APPLE & PEAR

Last time my sister came to visit, she brought me this apple she had painted because she didn't have anywhere to hang it in her new house. I wanted her to paint me a pear to hang above it in my kitchen next to the sink. Well --- she's a busy girl, so I did it myself!!! The Moses girls wall of art, right in my kitchen. Sorry the lighting is bad...but here they are!

And I had to add this...

She is hiding from Elle, of course.

Speaking of the crazy dog - this time next week will be her last day at home with us before she gets boarded for 9 days!! That's right...nine whooole days. This is where she is going. I hope she is going to have fun - we sure are forking over some dollars for it! She will be trained on the weekdays we're gone, so maybe we'll come home to an even better behaved puppy.

RUGGED VACATION

This was a very...'eventful' trip. We planned to go canoeing and camping in Eminence, MO - about 3 hours away from StL. We had a late start and realized we were going to be cutting it close. See, you have to be at the canoe place by 2:00 in order to start your trip for that day. It was 10:30 when we really got on the road. I was a little anxious, well a lot anxious, that we weren't going to make it. We stopped at this outdoors store, Pat went in while I stayed in the car with the dog, and I have to say I am more than thankful we stopped there. You will see why later on...

About 30 minutes into the trip I got a whiff of dog food. Weird. Elle's stuff was in the trunk?? I turn around and ta-da! Doggy vomit. ALLLLLLLL on the back seat. Poor baby. As I said earlier, we were late. So instead of pulling over, I climb into the back seat with the dog and start cleaning. After getting her all cleaned up I decided maybe it was because she was in the back seat and got carsick back there. I moved her to the front with me, thinking that was a good idea. I mean, she rides in the car all the time, no vomit in the front seat, right??

We grabbed lunch real quick at Sonic, Elle was trying to get peoples attention - she thinks everyone should pet her.

Once you get off the interstate you're in the mountains. I'm not sure if we were in the Ozarks or where, but they were some curvy roads. Remember, Elle was chilling in the front seat -- in my lap. You can see where I am going with this....

She vommed. Between the seats, in the seat belt latch, in my hands, in my seat...I mean everywhere. We were about 15 minutes away at this point - and obviously had to stop to clean this one. Pat was trying to help and started gagging - I laughed so hard!! Then I told him we should take a picture, I didn't realize it was of me bending over. Don't guys know that is the least flattering shot e.v.e.r? Geez. 

These shorts I am wearing.........Well, being a 'light' packer - they were supposed to be my one pair for the 2 days. I was all proud of my cute 'rugged' outfits, Pat kept laughing because they weren't rugged at all. I thankfully had a pair of comfy shorts packed, so I changed (parking lot style, between 2 doors with the vomit towel shielding me - remember - we packed light, only a vomit towel available to protect me)

We made it on time!!! Here is our canoe and Elle was so glad to be out of the car. She walked right into the water. I thought she was going to love the water.......but then we went on this trip...

Here I am holding down the front of the boat

And our captain and his helper in the back

The water was beautiful - it was so clear. When it was deep it was a pretty emerald blueish color (on the left of the picture). So we are stopped right here to regroup. Within the first 10 minutes the dog jumped out TWICE. I think she was confused. It was a disaster. There was a rock bank to the side so we paddled over there to get our child in her life vest due to her unpredictable behavior.

She was ashamed of being in a life vest. So I eventually took it off because she was just sitting around and I figured she had learned her lesson.

Right here we were thinking everything could only get better.....

But then we made a turn around a corner and the river split around an island. To the left, shallow water and tons of drunkards stuck on rocks. To the right, swift water, trees down, branches sticking out. Which did we pick??? 

The right. And flipped our canoe. Yes - all the way over. Elle is life vest-less and she is my main concern. Not that our sleeping bags, tent, food, drinks, camera, clothes, etc are in the canoe too. Just the dog. Thankfully there were more drunkards on the bank of the island, because they too thought it would be a good idea to go around the other way to prevent a traffic jam - and flipped as well. They all jumped in grabbing our stuff, while Pat and another guy got the canoe and some more of our things. Some nice, wasted girl was carrying a bag for me because I was holding Elle who was shaking because she was so scared! 

This is what I learned. People come to these rivers to get drunk and float down for the day. Not overnight. So they just have coolers full of beer and it doesn't matter if they flip. BUT we, on the other hand, are troopers and planned to spend the night on the river bank. They flip = no big deal. We flip = big deal.

Now - back to the outdoors store I spoke of earlier - Pat bought this big ol' dry bag. We put all of our clothes and some food in there. THANK GOD. Everything was in some sort of 'attempt to keep it dry' bag. Like garbage bags and ziplocs.

Wet things:

sleeping bags, marshmallows, graham crackers, bread, camera (damp), tent, chairs, trail mix, goldfish, blanket, towel, dog food and toys

Dry things:

clothes, phone, wallet, some food

Lost things:

one of my shirts, my D&G sunglasses Pat gave me, Elle's stuffed beaver toy from Grandmama B 

Post flip - still smiling!!!

Around 6-6:30 we found a spot to camp...and dry off. Our canoe is pulled way up so it wont float off over night and we started to set up camp.

