Going to Sheboygan...Part 1

For some reason, or because Sara Z. made me think it would be a good idea last October, we decided it would be a great idea to do a 17 day driving trip around the United States....with the children. So we told our friends in Chicago, Sara and Kalman, that we wanted to come up for a visit. They told us to come on and even said we could bring little tornado #1 and little tornado #2! AND, in an attempt to be the coolest friends ever, they offered to take us up to their lake house in Sheboygan, Wisconsin on Michigan Lake. Then we asked my mother in law in Nashville if she would mind a visit from us and the grandbabies and she said "I would love to have the kids come visit...wait, where are you guys going?"..."We're going to stay with you too Pam"...and she said "Oh, yeah, that would be great, I will need someone to change Avery's diapers."

So a trip started to take shape and here is how it got planned out:

Night 1: Texarkana, TX
Night 2: Queen Wilhelmena State Park Lodge in Arkansas
Night 3: Memphis, TN
Night 4&5: Nashville, TN
Night 6: Lexington, Kentucky
Night 7: Indianapolis, Illinois
Night 8-12: Chicago/Sheboygan
Night 13: St. Louis, Missouri
Night 14 & 15: Arltington, TX


A trip like this takes lots of planning, for anyone that ever dares to be so bold. We decided early on that we couldn't afford to eat out every mean so we packed an ice chest and vowed to eat out of it for lunch every day that we possibly could and to do breakfast out of it too if the hotel didn't offer a free breakfast. So we packed our bags, packed our truck and hit the road. I'm going to try and break up this post into several parts because there is so much to tell and so much we want to remember. I'll post a link to the pics at the right though.

We drove to Texarkana stayed the first night night. On the way we swung through Lufkin where I got to see a parking terminal that was a project of mine back when we lived in Bryan. I left the job a few months before it was complete so it was really cool to see the final version. Our first visit to Texarkana was pretty much what expected. We stayed in a nice, new Hampton and enjoyed dinner at Olive Garden. Not much to do or see in Texarkana so we were up and away on day two.

On day two we drove from Texarkana to Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas and searched for diamonds. When we arrived the weather was nice with a remnants of a recent rain. This is supposed to be prime diamond hunting condidtions as the diamonds are burried in a thick mud and you have to sift through the mud to find the diamonds. When it rains, it washes away the top layer of mud and is supposed to reveal new diamonds. The park tills the soil every now and then to aid in the process. There is nothing clean about searching for diamonds here, but it is the only place in the world where you can search for diamonds and keep what you find for the bargain price of the $8 admission fee. At first we attempted to walk across the field in our shoes. This didn't work so well because the mud just accumulates on your shoes until each foot weighs 20 lbs. This was especially hard on the girls. At this point we decided to go hard or go on down the road. We took the girls' shoes off and told them to just have fun in the mud. Then Jeramy and I filled a 5 gallon bucket with mud and headed to the water station to sift through our bounty. The pictures really say it all, the girls had a blast getting all muddy and dirty and Jeramy and I got to look at rocks and minerals. A magical day for everyone indeed. We didn't find any diamonds, only some quartz and mica. So after we decided it wasn't our lucky day we all got washed up at the water power blasting station and then went for a swim in a nice little water park that was in the State Park. After changing clothes we were off to our final destinatin for the day, Queen Wilhelmena State Park in Arkansas.

The lodge we stayed in was originally built in 1897 and was situated on top of a mountain. The girls got to do a little train ride around the top of the mountain. We had expected to be able to do some hiking at this park, but there had been some bears sighted close by so all trails were closed. We had a pretty decent southern style dinner which included a dessert buffet that would have put the ol' church potluck to shame. Amazing bunch of homemade, old fashioned desserts. The kids didn't even like any of it...but bring on the chess and buttermilk pie baby! The lodge was old, but very clean and we got a good night's sleep before setting out the next day towards Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Why I Am a CASA

I just saw this story on CNN.com. It's so sad, so tragic, soooo pointless. Some of the abuse situations that we learned about in CASA training were just unbelievable. It is just amazing what some people of capable of doing to their own precious, defenseless and very fagile children. And really, for what? I don't understand the payoff that comes from beating a child.

