Just a Quick Update

My husband got a new phone...a droid something or another.  He is sitting behind me letting me know how many square inches of property we own....

Because apparently we all need to know the inches, feet and centimeters he and I farm here.

Anyhow...

I have survived the week and I find this miraculous because....

I don't like to be gone much and I have been gone each and every day for days and days on end.  THIS week alone...

This weekend - S1 SHOT HIS FIRST DEER!!!!! And, oh, that's a blog post he'll take over. :)

Monday - went to Shipsiwana.  Oh, that is a blog post in itself.

Tuesday - worked at the library.  Do you all know how much I love the library????

Wednesday - field trip to the capitol with S2.  On a bus for two hours one way, people.  And I survived.

Thursday - doctor's appointments for boys and grocery shopping...also, I cleaned my fridge.  I think it was breeding new forms of food in there.  Okay, not really food because I would never eat what it was breeding.

Friday - work and HOME...all of us home at night!  No football practice!  As we were putting our coats on (seriously, my coat was ON) to head out the door to a neighbor's to help with cider making, S4 puked all over the floor.

Tomorrow is S2's football game.  He won since I last wrote to you (how long it's been since I have blogged) and then he lost terribly last week.  Tonight he tried to catch a football in the dark, it slammed into his face and he is crying himself to sleep sure he will never get to play football tomorrow.

I don't think he will play football in the dark again anytime soon.

Anyhow...

That's my week.

But I miss you all so very much!

Next week looks slower....notice I didn't say normal (what is normal?)...and I hope to blog lots because I have lots and lots of stories for you!

Now that I have said that I will suffer the worst case of writer's block.

But tomorrow, TOMORROW, other than the football game I'll have to fill you all in on (and the awesome book I just finished...) is the day PRAISE AND COFFEE MAGAZINE goes out.  Woohoo!  We are a year old with this issue.  AMAZING.

Okay, gotta run.  I fear I look so haggard tired that the frozen spoons in my freezer won't do much for me tomorrow.

And my husband keeps telling me all these facts from his droid phone, stuff he is sure I need to know.

I assure him one day soon I will own an iphone and it will knock his droids socks off.

Portrait Innovations

On the first week of school, I received home the note stating that school pictures would be taken that Friday.  You know, the day everyone is so exhausted they can hardly keep their eyes open but when they are still tan from summer and their new school clothes are still very much new.

I sat down and figured out how much it would cost for my four boys to get the photos taken....it would be 49 dollars a PIECE.  So, times four..... 

Two hundred dollars, people, to get the packages I needed for the boys.

That was when An told me to check out Portrait Innovations.  She had just been there and had a stack of pictures to show me.  Kelly, the girl who took her three boys photos, had caught him jumping in the air into a blue leather child's chair.

I gave them a call and scheduled an appointment for my boys with Kelly, and then asked if we could do family photos if my husband was available. They gushed that they'd love that.

When I called to make the appointment, they had openings that day, the next day....but I chose the next Sunday knowing we would be all home and should be rested.

You recall our last family photos.  I wasn't sure if Hubs would agree with getting a family picture.  But...HE DID.  Kelly, whom we requested, had no idea what she was up against.

Not knowing how long it would take us to get there, we arrived about 20 minutes early.  And they were ready for us.

Husband was already impressed.

She then proceeded to take the normal school photos......

 S3, as I rarely see him, all cleaned up and smiling brightly.  He immediately was taken with Kelly.

 S4.  Hello, would these NOT be the cutest ever pictures of him?  Missing all his front teeth, scar on his forehead....and Kelly caught his grins especially perfectly.

 Hubs and me.  Honestly, we had had a rough day that day - and that hardly ever happens - but Kelly was so great at pictures she actually just caught us being us.  I love the pictures she got of us!

This family photo????? Our absolute favorite!  It's in a 10 x 13 frame in our house right now.  We all love it!

Kelly did a great job catching our personalities...capturing the funny things that happened.  Like this....

