Alligator Farm

We went with some friends to the alligator farm. I did not know what to expect from this adventure. We had heard it was alot of fun and seeing as Ruthie has a love for all things slimey I figured this was right up her alley!

Lulu was all in as well. She really enjoyed seeing the animals in the tanks and even let them put the reptile on her lap when we first got there. Ruthie was surprisingly afraid. I think that she was overwhelmed.

We fed turtles

When we went outside to the alligator farm, the owner was extremely animated and had a large personality. Which immediately freaked Lulu out. She withdrew and wanted me to hold her the entire time. At one point the man says to her.....You and I aren't getting along you don't like me very much do you?..... She doesn't say anything..... Then he says......Is it because I am ugly?... Her reply..."Yes"....... I nearly died!

The owner had the kids hold a baby alligator. So Ruthie did it, and then when I tried to get Lulu to do it, she froze. So he says "Here watch your mom" OK. I DON'T TOUCH REPTILES. Well then he gets on my case that how can I make my kids do it if I won't. Totally makes me do it. So freaking scary. Yes, totally crying.

Ruthie held the alligator and then touched his teeth. (while the mouth was rubber-banded closed)

Then we got to feed HUGE alligators.

SO MUCH FUN. Except the holding them part.

Dairy Farm

We went to visit another Dairy Farm with our friends. We love cows and hearing all about the daily working of a farm. Monica our host was so lovely and extremely informative.

saying hello to the cows

This calf was born while we were there.

Checking out the milking room.

Thanks for making the bed....

I swear Simon wonders what I do all day.... Well here it is. He makes the bed every morning before he leaves for work. (He also vacuums every night when he comes home from work - but that is another post for another day). He really likes to have things all nice and tidy. Well, no sooner had he made the bed and left for work, that the girls were in our room jumping on the bed and taking the sheets off.

So.... Ultimately, I make it look like a tornado (aka, Ruthie and Lulu) hasn't struck our house every day. But it most certainly has hit EVERY DAY!

So of course I emailed these pictures to him at work and said..... "Thanks for making the bed"

Ruthie loves her frogs

She will never get sick of playing with Frogs.

Dinosaurs at the Zoo

While we were in Cleveland we visited the zoo with Gammy. During the summer months they usually have the dinosaurs that move and make noise on exhibit. The girls LOVED them. I thought for sure they would be scared. Not my troopers!

When I asked the girls the best part of being in Cleveland. It was the trip to the zoo with Gammy!

My Friend KP

I got a call from my friend KP today who was upset about not being mentioned in the midwest tour.



A highlight of the Indianapolis - Columbus - Cleveland trip was seeing my friend KP 3 times!!!! She was vivisting her parents in Cleveland at the same time I was there since she resides in NC.



That is HUGE! We talk very regularly. She is hystrerical (seriously a modern day Bridget Jones). Wonderful teacher, friend, craft person extraordinaire... ( I would love to post something that she has made for my kids but..... Oh wait they outgrew them) HINT. HINT.HINT.


Love ya KP, hope to see you at Christmas!

Personal Update

Seriously, the black cloud is still lingering. I am trying to appreciate it, get to know it. Maybe invite it in for coffee.... (although, I had to have brown sugar in my coffee this morning because we are totally out of sugar, so maybe that is not the best thing). On Sunday I had a monumental wipeout! Seriously, couldn't walk, almost passed out, ready to puke. I was heading up to a practice transition and could not get my shoes out of the clips on the pedals. Could not, I mean totally stuck. I may have well performed a tap dance. So there I am right behind my car not even going fast and I just fall to the ground. FUNNY RIGHT! The only bad part was that in the middle of the fall the handlebars twisted so one handlebar hit the ground, the other handlebar hit my chest. All my body took the fall on that one handlebar. To say it was awful is an understatement. I would put a picture up here of the bruising but it might be considered a little too graphic. Anyone I know I show and it definitely brings up some horrible noises and looks of horror.

So there I am driving home, crying hysterical, ready to give up. It is so not worth this, I am just going back to being Molly the beer drinker. (Molly the beer drinker is alot of fun). But, I am not a quitter, (sometimes I stop reading books before I get to the end, because I don't like the turn the book has taken - but I don't quit other things) I have worked hard for this, I am enjoying this, I just don't want it to consume me. I start to think that perhaps the black cloud started right around the time I started my training, coincidence? I don't know.

