Friday Fun

The first Friday we were in Evansville my mom took a vacation day so we could have some fun. The kids stayed all night with her on Thursday night after VBS. It was almost bedtime by the time I got back to my dad's house, but it was still a kid free night.

The plan was to go to yard sales first thing. I got a call from my mom around 7:15 asking if I was up. "Am now." She and the kids had been up for quite a while and wanted to know if they could go to yard sales without me. I told them to go and I would get moving and meet up with them. When I met them at my mom's house, they all had scored yard sale treasures. Aaron found a stapler which he carried in his back pocket all day. A guy with a gadget...what can I say?

Then we were off to Kohl's. I knew Aaron and Hannah would only last so long watching Mamaw Annie shop for clothes so the three of us went to the party store to look around while Mamaw Annie and Rachel shopped. We met them at Kohl's where we found them with a full cart of things still to be tried on. Aaron was hilarious. His face said, "This is not my idea of Friday fun." After my mom found what she was looking for each of the kids got to choose something. If I remember correctly, the girls each chose 4th of July flip-flops and Aaron got a shirt for the 4th.

By the time we were finished everyone was getting hungry. The plan was to go back to my mom's house for lunch but since we were on the other side of town and everyone was ready to eat she decided she would just take us to lunch. The kids new what they wanted right away, Red Robin. We had a Red Robin near our old house and it was our family favorite. We don't have one here. I told my mom it was a bit pricey, but she had never been there and wanted to try it out. It opened about 3 months ago. I got my favorite turkey BLTA croissant. Yummy!

Our next stop was the children's museum. It is located in an historic area of town in a building that was formerly a library. The next four pictures are of Hannah's favorite part. It was a water and ball exhibit that had an upstairs and downstairs. The balls could be shot up into this big duck and then were transported by a bucket to the lower level where they floated through different pools. The kids were able to climb inside the duck and dump balls. They could also shoot them out of different "cannons."

We all really liked the Human Body exhibit as well.

Here my mom is showing us a close up of her teeth.

Aaron was by far the best at balancing.

That is a model of the brain above Aaron. The activity is like the game Simon where you are shown a series of colored lights and have to reproduce the pattern.

Aaron and Hannah are hanging out in the giant nose.

There was a stage where the kid could choose an audio version of a story, put on costumes and act it out. Hannah joined in with some other kids who needed an extra person. Once the kids finish their performance they could watch it on a t.v. screen.

The music room was really neat. There were instruments from different parts of the world. The kids could play the instruments and make as much noise as they wanted.

I thought this water fountain was cool. It was originally placed in the building in 1931. How many people have stopped for a sip at this spot? Were they reading casually or researching far away places? Was it a bit of relief from a very hot and humid southern Indiana summer? Of course the kids didn't even want to slow down for me to take a picture. They weren't about to listen to me ramble on about it.

I left the kids at my mom's house while I ran to the store to get some last minute things for Aaron's birthday party. We rested a bit and were off to the last night of VBS.

Where Should I Begin?

The kids and I just returned from a two and a half week trip to visit family and friends in Indiana and Missouri. It was a much needed get away. We did so much that I don't think I could do the trip justice in one post. Since this blog serves as my scrapbook, I'm going to do several posts to make sure I record everything.

We arrived in Indiana on Wednesday June 10. The church I grew up in was in the middle of Vacation Bible School so I decided to take my kids. I had a great time seeing church members that I have known most of my life. My semi-new hair cut made them all do a double take. They would walk by and speak as though I was a visitor and then realize they knew who I was. That part alone was fun for me.

We ate dinner at my mom's house on Wednesday and Thursday and then I dropped the kids at VBS. My grandmother and aunt live just across the road so I sat and visited with them while the kids were at church. It was a bit odd to drop them for VBS and not be involved on the helping side.

The kids had a wonderful time at VBS. The church is much smaller than the one we attend, but the kids said it was the best ever. My cousin's kids also attended. My kids enjoyed the extra time with their cousins.

On Friday night, there was a commencement program followed by a cookout. PK arrived toward the end of the program so he was also able to catch up with everyone. He came in for Aaron's birthday party.

The pictures I took didn't turn out that great. I was using my camera and sitting in the very back.

My cousin's oldest daughter, Alexis, is on the left in the white shirt. Rachel is slightly in front of her and to the right in the green top. They are only about a year apart, but apparently Lexi got stronger height genes than Rachel.

Aaron is to the right in the red shirt and my cousin's oldest son, Darian, is in the blue shirt on the right. Darian accepted Christ during VBS.

Hannah is the little green blob second from the left and my cousin's youngest son is in orange on the right. My cousin has another daughter, but I don't have a picture of her from VBS. The little girl on the left was Hannah's new BFF. Too bad we don't live closer.

For the Stalkers

The kids and I have been out of town and I have not been able to update the blog. We will be home late this week and I will have a series of blog posts to write. I will also be leaving comments on all of the other blogs I've missed reading!

Those Bonds Run Deep

When P.K. decided to go active duty about 10 years ago and we got our orders to 29 Palms, I started to ask God to bless me with close friends in our new home. He granted me that request in abundance during our time there.

Christine is one of the those friends God sent my way. Her husband and P.K. were in the same unit and we lived on the same street in 29 Palms. She had one little girl when we first met and had her second daughter while we were stationed there. I remember them stopping by our house on their way home from the hospital. We loved to scrapbook together and go play Bingo at a church out in town. I couldn't begin to count the hours we spent at the park or walking through the neighborhood. When I took Rachel shopping for school clothes to start kindergarten, Christine was along. I remember buying a lot of pink on that trip.

The kids and I had the opportunity to go visit Christine and her girls this past weekend.