 She caught the essence of the kids....

 Let them be themselves and knew just when to snap the camera.

 Even when S3 and S4 got the giggles...especially S3.  He had Kelly giggling by the end of the session!

 This here is one of my most favorite photos.  She caught my growing S1 just so perfectly.  This is allllllll S1 right here.  I'm floored how old he seems.

 She had the brilliant idea to line up the middle boys...

 And work around S3's giggles....

 And capture the preciousness of little boyhood.

 S4 was pretty sure he was going to get tickled in this photo....

 But Kelly became the BEST ever to S2 when she took pictures of him in his football jersey (that he has to give back at the end of the season) with an arena background.

 She caught pictures of him tossing the ball to his brother.

 Knew how to make him look ready to play.  Feel totally cool.

We were going to be a hard family to impress, but she won us completely over.

She knew just how to line up the photos to make them look the best when printed.  She had an eye to line up the right poses together.

And then she told us our photos would be ready to be picked up FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER.

All of them.

Including the disc, so I could share them here with all of you.

Out the door, all the photos we took home were $222 photos.  There are two "school" picture poses of the boys, poses of all four boys together,  family photos, pictures of Jake and I, football pictures and a few "special" arrangements.

We were bowled over impressed. I cannot rave enough about the GREAT TIME we had.  My husband, MY HUSBAND, loved the time and pictures.  People, that is IMPRESSIVE.

Look up Portrait Innovations.  They are all over the country.  I just punched in 50 mile radius to find the nearest one to us... but I knew I would be using Kelly because she had done such a great job with An's boys.

And if you were to wait...like the boys had to while we were checking what pictures to get...the waiting room is filled with comfy couches and chairs, toys, legos - the boys were not in any way ready to go.

They have no idea that I would blog about them, but they did such a great job it should be shared with every family everywhere. Check them out pronto!!!!

Sometimes You Just Have to Laugh

I sorta HAVE to write this blog.

I have to clear my name...or something like that.

The story really starts on Saturday night.  I was so exhausted. You know that tired that soaks into your bones? That was me. So I might have been begging asking my husband if we could go to bed a little early...like RIGHT now at 9:00 pm.  He was tired of being annoyed by me and agreed.

I lept into bed.

He lied.  He stayed up until the awful hours of 11pm, but I was sound asleep by then.

When I woke up Sunday morning - early - to get potluck food ready for TWO potlucks we had that day, I told him I knew he lied to me about going to bed early the night before.  And he better make it up to me.

After making up the dishes we were to take, cleaning the counters off, loading the dishwasher and starting the laundry, I made coffee and then hopped into the shower.

Side note here - We heat all our water from an outdoor wood heater.  (For guys who check this blog out, check out Central Boiler.  It heats our water all year long and our old farmhouse plus the separate inlaw house on our property all winter.) The day before, my wonderful, outdoorsy, tough hubby mentioned he needed to throw some wood in the fire after he got done working on his car...

He forgot.

Back to my story.

In the shower, I realized we had no hot water.

As in...barely lukewarm at best.

I began hollering for everyone to shut off the dishwasher and the washing machine.

It was about this time that my sweet husband asked me if I had made breakfast that morning...you know, something other than cereal.

I did not scream.

It WAS Sunday, after all.

Because it's my one super dress up day of the week, I had to shave my legs.  I mean, six days a week I may be make up less in ripped jeans and a hoodie but on Sunday I like to dress up.  I like heels.  I like my husband to look at me and say "Yah, I married her."

I was doing a sub shower.  You know, where you get wet, shut the water off, scrub up, turn the water back on to rinse...  I had to do this to shave my legs.  But I was so cold I had to rub my legs to get the goosebumps gone to shave my legs.

It was tricky to say the least.

When I got out of the shower, shivering, I wrapped up in my robe, dug out my biggest pots and started heating water.  S3 and S4 still needed a bath because they had fallen asleep - dirty as they should be on a Saturday - before a bath could be had.  So I made them an old fashioned bath, heating water and dumping it into the tub.  It worked, they thought it was pretty neato.

