Proper Oral Hygeine Is Essential.

We're Just Sayin'........

Aubri Came Over!

Gage had fun playing with Aubri on Sunday night while her parents had dinner out.
:)

And I was soooooo glad that they played so well!

Rain, Rain,Fun 4 Gage!

We did yardwork on Sunday, and juuuuust when we finished, it started to rain.
Gage had soooooooo much fun playing in the rain.

Warning, there are a lot of pictures in this post!

Biv-Wackin' @ Fort Dix

"Come on, Tera. You know you wanna go Biv-Wackin' @ Fort Dix!"

{I suppose I'll have to explain all this at some point....but I should probably start at the beginning....}

So, Friday, my dad drove 1/2 way to Mom's & the met for the Allen hand-off.
Then, Dad, Ruby, Allen, and Mom's cupcakes made their way to my house.
My mom made theeeeeeeeeeeeeee best cupcakes for us.




Do you see that?
Not only do you get a cupcake with icing, but you get 3 oreos & an M&M that's decorated to look like a ladybug. They were both beautiful & delicious. I'm not sure life gets any better than that.

So, randomly, Nathan & Tera & Aubri weren't up to much, so they ventured over for a backyard cook-out. Nothin' fancy. Burgers on the grill. Mmmmmmm!

The conversation turned to camping.
Apparently in the military, Nathan went "Biv-Wacking" {I have NO IDEA if I am spelling that correctly} & had these horrible, wet, muddy stories from his adventures. Biv-wacking was like camping.
Only, camping doesn't usually involve using your M-16 as a pillow. Or, at least no camping I've ever experienced involved an M-16. I'm just sayin'.....

Other random pics from the evening....

Finished my book!

Okay, I finished "When the Emperor was Divine", and it was very good.


Finished it Monday evening during dinner. (No, I wasn't much on conversation during dinner, clearly. Yes, I know it's rude to read at the table. Whatever. I was so.close.to.the.end!)

Summary that I found online:
This short novel tells the story of a Japanese-American family’s internment during World War II. They are living comfortably in Berkeley, California, when their nightmare begins. Soon after Pearl Harbor the husband/father is arrested by the FBI--taken away in his housecoat and slippers. We learn of this through the narration of the eight-year-old son, his ten-year-old sister, and their mother--who are rounded up several months later and sent to a camp in Utah. The father remains shadowy--a figure of memory, wishful thinking, and censored letters stamped "Detained Alien Enemy Mail." The reason for his arrest is never explained, as if there is no reason to question the man’s loyalty.

After her husband’s arrest, the mother is left to take care of her children and the house. A few months later she must pack up the household belongings, give away the family cat, kill and bury the family dog, tell her daughter to let loose the pet macaw. They are allowed to bring with them--where to they do not know--only what they can carry. They take an endless train ride through the Nevada desert to reach an internment camp in Utah, "a city of tar-paper barracks behind a barbed-wire fence on a dusty alkaline plane high up in the desert" (49).

Here they remain until the war ends, some three and a half years later. They learn to live in one room with a single light bulb; to stand on line for everything; to eat in the mess hall; to avoid rattlesnakes, scorpions, and the sun; and to "never say the Emperor’s name out loud" (52). They are unable to avoid the desert dust that covers and gets into everything. The children attend makeshift classes, play cards, are bored, lonely, and confused. The boy misses and has fantasies about his father, the girl reaches adolescence and becomes cynical, the mother is too depressed to eat or read.

At the end of the war, the three are allowed to go home "with train fare and twenty-five dollars in cash" (117). Their house has been vandalized; neighbors, teachers, and classmates either ignore them or are openly hostile. Finally their father is released from detention in New Mexico, a changed man both in appearance and spirit.

Bonnie's Got a Boyfriend....

His name is Chance.
He lives next door.
They have the BEST time together, although it's WILD & CRAZY when they get together. Running, Running, Running....until they're both out of breath.

It is very cute.





So, Bonnie's not fixed yet...but, luckily, Chance is.
So, no chance in puppies from these two (no pun intended). Sorry world. I know they'd make wiry, cute, energy ball puppies.

What I'm Reading....

So, I recently finished....
YaYas in Bloom


And now, I've moved on to....
When the Emperor was Divine

Anyone read it?

I wanna be a cowboy...

Riding on the range,
I've got my hat - on,
I've got my boots - dusty.

I've got my saddle
On my horse.
He's called....T-t-t-t-t-trigger
Of course.

..........OK, so he wasn't wearing the hat because Mommy's hat is too big, and it was bothering him. But...he found these old boots in the back of Mommy's closet, and he was set!

Our Little Longhorn....



...oh, I love this child!

I need a FireMan!

So, Gage loves to be a FireMan.
We've been working on "Call 9-1-1".
He likes to change the numbers....but I try to explain to him that we don't get to choose. It's assigned. It is what it is; it's 9-1-1.

So anyway. In the backyard, I pretend to call 911, and Gage pretends to answer from the fire station....He comes quickly, turns on the hose, and puts out the fire. He has a fireman hat, a fire truck, his own water-filled spray bottle that he pretends is a fire extinguisher, and access to the garden hose. Whatever the fire (provided it doesn't require foam) he's ready.









Yes, well, Gage uses lots and lots of water to put out the "fires."
Clearly, the chiminea was on fire.

My God, I love this child.

Camp Wanica... May 2, 2009

So, I've been behind in posting about Camp Wanica, and really, it is so very much fun!

I was telling Mom after Camp Wanica---I feel like I got to see everyone, and talk to everyone, but I don't really feel like I got to sit & visit with most of them, you know???

Camp Wanica is a campground that my mom's side of the family rents about twice a year. Our crowd has grown so much that we don't really fit into anyone's house anymore!
My mom's the youngest out of 7 girls. Each of the girls had at least two kiddos, and I'm the youngest grandchild. So, you can imagine....

Let's see---my grandmother has great-great-grandchildren. How neat is that?

So...the morning of our Camp Wanica trip, Gage was wound-for-sound, ready to go!


Now, if you remember from Camp Wanica trips past, my kid rolls up and said (in the past), "Mommy, what's that?" It was a cow. My city-slicker-kid couldn't identify a real-life cow. Sad, isn't it?

So...our little visits out to the country are quite educational for Gage. He plays with his cousins, 2nd cousins, and 3rd cousins! He sees cows, and hay, and road-runner birds, and runs wild & free. It's a good time. There is a playground there, and a pool too. (I suppose that's not necessarily getting in touch with nature, but whatever. It keeps the little ones entertained!)





There's a piano there, and all of the little ones love to play "music" for us...




Gage & Nora....they're exactly 3 weeks apart in age.



Nora is my cousin's daughter.
:)
And now, Nora's mommy is pregnant with TWINS!

Playground Fun....




Even Aunt Loraine got on the swings!


If you do it right, you can get all the kids to spin you around on the merry-go-round!


We had Trystan's birthday party while we were there too.






More Family Fun....





My Mamasita, My Mema, and me....


Mrs.Robinson (Mema's neighbor forever), My Mamasita, Mema, and me....and my crazy Aunt Wanda...


Saying Bye-Bye to Mema



And by the end of the day....my child was FILTHY! A sure sign of a great little boy day....