All of the river banks are rocks, if you go any further away from the water it's just nasty brush and sticks and trees. So we founds a sort of sandy/rocky spot and went Man vs Wild style and used our lessons learned from Bear Grylls and put a bunch of leaves on the rocks before our tent was set up. (ps. he lies, waste of time...)

We had grilled cheese sandwiches (thankfully grilling the bread helped with the sogginess) and soup for dinner. I had bread for 3 sandwiches, 1 for me, 2 for Pat. Then I dropped his 2nd sandwich in the fire. Oops. Time for smores! This was what I was, above all, most excited about. The marshmallows were disgusting. They were liquidy and smushy. See it on my hands?? Sick.

They turned into foamy liquid over the fire. But you better believe I ate it anyway! I LOVE smores (almost as much as I love all space, courtney)

Nobody got us overnight! I have a crazy imagination and was a little paranoid that we were going to get attacked by some crazy man in the woods - no worries though - we made it through the night.

Breakfast! We had bacon, eggs, and hashbrowns - yum.

Back on the water. Elle did better on day 2.

We decided to stop and eat lunch around 12:30. I had made PB&J's before we left home. Nastiest Sandwich Ever. I have NEVER eaten a more disgusting sandwich - in my entire life. I am not kidding. Soggy, gooey PB&J. I had to spit out a few bites of it.

But, once again, we're still smiling...

The trip was a total of 16 miles. We must have been super paddlers. They said you go an average of 2 miles an hour. We did the 16 miles in a total of about 4 hours. When we stopped for lunch we realized right around the corner was the end :(

This is where the 2 rivers meet. Jacks Fork and Current Rivers

After getting back to StL I was telling Mom and Dad this whole story (and they were dying laughing) and they both said "Well, since you both are still laughing about it all, and haven't killed each other yet, you must really love each other!" And I agree. I couldn't have had a better canoe mate! I am glad we both just laughed everything off - I am sure we will always remember the 'eventfulness' of this trip.

When we got home Pat surprised me and we made some real smores - just on the grill instead!

Hope you enjoyed. Who wants to join us next year!??!?!! hahahahaa

OBSESSION?

Would the love for my little doggy be considered an obsession? I told Pat the other night (I was rocking Elle on the couch while she was sleeping) that I am afraid that I'll be that crazy obsessive mother when we have kids - because I am ridiculous with this dog! Anyways - she went to the doctor yesterday and weighs 21 lbs!!! Fatty. JK.

We are getting ready for our canoe trip and decided we should get the life jacket, just in case, you know? Here she is modeling it for you. A little shy at first, but then strikes some pretty awesome poses so you can see her new outfit...

I feel terrible about this - its a 'pinch collar'. The vet said to train her with this. You give her a chance to do whatever you say - like "off" when she's on the coffee table. If she doesn't get her grubby paws onto the ground, you then say "off" and pull real quick on the collar and make her sit down all at the same time. Let's just say I stood in the aisle of PetSmart for quite some time trying to decide if this was humane of me! BUT the vet did recommend it AND the trainer she'll be going to while we are at the beach uses the exact same thing. I do have to say, we're having some success so far. No more staring at me and barking non stop to get my attention. One quick little yank, and boom - silence. Of course we use it sparingly and I don't really push the 1x and you're pinched issue. I give her a few chances. I feel like a mean mommy!

Remember this? It's from laundry detergent being spilled...IN MY EYE.

Well, here we go again. This may be even more stupid. I was gonna lay out for a bit the other day and thought I'd just use 10 on my face and body since I wouldn't be outside long. The 10 I have is spray sunscreen....aaaaand I got it in my eyes. Blazing fire from hell - right in my eyes. That's all I can relate it to.

Working today, shopping for our little rugged vacation tomorrow, and canoeing and camping on Saturday!

THE DUNGEON

Why I'll never go to the dungeon alone again...

After a nice, relaxing afternoon, I decided to go put a few things in the basement. Well, really I call it the dungeon. It's creepy enough to deserve that name. I get down there and the outside "locked" door is unlocked. Thinking that makes it a little more creepy, I push the door ALL the way open to make sure I squish whoever may be hiding behind it and flip the light on really quick. I peek around behind the door - no one's there. So I go on about my business. When I walk around the corner I realize our neighbors section has the gated door removed and just propped up against the wall. Weird. Then I kinda look around - getting a bit nervous - and realize our door has been ripped off of its hinges too!!! I freak out thinking someone is about to jump out and get me, drop all of my stuff right where I was standing (literally), sprinted up the 3 flights of stairs to get away from the scary dungeon, and run through our back door to get Pat. We go back downstairs and I am all flustered, we peek around trying to find this bad man, no one's there, and we can't seem to figure out what they've stolen. Waterford crystal glasses - a huge bag of them - still sitting on the shelf. Nice TV, not even moved an inch. Expensive golf clubs - standing against the wall. Hmm?