By this point, we are running very late on time so I slipped into my jean skirt, a black silk top and my black spiky heels - I love these heels - and entered the kitchen all ready to go.  Pouring some coffee in my to go cup, hubs caught a glimpse of me and began to nearly drool.

Honest.

I've worn the skirt tons of times, I've worn the black silk tank with jeans just recently, I wear the heels as often as I can on Sunday's.  But all together? He sent me back to change.

And here is the key part of the story...as if all the rest isn't key enough...all this time I am texting Morgan because I know we are now going to be late.  I told her we were leaving and then I had to tell her I had been sent to change.

What I did NOT know is that she then shared this information with the entire class...then suddenly realized maybe she shouldn't have.  A little late.  But to be fair, she felt bad as soon as she declared it to the class.

Upon arriving to church (I was wearing a black t-shirt instead of the tank), I pulled off nearly running in the grass - IN SPIKED HEELS - to make it into church and usher our boys off to the new Sunday school classes.  Since Morgan had told me where to find our new class, we had come up with the sneaky plan to walk around and use the old church door that would get us about right where we needed to be without hardly a soul seeing us.

The door was locked.

At this point the whole morning was so hilarious to me.  The big white doors on the old 150 year old church building being locked was my undoing and I was struck with a serious case of the giggles.  Here we are, attempting to sneak into church and we are locked out.  After all we had done to get to class, we were stuck outside.

I couldn't stop laughing.

Hubby was dragging me along behind me as we walked in the other doors.  We now had to walk through the all women's Sunday school - every woman totally became silent as he entered that room we had to walk through to get to the stairs to our class -.

Awkward.

We finally arrived to class, where Morgan was leaving.  It was too stuffy and hot for her pregnant sister in law. And I looked around and realized that in this class, Hubs and I are going to be one of the oldest couples there.  But we were invited to the class and we really are looking forward to it.

I think it'll make us stretch and grow in our day to day faith....if we can get there on time.

After Sunday school someone pulled me aside to let me know I looked nice....since I had to change and all.  I got the whole story then and it just went with the day, I swear.

So I had to write this long rambling blog post basically for my new Sunday School class so they will know what really happened that day.  And so they realize just what they may get having invited us old folks to the Sunday school.

It's gonna be a blast....

S2's First Football Game

Well, we are now officially football parents.

We arrived at the game over half an hour EARLY, S2 was so worried we would be late.

I got to watch some of my friends boys play football, I worked in the concession stand (I may have cheered loudly a few times as the touchdown was right out my window), and when it came time to watch the game, I settled into the bleachers.

I'm not sure who was more excited and worried.

I'd guess S2.....

It was close though.

But Daddy ended up on the field to cheer - seriously.

And I may have jumped up and down and cheered so much I shocked even myself.

I think we have caught the football bug.

Here he is with his best football buddy....they just assume they must be in all photos together. I love that.  I am so thankful they have each other.

 Woohoo!!!! About to walk on the BIG FIELD for the FIRST TIME!

 Last minute instructions......

 Action on the field.....I have to tell you right now, I am a terrible picture taker because I am so afraid to take my eyes off my little football player that I can hardly get any shot at all.

 Good game, good game, good game.....

 They made it through the line before they began celebrating insanely.

 Exhausted, but MUCH brighter smile that he had his first game!

 Daddy, who was working, made it just in time to see the game.

And what a game it was! They won 25 to Zero.  That is a pretty good confidence booster after a tough and awful scrimmage a few days prior.

But it was kinda tough to drive away, all happy, and follow all the cars home and realize some of the players we won against live on the same road as us.  Because while I am totally ecstatic over a win for him, I know that we could easily be the ones loosing.

And whenever a player lays on the field and cries, my heart stops.  That could be my little boy out there.

It's an emotionally draining day, football days.

But honestly, SUCH a blast.

