Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

I got to see my friend, Kenyon, this last weekend! I was very excited, because it had been over a year since we had last got together. We were able to meet at a spa(!!!) on Friday and then do some power shopping in Wichita on Saturday. The only bad part was that the weather did not cooperate, so we cut our weekend short and headed home Saturday afternoon. This was probably a wise decision, but still a bummer.
Kenyon, I love that we can just pick up right where we left off! I had a great time with great friends. If only KC were a little closer to Western Kansas.
I PROMISE that I will come visit you in 2008. My kids need to see you again before they graduate from high school!
BFF!!!

I'm in love...

...with my new washer & dryer! They are LG Tromm models, in case you were wondering. Just did four loads of laundry this afternoon in record time. Yep, I'm on top of the world!

Time for Bball!!

Paige's 7th grade girls basketball team is doing well (after 2 games :) ). They face some stiffer competition tomorrow, so we'll see what our girls are made of.
Hopefully, I will remember to take my camera so that I can share a few shots of Paige in action. Jason has been keeping stats, so if I get really motivated, I might even include Paige's numbers in the next post!
The high school kicks off their season Friday night with a home game. I like to go to basketball games ( mainly to people watch and eat frito pies from the concession stand), so I'm ready for Friday night!

Justice Has Prevailed!

DWTS-Just in case you did not have your tv on today, Helio & Julianne won the Dancing with the Stars competition last night AND, Marie was dismissed within the first 15 minutes of the show! So....I was content to watch the entire show. I still liked Mel B., but Helio was obviously the crowd favorite, and let's face it-he's got the cutest grin EVER! Yeah, I was happy!
Let's hear it for the next season of DWTS!!! Wonder what "stars" they'll dredge up for the spring competition??? Gotta love it!

Extreme Farm Fun

Paige & Aubrey before The Jump
Luke, Aubrey, & Paige in actionPaige & Aubrey rolling down the mash (this is what the kids jumped into). Note Paige's flower on the wall above Aubrey. This stuff is gooey enough that Paige could plaster it on the wall of the shed.
Smashing gyp
Tough guys

There you have it, folks! This is what we do for fun at Grandpa Bob's farm! The older kids were jumping into a pile of distilled corn mash (byproduct of ethanol that is fed to cattle)-anyway I think that's what the stuff is called. I think the word "distilled" says it all. This stuff smells like a sour brewery! However, it's warm and gooey, and the kids think it's the best stuff ever! Lane & Jack were occupied with climbing on the pile of gyp and smashing rocks. They could have spent hours out there if we let them.

TobyMac & Barlow Girl

Barlow Girl drummer-Their message is "Be a
voice, not an echo."

Paige & I went to an awesome concert a couple of weeks ago: TobyMac with opening acts Thousand Foot Krutch & Barlow Girl. Sorry for the bad pictures! If you ever get the chance to go to a Tobymac or Barlow Girl concert-GO! We took a group of kids from our church youth group down to Dodge City to see the show. It was a fun trip, too. I think we must have stopped fifty times for food!

A very blurry Tobymac

Shocking!

Forgot to post this on the Trick or Treat one--let me just say that I was shocked, shocked I tell you by the Results show of Dancing with the Stars on Tuesday. Okay, so I can predict the judge's scoring, but cannot predict the viewers' votes. I have only one friend who watches the show, too (yes, I have more than one friend-just not more than one who watches!), and so I feel the need to discuss this show on the blog.
I'm rooting for Mel B. Love her! Let me just say that Marie obviously has a large fan base, because she needs to go home!

Trick or Treat

What have I created??

Kaeleigh & Paige
The great scientist

Obviously, I'm a bit late for a Halloween post, but better late than never I always say! :) Anyway, Lane was a scientist-perfect for his personality! Paige did not dress up, but she had a "crazy sock" day at her school.


A church in town had a Heroes Unmasked fun night. It used material from Group Publishing (which our community has used for VBS for a few years), and was themed around various Biblical heroes & activities/games based on their stories. The kids loved it, came home with lots of candy, and expressed hope that they'll have it again next year. Each church in town sponsered a station, and the kids moved from station to station. Lane was especially transfixed with the witness at Jesus' tomb. After the story, we were able to enter the empty tomb and see the gravecloths. Very cool to a 7-year-old!

It's almost November????

