On the merry go round at the park
Sunday, July 30, 2006
July 30- Its too hot!!!
July 30, 2006
Another busy week flies by and now only a few weeks of summer remain. Now, if we could only fix the weather. The heat index right now is 111. That is so gross! We have a heat warning through Tuesday night. Yuck! Guess we will plan lots of inside activities for the week! We also had a torrential rain storm hit this week which almost ripped our canopy right off. Thank heavens Bob came to the rescue and got the canopy down in time. He was back in in about 3 minutes soaked completely through!
Nina and family were able to stay until Friday. We had a fun and busy time. The kids spent a lot of time in the pool and running through the sprinklers. We even took them to a splash pad one day. We may have to try that again this week. Marisa had a school open house on Tuesday, so Nina was able to go spend the morning with her attending all her college classes and I think they had a great time.
We did have some nasty sickness hit. Alayna started it on Thursday with a fever and upset tummy. Poor Nina left Friday. During the trip, all three kids were vomiting in the car while she was up front with the body aches and chills. I felt so bad. She finally had to stop at a hotel because they were all too sick to travel. Hopefully that didn’t ruin the whole trip for them. I came down with it Friday as well. I feel better today, though not quite up to my healthy self. Let’s hope this moves on so no one else gets it.
Yesterday we spent several hours trying to clear the watermelon patch. While we were on vacation, all the weeds went crazy. Then the canteloupe and watermelong sent out shoots that wrapped around the seeds. We were dying of the heat though and we gave up at noon when the temps hit 104. Guess we will have to wait til Wednesday to try again.
Well, that’s about it for this week. I will try and get the Ribera reunion posted Wednesday. Hey, we would love to hear from you if you read our newsletters. If you could drop us an email or comment , we would love to know who our actual audience is. Have a great week and stay cool!
Another busy week flies by and now only a few weeks of summer remain. Now, if we could only fix the weather. The heat index right now is 111. That is so gross! We have a heat warning through Tuesday night. Yuck! Guess we will plan lots of inside activities for the week! We also had a torrential rain storm hit this week which almost ripped our canopy right off. Thank heavens Bob came to the rescue and got the canopy down in time. He was back in in about 3 minutes soaked completely through!
Nina and family were able to stay until Friday. We had a fun and busy time. The kids spent a lot of time in the pool and running through the sprinklers. We even took them to a splash pad one day. We may have to try that again this week. Marisa had a school open house on Tuesday, so Nina was able to go spend the morning with her attending all her college classes and I think they had a great time.
We did have some nasty sickness hit. Alayna started it on Thursday with a fever and upset tummy. Poor Nina left Friday. During the trip, all three kids were vomiting in the car while she was up front with the body aches and chills. I felt so bad. She finally had to stop at a hotel because they were all too sick to travel. Hopefully that didn’t ruin the whole trip for them. I came down with it Friday as well. I feel better today, though not quite up to my healthy self. Let’s hope this moves on so no one else gets it.
Yesterday we spent several hours trying to clear the watermelon patch. While we were on vacation, all the weeds went crazy. Then the canteloupe and watermelong sent out shoots that wrapped around the seeds. We were dying of the heat though and we gave up at noon when the temps hit 104. Guess we will have to wait til Wednesday to try again.
Well, that’s about it for this week. I will try and get the Ribera reunion posted Wednesday. Hey, we would love to hear from you if you read our newsletters. If you could drop us an email or comment , we would love to know who our actual audience is. Have a great week and stay cool!
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Hart Reunion
July 25, 2006- Hart Reunion
Saturday, July 1: We were so excited to start out on our jam packed vacation. We spent all Friday cleaning the house and packing the car. So, we left early Saturday morning. We drove all the way to Kearney, Nebraska. We went to Wendy’s for lunch and then swam in the hotel pool. I think we were there about 2 hours. The kids had so much energy after being in the car for so many hours. After the pool, we went to Dairy Queen for some very yummy ice cream.
Sunday, July 2: We drove to Winter Park, Colorado. A good hour of it was up a winding mountain during a rain storm, which made it tough. Only because I have an irrational fear of mountain cliffs, especially while driving. If it doesn’t have some kind of preventative ledge, I foresee us propelling off the cliff. Add some rain and Bob driving, I thought I was going to have a heart attack. Winter Park was beautiful! We did get a bit lost finding the house we were staying in, but eventually found it. It was great to see everyone. We had a great dinner, some adults took the kids for a fun Sunday walk and then we spent the evening playing games. We had some great laughs!