Here's a video of an amazing touchdown that S2 ran....but it didn't count, there was an illegal tackle or something like that (still reading to learn about football).

It's an awful video but in it you'll get just how excited my husband gets during the game.  The good part start about three minutes in.

We Have a Football Player in the House

S2 has signed up for football.

I am now a football mom.

On his first day of practice, he couldn't stop pacing he was so excited.
He had to eat a good meal...
A good meal to him is toaster waffles.

You can see him here at his first practice, tossing the ball around.  You can note his green shirt and tall maroon socks.

I thought he did a great job throwing this ball....but that may be a moma brag.

Notice how he is "sorta" looking at me.  He would only give me a half a wave, just barely moving his hand a little.  I, however, waved all out enthusiastically at him.  I'm THAT mom, apparently.

Don't they all look so little?  This was the very first day of the very first practice.  They have since moved on to full pads for practice, but I love their look here, all helmets and chewed mouth guards.

You can't tell unless you know, but here is S2 in his green shirt, next to his best friend, in his green shirt.  And they didn't even plan it.  JC lived right down the road from us and the two boys love that they get to play football together.

As a girl, I happen to know NOTHING about football.  Not. A. Thing.  Except what I learned from movies like Remember the Titans, Facing the Giants and the such.  But I did know I wouldn't enjoy watching boys pile up on my son.

I mean, how do you go from protecting them from all harm to slapping the side of the helmet and saying "Hey! Go get beat up!"

So, I told my little nine year old "Here's the deal.  You can play football if you run so fast that no one can catch you."

We'll see how that works...TODAY is his FIRST GAME. 

I'll be the crazy cheering mom, you won't be able to miss me. 

We Have Nearly Survived the First Week of School

It's Friday.

I don't think I have ever looked forward to a Friday so much in a super long time.

It's the first week of school - and while it is a four day week - it has been kicking our butts.  As S4 has whined..."Why do we have to go EVERY day?'  And S1 admits he would like school a bit more if he could just have a day to sleep in.  Okay, maybe every day sleep in and then go to school.

We've had school, practice and Daddy has been working crazy hours every day this week.

Can. Not. Wait. For. Tonight.

We are going to eat a ham meal, settle in on the couch and veg...all cuddled together.

We'll probably all be asleep by seven pm.  But that will be just fine by all of us, I'm sure.

Here's a snap shot of this morning....

After a morning where S4 has cried that school is horrible and he doesn't want to go back, S3 is peeling a carrot for his bunny but then decided to eat most of it himself, S2 just wants us to GET TO SCHOOL because he gets to wear his jersey to school today and S1 just wants just one day to sleep in....

We got in the suburban a bit late.

S4 remembered he hadn't eaten breakfast at 7:38.  We have to leave school at 7:40.

Today is school picture day.  We found some great place that is highly recommended by a friend and we are going for family photos Sunday.....

All you who recall our last family photos

Knows how monumental that above statement is.

And now you should all pray for me.

And suggest clothes for us to wear.  Quickly.

I told the boys they could wear what they wanted today for the yearbook picture they will be getting.

S1 is fully decked out in camo.  S2 has his jersey on (of course).  S3 is bundled up in his most favorite John Deere coat/sweater thing.  S4 has on a black tshirt with a motorcycle on it because it makes him look dangerous.

Seriously.

We jammed to Ted Nugent's Fred Bear on the way to school, with another song by the Beatle's thrown in, ran in to the door (because we were nearly late) and S4 lost his shoe and began to sob.

Because we can not STILL find his shoes and he is wearing S3's shoes.  The velcro is about shot on them.  It's not a pretty sight.

We finally make it in the door where S1 has to hug me to find out what we are having for dinner.  No hug, no dinner knowledge.  And since this is NEED TO KNOW information, I'm getting a hug every day.  I consider this awesome.

We manage to deliver all the boys to the correct class before the school bell rings.  S3 just has a little more carrot to munch on as he walks into class.

