Happy Halloween 2011

Neewollah 2011

This town puts on quite the party.  If you remember from last year, we had some friends visit to share in our first Neewollah experience.  This year we were lucky enough to have visitors again.  Grandma Joyce, Bailey, and Skyler all got some good deals on flights that happened to coincide with all the festivities.

The highlight of Neewollah is the food, unfortunately.  Vendors from all over line the main street downtown to serve up their greasy, fried, too-expensive, but oh-so-tasty food!  The smell of the town for 4 days straight is enough to bring your cholesterol levels up.  I save my calories all year long for these few days!  At the Neewollah headquarters here in town, they sell a shirt will a checklist of all the classic foods that are sold.  Here are a couple of pictures of some of the food that we devoured.  I think between all of us, we pretty much had it all.

Bailey was the first to try the deep fried Snickers.  If I hadn't already be overly stuffed, it would have tasted so much better.  It was surprisingly delicious.  It had a "s'mores" flavor to it, but it definitely cannot be considered a light snack.  Here is a picture of Bailey and Grandma Joyce watching her fried snickers be prepared.  They were captivated!

Look at that menu of just ONE of the vendors!

(not pictured: Jaffle, Corn Dog, Indian fry-bread, Peach Cobbler, and Homemade Rootbeer)

The girls had a lot of fun choosing a couple of rides and games to play at the carnival.  Only a couple though.  I wasn't in the mood to go bankrupt because I wanted to purchase outrageously priced tickets for the kiddos.

Neewollah Kiddie Parade 2011

The kid's parade is for any kid in town to participate in.  They are separated into age groups, from infants to toddlers, all the way to 5th grade (I think). Most of the kids just walk, luckily for mine though, Emily's preschool always has a float that allows the students and any of their siblings to ride on.  They have a lot of fun doing this each year, especially when it means they get more chances to wear their Halloween costume.

Here is Gracey as Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz"

Emily is Little Red RidingHood, particularly Little Red from the movie "Hoodwinked!" (the boy digging for gold is Emily's best buddy Josh.)

The kids riding the float and having a great time!

Hula

Gracey and Emily joined a Hula group at the beginning of October and already have a performance under their grass belts!  Talk about adorable.  I die a little every time they dance the hula, it is the cutest thing ever!

They performed at the Neewollah bandstand!  Gracey, Emily, and their friend, Elizabeth performed the Hookey Lau all by themselves and really stole the show.  They were quite the performers.  I can't wait to get the video imported onto the computer so that everyone can see!

Prayers for a squirrel

This evening as we were driving home, Gracey and Emily were telling me about a dead squirrel that was in the middle of the road just a couple of houses down from us.  Roadkill in this area is absolutely common.  Not a day goes by that I don't pass, or nearly kill with my own car, a squirrel, armadillo, or racoon.  Upon noticing this squirrel, they hopped off of their bikes to examine it a little further.  Gracey said that it had a couple of acorns surrounding it so she assumed that it was taking the acorns home to eat.  She then said the squirrel was cute even though one of it's eyes was bulging out.

Emily also described the scene as well, retelling me about the eyeball and the acorns.  Then to my suprise, she said, "Then we kneeled down a said a prayer for the squirrel."

I was taken by complete surprise.  I asked, "You knelt down in the middle of the road and said a prayer the squirrel?" 

Emily and Gracey both said "Yep!"

Of course I think that is so super sweet of my girls.  It shows their gentle hearts, kind spirits, and strong love they have for animals.  However, if I would have actually seen my two kids, or any kid for that matter, kneeling in the middle of the road praying over some roadkill, I would be the one they would be praying for next...simply because I would DIE laughing! 

This simple story really made my night.  I wish I could have seen them out there, or better yet, heard what was said in this particular prayer for the squirrel.

I love my girls!!

