We went to the zoo. . .

And a mighty fine time we had there.  It was perfect weather.  Just enough cloud cover to keep it cool, but not enough to rain.  It was a nice break from the norm.  Now, I saw many, many picture worthy things while there.  I had been sure to pack the camera with all the myriad other junk I had to bring, but when aforementioned photo ops presented themselves, I dug in my bag for my camera and came up empty.  Alas!  I imagined the camera sitting at home on the table NEXT to where the aforementioned myriad pile of junk had been.  I spent most of the day kicking my hind end wishing I had my camera and thinking of the blogging opportunities I was missing.  Argh!

We saw and heard much.  Ate many a PBJ and apples and chips, and downed the water.  We saw animals of all kinds, shapes, and sizes.  Some I didn't even know existed.  It was a good day. 

Calvin, being the tiger-loving boy that he is, begged for an opportunity to see the tigers, so, hot and tired as we were, we decided to head to the house of big, wild cats on our way out. 


That's when I found my camera.  


Better late than never though, eh? 


Can you see the excitement in his posed little fingers?  He's ecstatic to be in a picture with a live tiger.  (can you see it?  I haven't had the heart to tell him yet that it's a very small tiger.)

 And this is the one meant for printing and hanging on his bedroom wall.

 Dev was happy to be there, as usual.

 Iggy was taking a ride on our pack mule (We call her Mom.)
(By the way--Bogey was zonked out in the stroller at this point and missed the photo op.  He still doesn't believe that this zoo has tigers)

 Our new pet (just kidding--it's just a statue)

Dev took this one of the cheetah.  I was proud of her.  A lot of the times while we were looking at a certain animal, she knew all these random facts about it ("a rhinocerous has poor vision, so it relies on its sense of smell when charging" "an elephants ears is the shape of Africa" "a cheetah can only run speeds up to 60 miles an hour for a short span of time.").  Apparently all those animal atlas books and movies are paying off.  

If you come visit me, I'll take you to the zoo.  And THIS TIME I'll make sure to bring my camera (or find it a long time before we are about to leave!)

The many faces of Iggy

 

 

 

 

 

What do you think of my rolly polly happy little guy?  I think he's pretty darn cute.

Spoke too soon

So, my last post may have been a tad braggy about living in tornado alley and still not experiencing any tornadoes.  Consider this a printed retraction.  We experienced our first major tornado not even a week after my last post, and, while I know dear friends and family are anxiously awaiting family and new house pictures, I had to post this video first. 


The tornado missed us by ten miles.  (to the east), but that didn't stop us from all sleeping in the basement with tennis shoes, flashlights, food, water, and a hatchet next to us.  We reassured the kids that we were going to be fine, said prayers, and laid them down to sleep on their cushions in the basement.  Then the Hubby and I went out to the porch to watch.  The lightening was crazy!  I've never seen anything like it! And then there was this low rumbling sound--like a train off in the distance--almost.  I could feel the pavement under my feet vibrating.  I realized about the same time the tornado siren went off that that rumble was the tornado--I could hear it ten miles away.  The realization was awesome, and I don't mean that in a teenager, sweet valley sort of way...I mean, I was awestruck, that something so powerful and amazing could be produced in nature.  I was suddenly aware of my own fragility.  That's when I decided that it was time to go downstairs.  Enough awesomeness for one night.

And although I knew we were going to be ok, it was a long night.  The storm raged most of the night; I could feel our house rocking in the strong winds several times.  I was glad when I opened my eyes and finally saw that the blackness outside the window was starting to lighten.

Everyone should experience something that much bigger than them, it's pretty humbling.  And strengthening...because now I know I am prepared and can live through it!  (*knock on wood!*)  This video doesn't show the tornado--I don't want to disappoint you(it was ten miles away, remember?)--but it is pretty wicked cool lightening.  This is right before we decided to take cover. (Don't worry, mom, I was NOT in any danger!)



 

Hints on the state of Kansas (for foreigners)

I've been in this very obsessively flat state for a little over a month now. Things are slowly coming unpacked (the treasure hunt feeling is lessening day by day!), and it's starting to feel more like home.
In case you are thinking of joining me here, I've compiled a list of hints on the state of Kansas--things I wish people would have told me before I moved here (you're welcome).

(*ahem*searching front shirt pocket for reading glasses**)

Hints on the state of Kansas (for foreigners)

1. buy yourself one of those old granny scarves to tie around your hair-do. That is, if you are one of those old granny's that gets her hair done in a salon once a week and doesn't want it messed up under any circumstances. If you don't tie a scarf around your 'do, it will blow away and be frazzled looking when you reach your destination. On any given day.

2. the tornado siren goes off every monday at noon. That's how they test it, you see. If, on your first monday, you hear the siren and think that the world is about to end, don't call up your new friend in a panic. She'll just laugh at you. Remember: every monday. Noon. Just a drill. Don't panic.