We are getting there.  I think.  I hope.

But tonight? Oh, tonight I am so excited to have all my boys home and cuddle them and chill for the whole evening.  That will be total Friday night bliss.

Music Videos According to S4

The first couple of times I heard this song, I only heard the ending.

And it drove me crazy.

Remind me WHAT?

And then I'd try to remember if I was supposed to remember something and it grated my nerves.

But then my husband told me it's really a great song.  Then Morg told me I'd love it too.

And they both told me in the same conversation.

So I pulled it up on youtube (before the video was out) and agreed, it really is a good song.

Because I love Carrie's music and because I wish I had her wardrobe (moment to dream and sigh.....), I couldn't wait until the video came out.  I was hoping it would be classy.

The first time I seen it was on CMT, S4 was standing with me watching too.  He knew it was a favorite song of mine due to the way I cranked the radio when it came on.....



And, being S4, he had to have a commentary for it.

Like, "That is a big beach."

"Hey, where is the water at that beach?"

"It sure is windy there."

"What they should have done is brought a kite.  A kite would be good there!"

"Her dress sure blows around a lot.  Good thing you aren't wearing a dress there, huh, Moma?'

"This is crazy, why are they still walking?"

"I still can't see the lake at this beach."

"They really REALLY should have brought a kite."

Hopefully you can be giggling now too.

Two If By Tea

My husband hijacked my blog.

He told me he was going to. I told him it would be fun!

And last night he sat down with a legal yellow notepad and went to work, writing.

People, he never writes unless forced.

I didn't read it, he just laid it by my computer and told me it'd need editing.

But here it is, in his own words...

I - Jason Dykstra (Denise's husband) - decided to hijack her blog today and sing her praises and thank her.

(I think I'll let him hijack my blog all the time.  This is sounding great!)

She is amazingly attentive to the needs and wants of me and others and herself.

I drive gravel truck and have for about eleven years.  Being in a truck all day has caused me to listen to the AM/FM a lot.  Being a staunch right thinking conservative, I love listening to Rush Limbaugh.

Around the middle of June or so Rush offered a new Iced Tea called Two If By Tea.  It's a play on Paul Revere's two if by tea and a nod to the Tea Party.  And, I think Rush just plain loves tea.

One day I came home and was telling Denise abut Rush's new business venture and on the third of July my sweet wife had a case of Raspberry Two if By Tea chilling in the fridge for me.

I saved them for the next month or so.  It's mail order only so it's not like you can just run out and pick it up. 

It was getting close to Labor Day and Rush had a special offer.  Ten winers would win a years supply of tea if they ordered before Labor Day.  I told Denise about this and mentioned that Rush was also giving away a Select Comfort Sleep Number bed.

We had checked out a Sleep Number bed on her birthday in August when we visited the mall.  It made a pretty big impression on us.

But unknown to me, my sweet little wife already had ordered another case of Raspberry tea for me and it showed up Saturday before Labor day.

That is one of the many reasons I love her always taking care of me subtle hints and thinking about everybody but herself.  

Try Two if by Tea, it is the best. 

And listen to Rush.

Your taste buds will be aroused by the tea and you will be much more informed from Rush.

Now I'll give the blog back to my lovely bride.

Thanks for reading.

Jake writing out the second page of this post, late at night, after working and doing field work too.

I had no idea what he'd say, I typed it out as I read it for the first time.
All I changed were a few grammar mistakes and misspellings.

And I just may have had to tear up a bit.  This is the ultimate in sweetness.  

I am so keeping these yellow sheets!

I love you, hubby!!!!

Breakfast Conversations

On Labor Day Monday, we were all sitting around the breakfast table eating a mini feast.

The conversation moved to the next day being the dreaded start of school when S4 declared...."I hope that  A doesn't kiss me again this year!"

"She did? Gross!" my husband declared, which was all the encouragement that S4 needed to continue his story.

"She DID. She just leaned in and kissed me!  If she does that again, she is so going to get a referral."