POST EDIT:  Just to be clear, I did not laugh or make fun of the girls for praying for the squirrel, my laughter was all in my head.  I am actually quite happy that they chose to do so.  We have been praying as a family lot this week for another family that we know that tragically lost a loved one.  I am grateful that they are learning the importance of praying, even if it over a dead squirrel. 

A little camp trip

Friday night, on a whim, we decided to go camping.  We packed up our stuff and drove the whole five minutes to the Elk City State Park.  Our next door neighbors were going to be there too, and since we could only spend one night, we just shared a spot with them.  We beat them up there, plus it was already dark, so we had just enough time to set up our tent, build and fire, and make some s'mores.  I was surprised at the pictures that I took.  Like I said, it was really dark so they turned out okay for my sweet little camera. 

 

We took Buster along, once again, and he was in heaven.  There are so many things to smell and explore for a dog! 

The next morning we hung out with our friends some more, at breakfast, and packed up.  It was the quickest, easiest, camp trip we have been on.  We love living so close to such a great place to stay.  I know there are a lot of great places to camp in this part of the country, but you can't beat living only 5 minutes away.  It is a cinch to pack your bags and go, knowing that if you do forget something (like, I don't know, camp chairs) you it is easy to hop back in the car and run home and grab it.  While it is close enough to be convenient, it is far enough out of the regular routine that you still feel like you enjoyed a little get-away!

On our way home, the weather was gorgeous and so we had the windows down and Buster couldn't have been more happy on Gracey's lap.  For the life of me, I could not get a picture of him with his eyes open until I took the camera out of his face. 

I loved it, Corky loved it, Buster loved it, and the girls really loved it!  Happy Camping!

Birthday #32

For Corky's birthday, we had a real simple little party that Gracey and Emily were looking forward to all week long.  I came home early from Young Womens and we had a fantastic ice cream cake from DQ, sang the birthday song (with the "cha-cha-cha's included), then opened a couple of presents. 

A party isn't a party at our house unless there is wrestling and rough housing. I didn't get pictures of that, but I got what started it all, the girls bombarding Corky's with his birthday bows.  Corky called it the "Bow-Hawk!"

Happy Birthday, Corky.  You're the best there ever was.  Truly.

Emily's first day of afternoon preschool! (It's a big deal!)

Emily started preschool again today....finally! This girl has been itching to go back pretty much since the day it ended in the spring! The past few days have been hard on her while Gracey has gone back to school and she hadn't yet. We filled our time with games, tea parties, movies, and coloring. Even though her preschool is just a few hours, 3 times a week in the afternoons, she is really excited to feel like a big kid again!



Things to remember about Emily this day:

Favorites
Food:  String Cheese, healthy bacon (turkey bacon), mashed potatoes, grapes, carrots w/ ranch, and snack wraps (chicken, lettuc, cheese)
Game:  dress up
Toy:  tea-cups and fake make-up
Thing to do:  go to school and play with friends
Book:  scriptures a lot.  :) (these are not prompted answers haha)
Color:  all the colors
Movie:  Tangled and Christmas Carol
Song:  The Iron Rod
Primary Song:  The Iron Rod song (followed by a "duh, I just answered that!")
My best friend is:  Briana, Fiona, Sully, and Josh
Other friends I like to play with:  Ashtyn, Mason, Addison, and Kelon
Things I like to do with my friends:  Play games and ride Addison's fake jeep
What is your pets name?  Buster
What do you love most about him?  "When he gives me kisses and when he plays with me.....in fact, I just farted!"  (you guys, I wouldn't make this stuff up!)
What people like about me:  I think when I play with them
Things I can do really well:  Ride my bike with no training wheels



Oh my goodness, next year I am going to video tape these interviews.  Emily is a crack-up!!!