I am so very happy that I have been blessed with the opportunity to be a part of my CASA child's life. She is an amazing girl with so much to offer this world. She is destined for great thing and it was just awesome to watch her first move physically into a safe and nurturing home and now emotionally into a safe and nurturing space. I look forward to watching her grow and succeed for many years to come.

If you live in Ft. Bend county and are interested in becoming a CASA, there is a week-long training session in August...you can check it out at www.cafb.org.

Don't live in Ft. Bend county? CASA is everywhere! Just google it to find your nearest CASA organization.

Calling Me Out

Avery had a pretty late nap today which, as always, led into a rough time getting her to go to bed tonight. So, here I am with Ryleigh in bed wanting her good night song, and a drink of water, and some allergy medicine, and whatever else she can think of to procrastinate....and then there is Avery in her bed just crying away for Mama. So after I get Ryleigh all that she needs, or at least can think of at the moment, I start to walk out the room to tend to the screaming 2 year old in the other room when I hear her little voice behind me go:

"So who's the good kid now."

I stopped, my heart stopped and I just looked to the sky and had a total Doh! kind of moment. What a heavy statement for my 5 year old to make. My five year old who is doing her very best to become a big kid and to make good decisions and do right things just totally called me out on not taking enough notice of her efforts.

I turned around, sat back down on the bed and did my very best to make up for the recent lack of "I'm so proud of you" and "You are such an awesome kid" statements. Way to go mom...way...to...go.

If I could I would shout it from the mountain what an amazing kid she is. So smart and sooo pretty and kind. She cares about everyone she comes into contact with, she doesn't understand why everyone can't just get along and be friends. Ryleigh only has 13 days left in Kindergarten and then we're off to 1st grade! I really just couldn't be any more proud of her if I tried and she's not just a good kid, she's the best kid!

Environment and Science Do Not Mix...Texas Says So

Once again, I found myself bored, sitting around, eating bon-bons, watching Oprah and wondering what I could do to pass my time. So I got myself involved in a new project, I am now heading up the Environmental club for Ryleigh's elementary school next year. And seriously, I am so excited about this. It is going to be my number one project next school year. I graduated from college in 2002 with my Geography/Geology minor tucked under my belt and with the exception of some bus route planning at my first job I have not used my degree at all. This, I hope, will give me the opportunity to work in an area I am terribly, annoyingly passionate about. Teachers, get ready, those diet soda cans will now be recycled!

So, first off, some research. Of course, this is a PTA sponsored club so let's see what the ol' Texas PTA website has to offer in the way of environmental program advice:

"Environmental awareness is usually associated with terms such as climate change, global warming and energy conservation. Although it is important for our children to understand the importance of being good stewards of our resources, being active in the environment is more than science."

Well bleepidy bleep....there goes my plans for the first meeting. Sorry kids, there will be no screening of Al Gore's, An Inconvenient Truth...what with all it's sciencey science and all. Instead, let's make new paper out of shredded Scantrons and tears from polar bears. We'll just save the Earth via that route.

Things That Go Boom in the Night

Last night at about 10pm one of Transocean's rigs in the Gulf of Mexico had an explosion. Right now, 24 1/2 hours later, the rig is still burning and eleven are missing.


When I first found out about this at 6am this morning I immediately felt the same way I did when the Cougar helicopter went down in Canada a little over a year ago. Jeramy is home today, not out on the rig like he was when the helicopter went down. But the feeling in your stomach is the same. It's horrible, just really horrible. We are hoping and praying that the eleven missing are found alive afloat in an evacuation capsule. Yet as each minute goes by, our hope and optimism can't help but begin to slip.


It's days like this that make me take a moment...or many moments...and think about our home, our family..our life. My husband has a dangerous job. He spends three out of every six weeks in a very dangerous environment. He does it for us, me and the girls, so that we can have a home and a life filled with all that we desire and so very much more. When Jeramy is home we strive to make each moment count. We love each other and the girls fiercely and are so very proud of our daddy when he leaves to go back to work every six weeks.


My heart aches for the families of those still missing and those that were injured. Jeramy's boss while we were in Canada is one of the injured. He has a family. They all have families and I/we/all Transocean employees are with them in thought and prayer hoping for the very best.

Thank you so very much to our daddy and to all the oilfield men out there, including my dad, grandfathers, uncles and many other relatives, that do a job that is highly unappreciated, highly needed and filled with danger.