The police came out, then sent another man to 'fingerprint'.  When we made our way back to the dungeon we just start chit chatting. Come to find out, it's a bike bandit!!! Really!? We could not, for the love, figure out what they had taken. MY BIKE!!! I started laughing so hard. I mean, I got that sucker for maybe $100 at Dicks Sporting store when Court and I were inspired to go for a bike ride (randomly one afternoon, and it was a very impulsive decision for both of us). I probably paid more for the outfit to "look official" than I even did for that dang bike. It was all rusty because after maybe 5 rides, it was retired to the porch. Anyways, the other peoples bike was taken too. When we were leaving, this guy walked up to us and says "So, another bike was stolen?" His was taken last week. Crazy Bike Bandits...

Here we are with our lovely new bikes - after having some man help us two impulsive bike buyers cram bikes into the brand new CRV.

Please don't kill me - either of you. Courts outfit: official bike shorts, and a fancy new shirt. I believe mine was green?... with the same shorts, of course.

RIP bike. I'll miss you.

BETTER DAY

My mood is much improved. Probably because I got some chick fil a yesterday. I got a 12 pack so I could save 4 of them for later. I really wanted a party tray, freeze it, and bust them out when needed. The dang chick fil a is about 20+ minutes away! Crazy midwesterners - they don't know what they're missing without a chick fil a on every corner...

Today I actually had a husband all day! We made breakfast (blueberry pancakes, bacon, eggs with cheese and some fruit), then took Elle to the park. She is posing for you...

I can't wait til next weekend. Pat and I are going on a 'float trip' down the Current/Jacks Fork Rivers. We get a canoe on Saturday morning, float down the river, camp out on the bank and then float the rest of the way on Sunday. And guess which of my hairy little children gets to come with us!?!?  Can't decide, should we get her a life jacket?

Here are some pictures of the river

WRONG SIDE

I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. I mean really wrong. I've been on a rampage since 9:00 am. It's 12:00 now, no improvement in my mood. First, I stayed up late last night, thinking I could sleep in a little this morning when Pat got home. Well, I went into the den around 9:30-10:00 because he still wasn't home (I was a little worried, too) and there he was - sleeping on the couch. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this picture - but in my twisted little "woke up in a mood" mind, I was ticked! I took Elle out, slammed the door behind me (in a passive aggressive way of waking him up...I know, ridiculous). When I came back in, he was awake - of course. I should've been glad because I had achieved my goal, instead I was still all worked up. He went to bed, asked if I would wake him up around three. What was my reply?  A simple "No." Seriously? 

Next, onto the Post Office. I needed to mail a package to our cutest little twin nieces who are turning ONE on the 21st. I had wrapped their presents (while keeping Elle at a safe distance) and had Pat sign the cards - they were ready to be shipped. I get Elle in the car, my mood was improving, and off we went. We get to the Post Office, it's the first time I have ever left Elle in the car alone, it's 89 degrees out already, and I was going to be "real quick". HA. I go in, look around for a shipping box big enough to pack their gifts in. I found tiny ones and HUGE ones. I grab a number, wait in line, and finally get called to the desk (meanwhile having anxiety about my poor child baking in the car). I nicely ask if there is an "in between box". She just points to where the boxes are and says - "our boxes are over there." Yes, thanks you for that. I've freakin been standing over there looking at them for 3+ minutes.  I am frustrated. I go get the HUGE box, tape it up, throw my 3 nicely wrapped gifts into the box, go get another number, re-wait in line, and end up at the other lady's desk. She says "Oh, I hate that you had to use such a big box." ?????? So I said "Well, I asked the other lady if there were some in between and she told me 'the boxes are over there.'" This nice lady then says "have you already written on this one?" ....um..yeah...? Needless to say, she obviously had something more appropriately sized. I then spend FIFTY dollars to ship it.  Let's just say the other lady doesn't want to cross my path today - I have a few things I'd like to say to her now.

Thankfully the box is being shipped for a very special birthday so that makes it worth it.

Here is a picture of Elle's favorite place - she is about to outgrow it. Sometimes I hear her whining because she has started to get stuck under there.

SUMMER VISIT

I convinced my family to come see me and meet Elle! Pat is on a terribly busy month right now, still in the CICU, and this week he is on night shift. I see him for about 15-30 minutes MAX a day. So sad - but, thankfully my family visited and entertained me for a few days. We didn't make any crazy busy plans, we just hung around the park so Mary Clare and Patrick could play and not be too worn out. We went to lunch at the boathouse the morning they got here and MC and Patty got to feed the fish, ducks, and turtles.

Mom and Dad

Me, my sister, and the kiddos

Baby Elle - such a good girl out in public!

I always crack jokes on minivans. I will never drive one. Seriously. My goal is to not be a minivan mom. This picture is for Pat. I'm driving a minivan!!! My parents borrowed my grandfather's van so they could haul all of their stuff up here for the visit. I drove it for fun around the park...and am still convinced I will never own a minivan.

Picnic in the park before playing on the playground and in the waterfalls and water fountain in front of the World's Fair Pavilion

Elle eating some ice to cool down. 

I will post some fountain pictures of Elle, MC, and Patty in the water as soon as I have some! They all had so much fun playing in the fountains. Elle went for her first real swim - I think she liked it?? 

Thanks for visiting us! Miss you already