and happily watched Mary play while Sam and Abby played with their friends. Ben ended up falling asleep during the car trip. When Ted came back, he layed him down in the camper. Rain came around 2:30 or 3:00. It rained the rest of the day. For dinner we had hamburgers, mac n cheese and corn. The Masek's ate in our trailer because of the rain.

Mary crashed before dinner in my arms. I layed her on the wing. When she woke up around 6pm, she was screaming and tugging and digging in her ear. Oh no. Ted took her to the closest hospital (about 4o minutes away). They confirmed that it was an ear infection in her right ear. They gave her one dose, but then wrote a prescription for the rest. We had to figure out how to find a pharmacy late at night on a Saturday. And no one is open on Sunday out here. Ted ended up talking to the lady at the campground store and she said she could call her friend who is the local pharmacist to see if she would open up shop on Sunday for us. She called back late Saturday night to tell her she would do this. We didn't know until Sunday. Ted was prepared for a long drive if she said no.
While Ted was gone, the kids and I split up into different cars to go to the 7:30 mass with our group. We have many guitarists in the group. One guy called ahead to find out what the song schedule was and told them they would lead the music (the organist died 6 months ago). This is a very small church that was built mainly for the rush of vacationers they get this time of year. There are only 584 residents in Eminence. About 50 people were there, 3 were parishioners and 40 were connected to our camping group. I didn't help with the music because there were already 5 people up there (2 kids). Plus, I was without Ted. After the mass, the priest picked up one of the guitars and entertained us with some songs! He was great! We gave him a standing ovation.

Every year after mass, we always head out to the Dairy Shack for some ice cream. They are always overwhelmed by the crowd we bring. Ben entertained the troops with his rendition of the Toontown dance. It's a Disney computer game and it's the dance the character does when he beats the bad guy. I can only tell you it looks like Ben is having a seizure. I'll have to record it for you sometime. It's hilarious. It got cheers from the group.

It continued to rain all night. Mary had fallen asleep on her way home from the hospital. Ted went to the Blaire's pavilion since it was too wet for a fire, while I put the kids to bed this time. Sam was in bed by 10:20 and Ben finally fell asleep at 11:30pm. I guess Abby was in bed by 11pm.

Day 3--Sunday the 1st--This was a trying day. It rained all day until about 4pm. We entertained the kids in our trailer with a Spongebob DVD, and coloring pictures. Ted got Mary's medicine and she acted fine the rest of the trip. But we were sick of rain. By 2pm, I'd had enough. The kids wanted out of the trailer. Finally, we decided to ignore the rain, suit up the kids and take them to the beach anyway. Ted let me go shopping with Lisa, my Mom and our friend, Jackie, while he watched the kids at the beach. Shopping at Eminence was not that exciting, but it was getting out with the girls. When we got back, the rain finally let up after a full 24 hours!!! We had spaghetti for dinner with bread and butter. The fire was at the Blaire's again. It was Ted's turn to put the kids down. He hung out a little bit before they got tired. We played guitars and sang songs. It was fun for me to finally play! We decide that next year, I'll organize sing along songs like "Brown Eyed Girl", "American Pie, etc. I'll print out lyrics and chords for everyone. Get me on a mission and I can't stop thinking about it. Songs have been buzzin' through my head and when I tried to go to sleep that night...I was dreaming of campfire songs...






Day 4--Monday the 2nd--We woke up to sunshine! A beautiful day! Mom and Dad watched Ben and Mary while we took Sam and Abby on a six mile float. The river was high and swift from all of the rain. We made three stops to slow down our trip...one 40 minute swim stop, one 50 minute lunch stop, and a 30 minute swim stop. Two hours worth of stops and it only took us 4 hours to float! I think it was the best float I'd been on in a while. I love the hillsides of trees and bluffs and the rush of the river. I was in my limelight!! It was a comfortable day...not too hot. It was just all around perfect...and exactly what Ted and I needed. When we got back to the campground, Sam jumped off a bluff called "Button Rock" in his life jacket! He was so proud of himself because it was his first time. I remember jumping off that rock as a child. Now he is doing it.

For dinner we had pork steaks and mashed potatoes. To help us prepare for leaving tomorrow, we took down the awning, rolled up the astro turf and started cleaning up around the campsite. This time our fire was near the Clegg and Vlahutin campsites which were on the beach and much closer to our trailer. Mary fell asleep in my arms. Ben was ready for bed soon after. It was my turn to put the kids down. When I was tucking Ben in we were talking about why he can't have juice at bedtime, which got me explaining cavities and showing him my fillings with a glowstick. That was a mistake. The rest of the time he was asking me questions about cavities and telling me he was scared of them. It took him a while to fall asleep. This happened around 11pm.

Day 4--Tuesday the 3rd--Time to go! We were on the road by 11am. The canoe was still humming, but not as loud this time. One of the straps broke on the canoe, but luckily we had three, so could separate the two remaining straps. After this stop, the canoe stopped humming. Another thing we're trying to figure out! Hopefully getting 2 more foam pieces will keep this from happening again. We'll also make sure we have stronger straps!

We've logged 12,700 miles on our Jayco Kiwi Travel Trailer and taken 33 camping trips with it. It has been money well spent!