Monday, July 3: The majority of the family went white water rafting on the Colorado river. They had a great experience. Even Tyler and Kayla went and said they had a great time and can’t wait to do it again. Marisa and I didn’t want to go and Alayna was too little. So, we went to the Hot Sulfur Springs. It is this cool place where they made all these pools and pipe in the hot water from the natural sulfur springs. It was heaven! The temps ran anywhere from 98-112 degrees. I couldn’t even get my foot into the 112! We did get lost on the way there, but it ended up being a good thing since we were able to see a small herd of buffalo!! Way cool! We stayed for a few hours until Alayna got bored and wanted to go home. Later that evening, after everyone got back from rafting, Marisa and I went back for a few hours. I cannot even describe how relaxing it was! We sat in this pool about 101 degrees and did these crossword puzzles together. It was especially fun because it was evening so the outside temp dropped dramatically. I need to do something like that again and add a massage!
Tuesday, July 4: Happy July 4th!! We headed out early to play tennis. Grandpa found this great place where there was a tennis court, basketball court, and playground all in one spot. It was such beautiful scenery- in a forest. I got to play some actual games of tennis. I was the worst out there by far, but they were kind to me so I could play. The kids had a blast and then almost everyone joined in a basketball game. The afternoon was spent in a giant DDR tournament (dance dance revolution) Even some of the adults tried. I don’t think they ever finished because I am not sure who won. I do know that it entertained the kids for hours!
That evening we went outside and did some fireworks. Grandpa also exploded 4 bottles of pop with mentos candy. That was a huge hit. Afterwards, we were able to see the city fireworks display from the balcony of the house we were staying at. They were actually pretty good for such a small city. When they were over, I looked down and Alayna was sound asleep.
Wednesday, July 5: YMCA of the Rockies day! We went early to sign up for archery, however, it was already booked for the remainder of the week. That was a huge bummer. We took the kids and made these cool tie dye shirts. They turned out great- each kid got to do their own. Then we went a played a round of miniature golf, once again proving I CANNOT play that game! Afterwards we had a picnic lunch in our cars. Then we took the kids roller skating, while some adults played ping pong and fuss ball. Kayla was doing an amazing job on her skates. She practiced the whole time seeing if she could do the straddle splits while skating. She got VERY close!! Then we took them swimming at the Y pool which actually had a fun water slide. The kids played together so well. After that, a group went rock climbing and then I think they went roller skating again. It was a very busy but fun day.
Thursday, July 6: In the morning, a group went to the Y again to play frisbee golf. Then we took the kids swimming again. I tell ya, that whole group of kids never slow down. After that, I drove Bob and our kids out to see the buffalo herd that Marisa and I had seen earlier in the week. At first we couldn’t find them, then saw that they were close to the road, but hidden by the river. We were able to get a very close look from our car. So cool! We also stopped by a wildlife area where we saw all kinds of birds by this beautiful lake. I was hoping to see a moose. No such luck. That night we played the Family Cranium game. It was bit chaotic but fun.
Friday, July 7: In the morning, most families left for home. We got to go play tennis with Grandma, Grandpa, and Missy one last time, while the kids played on the playground. The kids took turns playing with us as well and are improving. Then, after lunch, we drove to Vernal, Utah where the Dinosaur National Monument and park are. We were able to take a shuttle up and see this cool museum where they found hundreds of dinosaurs, stopped digging, and we got to see the actual dig site with the bones in them. Tyler was fascinated! We found lots of giant dinosaurs to take pictures with all through the town. Did you know there is actually a town called Dinosaur, Colorado?? Weird huh? We really enjoyed it out there. That night we went swimming at the hotel pool which was about 95 degrees. It was heaven!
Overall, the reunion was a giant success and we had such a great time, despite a severe lack of sleep. It was fun to be in a beautiful location. Even the weather cooperated. Thanks to Corey and Hal for arranging it all and making the effort to get us all together once again. I will post this with pictures and then I will post the Ribera reunion portion this weekend.
Saturday, July 1: We were so excited to start out on our jam packed vacation. We spent all Friday cleaning the house and packing the car. So, we left early Saturday morning. We drove all the way to Kearney, Nebraska. We went to Wendy’s for lunch and then swam in the hotel pool. I think we were there about 2 hours. The kids had so much energy after being in the car for so many hours. After the pool, we went to Dairy Queen for some very yummy ice cream.