"Did you wash that spot really good?" my husband asked.

"Not right away..." S4 faltered, wondering why this was important.

"Well, girls have cooties!  And cooties are gross!" My husband informed him.

"Well, I've taken a million baths since then.  Why would any girl kiss me anyhow? It's not like it was our wedding day."

My husband nearly choked on his sausage.  "That's right, what was she thinking kissing you before a wedding day?  Kissing is for after the wedding.  Everyone knows that."




This moment reminded me of Becca's recent moment like this.  You can read it HERE.

Celebrate MOM on the 1st Day of School

As you drop you little ones off at the school door...

If you cheered big cheers or cried crocodile tears....

You NEED to read this post by one of my very best friends, The Farmer's Wife.

Seriously, she nailed this one.

You can thank me later.....

Cuz I know you will.  It's that good.

Cohagen Chronicles

When We Returned Home From Camping....

THIS

Was the Sight that Greeted Me....

I don't think that my dog, Josie, has ever been so happy to see us.  She has not - a full two weeks later - stopped following me around.  Every. Single. Step. I. Take.

And I now know what my husband's life would be like had he not married me.

It's a sad sad sad thought.  I think he knows he needs me.

Which is good, because I super need him too!

Thanks so much for following our camping adventures!!!

Regular daily posts will continue now.....

And we NEVER know what those will entail. 

Camping Highlights

My mom and I were sitting at the campfire one night recalling all the past camping trips.

Each is so different and yet we think they will be all somewhat the same.

This camping trip I was plagued with an allergic eye.
It was as bad as it sounds.
I couldn't read for TWO DAYS. Torture, I tell you!

We had thunderstorms.  I mean, rock you to your bare feet, light up the sky,
make you cry out (when you are suppose to the brave one), awful flooding campsites storms.

And our TV was broke.

During one of the storms, I had seven kids in the camper.
With no tv.
My sister was laying at one end of the bed nursing Blaine.
I was on the the other side of the bed wishing I could fall asleep.
And we just pulled the sheet door closed to pretend all the kids weren't there.
When my sister and I were little, I had never fathomed one day we would live that scenario.

And then, of course, there were the snakes.

All in all,
We had a GREAT camping trip.

So great that the boys cried at the thought of leaving the beach and the campsite.

Yes, after eight full days of never leaving the campground.
(Although, we did have to call my sister in law GM.
And she did arrive with water (WATER!) and she DID break into my house
(she is the only one who can),
to bring me things I forgot....like my ipod (gasp!) and camera charger.
I have decided I can NOT camp without GM.)

Some of the best times were....

Definitely the time spent with my niece and nephews.

That my husband was able to come out and visit us TWICE.  He sometimes never makes it once.

It was so fun to watch him play with the boys.

And take over the campfire because we girls don't seem to know how to make a fire....

or cook food properly.

I was most thankful he came to the lake so I could do this to him......

I told him it said "I love kitty cats."

The boys were dirty every single day.

And this made them happy.

The boys spent a whole day fishing.

Some poor old man came out to the lake where the boys were fishing 

and the boys clung to him like he was a hero.

I felt bad for the poor old man.

He seemed to laugh and enjoy himself.

Really. There is a cool fish on this line.

It's a huge one.

Like, maybe all of three INCHES!!!

After the first huge rainstorm, S4 decided he needed to sleep next to me.

How can you not be happy when you wake up to this?

See all his stuffed animals?

He had to line them all up like this.

In fact, in a suitcase he packed ONE pair of clothes and allllllllll his stuffed animals.

When he found out I had packed him clothes, he said I was the best moma.

We laughed tons and tons on this trip.

And loved the morning we woke up and all the boys crawled in the camper bed,

happy to have Daddy with them.

In all our time camping, he has never had a day off to visit us.

Until this year.

But when the eight days were up, 

I was missing my very own shower.

And my internet connection.

My poor computer was so lonely without it!

