We are NOT on vacation anymore!

Where have I been? I can answer that with a million places....soccer, concerts, preschool field trips, running kids to church etc etc. but I will just say that I cannot and should not bore you all with details. It has been, in a word, chaotic since our return from vacation. Clint has been thrown into the hectic schedule of spring in Iowa and I have begun my daily prayer for just enough rain that he can have one day off every two weeks. We were lucky, last weekend we managed to have a weekend TOGETHER at a 40th birthday party in southern Iowa. All thanks to the almost 2 inches of rain we had received two days before it. I guess we are thankful for the little things.
Have I mentioned how pretty spring in Iowa can be though? I mean when you stop to really look at the farmers in the field and the green grass and the lilac bushes? It can be beautiful. I know I complain and I mean I really complain.....about the mud and the dust and the smell of newly overturned dirt (can you say allergies?) but it can be pretty and sometimes you just have to take the time to notice it.
Clint and I have seen each other all of maybe 20 minutes in the past 4 days. Kind of a hello/goodbye type of relationship. He leaves for work at 6:30 and does not get home until 10pm or after... and I leave for work on Mon-Weds-Friday at 4:15 and get home in time to meet the kids bus. But in all the hectic rush rush of things I do appreciate the fact that we have jobs... we have parents here to greet and say goodbye to the kids and we have an opportunity to live where you can really appreciate the whole beauty of spring planting in an agriculture state!

So in new news.....in order to help the kids with what they want to do....I have made a leap and gotten my first fishing license! They want to go fishing- and since dad is busy...well I will suck it up. I got one but have informed the kids it was with the condition that I do not have to touch the bait- the fish ANYTHING having to do with the sport. Too bad it is going to be cold this weekend or we would go but there is plenty of summer left.
Nate has had a call from a local farmer wanting to hire him this summer (when did he grow up??) and will be starting weight lifting this summer in prep for football. Ty has been running his wheels off in soccer and Addie and I attended an enlightening field trip to Godfather's pizza together yesterday (in case you are wondering a whole preschool class DOES fit in a walk in freezer!) Our life continues to go in a normal and frantic way and we are missing vacation and dad until his schedule lightens up again.

A stop to see dad in his "tank farm"

So from our family to you take time to enjoy the spring and stop to smell the lilacs! We may no longer be on vacation, but are looking forward to the upcoming summer break we hope to receive.....

We are HOME

Okay due to a lost power cord for the laptop (how did it end up in the bottom of Tyler's bag???) I have been completely out of internet range for the past 10 days and completely unable to post! SO SORRY! Good news is we made it home safe and while I want to throughly write about the whole experience right NOW. I cannot because there is laundry to do and kids to get showered before back to school tomorrow. Believe me though I have so much to share. We have traveled over 3500 miles and spent roughly $1600 in gas. All worth it and all of it we would do again. In a nutshell it was awesome. Clint and I sitting here as we speak smiling about the memories made with our children and marveling (once again) at what unique individuals they are. We have spent 2 nights sleeping in parking lots (wow what a experience!) and have been to three campgrounds and stayed in a beautiful home in Naples.

We have expereinced the sunset on the road and on the beach...

I have been called a Yankee- thank you Nashville!

Have seen dolphins so close to us we could reach out and touch them...

And experienced the complete joy the boys experinced while deep sea fishing and actually snagging a baby hammerhead shark...

We have met princesses....5 of them! And talked to each of them about what kingdom we hail from and how much we liked our ride to Disney World in our "carriage".

All in a week!

So I have time to post just a couple favorite pics and will share more once things settle down. But we are happy to be back and are so excited to share all of the experinces we have had! And for Clint and I....well we are both a little teary eyed to know it went by so fast and as we pulled in he looked at me and with a wink said "start planning the next one Laura..." Okay honey.....DONE!

So close I could have touched it...when swimming in the gulf they got even closer...

Some moments of boredom in 46 hours of travel!

Totally enamored  meeting one of the five princesses she had breakfast with

an early birthday with Grandpa and Grandma

Baby hammerhead shark

Our fishing guide, Hunter holding my big catch- a Snook

Sunset at Bonita beach

You cannot see this flying over states. This was entering Alabama.....what a beautiful country we live in

We are ready!!

Well... a quick note is all I have time for. BUT we are ready to go. Bags packed...RV loaded and route planned. Aside from fragmented sleep from dreams of accidents and getting lost and missed deadlines and broken down rigs I am not stressed at all. I realize that this is all crazy thinking so I blame lack of sleep. Thank goodness for AAA.

Many times I have wondered why we are leaving the beautiful warm temps of the midwest to head so many hours south to more beautiful warm temps a mere 14 degrees warmer. We have been asked too- why not fly? Why drive so far? Do you realize what gas prices are? But then I realize the real reason we are doing this. The reason Clint and I have discussed over and over again...... time together as a family is priceless. In this day and age a true gift and we are both feeling very blessed to have the ability to take our children on such a great adventure. We encourage them to watch the world go by through their windows, enjoy the great country we live in and appreciate the time to stop and admire what a great big and beautiful world we are lucky enough to inhabit. Watch the people, watch the scenery, watch the cultures change and enjoy the time spent together.