So I am a mile from home, I have calmed myself down. My sadness has turned to frustration and anger. Frustration and anger because I didn't get to do the run part and I wasted all that time driving down there and now I can't finish the workout and I pass a church that always has great saying on their board outside.

"The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God could not keep you."

I can do this. I may have to walk the run since the impact of the crash has caused alot of soreness in my upper body and it hurts to even walk upstairs right now let alone run. I haven't gotten back up on the bike, I am waiting until my doctor gives me the ok tomorrow. I tried swimming and while it hurt, I am sure it will feel better in a few days. Took the bike to the shop to have them adjust the foot clips, and make sure I didn't break the bike. All clear there.

I just have to keep motoring away at this. It is not easy, but I am doing my best.

Ruthie's dream come true!

Ruthie has always had a thing for motorcycles. Our good friend Tony (of Vicki and Tony) sent her one of his motorcycles that has been a beloved toy. She loves playing with her matchbox cars but the motorcycle, so totally cool. She is still waiting for a picture of Tony on his motorcycle. (hint, hint). In a very concerned voice she told me the other day that she doesn't even know what Tony's bike looks like.

Well this is Ruthie, on a bike she wishes she had, lovin life. What do you think? Is she ready to be a biker chick?

1 Specialist Down 1 to go.....

It is official, Ruthie has to get her tonsils out. I always knew in the back of my head that we would have to do this.......It just doesn't make it any easier. I teared up while in the doctor's office at the prognosis. But totally held it together for the sake of Ruthie.

Ruthie has been plagued with sleep issues for the past few years. Night terrors, which we associated with Simon being gone alot. Sleep walking, which is so fun. We always could predict when they were going to happen, usually when she was exhausted. (I am pretty rigid and keep a tight schedule but whenever we push it we ran the risk of sleep issues)

Our doctor mentioned at her check up that she has "abnormally large" tonsils. Perhaps she has sleep apnea which that in turn causes the exhaustion (i.e. not getting quality sleep) which in turn causes the sleep issues. We didn't really put alot of thought into until I spent a week while Simon was away with her in my bed. (My choice, do you have any idea how freaky it is to be all by yourself and have a sleep walker wandering around the house?) Well, that child doesn't sleep AT ALL. One week and I was a believer.

We waited for a while to get into the specialist, and had to all attend. Daddy doesn't miss appointments. Especially one like this! One look at they too were convinced. Apparently when she says (ahhh, that is flexing) When she flexes her tonsils they still take up 75% of the back of her throat. The doctor thinks that when she is not flexing there is a good chance they are touching. This in turn causes the sleep issues, among many other issues.

Anyhoo, I could go on for hours with the research and doctor info. And I am sure that people probably have differing opinions. But I know that this is the best decision for my family. That is all that matters. Still something I am going to worry about and think about until the procedure is behind us. We will do this in October since we have decided to wait and get her acclimated to school before we have to pull her out.

Lulu's specialist appointment for her kidneys' and bladder is coming in the next few weeks and I am hoping that she is able to have some kind of plan of action for her.

Never a dull moment.

Yes, this is how I found Lulu the other morning when I went to tell her that breakfast was ready, sneaking the chips and hanging out in my bed.

Crazy Black Cloud

Leave me ALONE

I think I am on the road to bluer skies!

Simon has been out of town we have been on a midwest tour. I will try to upload pics and blog soon.

Black cloud that has been following me......

4 new tires on a 3 year old car...guess too many midwest tours
broken parts while getting new tires
still working on the basement repairs.....I always wanted a pool, just not one in my basement. Water has stopped now, we have to put it all back together again.
Before Simon left he managed to step on my laptop. Totally fried.
Sunglasses in dirty McDonalds toilet.
Bike wipeout.
Broke my watch
Broke my cell phone - water and cell phones don't mix
Lulu had a bad bladder/kidney infection she has to see a specialist (104.7 fever)
Ruthie has an appointment in the next few days for a ENT regarding her tonsils.

Never a dull moment.

Back to my regularly scheduled workouts since my race is 4 weeks from today. YIKES!