Sunday, July 2: We drove to Winter Park, Colorado. A good hour of it was up a winding mountain during a rain storm, which made it tough. Only because I have an irrational fear of mountain cliffs, especially while driving. If it doesn’t have some kind of preventative ledge, I foresee us propelling off the cliff. Add some rain and Bob driving, I thought I was going to have a heart attack. Winter Park was beautiful! We did get a bit lost finding the house we were staying in, but eventually found it. It was great to see everyone. We had a great dinner, some adults took the kids for a fun Sunday walk and then we spent the evening playing games. We had some great laughs!
Monday, July 3: The majority of the family went white water rafting on the Colorado river. They had a great experience. Even Tyler and Kayla went and said they had a great time and can’t wait to do it again. Marisa and I didn’t want to go and Alayna was too little. So, we went to the Hot Sulfur Springs. It is this cool place where they made all these pools and pipe in the hot water from the natural sulfur springs. It was heaven! The temps ran anywhere from 98-112 degrees. I couldn’t even get my foot into the 112! We did get lost on the way there, but it ended up being a good thing since we were able to see a small herd of buffalo!! Way cool! We stayed for a few hours until Alayna got bored and wanted to go home. Later that evening, after everyone got back from rafting, Marisa and I went back for a few hours. I cannot even describe how relaxing it was! We sat in this pool about 101 degrees and did these crossword puzzles together. It was especially fun because it was evening so the outside temp dropped dramatically. I need to do something like that again and add a massage!
Tuesday, July 4: Happy July 4th!! We headed out early to play tennis. Grandpa found this great place where there was a tennis court, basketball court, and playground all in one spot. It was such beautiful scenery- in a forest. I got to play some actual games of tennis. I was the worst out there by far, but they were kind to me so I could play. The kids had a blast and then almost everyone joined in a basketball game. The afternoon was spent in a giant DDR tournament (dance dance revolution) Even some of the adults tried. I don’t think they ever finished because I am not sure who won. I do know that it entertained the kids for hours!
That evening we went outside and did some fireworks. Grandpa also exploded 4 bottles of pop with mentos candy. That was a huge hit. Afterwards, we were able to see the city fireworks display from the balcony of the house we were staying at. They were actually pretty good for such a small city. When they were over, I looked down and Alayna was sound asleep.
Wednesday, July 5: YMCA of the Rockies day! We went early to sign up for archery, however, it was already booked for the remainder of the week. That was a huge bummer. We took the kids and made these cool tie dye shirts. They turned out great- each kid got to do their own. Then we went a played a round of miniature golf, once again proving I CANNOT play that game! Afterwards we had a picnic lunch in our cars. Then we took the kids roller skating, while some adults played ping pong and fuss ball. Kayla was doing an amazing job on her skates. She practiced the whole time seeing if she could do the straddle splits while skating. She got VERY close!! Then we took them swimming at the Y pool which actually had a fun water slide. The kids played together so well. After that, a group went rock climbing and then I think they went roller skating again. It was a very busy but fun day.
Thursday, July 6: In the morning, a group went to the Y again to play frisbee golf. Then we took the kids swimming again. I tell ya, that whole group of kids never slow down. After that, I drove Bob and our kids out to see the buffalo herd that Marisa and I had seen earlier in the week. At first we couldn’t find them, then saw that they were close to the road, but hidden by the river. We were able to get a very close look from our car. So cool! We also stopped by a wildlife area where we saw all kinds of birds by this beautiful lake. I was hoping to see a moose. No such luck. That night we played the Family Cranium game. It was bit chaotic but fun.
Friday, July 7: In the morning, most families left for home. We got to go play tennis with Grandma, Grandpa, and Missy one last time, while the kids played on the playground. The kids took turns playing with us as well and are improving. Then, after lunch, we drove to Vernal, Utah where the Dinosaur National Monument and park are. We were able to take a shuttle up and see this cool museum where they found hundreds of dinosaurs, stopped digging, and we got to see the actual dig site with the bones in them. Tyler was fascinated! We found lots of giant dinosaurs to take pictures with all through the town. Did you know there is actually a town called Dinosaur, Colorado?? Weird huh? We really enjoyed it out there. That night we went swimming at the hotel pool which was about 95 degrees. It was heaven!
Overall, the reunion was a giant success and we had such a great time, despite a severe lack of sleep. It was fun to be in a beautiful location. Even the weather cooperated. Thanks to Corey and Hal for arranging it all and making the effort to get us all together once again. I will post this with pictures and then I will post the Ribera reunion portion this weekend.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
July 23, 2006
July 23, 2006
It’s true. There is no place like home. And there is nothing like a 16 days vacation to remind you of that. I apologize for the lack of new entries to our blog. Since we returned from our family reunions, things have been very busy. So, I will write up this week first and hopefully later today get to telling you about our exciting summer vacation!!