Gracey's 1st Day of 1st Grade

Like all parents feel, I too find it hard to believe that my oldest is truly as old as she is. She started the first grade this week and was so excited. She picked out her outfit the night before, knew just what she wanted in her lunch, know exactly what she wanted for breakfast (fried egg on toast), and woke up well before alarms began going off for the day. She loves school and is so excited to get to know her new teacher, Mrs Henderson. She got a kick out of her new teacher's name because this summer, my girls were introduced, and became obsessed with the classic movie "Harry and the Hendersons!"





Favorites:
Food: Hamburgers and Chips
Game: Buzz Lightyear "Operation"
Toy: Barbies
Thing to do:  Play at the park
Book:  Sleeping Beauty
Color: Purple
Movie: Princess and the Frog
Song: The ABC song
Primary Song: I Love to See the Temple


My best friend is: Riley and Kalea
Other friends I like to play with: Gunar, Savannah, Meredith, Ashtyn, Jake, Easton
Things I like to do with my friends: Play with them and walk around the neighborhood with them
What is your pet's name?  Buster
What do you love most about him?  I like when he curls up in a ball to sleep
What people like about me: "They like how I do my hair and how I am nice"
Things I can do really well: "Writing letters and words and concentrate well." and "I can stand on my bike when it is moving." 

Swim Team and the SEK Swim Meet

This summer the girls did a lot of swimming! I mean A LOT!!!! They both were able to compete on the Independence Swim Team and actually participate in races once a week. Holy cow, I have never seen such progress in a summer. Gracey had to sit out the first 2 weeks because of her broken finger, but was able to jump right in, learn the strokes, and even win some of her heats! Emily went from barely wanting to let go of the side, so swimming a full length of the pool doing the proper stroke. You will never find a more proud mom than right here!

I was afraid that they would not like the repetition of practice every single day, but it turned out to be more of a highlight. Not just a highlight, but a saving grace from this summer's out-of-this-world heat wave. I have never been so hot in my life.

These pictures are from the very last swim meet of the year, the SEK Meet (SouthEast Kansas) that was held in Chanute, KS. It was a long and hot day, but my girls were troopers and really had a great time. Emily completed all of her races, scoring points for the whole team. Gracey did too, even taking 1st place in her heat of the breast stroke, scoring some major teams points there.

The girls goofing off before races began!

Emily wanted to take a picture so I had her take one of myself with one of my very best friends, and next door neighbor, Dayna.

Pictures of Emily



Pictures of Gracey


These pictures crack me up. Emily and this little girl (I don't remember her name) were on a relay team together. I took their picture and then told them how well they did in their race. They kept giving each other a high five, but missing!


The greatest news of the day was that Independence WON the entire meet! For the last 11 years in a row, some other little town (when I remember the name, I will update it here) has won. This year though was Independence's year. I am quite proud of my girls!

High Dive Front Flip

This here is what front flip off of the high dive looks like, frame by frame! Sadly, Gracey landed on her butt on this dive, but this is one of her favorite things to do.



She is also good at a back flip, but had only done it off of the regular diving board. She tried it off of the high dive one time this summer.....it wasn't pretty. Let's just say that all the teenage boys that were standing in line waiting their turn were making a lot of "ooooooohhhh" and "ooooooooowwwwwwww" sounds!

Celebrity

In a small town, you would think it would be easy to make the newspaper. Perhaps it is, we just haven't lived here long enough. Let me say this, when you do make the front page, you become quite the celebrity! Lots of phone calls, emails, neighbors, and text messages came our way when Gracey was famous for a day!

"Tangled" No More!

At the beginning of summer, I knew I wanted to have the girls hair chopped off. With all the swimming and playing that we were anticipating, it only made sense. There were tears almost daily when it came time to brush out the snarls. Gracey's hair is SO THICK, that I knew cutting it short was the only option. Emily's wasn't too bad, it is not as thick, but still would get snarly.

Take this picture for example. This was first thing in the morning (6/5/11) Corky brought the girls out into our front yard to examine a turtle. Doesn't that hair look fun to brush through??



