For grown-ups only

My children are no longer part of the believers club. I’m actually surprised they held out as long as they did, especially Jacob. I found out when I was eight (thanks cousin Heidi). It’s a sad feeling not to have believers in your house. I wonder if some of the fun will be missing from our holidays now…

Jacob lost 2 teeth within the space of 15 minutes last Saturday. This happened to be an evening when Rick was working a 30-hour shift. Since Daddy usually handles tooth fairy duties, I really felt the pressure. I have a hard time remembering things like that.

At midnight, when I felt it was safe to make the transfer, I crept into Jake’s room. He was all a tangle in his blankets so I tried to unravel him. This caused him to thrash about. I hit the deck to avoid being seen. Once I felt I had the all clear, I proceeded to feel around for “the baggie”. For the life of me I could not find that thing! Giving up, I made the deposit and tiptoed out of the room.

The next morning I went upstairs to wake the kids for church. They had beaten me to it and were hanging out in Jake’s room. “Hi mom”, Jake greeted me. “Thanks for the $4, but you forgot to take my teeth.”

“What do you mean? Did the tooth fairy leave those behind?” I asked, trying to play it cool.

“Mom I know it’s you. I’ve known for about 2 years.” Jake laughed.

I was stuck. Should I keep it going or give up the charade? I decided that since the secret was already out about the birds in the bees, this must be revealed too. I proceeded to uncover the myths, one by one. Santa, Easter Bunny, Great Pumpkin, and Tooth Fairy were all part of an elaborate lie kept by parents across the world. The kids took it fairly well, though the deal about Santa was new to Emma. I felt like I pulled the rug out from under them. It was awful.

After making solemn promises never to reveal the secret to other believers, the kids scurried off to ready themselves for church. I sat for a moment, pondering how I old I felt. The kids were growing up way too fast, and I couldn’t do a thing to stop it. (sigh)

Happy Birthday Rick!

It's no secret that I adore my honey, but I'd take this opportunity to share a few of the reasons why I love him so.

It wasn't too long after I met Rick that I could picture our future together. I figured out pretty early on that he was the guy for me. I had no idea that life would be this sweet!



Some things are just obvious. He's always been a great smoocher. :)



He's devastatingly handsome. How could I not fall for this hottie?



We were guaranteed to have some pretty cute kids.




He's a lot like my dad, which is one of the best compliments I can give a guy.



Rick's family is very important to him...



...and he loves his in-laws too!



Rick loves his kids and shows it in many ways. When they're sick, he's an attentive nurse. He doesn't even complain when I make him clean up tossed cookies.



He doesn't mind snuggling either, can you tell?



Jake is lucky to have MacGyver for a dad (I sure hope he gets his survivorman genes).



Emma is growing up knowing how a lady should be treated.



He teaches the kids many things, from riding a bike...



and building volcanoes...



to catching crawfish...



and playing soccer.



Rick helps the kids overcome their fears.



and shows them how to have a good time.




He makes them feel special - because they are!



I'm blessed to be married to stalwart man who holds the priesthood.



I'll always love and support you Rick!



Happy Birthday Sweetie!

First Day of School/Ward Party

The kids are growing up again! I keep telling them to stop, but they won't mind me. I sent them off to school this morning with a heavy heart, realizing that my baby is a 3rd grader.

I carefully packed their lunches complete with special love notes. When they discovered my secret, they scoffed and removed the offending napkins. Apparently they're too old for such embarrassing displays of parental affection.

Since the kids have never had to ride a school bus before, I offered to drive them to school. They wouldn't have that either. Instead we sat on our curb for 25 minutes, hoping their ride would come. None of the children in our immediate neighborhood go to public school, so we were unsure of the pick up time and location.

Just as I went inside to grab my purse, the bus arrived.

Emma's face showed no hint of anxiety as she climbed up the stairs. I, on the other hand, had to ask the bus driver 20 questions before they drove away.

I'm happy to report that we all survived the first day of school. Both kids described their teachers as "great" and "awesome". They made new friends and enjoyed their smaller classes. I kept busy by working out and shopping.

Later in the evening we went to an end-of-summer party for our ward. It took us over 35 minutes to drive to the host family's home, but it was worth it. The property had a well-stocked pond for fishing, boating, and swimming.

We found tons of tiny frogs along the bank. Jake immediately caught one...

..and tormented Emma with it.

This little guy almost came home with us, but reason won the day.

Emma got "lured" into fishing with some of the other kids.

She used hot dog buns for bait, although the fish were biting without the bread.

She caught one!

Though she couldn't bring herself to swim in the pond, she decided to outfit herself for the activity anyway. Have you ever seen a "safer" fisherman?

Right after the above photo was taken, Emma cast her line into the tree above. Daddy used his MacGyver skills to extract the pole from the branches.

Jealous?

Emma is lucky to have an accommodating Daddy to paddle her around the pond.

Not a bad way to finish the day, eh?

Maumee Summer Fair and Parade

This morning we enjoyed a taste of small town America at the Maumee Summer Fair. Maumee is another suburb of Toledo right across the river from Perrysburg. There seemed to be a hundred different booths to visit, many offering free keychains and fake tattoos. We made crafts, ate popcorn, and took in a parade.

Here I am with Obama...



This group played some folk/bluegrass music.



The parade featured the local high school band and cheer squads. We also saw service dogs, politicians, and clowns (there's a joke in there somewhere).



Life Flight is based out of Rick's hospital. We had the priveledge of sleeping right next to their landing pad when we first visited Toledo back in March.



Little Orphan Annie was there with her dog Sandy.



We thought this was odd. An Alzheimer's facility loaded up some patients and drove them through the parade. It was kind of sad.



Yup. The red hat ladies are in Ohio too.



There's a guy in this get-up. I hope they give him free smoothies.