We got in last Saturday from our trip. It felt so great to be home and in our own beds. Monday was a very busy day. Marisa started “College for kids” at Coe College. She is taking Edible Art History, French, and Sherlock Holmes. She absolutely LOVES it! She has all 3 classes every morning for 2 weeks. So, she will be finishing the classes up this coming Friday. Also, on Monday, the girls had gymnastics. Kayla was asked to join the preteam in the Fall. She is so excited! That’s a big jump for her. It will be a lot of work, but she enjoys it. Then Kayla had her last band lesson. After that, Kayla and Marisa had their eye doctor appt. No glasses for them!
On Tuesday, I took Ty, Kayla, and Alayna to see “Dreamer” for the free movie. Even though Alayna was wiggly and not all that interested in the movie, I REALLY enjoyed it. It was such a beautiful little movie. And Kayla, with her giant love for horses, was in heaven. We had a busy day cleaning and then Kayla and Alayna had make up gymnastics classes while Tyler had Tae kwon do.
On Wednesday, we played and prepared the house for Nina’s (My sister) arrival. She and her kids are visiting from Tennessee for about 10 days. We were so excited to have them come. The kids have been playing perfectly and the weather couldn’t be better. They have been playing in our pool, playing outside, playing dress up, using Nina’s Karaoke machine, etc. Anyway, that night, Marisa went to YW, but no one told her it was at a park. It took 45 minutes before I could get their to pick her up. I think her feelings were hurt, and I was mad. She forgot to tell the YW we would be gone on vacation for a while. While we were gone, no one called to check and see where she was. On Wednesday , one hour before YW, one of the Beehives called her and told her she was in charge of drinks and if she couldn’t bring them then she should bring $2 instead. Ookkaayy? She never mentioned the location was changed or any details. When we got home that night, after she waited by herslef at the church for 45 minutes, I told her I was sure people noticed she wasn’t there. Still, no calls. So, I called her leader to let her know what was going on.
On Thursday, we had Kayla’s band parent teacher conference. Her teacher said she was doing a fabulous job and he would love for her to continue in the Fall. She was thrilled about that. Kayla had a makeup gymnastics class and Tyler had TKD. That afternoon , Marisa had an appt with an orthopedist who looked that the cyst on her hand that has been hurting for over a year. He took xrays and then said instead of surgery, he could just drain it. So, they did it in the office. I am sure it hurt. Plus, she had a strange reaction to the novocaine. She almost passed out while we were checking out. After a stressful, 2 hour visit, we came home and the cyst is gone. She is thrilled!
Friday was dubbed “Insanity Day”. Nina and I attempted grocery shopping at Walmart with 6 kids. Holy crap! I knew we were crazy, but sheesh! Anyway, we got some fun stuff for the next week or so. After lunch the kids played and watched “Sky High”. Then that evening we took the kids to the movie Theater to see “Cars”. Bought met us there from work. What an absolutely adorable movie.
Saturday was a busy day of us trying to get caught up on everything we have been behind on because of the trip. Once again the kids played in the pool and sprinklers while we cleaned the house, organized the whole toy room, etc. That night, Nina volunteered to watch the kids so we could FINALLY go see “The DaVinci Code”. It was so fun, first of all, to be on an actual date! Then I have been dying to see this movie since it was first released, long ago. I LOVED it! I know it has received much criticism, but I thought it was great. I probably would not have chosen Tom Hanks as the leading men though. Then Bob and I went out to Culver’s for frozen custard. In the meantime, the kids stayed here with Nina and watched “Honey, I shrunk the kids”. A special THANK YOU to Nina!
I have had more struggles with my teaching paperwork. They almost didn’t count my college courses I took this year and would only give me a provisional Iowa license. They have since counted them and my official license will be sent once my fingerprints have been cleared-which is a whole other story. I have also been completing my substitution packet, which is a nightmare. I can tell you EXACTLY why there is a severe sub shortage in Iowa. You HAVE to
have an updated Iowa teaching license, get a medical exam, fill out tons of paperwork, and complete a huge course on domestic violence and child abuse. That is JUST to be a sub. Now you have an idea of what I am going through to secure just a teaching license.
I guess that sums up this busy week. I hope to write up our vacation adventures soon. Hope all is well and thanks to our families for a Fabulous vacation!!
