Summer keeps creeping away and the days are speeding by. Why is it that when I was a child summer seemed to drag on forever? Even Christmas break was long and relaxing. These days I feel like I am whizzing through the weeks like I'm on x8 speed on the
DVR with no pause or stop button to be found. (Though it won't keep me from looking...) Time stands still for no one.
I think we have adjusted back to eastern time, but I'm not looking forward to the buzz on the alarm at the dreaded hour of 6:30 AM early next Wednesday morning. A tiny bit of me is still registering that is 4:30 AM in Utah. There are countless things I'd rather do than wake up zombie boys when it's
still nearly dark and toss them in the shower five days a week. Yes, Rich has gotten up
earlier than that almost all summer and is the one that always hears the alarm and wakes the rest of the sleepy bunch up, but I've gotten soft this summer. I have been lucky to often wake up when the girls start hollering to get out of their cribs or when I hear the garage door closing after Rich drives off for work. Not a bad set up (since I do wrestle with the kids all day), but I do have a bit of guilt when I know I've a few extra hours of shut eye more than my sweet, tired husband. No wonder he wants to go to bed before midnight. He's the only one living with a schedule. I'm already beginning to miss our lazier routine and huge amounts of free time, but know starting school will be good for us all. Those first few days might feel like baptism by fire since Matt could not stay awake through sacrament meeting at 9 AM on Sunday. Early to rise should equal early to bed-at least I hope that applies to us since we'll be needing it next week.
We started our back to school errands yesterday. No new school clothes for this bunch. The boys' closet is bursting full of near new things we have amassed over the years. I'm trying to weed those less worn out and give them to Goodwill. The mall was not our starting point. Knowing me, you won't be surprised to hear
Wal-mart was our one and only stop on the list. We spent two hours happily school shopping at the mega superstore down the road. No, that would be lying. Two tortured hours would be more honest. Every moment I was left wondering why in the world I didn't just pry open the wallet this past spring and hand out $60 dollars per child for supplies. The huge massive list that ranged from Puff's facial tissues 216 count (not to be found might I add...) to Expo Fine Tip Dry Erase Marker, Black, Low Odor to
Elmer's Glue Stick .77 oz
quantity: 15 could have been tossed in the
recycling bin when it came in the mail last week. While I do not mind shopping and hunting for items he
re
and there, it is a bit more difficult hauling around two 2 year
olds and 3 boys who are distracted by things like random cereal with free toys found inside and dog toys on end caps. Our cart was near tipping point and we were only half way down the forever long lists. While my cart was parked blocking half the Crayola products I said a quick sorry to a women we were in front of. She replied, "It's fine. I was lucky and left mine home." Wish I could have done that too... After
criss crossing the store at least four times and asking three store employee's if they had any idea if they were sold out of Mead
composition books (which they were) we steered toward the check out. I sheepishly put up 2 bags of open Goldfish crackers, a half eaten bag of Family Size Doritos and 1 cup of empty pop corn chicken on the belt. I really blushed when I confessed my daughter had ripped open a banana with her teeth and eaten half of it. I hoped she would just weigh one banana twice thus allowing me to pay for the food in Brynn's stomach. Not a great day of
shopping, but proof of
success can be found my 12 bags of supplies that line the counter and top of the washing machine in the laundry room. Now I'm left to ponder how the boys will actually haul this stuff to school on the first day.
With summer on it's way out Rich was wise and opened up Trey's cub scout book. This was the one thing I just didn't find time to
squeeze in when homework and swim team ruled our days. Thankfully he did since we have only 7 weeks until this Bobcat runs out of time to earn his Bear and a few requirements take a month to complete. I'm all about checking things off we have done this year even if we had no idea is was
fulfilling a cub scout project. I think he'll be fine. The month list is printed off and I am glad we are at least beginning to step down the Bear path.