3. There is a significant difference between "tornado watch" and "tornado warning." "watch" means there's a chance. Warning means it's happening. Again, don't call up your new friend in a panic. She'll laugh at you again.

4. Also, while we're on the subject, the tornado siren can also mean, "run out on your porch to see if you can see it!" That's what the natives do. It's like a call to gawk. If you head straight to the basement, you may be labeled a sissy.

5. "town" is at least a 20 minute drive away. Make sure you get what you need while you're there, 'cause it's not like you're gonna wanna run out and grab what you forgot any time of the day. Shopping takes time and effort now.

6. Religion is rampant here. Not that I am anti-religion ('cause I'm not), but the first thing most strangers will want to know about you is what church you go to. And depending on your answer, they may or may not decide to talk to you more.

7. If you hear a loud rattling sound in the middle of the night like your house is about to fall apart, don't leap out of bed in a panic. It's just the sump pump.

8. A sump pump is a device put into a well in the basement to pump the extra water out of your house and into the backyard. It goes off automatically and randomly day or night.

9. Apparently the water table is high here, so when it rains, some puddles won't soak into the ground. They just sit. for days. and don't soak in. (hence the need for a sump pump *see number 8)

10. There are rabbits here. They will eat any garden you plant. Take precautions.

11. Accents are heavily twangy here, with a big emphasis on an "R" sound when there ought not be one. For example, people here "warsh" cars.

12. most people are friendly and happy you're here. Especially in your ward, they'll put you to work right away, and probably ask you to speak in church and give you two callings right off the bat. That's how generous and welcoming they are.

13. The green stuff growing in the fields is wheat, not corn. And don't you forget it.

14. There are no landmarks to guide you when you're lost. People give directions in terms of North, South, East, and West. If you're not confident in your ability to know which direction you're facing, you might want to work on that now. Getting lost on a completely flat terrain is very easy.

15. Sliding down your new stairs may cause the breath to get knocked out of you. Twice. Just be careful, is all I'm saying. They may look fun, but they're killer.

Pictures to come! Welcome back to bloggy world, me!

**I don't wear reading glasses, but I wish I did because then before I read you something interesting, I could swish them on with an air of self-importance. **

Ketchup

what did the tomato say to the tomato behind him?

Ketchup!

I am that tomato tonight. I'm playing ketchup. (which is a little more sticky than playing dressup.)
For halloween, Dev, Calvin, and Bogey were dead set on being super heroes. And since I didn't want to stress myself out sewing super hero costumes, I was lazy and bought them at the store.


but they loved them and that's what really counts, right?

I thought for a long time about what costume to put on Iggy. After all, this was his first halloween, and he is still tiny, so I wanted it to be something cute-but also comfortable and warm for him. I finally got this idea, and he looked SO cute!

(don't you think?)

So I figured, why stop here? and I made some for me and The Hubby, too.

Maybe next year, I'll post a tutorial, eh?

I also preserved all this:

(apples from our friends' tree, box of peaches, tomatoes, carrots, and green onions from our garden) Our garden didn't do very well this year for three reasons: 1) our drip system hoses got clogged, 2) the stupid stinkin' javelina's got into it and ate/destroyed almost everything, and 3) I was too busy having a baby to do anything about 1) and 2). But i am still happy with what we did get.



these carrots are in love (and we should probably give them some privacy ;)


Dev is filling her position as second mom most completely (and also loving it.)





Iggy was given a Name and a Blessing. (if you're lost about what that means, go here )

I love his little white tux! Each of my boys wore it for their baby blessing.




and he learned how to smile (and now he's reaching for things, and drooling like crazy, and laughing, too.)


On Christmas Eve, we got to go on a carriage ride. The ranch where The Hubby works sponsored it, so we got to ride for free! It was lots of fun. Bogey and Dev especially liked it.


He even let Bogey drive. This was the highlight of Bogey's year.

We stole a Christmas tradition from our friends, the Burch's (hi guys!), and had our gingerbread building contest for our Christmas Eve party.

This is mine and Bogey's rendition of the boys' room. Notice the bunkbeds and the messy floor.


And Calvin and The Hubby went for a traditional gingerbread house. Notice, though, the bottle cap snowman. Calvin was particularly proud of that.


But the winner, and third time champion was Dev. She chose to do a bird house this year. See the bird inside sitting on the nest? There were even little jelly bean eggs in there. She worked long and hard on it, and I love her creativity!

Christmas Eve is also the night of our Christmas Pageant. This year, Mary was thrilled to have a real live baby Jesus, Joseph used his sword for a staff, the donkey was also the angel, and the narrator was also the camera man. Also, when the angel appeared to Bogey the shepard and said, "Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." Bogey adlibbed, "ok, hey thanks, mr. angel. C'mon guys, lets go see this baby." *picking up a stuffed cow and a dragging a rolling squeaky puppy* Well, I thought it was funny anyway.