Now that we are home though, I would love to go back.  And every one of the boys has said at least once a day, "I wish we could be camping again."  So do I, boys, so do I.

Well, minus the snakes.

Snakes and Earthquakes

Eagle Lake is truly one of the most beautiful lakes I have ever seen.

When camping, during the middle of the week, we can arrive and very literally have the whole beach too ourselves.  It's pure bliss.

The water is clear and clean.  We all love to play and splash in it.

By the way, I just so love this photo of Hubby and S4.  Summer bliss all caught in one picture.

But imagine my total shock when one sunny day a snake appeared.

In the water.

I'm not sure the photo does it justice.  It was HUGE in water snake hugeness.  It slithered right through the swimming area.  The two oldest boys followed behind it (and took this picture) calling out "Snake! Water Snake headed your way!"

At first no one believed them.  But then as they seen it they began to clear out quickly - think a scene from JAWS - and quite the crowd gathered behind the snake to watch it make it's way clear across the swimming area off to the marshy grassy side where it slithered off.

I did not go to that grassy area the rest of the trip.

And I wasn't too keen on the idea of getting into my pretty lake either.  So I laid a blanket on the beach and settled in to read a book.

As I laid there I felt my whole body shift and move.  I checked the blanket and didn't see a thing (images of HUGE snakes did enter my mind) and I laid very still until my body stopped shaking.

I mentally took note thinking that it was a weird body experience and I may want to keep tabs on it and then lost myself in my book.

A bit later I checked my blackberry to see if I had a call from my husband (he wasn't at the beach this day, I just tossed that above photo of him in there because I love that picture) and was shocked to see the reports that there had been an EARTHQUAKE!!!!!

It wasn't some weird thing with me, I actually felt an EARTHQUAKE.

It was quite the day.

I eventually loved my lake enough to go back into the water, where my mom snapped this picture.

As we were driving back to the campground, I happened to notice a bike tire or something laying halfway across the road and thought maybe we should move it when the deflated bike tire PICKED UP IT's HEAD and SLITHERED AWAY.

I screamed.

I mean, I gripped the steering wheel and screamed my head off while that blue racer made a hasty escape.

The boys stared at me in bewilderment, not believing their moma could be SUCH a girly girl, but apparently I am.

I've never seen a snake at this campground and this trip we seen THREE, two of which were huge.

I'd rather think about the baby turkeys we seen.

My lovely twitter friends laughed at me and said the snakes had followed me from home.  I'd rather they had not.

Catching Raccoons...Boy Style

After a night that shook the camper and lit the sky with brilliant lightening that kept me up a great deal of the night, I suggested the boys ALL sleep in the camper.

Usually the older two boys, for sure, and sometimes ALL four boys sleep in the tent.  They weren't so sure the camper would be as fun, sharing it with Moma and all, until the raccoon came out.

And then began their brilliant plan.

They laid out the HUGE marshmallows no one really liked to eat anyhow in a long trail leading toward the camper window.

 They made sure to document every move, as you can see by the pictures.  S4 kept them on task.

 And then they all just sat around and waited.

 But honestly, they didn't have to wait hardly any time at all.

Here's a picture of a raccoon.  Can't you tell?

I swear, those raccoons were just out there waiting for them to shut the door and get in place and then they all came out to the great sweet feast.  At one point there were three raccoons out there at the same time.

If you really want to sorta see a raccoon (let's face it, sitting in a lighted camper trying to get video and pictures isn't going to work well.  But HERE is a ten second video of one raccoon.

But while I have tried to explain the whole "catch a raccoon in the act" thing, S4 really does it best.

Without further ado....

Some of you may be now wondering, what did they do when the actually seen a raccoon?

They called hello to it.

Seriously.

The boys would quick run out of the camper and the raccoons would quickly scamper off and I would holler that if they wanted me to be nice to them they all better STAY INSIDE THE CAMPER and on and on it would go.

Honestly, it was a blast.

Probably one of everyone's favorite memories of this camping trip.