Time Away!!!

Norm and Joan came to town this weekend and were gracious enough to watch the boys for us while we went away to recharge our batteries. Brian and I went to Galena, IL/Dubuque, IA. We stayed in Dubuque (only 15 miles from Galena). While we were away we were able to go to a nice restaurant called Pepper Sprout. The chef was a very talented lady, the food was really good, as was the wine, but oddly enough the desserts were not impressive so we went down the block for that. Brian's was in a beer glass, mine involved chocolate and ice cream.



On Saturday we went kayaking in the afternoon. To bad the sun went away, but it was still a comfortable temperature. Besides we were infinitely more comfortable than the guy who launched with us, who managed to tip his kayak (Wasn't really aware this was possible since they are far less tippy than a canoe.) on entering and ended up waist deep in the river. We had lots of fun but it took a few reminders from Brian as to how to do it. I kept doing 360° every time a came out of a rapids area. They were rapids in the slightest sense really just swifter and bumpier than the rest of the river. We also got to see a blue heron come flying down the river and he was calm enough for us to cruise by and get a picture.

We also managed to do a little shopping in the trinkets and trash stores. And Brian played the craps table at the Diamond Jo's casino three times. The first two were better than the third, but he was able to leave Iowa with there money so all is good.

Here's some of our pics.

Bouncin Bonkers

This is a new business that opened near our house. Monday-Thursdays they have open bouncing. So here's the boys trying out for the first time.

Still Handing Out Bribes

Ben is still being bribed to poop in the potty. Today was a good day so of course he asked for cake. I got wise though… and made cupcakes. So now I've got the rest of them in the freezer. Now I can have them on demand (any day Ben is successful) and won't have the temptation of eating an entire cake. Neil at this point is just reaping the rewards of Ben's behavior.








Ben also got four quarters from Brian. He's pretty hilarious about his money. As soon a Brian got home from work Ben ran to the door with his hand out. No hello, no hug, just where's my cash Pops. He also scammed me out of my change at Aldi and the quarter for the shopping cart. For those of you that haven't been to an Aldi, think Costco without the membership, you have to have a quarter to unchain a shopping cart, when you re-chain it you get your quarter back. As long as you don't have Ben with you. Ben's piggy was very oink-oink happy today.

Pillow-Palooza

So we've been looking for new ways to burn off the boys energy now that we can't spend the evening at the pool or the playground. Always fun is the indoor race track. This consists of a lively game of chase around the house. The track run through the kitchen, past the family room, down the hall, through the living room and back to the kitchen. We've even had timed races.

Tonight we had pillow-palooza which is all the pillows from the family room and the living room, ten in all. Jumping and wrestling are the highlights followed closely by knocking over the stack before it's done being built. This is when I'm proud of finding those pillows for $4/ea. at Target.

Just to mix things up we took a trip to Lowe's. Where yes, I bought paint, and I'll post pics of Neil's room once the decor is complete. Since the race car shopping cart was broken (shouldn't they be able to fix that at the hardware store?) we let the boys indulge in some lawn tractor riding. Ben went for the deluxe model with the canopy. Neil like his grandma prefers a convertible.

Movie Night

We recently discovered that we have a theater by us that has $1.50 shows. Since you can't beat the price, we decided it was time to see how the boys would like going to the movies. We chose Ice Age 3, a PG movie with dinosaurs that was about 90 minutes long. It was a pretty cool outing. They even have booster seats with cup holders for the kids. The boys ate an enormous amount of popcorn and sat very well. Ben was the first to want/need to leave. He informed Brian he had to go potty and after two attempts in the public restroom they decided they had to head home. Neil and I continued watching the rest of the movie. Finally with about 15 minutes left Neil decided he'd had enough and wanted to go too. And why not, he was out of popcorn and had already spilled what was left of his water. Luckily Brian and Ben were just returning from the trip home and we were all able to head home. Our next movie will probably be once Ben decides he can go potty in public restrooms.

Gallery 1673

A new and upcoming artist is on the scene at Gallery 1673. Ben Roden will be exhibiting his first show in the gallery's lower level. Currently his preferred medium is non-toxic paints, his tool of choice truck tires. He's considering a silent auction for his original work, but be aware the reserve is expected to be quite high.

Dog-Dog I & II

I think most kids have a special stuff animal that they like to sleep with. The thing is most people don't remember them once they're adults. Neither Brian or I can remember ours. Even though I do remember having a rather tattered looking teddy – was he my first friend – I'm not sure. So I'm recording the boys friends so they can remember.

This is Ben with his special friend Dog-Dog (formerly known as Sparky). Neil is also showing his special friend who's name is also Dog-Dog (the original).