They both had long enough hair to donate, so donate is what we did! I knew it would make brushing their hair easier, but it exceeded all of our expectations. Not only was the haircut adorable on them, it was a breeze to comb through!


I will admit, I LOVE long hair and all the fun things you can do with it, but I might insist on chopping it off each summer just like this. Until they start doing their own hair at least.

Memorial Day Camping

May 29, 2011 was a Sunday. It was a regular old Sunday except that the next day was Memorial Day, so Corky was excited for a day off from work. We got home from church that afternoon and Corky said, "Let's go camping tonight. Let's just grab our 72 hour kits, camping box, and go!" So we did. Of course, we prepped a little more than if it were a real emergency.

As you can see, the girls were ready the quickest. They were in charge of getting their own bags packed and their pillows gathered. They were ready and waiting. We just went about 10 minutes away to Elk City State Park and prayed that there was a campground still open, with it being Memorial Day weekend and all. We would have had two very disappointed girls if there wasn't. Lucky us, there were still quite a few to choose from.

We had a great time that evening sitting around the camp fire and eating dinner. We used some freeze dried meals from our 72 hour kits that you only need to add boiling water too. We were all very pleased, the Mountain House Beef Stew is actually really tasty.

The next morning we took a little walk to the lake. It was a little windy but it wasn't too cold. Gracey tried her hardest to get Buster in the water but he was not having it. In fact, I have on my video camera Buster nipping at Gracey behind when she wasn't looking and knocking her straight to the ground. It was all very playful and HILARIOUS! Buster was in heaven.

We returned to the campground, had breakfast, and determined the freeze dried dinner and much better tasting the freeze dried breakfasts. Now we know!

The girls also played on the playground and Corky practiced with them how to use a two-way radio.

We all had a great time, despite getting ticks, Buster included, and look forward to cooler weather so that we can go again in the fall.

Who'd needs the pinkie anyway?

Gracey has had staples, stitches, knocked out teeth, goose eggs the size of a golf ball before, but never had a broken bone! That is, of course, until the very last day of her kindergarten school year! They had an activity at the playground that day and were having a blast. Emily and I had to go to Tulsa that morning so we joined them at the park about lunch time. I was taking pictures of the kids on the playground, even teasing them as they went down the tube slide in groups, that they were going to get stuck like Augustus Glup in Willy Wonka. The very next picture I took captured the moment perfectly. Gracey came out of the tube slide, staring at her hand, knowing that something was not right!





She said to me, "My finger is crooked and I can't move it!"

Off we went with a crooked finger and an ice pack to urgent care.


From there we were advised to go the Emergency Room for xrays.

When it was confirmed that the pinkie was broken, we were told to hurry to Parsons, KS (a 45 minute drive) to meet quickly with an Orthopedic Surgeon who will be between surgeries.


Oh my gosh, I was so tired of driving that day.

We could not leave town on the last day of school without stopping by her classroom and saying goodbye to her beloved teacher, Mrs. Springer. Every child's teacher should be as wonderful as her! I am not kidding. She really set the bar high for what I want for my kids.


In Parsons, we met with the doctor and he was concerned about where the break is. It is within millimeters of the growth plate and so he wanted to set it while Gracey is sedated so that he can manipulate it just right. So the was date is set and we will go back to Parsons Saturday morning for her finger to be put back into place.

Saturday (5/28/11) rolls around, and Gracey and I head out bright and early to Parsons once again. I figured the earlier the better since Gracey needed to be fasting since she would be sedated. The whole morning went very smooth. Gracey was a little nervous but was very brave too. She was all smiles to the nurses and techs that were helping us, even after I couldn't proceed with them. The anaesthesiologist said she was smiling big up until the second she went to sleep.

Pre-naptime


She was all smiles even just minutes after waking up, I was hoping for some funny stories to tell, but she was alert and feeling good!


We are glad to say the pinkie is doing awesome! It was put back into place perfectly and the growth plate was not damaged! She is a lucky-duck!