While we were visiting we had a conversation about how quickly military spouses get to know one another. Christine used the example that in a military community when a new neighbor moves in and you see carseats in the new neighbor's car you walk up and say, "Hi. I live across the street. I see you have carseats. I have kids in carseats. Let's meet at the park." Or, "I saw you running/walking with your jogging stroller. I run/walk too. I'll meet you tomorrow." You are automatically new best friends. Before you know the new neighbor for more than five minutes you will know the following information (at least): Where the new neighbor just moved from. How many moves this makes. Which unit her husband is with and his MOS. How many children they have and where they were stationed when the kids were born. Where she is originally from and if her husband will be deploying in the near future. If she has children old enough to babysit. If she is a stay-at-home mom or will be working. If you are planning to move in the next six months you will also let the new neighbor know that you are available should she need anything but she may not want to bother getting to know you.

On one of our outings (which I will discuss in just a moment) this weekend, we met another military family. The wife asked how we knew each other and we told her we had been stationed together in California. She said, "Those bonds run deep." That summed it up. Christine is my friend which is a simple word we use loosely, but when I call her "friend" I mean "That bond runs deep."

She showed the kids and me a great time. We had pizza for dinner on Friday night. She timed the delivery so we could eat right away. The kids started playing together as soon as we arrived and played nicely all weekend. Jill and Ally graciously shared all their toys.

This was their favorite. Using playdough, plastic molds and a liquid, the kids were able to make rubber aliens.

One of Hannah's aliens.

One of Jill's aliens.

Rachel and Hannah taught Jill how to play the DS.

Saturday morning Christine made waffles for breakfast

and then got a phone call from her husband, John, who is currently serving in Iraq. I am proud to know John and others like him who have dedicated their lives to protect the rest of us and I am so proud of my friends like Christine who live the life of a single parent at home.

After much debate over whether or not we should brave the weather we went to the beach. The kids played in the waves, dug in the sand and collected shells.

Aaron buried Ally's feet in the sand.

Ally and Jill playing in the sand.

Rachel, Jill and Hannah playing in the waves.

It is the first time Aaron and Hannah had played in the ocean. We had a picnic lunch and then went back to Christine's house to rest up for the rest of the day.

Later that afternoon, we took a horse and carriage tour through a town called New Bern. It was originally a Swiss settlement and named after Bern, a country in Switzerland. The word Bern means bear and pictures and statues of bears can be found throughout the town. It is the birthplace of Pepsi.

The horse's name was Cody which Hannah would think is very important information to include.

This is Cody.

This church was destroyed by a fire earlier in the town's history. The building in the background is the new building. The benches just on the inside of the fence sit on the original foundation. George Washington once worshiped here.

The oldest Catholic church in North Carolina is located in New Bern.

New Bern is also home to the third oldest Jewish synagogue in the country.

After the tour, we ate at a restaurant called Cow Cafe.

There is an area for the kids in the back of the restaurant decorated as a miniature barn.

The Cow Cafe serves deli style sandwiches and very good ice cream.

We passed Cow Cafe on our carriage tour.

Sunday we went to the aquarium.

Hannah, Jill, Aaron, Ally and Rachel in front of the aquarium. Disclaimer: Rachel fixed her own hair and Ally dressed herself.

Hannah and Ally

Rachel

The kids got to watch divers in the large tank with the sharks and Hannah even got to ask a question. After the diver gave his presentation he swam by the glass and gave the kids a high five from the other side. The kids especially loved the touch pools. We also saw baby sea turtles. The aquarium releases young sea turtles back into the wild every year.

The aquarium had a snake display. Of course, that made Aaron's day.

That's a rubber sea snake he got from the gift shop hanging around his neck.

This is Christine and me at a marsh behind the aquarium. I was talking to Rachel while she took the picture which is why I have that funny look on my face.

After the aquarium we decided to have lunch at a seafood restaurant called Sanitary in the town of Beaufort, pronounced Bo (long o) ford. We were laughing because we were eating at a place specializing in seafood and Christine, Aaron, Jill and I had burgers and Ally had chicken tenders.

Rachel and Hannah did have shrimp though. Once we ordered, the waiter brought us baskets of hushpuppies. Yummy!

We decided to walk along the waterfront. Christine remembered she had a voucher for a harbor tour/dolphin watching boat.

While we were waiting to board the boat Aaron saw some other kids looking at a snake under the dock. That was probably even more fun than seeing the snakes in the cages at the aquarium.

I was a bit nervous about the boat ride at first because I was sure one of the kids would fall overboard, but once we were underway I was able to relax and had a great time.

Rachel and Ally on the tour boat.

I had been on a short dinner cruise while in college, but this was a first for both me and the kids.

Our tour boat.

The kids even got a chance to drive the boat.

Hannah at the helm.

Aaron at the helm.

Rachel at the helm.

Jill at the helm.

We cruised by Carrot Island which is home to wild horses.

The horses were brought to the barrier islands by the Spanish in the 1500s. The horses survive by eating wild grasses on the island and drinking rain water. When water is hard to find above ground the horses will sniff out rainwater under the soil and dig with their hooves.

This is Aaron and Hannah with one of the horses in the background.

Rachel with one of the horses in the background.

We saw the restaurant where we had lunch.

We went under a drawbridge.

There was not a dolphin to be seen, but I still thought it was lots of fun. The tour lasted about an hour and a half and then it was time to go home for dinner.

It is very important to note that Christine had planned to actually cook, but I talked her out of it and convinced her we should just finish off the leftover pizza.

Ally, Aaron and Jill having dinner in the clubhouse.

Jill and Ally have an awesome play structure in their backyard. I loved sitting on the patio and enjoying the backyard.

We left early on Monday morning and I cried. I knew I would be sad to leave, but the tears caught me off guard just a bit. Those bonds do run deep...