In all the hustle and bustle of sports and activities and work and life we have failed to see that in the past 5 years Nate has grown into a teen (sniff sniff) Tyler has grown into a sensitive and competitive young athlete and our baby....well...she is not our baby anymore but a precocious and stubborn girl. All unique in their attitudes and personalities and all fantastic people. But we feel...life is passing us by and to be quite honest---we are running out of that precious time with our children. Once it is gone, well people... it is gone.

So here is to a great adventure. The months of planning, stress, worry and excitement have been well worth it. Are there going to be arguments? Yes. Are there going to be laughs? Yes. Will I panic once we hit traffic and assume we will hit every one in our path? Yep. To those of you we plan to see on our journey we look forward to spending time with you! To our children we say sit back, relax, enjoy the time we are spending together because we realize it is going by way WAY to fast and we hope you will enjoy the next week together as much as we do. Are memories being made? You bet. Our only hope is that at the end of the trip our kids can look at us, smile, thank us both and say "when can we go again? " :)

Till my next post on the road when wifi is available!!

The countdown is on!

Well.. the countdown is on- 7 days to go till the next adventure. I have not had time to post as it has been SO BUSY, How is it that when you plan a family get away you always seem to pick the one week when everything is going on? After a mad scramble this week to reschedule conferences for Ty, get in a concert excuse for Nate, and of course cram in Addie's conferences and get Nate's solo contest for band scheduled I think I have everything covered.... I think.....

I KNOW this is how life goes. And I know I have bumped up every appointment Clint and I go to together up so he can attend with me (remember April is spring and then I become a single parent while he is being an agronomist) ....so life just seems well... hectic this time of year even without throwing in a family vacation. But we are looking forward to it, all of it... even the 10 days together with not a single break from one another.

The housesitter has been briefed, the bags are being packed, the notes have gone to school, the home work has been assigned, the grocery list has been made, the reservations have been reserved, and after a year of anticipation, it is real! We are headed out in just 7 days. Cannot wait!

Look what is just a start of what needs to be packed when a family of 5 heads out on a major road trip!

...and that is just the start... there are no groceries in here and no games or things for the kids to do. Ipods, DSI's and kindles are being charged...believe me! Did I mention Nate washed his Ipod last weekend? Yes... in the clothes washer so after Clint and I discussed whether it should be replaced (I won- c'mon who would be the one keeping him occupied for 20 some odd hours across the US?) Nate shelled out his own money and replaced it. Minor crisis averted. He now has an Ipod again and I am at peace knowing he will be lost in his music rather than asking me over and over how long till we are there.

So that is where we are at in a nutshell. This weekend will be devoted to getting ready to leave, packing up and planning routes. I start to get excited when we see the extended forcast and it includes the date we leave (ahem...70's here, 80's in Florida). How can I complain? I will leave with a picture I saw hanging in the back hallway today when I left for work. Leave it to Tyler to always make me smile.... you cannot tell he is excited....can you? 

My beautiful daughter

I forgot...in all the excitement of the snow and basketball.... to post a great shot of my beautiful daughter as she was on the computer beside me. In her infinite wisdom she reminded me of my mistake. So this one is for you sweetie.... and let me remind you of how beautiful and smart and capable you are now and always will be... I love you! Mom

Basketball and a world of white

Well...good news and bad... Tyler has completed his basketball season and came out as the number one team in his devision. YEAH! But as we all knew would happen the snow has begun to fall making travel dangerous so we will be missing the awards ceremony today. He is not broken up about it. In fact his comment was "I am ready for a day at home mom...."

So we made it to mass today.. stopped for groceries and are now enjoying an afternoon at home to pack and prepare for our cross country trip in a mere 12 days! (Maybe I should be working on that and not on this?)

I am posting a couple of shots of Ty's last game yesterday. They won by 10 points and Ty scored double rebounds in the first half on offense and defense both. What a guy! Playing his heart out....

3 on 1...is that fair?

and a few of the world of white we are now living in...peaceful and so QUIET out.....but I hate to shovel the stuff.

Even  Cowboy wants to say hello....

So I have my soup in the crock pot and Clint is settled in to watch his race. All are ready to hit the road for warmer temps in the coming weeks. We say good bye to a great basketball season and get ready for a much needed reprieve before soccer starts in a few short weeks. I think we all are okay with one snow day but with 50's predicted the rest of the week.... I think in our house we are all thinking spring!

An oldie but goodie.....

I came across this today while clearing old videos from the computer. My absolute FAVORITE video of Addie.. I believe she was maybe 2 when this was taken. Enjoy! (for some reason I cannot POST it...but have to share the link.....)

http://sharing.theflip.com/session/8f261e58aafebf9c3f61c5bcd404d5f7/video/134353641

Singing the praises of....McDonalds?

Okay...so everyone who knows our daughter KNOWS that getting her to eat anything at all is next to impossible. So when we stopped at McDonalds the other day and I saw that they now offer apple slices with the happy meal and have replaced the larger fry with a smaller one I was in love!