Where did the time go? Well, not much exciting has happened around here recently. Try not to yawn as you read my update!
The first nine weeks is over for school. Paige and Lane both did very well on their report cards. Lane went on a couple of field trips, so that was a highlight. I didn't get to go-I'll go in the spring. Paige's volleyball team finished their season last week. They did not have a winning record, so it was a disappointing season. She started basketball practice today. Lane is still in gymnastics and loves it! It's amazing to see how his strength and flexibility have continued to develop and improve. Maybe I should be in the class!
We spent Saturday out at Mom & Dad's. Paige is earning money for a trip to Washington DC in May, so we worked on cleaning out the barn. We finished the job, and Paige & Lane both worked really hard until they found the baby kittens! Then they just wanted to hold the kittens and play with them. I can't say that I blame them. I used to spend HOURS in the chickenhouse playing with baby kittens when I was a girl. We also got to check out the basement in the old house. I hadn't been down there in awhile! The kids thought it was great-we found Uncle Clifton's army uniform hat, old taxes from Arthur Wiles from 1948, old ammo, an old wheelchair, etc. etc. Then Lane built a doghouse for Casey, with a little help from Grandpa Bob. The entire house took about 30 minutes to assemble, and Lane was thrilled. :)
Jason & I got to go to Garden City for the afternoon yesterday after church. I found two new pairs of jeans, so I was excited. I don't like shopping for jeans when I am looking for anything else. Jeans are so tricky-too short, too long, too big, too tight, etc. Anyway, finding two pair was great!
So, there you have it: my thrilling weekend. Actually, I have to admit- it was fine. I enjoy nice quiet weekends without commitments. After working all week and surviving the madness of school, activities, laundry, cooking, cleaning, sometimes I just want to sit in front of the TV and watch mindless shows.
Ahh-my final point. I did get to watch my one and only show: Dancing with the Stars! Corny, I know, but I love it! I'm getting pretty good at predicting the judges' scores. My guess is that Jane will get voted off tomorrow night. We'll see if I'm right....

New bedding

Okay, this isn't the most exciting post, but....I finally got new bedding for my room, so I am very excited! We got the furniture for Christmas last year, and it has taken me this long to find (and then actually purchase) bedding to go with the new bedroom set. I also got a very cool arrangement from the local pharmacy/gift store. It is next to the tv in the pics. I like the splash of color it adds to the room. I would like to find a cool, but inexpensive, mirror to hang above the tv. Since I know myself, it will probably take at least six months for me to accomplish that!

We have a winner!!

Paige (1st) & teammate Nicole (4th)-Can you tell it was windy??

Paige won the 7th grade girls league cross country title yesterday!! She was very excited (although she maintained her calm, cool composure :) ). This was the final cross country meet for the season, so she finished with a bang! Can you tell I'm proud???



On another note, Lane is home sick this afternoon (reason why I'm posting at 1:00 pm). Poor kiddo-he threw up in the cafeteria! That was always one of my biggest fears...getting sick in front of my friends!

Lane is 7 today!!

Birthday treats at school on Friday
Happy birthday, Lane!! It's hard for me to believe that my "baby" is already seven years old! Wow. He received some fun gifts: a science experiment kit (complete with a pooping intestine), Lego City garage/car wash and street sweeper, Lego tractor, new cowboy boots, and a ton of other cool stuff! We didn't have school today, so Lane got to sleep in a little. However, I had to leave early for a conference (reason why no school), so I had to call Lane to tell him "Happy Birthday" when he woke up. That stunk! Poor, poor me, but really, I felt like a rotten mom. Hopefully, we can have a party this coming weekend so that he feels like he really had a birthday.

A big, cheesy grin for the camera

Stop the car!!!

We were driving through Ulysses the other day when.........Jason and Lane spotted an old combine! They were so excited. We went around the block and stopped to check it out. Apparently it still runs (don't ask me any questions-I'm only the photographer). Anyway, this made Lane's day!

Summer 2007

We got to spend a little time at the lake this summer. Lane and Casey, our puppy, had fun hanging out. Paige learned to waterski! She had a hard time at first, but she hung with it and was able to "get up."
Lane has been busy inventing things this summer. This is his "Memory Scanner." If you've seen the movie, Meet the Robinsons, this contraption will sound and look familiar. Lane was totally convinced that his invention would work. It didn't .....and he was crushed. Now he is back to the drawing board.
Labor Day Weekend at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs.

The Runner!! Paige is having a great season in junior high cross country. She placed fourth overall yesterday ( in a race of 63 7th & 8th grade girls). She was also second in 7th grade girls, just 11 seconds behind the overall winner.

Here we go!!!

Hello, family and friends! Greetings from Western Kansas. I've been planning to create a blog for our family for about two months now. Paige is my assistant "blogger." She'll keep me from posting anything embarassing... I can't wait to hear from all of you as our blog takes off. I'll just begin with various photos from summer and fall.