It’s true. There is no place like home. And there is nothing like a 16 days vacation to remind you of that. I apologize for the lack of new entries to our blog. Since we returned from our family reunions, things have been very busy. So, I will write up this week first and hopefully later today get to telling you about our exciting summer vacation!!
We got in last Saturday from our trip. It felt so great to be home and in our own beds. Monday was a very busy day. Marisa started “College for kids” at Coe College. She is taking Edible Art History, French, and Sherlock Holmes. She absolutely LOVES it! She has all 3 classes every morning for 2 weeks. So, she will be finishing the classes up this coming Friday. Also, on Monday, the girls had gymnastics. Kayla was asked to join the preteam in the Fall. She is so excited! That’s a big jump for her. It will be a lot of work, but she enjoys it. Then Kayla had her last band lesson. After that, Kayla and Marisa had their eye doctor appt. No glasses for them!
On Tuesday, I took Ty, Kayla, and Alayna to see “Dreamer” for the free movie. Even though Alayna was wiggly and not all that interested in the movie, I REALLY enjoyed it. It was such a beautiful little movie. And Kayla, with her giant love for horses, was in heaven. We had a busy day cleaning and then Kayla and Alayna had make up gymnastics classes while Tyler had Tae kwon do.
On Wednesday, we played and prepared the house for Nina’s (My sister) arrival. She and her kids are visiting from Tennessee for about 10 days. We were so excited to have them come. The kids have been playing perfectly and the weather couldn’t be better. They have been playing in our pool, playing outside, playing dress up, using Nina’s Karaoke machine, etc. Anyway, that night, Marisa went to YW, but no one told her it was at a park. It took 45 minutes before I could get their to pick her up. I think her feelings were hurt, and I was mad. She forgot to tell the YW we would be gone on vacation for a while. While we were gone, no one called to check and see where she was. On Wednesday , one hour before YW, one of the Beehives called her and told her she was in charge of drinks and if she couldn’t bring them then she should bring $2 instead. Ookkaayy? She never mentioned the location was changed or any details. When we got home that night, after she waited by herslef at the church for 45 minutes, I told her I was sure people noticed she wasn’t there. Still, no calls. So, I called her leader to let her know what was going on.
On Thursday, we had Kayla’s band parent teacher conference. Her teacher said she was doing a fabulous job and he would love for her to continue in the Fall. She was thrilled about that. Kayla had a makeup gymnastics class and Tyler had TKD. That afternoon , Marisa had an appt with an orthopedist who looked that the cyst on her hand that has been hurting for over a year. He took xrays and then said instead of surgery, he could just drain it. So, they did it in the office. I am sure it hurt. Plus, she had a strange reaction to the novocaine. She almost passed out while we were checking out. After a stressful, 2 hour visit, we came home and the cyst is gone. She is thrilled!
Friday was dubbed “Insanity Day”. Nina and I attempted grocery shopping at Walmart with 6 kids. Holy crap! I knew we were crazy, but sheesh! Anyway, we got some fun stuff for the next week or so. After lunch the kids played and watched “Sky High”. Then that evening we took the kids to the movie Theater to see “Cars”. Bought met us there from work. What an absolutely adorable movie.
Saturday was a busy day of us trying to get caught up on everything we have been behind on because of the trip. Once again the kids played in the pool and sprinklers while we cleaned the house, organized the whole toy room, etc. That night, Nina volunteered to watch the kids so we could FINALLY go see “The DaVinci Code”. It was so fun, first of all, to be on an actual date! Then I have been dying to see this movie since it was first released, long ago. I LOVED it! I know it has received much criticism, but I thought it was great. I probably would not have chosen Tom Hanks as the leading men though. Then Bob and I went out to Culver’s for frozen custard. In the meantime, the kids stayed here with Nina and watched “Honey, I shrunk the kids”. A special THANK YOU to Nina!
I have had more struggles with my teaching paperwork. They almost didn’t count my college courses I took this year and would only give me a provisional Iowa license. They have since counted them and my official license will be sent once my fingerprints have been cleared-which is a whole other story. I have also been completing my substitution packet, which is a nightmare. I can tell you EXACTLY why there is a severe sub shortage in Iowa. You HAVE to
have an updated Iowa teaching license, get a medical exam, fill out tons of paperwork, and complete a huge course on domestic violence and child abuse. That is JUST to be a sub. Now you have an idea of what I am going through to secure just a teaching license.
I guess that sums up this busy week. I hope to write up our vacation adventures soon. Hope all is well and thanks to our families for a Fabulous vacation!!
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