Today was
forcasted to be the hottest day of the week with temperatures in the mid 90's and muggy/steamy conditions to top that off. I quickly checked the wild life reserve off the list of possible events as I couldn't stand to be out in that and neither would the animals. So we headed to the pool only to find cloud cover, low 80's and later thunder and rain. Yes, I shouldn't complain since my aunt and uncle live in Galveston and were hit by Edouard today (what a mess!), but I really have no faith in our local weather men. I think flipping a coin might be as accurate as they are. At least we didn't get sunburned, we got to visit with Tiffany and her cute little girl as we swam and the thunder held off until we were about to leave.
So with rain pouring outside and the girls down for their nap I finally dove head first into Stephenie Meyer's last installment of the Twilight saga (sorry, just typing that makes me laugh). I got half way and I'm enjoying the read. I'm not quite sure how she's going to end this thing, but I have my ideas. Hopefully I'll find a few extra
minutes to read
tomorrow and wrap this thing up. And FYI for you reading
enthusiast- my dad and little brother have
been reading the
Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson and really enjoying it. I also purchased a few of the
Grimm Sisters (children's lit) books on Amazon.com last week (check out their 4 for 3 books). I'll have to let you know how I like them. Also, my mom raved about
The Last Lecture by Randy
Pausch. He died last week from cancer. She told me it was full of wonderful life principles. I'm going to buy it on my next trip to Sam's Club.
Tonight is my kid's guilty summer pleasure:
WIPEOUT on ABC. The boys saw the
advertisements and have not missed a show. In fact they are so in love with it that they'll ask me what day it is and then tell me that we HAVE to be home at 8 PM or else we'll miss the show. I think Trey even programed the
DVR to record all new episodes. You know summer TV is on you when they have an entire hour devoted to people
slipping, sliding, spinning and falling every direction. A great show- especially if you are eight and under.
The show I've been dying to see is Project Runway, but I've managed to miss them all. Yes, Trey can work the
DVR, but I never seem to remember to turn in on. I did catch up on a few bits on Bravo.com and I'm very interested in seeing the whole hour hopefully soon.
And last- to my few thoughts on blogging in general. I really enjoy this online world of people's lives. I love how it keeps my family up to date with the kids. I love to write. I love to record our daily happenings and my thoughts on various subjects. I love to connect with family and friends and I love to read other people's stories. But I sometimes I feel like it's one more thing to do. So I took a nice long break when I was away. And I didn't miss typing one bit. I didn't even do a Tuesday Tell All (gasp!) while I was in Utah. And you know what, I was really fine with it. I think to truly enjoy something, you often need stop and just get to the point when you are ready start fresh again. After a year of at times intense documentation, it was wonderful to let it go and just not think to hard. To just live life and not feel the need to write it all down. Sure, I'm still going to post pictures of my trip for my blog journal, but I was with nearly all of the people I love and that was enough for then. So I'll be trying to catch up on my blog and yours, but I've learned to just go at my own pace and be happy whether it's a fast or slow one.
Though I didn't type, there were two blogs I discovered and read during my trip to Utah. These two blogs are as different as night and day. The first one is silly and very, very exaggerated, but it still makes me laugh. It's called Seriously So Blessed (
http://seriouslysoblessed.blogspot.com/). It just pokes fun of how crazy sometimes
bloggers can be.
The second one has touched my heart to its core and moved me to tears on more than one
occasion. Sally introduced it to me and I
hesitated at first to read it, because I knew the pain I would find there. But along with heartache, I found myself being lifted up, inspired and
challenged to be a better wife, mother and person. It is written by Stephanie who lost her young daughter on June 13, 2008 in a drowning accident. She is a powerful writer and has amazing insight and stories. You can read her blog at
http://adailyscoop.blogspot.com/. It's something that will linger with you long after you stop reading.
After I read Stephanie's post today and thought about what to include in my little random bits, I thought I'd toss in my favorite parts of the past few days. Sure, that might turn my blog back into our 'family highlight film' but sometimes the best parts are the only ones worth remembering.....