Christmas morning we were too busy opening presents to take pictures, but here is one of our little Jelly Bean's (Iggy aka Jelly Bean) favorite presents (mine too!)

and the aftermath of the Christmas hurricane. Can you spot Iggy? It's like Where's Waldo, but more fun!

AND, the absolute, hands-down highlight of the year (the decade, really. Second only to my wedding day), was the day I watched my best friend accomplish his goals and finish what we came here to do.

Words can't describe how proud I am of him. He did such a good job his last semester. He learned and changed so much. I love him!

I'm not even going to fain modesty here. It was really, really hard to get through school. He couldn't have done it without me (nor I without him). We worked together, sacrificed, worried, prayed, lost sleep, argued, laughed, and cried together over this goal we've been working on. And when they called his name and handed him that diploma, I took the picture but didn't see through my tears that the camera was blurry. (we're ordering the professionals anyway). Words don't describe the relief, the happiness, the absolute sense of resolution of that moment. It was an amazing thing to be able to turn back and see the mountain we've climbed.

People have said, "when you get to the top and turn around, you'll see that it really wasn't that bad." I didn't find that to be the case. Instead, I found myself at the top, turning around to see what I've just climbed and thinking, "wow, that was really, really hard." then the revelation I wasn't expecting, "Look how much stronger I am."

And just like that, with graduation behind us, we were offered a job in Kansas. We feel it is best for our family, even though it is so far from home. That is sad, but we feel very good about it, and we're excited for the next adventure.

(Just Follow the Yellow Brick Road!)

Stay tuned!

I will blog tomorrow, this I vow!

Not because you're on pins and needles, waiting to hear all about me....
not because you cry every night when you see that I still haven't posted...

(for some reason this reminds me of a song)
"not gonna write you a love song,
'cause you asked for it, 'cause you need one.
Not gonna write you a love song,
'cause you tell me it's make or breakin' this,
not gonna write you, to stay-uh-ay!
but you're dreamin' if you're askin' me to write you a love song, TODAY!
(ok, I may have made that last part up, but those are the words I sing when it's on the radio)

Where was I?

oh yeah. I will blog tomorrow.
Because I still take pictures thinking I will create wonderful posts later.
and they are starting to stack up on me.
We're talking Halloween pictures here, people!
But I am super duper (cuper luper) busy right now.
You may recall that 3 of the 6 of us have birthdays within a month of Christmas in this house.
and a fourth within 2 months of Christmas.
yeah, that's what we call "poor planning."
also, the hubs graduated, which was hecka exciting!!!!!!! (as noted by all the exclamation points)
and Iggy is finally sleeping through the night. so, by all counts it would appear that things are finally settling down for our little family.
but wait, what's that sound?
yes, you're hearing it right.
it is the winds of change blowing us far, far away.
in the coming month, we'll be moving to heartland America.

I'll be blogging tomorrow. I want to show you the awesome Halloween costumes I made.

giving thanks #3

Our internet is on the fritz (whatever that means). Last night I couldn't get online at all! I caught a glimpse of how dependent I am on my computer for entertainment: I couldn't see what anyone was up to on facebook! I couldn't blog! I couldn't listen to music on youtube! I couldn't even watch SURVIVOR! (*gasping sobs!*) What could I do? Everything that I thought to do had to do with the internet. And everything that didn't have to do with the internet didn't sound that fun. So what did I end up doing? I popped a bowl of popcorn and sat in front of the blank computer screen eating it. (the popcorn, not the computer screen).

That's how pathetic I am. (I'm ok with it).

You know, the communications the pioneers had were few and far between. They would be like, "oh, by the way, I've had another baby since I last wrote you. He'll be two tomorrow." My, how far we've come.

I remember watching my grandpa mail a letter when I was little. He dropped it in the slot and said, "There, now she'll have the letter in two or three days. That's so fast!"
Now I can text my sister on the other side of the country and get a response from her immediately (if she has her phone on her). I can also chat online with this same sister in real time. So, really, our "letters" to each other are instantaneous. It's a miracle!

I have a lot of opinions about the internet and what a time waster it can be. In fact, I have strict rules for myself about when and how often to get onto the computer, because it's such a time waster (I really can't afford to kill time these days). maybe I'll talk about that another day. For today, I'm grateful that I live in an age where communication is instantaneous. I am grateful that, even though I am thousands of miles away from family, I can still talk to them all the time. I know what they're up to. I know how they're doing (I know when they have a baby). It really is amazing and wonderful. I'm grateful to be a part of it.

now hopefully the internet will be working tonight so I can post some pictures!