Why? Because in the past she would have automatically chosen the fry over the apples. And now.. well she can have both and that means she will EAT both. HOORAY!

Look at the tiny fries and the apples!

The fries are so small and cute! (see above compared to the milk). This may not seem blog worthy- but believe me when I say that I am happy to celebrate small victories with this child. I think the last time I saw her eat a full meal was like 15 months ago (Clint back me up here).....

So today I am singing the praises of the Golden Arches because not only did my daughter eat her whole meal- but she ate apples too and thought it was a really cool thing because it was part of her kids meal!

Happy meal with apple slices and chocolate milk consumed + Smiling daughter= One happy mom!

Boy... how kids meals have changed over the years.... but I am happy to see her eat the whole darn thing ( and I should note she chose chocolate milk instead of pop- another victory!) Now if I can only get the BOYS on board.......cauliflower with an angus burger maybe? I am not keeping my fingers crossed!

Menu planning

Have I mentioned that menu planning in our house is a nightmare? Set aside the fact that unless it contains meat and potatoes and a vegetable that my husband does not consider it a meal. Also set aside the fact that right now we are in lent so we do not eat meat on Friday. Without those 2 variables (which I can easily overcome) look at the fact that even after we can have meat again my freezer is full of only beef and that I have a daughter who thinks all beef is "disgusting" and what is left that will please my whole family?

Granted... I can try the whole "you will try it or you will get nothing" approach. I did this last night till a certain father caved and allowed my daughter to enjoy a delicious dinner of fruit treats. Really? Fruit treats? Not much a dinner... and yes Clint I see they are fortified with vitamin C.

If he had his way my daughter would live on a daily diet of hot dogs... because as our friends know, she has eaten up to 4 before and called it a meal.

So as I sit here and rifle through pages and pages of cookbooks trying to plan out the perfect meal plan for not only this week but also for the confined space of an RV for a 10 day excusion (some of which will be spent with family in a house so I will have a break for that thank goodness). I am thinking to myself that I have.....

1. Limited space including a pantry the size of my medicine cabinet at home.... seriously
2. A tiny oven that basically is useless for "baking"
3. a child who eats only processed food
4. A husband who believes all meals should be at least three parts of which pasta does not count
5. Two growing boys who will consume way more than will fit in an RV refridgerator
6. Room for only 1 gallon of milk in my tiny RV sized fridge ....currently we buy at least 4 gallons at a time.

So microwave pasta is not considered a meal? I think not....and tortillas and melted cheese? Yep it counts. At least for now it does :)

Wish me luck.....I only take the time to write this because I think my family needs to see how difficult a task this is. Not easy- so kids and husband please be kind. Smile and say how delicious dinner is.... and if you don't like it, well I am sure there is always cereal!

A little bit country

Well I must say I think the boys are becoming a little bit more country every day... is this a good thing? Who knows...time will tell. What I can say is that I came home today from work to the boys sitting on hay bales TALKING together. Not fighting- not arguing-not planning each others demise but talking. A rare occurance. This could be because they had the day off of school...or it could be because the last fighting incident resulted in a 2 week ban from TV. Whatever the reason....they were spending time together and this mom was happy.

I am thinking we need to ban TV more often? Maybe I spoke too soon.

I get asked all the time what I think of living in the country. Well.......uh.......all I can say is that we are growing accustomed to some things (5 years later) and other things (ahem... mice) not so much.. At least they are not in my house so I will count my blessings.

Anyway I will share what I drove home to- this sight which made me smile

Don't you love the chore boots? Not something I would have put my kids in several years ago....but to fit in you must adapt!

And while I am at it... I better introduce one of Nate's 4H projects that was peeking over the fence...Beau. Yep...he had to see what was going on and I could not resist the sunset behind him.

I guess country life is not so bad after all......

Do you know what it takes?

Do you know what it takes to pack a family of 5 in an RV for a cross country trip? Clint and I realized today we have 19 days..... 19! Till we leave for Florida. We have to pack food, clothes, items of entertainment for three kids for a 23 hour adventure so we BETTER GET ON IT!

So here we are getting the bad boy out of storage....

and here is my best attempt at organization....labels

so everyone has a pocket. I mean how can you keep straight 4 phone chargers? 3 cameras a kindle, 2 DS game systems and Ipod chargers? This is my best attempt.

I am hoping to maintain my sanity on this adventure....Clint I think permenantly has a smile on his face in anticipation.
Will keep you posted!

Welcome!

Well... I am going to give this blogging thing a shot I guess. I think the reason I wanted to start a blog was because I think the years with my kids are flying by. I sat down last night with my two boys and watched a family movie with them from when Nate was 6- and Ty was 4. That was only 6 short years ago. Where has time gone. They have gone from two small toddler aged boys to grown kids. So so hard as a mom to know time is tick tick ticking away,

So here we are. I think the best way to show them all our family hopes to share with them is by documenting it. So why not try a blog? Anything is worth a shot. Just be patient as I am not computer savvy nor am I always a good reader or writer. So welcome to my world! Enter at your own risk... and we welcome you to our busy...hectic...joyous....chaotic...funny....silly....disorganized.... and organized...peaceful... happy lives! :)