HIGHLIGHTS
* Dancing and twirling with my girls to the
iPod in the kitchen
* Watching the girls play Ring Around the Rosy just the two of them followed by a picnic in the living room with the beach chairs and half of my dish towels from the drawer as their blanket
* Hearing the echo of my boys' laughter as they played together in the basement
* Seeing the boys' bright faces modeling their new $5 'C
rocs' as we left
Wal-mart
* Matt talking and delving into the mysteries of his mind while I try to type this post
* When needing a moment of a quiet from the girls I dashed into the bathroom only to soon see 16 little fingers pop out from under the door wiggling hello to me.
* Seeing the boys' new swimming trophies proudly on display on their dresser when I tucked them into bed
* Saying hello once again to the hermit crabs after our long absence
* Holding the phone to my girls ears and them question me if it is Grandma or Kristi?
* Trey rushing to Rich to show him his just received baseball trophy when Rich walked in from work yesterday
* Spying Trey lying on Matt's bed with a brother on each side listening to him read
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing aloud
* While digging weeds in the backyard with my trusty knife notice two girls zoom into the house only to return with their own butter knives ready to assist me with the task at hand
*
Receiving a gorgeous handmade necklace in the mail from a wonderful friend
* Escaping to the mall alone on Saturday night to purchase
Breaking Dawn while Rich happily watched the kids
* Gobbling up Julie Martinez's Cafe Rio Pork recipe wrapped in our special -flown in from Utah via my suitcase- just baked tortillas. Delicious.
* Hearing Rich's keys in the door coming home from a long day at work
* A month of no call
* A Saturday together as a family swimming, grabbing Taco Bell and watching X-games with the boys.
Life truly is good.
When I got back from Utah, I had a few items on my 'must do' list before school started. We had limited to what we could do this summer with swim team every morning, so I was ready to check a few places off. .jpg)
So Monday at noon we loaded up the van and headed due west to Frankfort- our state capital. .jpg)
We had driven through years ago when Rich was in medical school and the capital building reminded me so much of the Salt Lake Capital. 
This time I wanted to go in and explore the surrounding area (Photo: Kentucky River and Historic Frankfort). Thankfully, after years of being dragged here and there by mom, my boys were happy to go along with my plan. If fact I think they were as excited as me. Okay, maybe not, but they had a great time and didn't complain one bit. (Except seven hours after our adventure began while heading home I made a wrong turn as we drove past the distillery and had to backtrack 11 miles each way on the Bluegrass Highway, but I digress....)
First stop: The Capital. We entered from the west side and found no ramp or handicap access. So after a few quick photos the boys I lugged the massive double stroller up 3 sets of stairs. 
I laughed the entire time thinking how ridiculous we looked as Matt kept falling down and we struggled to move the girls forward, but I knew if I let the girls out to walk I might never get them back sitting down. After a bit of sweating we finally made it to the top!After a quick check in with photo ID, metal detector and another flight of stairs we made it inside (and happily discovered elevators and a handicapped entrance in the basement.)
It was well worth the effort. It was gorgeous inside.
Carved marble 
The imposing dome above the rotunda, which houses sculptures of famous Kentuckians, was modeled after the one over Napoleon's tomb in Paris, France. At the center it rises seven stories. 
A statue of Abraham Lincoln in the center of the rotunda stands above others of Jefferson Davis, 
Henry Clay, Alben Barkley and Ephraim McDowell. 
Office of the Governor
Cross Stitch Mural of each of Kentucky's 120 counties..jpg)
The girls enjoyed the dolls of each Kentucky First Lady.
Massive marble stairways modeled after the Paris Grand Opera House rise to the second floor--or the judicial floor. 
This is where the Supreme Court, the state law library and the state reception room, which was recently restored, are located.