I love you Jeramy and are happy every day to be walking this road with you, hand in hand.

Spring Break 2010

Okay, Spring Break. So what if it was a month ago, here is how it went down for us. We decided to head on over to San Antonio to hang out by the hotel pool, ride some roller coasters and see beautiful sea creatures being held captive in clean tanks free of any predators. It was a really great time!

Lots of work went into preparing for our trip. Getting four people ready for a three night trip takes some thought. Good thing I only had to worry about three people. What I packed:

What Daddy packed:

Don't feel sorry for me, he's not allowed to pack anything other than his own bag. His job is to drive and my job is to pack and read a book all the way there.

We stayed at the Hilton Hill Country Resort, which I love and will now take a moment to plug. It's right across the street from Sea World and has a free shuttle to the park. Hotel activities for the kids include nail painting, face painting, hair braiding, jewelry making, coloring, a nightly movie outside and smores cooked over the open fire pits by the pool. And there are three pools one of which is a kiddie pool only a foot deep....and a jungle gym...and a basketball goal and half court. It's a great place for families with small children and I highly recommend!

An hour after we arrived we were all in the pool. Ryleigh in her floaties and Avery with her circle tube. Both were all over the pool except for when Avery decided to get out and jump back into the pool with the tube around her waist....with "No Mama Help"...get back you crazy woman, I am 2 1/2 and am fully capable of jumping into a 4 ft. pool by myself. Of course you are baby, jump away. ...only it didn't go like that because I didn't want her to smack her head or slip through the tube and sink to the bottom of the pool. Silly Baby.

The first full day we were there the weather was pretty yucky. We spent the morning just hanging around the hotel letting the rain pass. By the afternoon the sky had cleared so we ventured on over to Sea World. With the bad weather, not too many people were there which was great for us! We caught a few shows and Ryleigh and Daddy rode the Shamu roller coaster.

The next day the weather was really great and half of Texas decided to go to Sea World! Here are the girls and I at the Shamu show. The trainers weren't allowed to get in the water but it was still a great show and the girls really enjoyed it.

And here are the giant scary penguins that Avery wouldn't have anything to do with.

I think family vacations are sooo important. And they don't have to cost a lot of money, it's just all about spending time together away from the stresses of everyday life. Our family trips center us and I treasure each and every one.

Sea World....maybe later

We just got back from a really awesome little family get-a-way to San Antonio! When Ryleigh was two we took her to Sea World for the very first time and so to start off this blog post I thought I would post what I blogged from that trip on our old blog. Apparently I did not blog about that trip, but the synopsis is that Ryleigh threw up in the hotel lobby after the day at Sea World because we were new (dumb) parents that didn't understand the limits of a two year old in August at an outdoor adventure park. I did however come across this blog post and thought it was worth reposting since we are in the midst of potty training Avery. Once I get the Sea World pics up I'll let you know more about that trip.

Monday, October 30, 2006
Okay, I knew that it had a been a while, but two months! Bad Mommy, Bad, Bad Mommy. This deserves a good poop story...

This happened at least a month ago, I think probably longer. One Saturday we invited my boss and her boyfriend over to the house for a little cook-out. I was crazy busy trying to clean the house when Ryleigh decided she didn't want to wear her diaper. I consented to the white-trash potty training techniqe and let her run around diaperless. When I was about done cleaning, and while Jeramy was at the store, I decided to get her dressed, diaper and all. I took her upstairs and commenced laying her down and putting her diaper on...wait a minute...what is this??? It's poo-poo...on your hiny!! I cleaned her up and finished getting her dressed and then went through the whole house with her looking for the remaining "pieces". There were none to be found and Ryleigh was of no help.
Did you poo-poo? Yes.
On the floor? Yes.
Where? Huh?
Where? Huh?
I finally gave up finding and it and went on cleaning up the kitchen. In walks Jeramy. "Daddy, come play kitchen with me." "Sure Ryleigh, that would be oh-so-much-fun." (Silence while Daddy and Ryleigh play and Mommy cooks)

Daddy: What the....WHAT IS THIS?
Mommy: You found it!!!
Ryleigh: I poo-poo in my pan.

Yes folks, Ryleigh poo-pooed on the floor and then scooped it up with her spatula and put it in her pan. (best we could tell) Thank God we found it before she played kitchen with my boss!!