The newly restored State Reception Room was designed in the Louis XIV period and includes a handwoven Austrian rug which designed expressly for the room in 1910. It has French style furniture and elegant wall murals and decorative finishes. 
The House of Representatives 
and the State Senate. The boys were amazed that these were the real rooms and were used to make laws and run our government.
The beautiful floral clock behind the capital.
The Governor's Mansion located just east of the capital. It was closed for tours (only open on Tuesday and Thursday). The Mansion's exterior was modeled after the Petit Trianon, Queen Marie Antoinette's villa near the Palace of Versailles in France. 
Next stop: Frankfort Cemetery 
We visited Daniel Boone's grave. His wife Rebecca is also buried there. 
As we drove up, I noticed a large statue of what looked like a solider and graves placed in a circles around it, which seemed odd. We went down and explored. It turned out to be a monument honoring the Confederate soldiers and the small graves were those of soldiers. 
It was very fascinating. Kentucky was a divided state during the Civil War. I am sure there were Union graves as well, but we didn't have time to hunt for them.
Next up: Rebecca Ruth Candy Tour and Retail Store
This candy shop was established in 1919 and is the founder of Kentucky's well renowned Bourbon Balls. 
They mix Kentucky made Bourbon into a candy center and top with dark chocolate and a pecan. 
No, we didn't sample them, but the boys did enjoy the chocolate they gave to them at the end of the tour. While the boys enjoyed a DVD in the back seat and the girls were passed out in their car seats, I drove through Frankfurt's historic section and snapped a few pictures of a few of the lovely homes that have a bit of history. 
On Wapping Street you can find a home whose architect also built the Twin Spires at Churchill Downs, 
and where the phrase, "Dog is Man's best friend" was born. 
Frankfort was breathtaking.
Our last stop: The Salato Wildlife Education Center, which we found out was closed on Monday. But that was fine. 
We did find a vending machine that worked 
and explored a pond stocked with fish. We are planning to head back next Friday to visit the museum and fish since the boys do not have school that day.
Kentucky have been a lovely place to live these past almost 8 years.
Next up: Finding a time to visit this place: The Woodford Reserve Distillery. I might be able to talk Rich into going to a Bourbon Distillery since it is a National Historic Landmark- it's the birthplace of America's Whiskey. I've got my fingers crossed..jpg)
And on the drive home we passed the Castle. It's almost done. Like I said, Kentucky's been a great place to live and explore.
.jpg)
Sometimes it's great to explore far off cities and places and other times it is just great to stay close to home and see what fun you can find there. 
Today we visited our new Chick-
I know the girls and I will be back often.
Then we visited a store I have long wanted to see, Joseph-Beth Booksellers. Trey even took a class field trip here when he was in 1st grade..jpg)
To say it is just a bookstore would be like saying December 25
It's massive. 
There is a little water feature behind that over looks a lake. 
The girls threw in pennies 
and we all fed the 
Then we spent an hour in just the children's section. The girls loved the train table and marble toy. Trey sat in the round and devoured as many Bones books as he had time for. 
And we found the largest selection of 
I have passed a sign on New 
Tiffany and 
The museum complex was completed in the 1970's with the addition of the Shell Grotto and the main building. 
No pictures were allowed in the museum or other rooms, though I took one of Josh by the Shell Grotto (room decorated completely with shells, even the floor is made from slabs of cut coral) before I knew I couldn't take it. I was a bit nervous to have 5 little ones with me while we toured the museum, 
While thousands of females (and a few males too), young and old, eagerly stay up until midnight across this country standing in long lines at various book shops- some in near hysteria- dying to get their hands on final Stephanie Meyer book in the 'Twilight saga' (her own words- not mine) I am guessing few if any realize they truly missed the real treasure of the day. Ask any of her faithful fans what the world 'eclipse' means and I'm sure they'll recount a fanciful tale of a love triangle between a human, a vampire and werewolf.