Main Event

Another day during our week long stay cation we decided to go to Main Event.  Our original plans were to go to the Bluebell Ice Cream plant to take a tour, but the tour time slots were full.  We didn't want to risk driving three hours to take a chance on the standby list.  After searching other places to go and see we came up empty.  There were lots of places to see, but cost was an issue as well as Madeline and the heat.  One of the activities we had on our Summer Fun Board was bowling.  I knew Main Event had bowling as well as other fun activities and the best part it is smoke free.  We decided to also to a round of glow in the dark golf.  The kids did well at bowling and they all got a few strikes.  Spencer still doesn't understand why he can't bowl again when he gets a strike.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the beauty of a strike but me; but I made up for it by getting a couple of hole-in-one when we played golf.  Spencer seemed to enjoy more the black light effect on his shirt then actually playing golf.  It is always entertaining watching Spencer play golf.  After our golfing and bowling experience we headed to Sprinkle Cupcakes.  Cupcake Wars is a show I like to watch on the food network (I watch it online) and one of the judges is the owner of Sprinkle Cupcakes.  I learned that there was a store in Dallas and since we were not too far I thought it would be fun to try out these famous Cupcakes.  It was a fun treat, but it wasn't anything over the moon special.  Maybe if we are over in the area again we might stop by and enjoy a cupcake.  In the end it was a very full day and the kids were excited to be home.

Going to the Beach

Down in Grandbury which is a couple of hours south of us is a little man made beach surrounding Lake Grandbury.  The city sectioned off a portion of the lake that is safe for swimmers and away from boaters.  They they imported (or that is what the web site says) sand from the Gulf to make a beach area.  During our week long stay cation I thought it would be fun to go to the beach.  Since we got there early it wasn't crowded which made swimming around and building sand forts a lot easier.  The kids enjoyed it.  We only stayed for a couple of hours, by then it was lunch time and the crowds of people who looked like they were ready to camp were starting to come.  On the way home we decided to go to Cracker Barrel for lunch.  I am sure we will go again.

Great Wolf Lodge

To kick off our week long stay cation we went to Great Wolf Lodge.  It is basically a hotel (fancy) with a huge indoor water park.  We took advantage of the discount that we get from Grant's work and decided to splurge.  Since we weren't going to go anywhere this year, we decided we could justify spending a few extra bucks on a big fancy hotel.  The kids liked the room because it had a little built in cabin for the kids to sleep in.  The cabin had a bunk bed and then a toddler bed.  Perfect for our kids.  The kids were super excited about having their own TV in the cabin.  My kids love it when we stay at hotels.  We don't have cable and so they enjoy watching cartoons on Disney in the morning.  I think they are pretty silly.  The water park was fun and the slides were better then our local water park.  It was a little disappointing that there wasn't much for Madeline to do.  They did have a little kid area but the slides were too fast for her.  Because of her height she was restricted in what she could do.  She did enjoy the outside pools where a good chunk of it was 2 feet deep.  It was the perfect height for Madeline to pretend that she was an Olympic swimmer and do her laps-Madeline style.  After we got our fill from swimming we came back to our room and enjoyed our picnic style dinner with lots of junk food for dessert.  Whenever we go away, Grant likes to stock up on lots of junk food.  After our sugar rush we decided to have our own Gymnastic Olympics in our hotel room.  I feel really bad about those who were below us.  The kids enjoyed running from one end of the room to the other doing their Gymnastic moves.  It was a great way to get whatever energy was left inside out.  By the time Cooper Gymnastics was over, the kids were more than willing to go to bed.  The next morning after breakfast we headed down to the water park and pool area to play before heading home.  When you check out of the hotel you can still use the water park until it closes that day.  So for the price of one night stay at the hotel you can use the water park for two days.  They even allow you to check in early and play at the water park while you wait for your room to be ready.

Summer Fun Part Two

Our Summer break has been a pure bliss I am not looking forward to school starting.  The low key days have been heaven sent.  Our Summer bucket list is almost complete.  We didn't go anywhere this year, but we have been busy doing lots of fun activities at home and around the area.  I have loved spending time with the kids and will miss the time that I have with them.

Left to Right:  Enjoying 1/2 price shakes at Sonic.  Playing tic tac toe Frisbee in the backyard.  Miniature Golf.  Making Ice Cream in a bag.  Homemade baked doughnuts.  Sandpaper t-shirt art.

Wiggles

Anthony was a huge Wiggles fan, he knew all the songs and the dance moves.  Spencer is following in his brothers' foot steps.  The Wiggles are his favorite and he loves to sing the songs and dance along.  When Anthony was little the Wiggles were a popular group, but they have faded out.  I believe this is their last tour and we were lucky enough that they were coming to Texas.  Grant went along to his third Wiggle concert (he is such a good dad).  Spencer kept thinking he was going to watch the Wiggles on a big screen and he was shocked to see The Wiggles are real people.  It took a bit for him to take it all in and for the shock to wore off; but once that happened he danced along.  Grant said he had a great time, but he didn't want to let you know that he was enjoying himself.  He could only hide it for so long before he was telling us all about his fun experience.  Now that Spencer is our last child, we are officially finished with Wiggle concerts.  Even though we are finished with Wiggle concerts we are still serenaded at home to Wiggle movies and a little five year strumming his guitar as he sings a long.

Tie Dye

My kids love to do Tie Dye, but it is a little messy and hard to do with young kids, especially Spencer.  Keeping the dye from staining furniture, walls, and floors is just a nerve racking experience for this mom.  I was happy to see that there was another safer way to tie dye.  All you need sharpie markers and alcohol.  The kids had a lot of fun and Spencer totally got into it and he is not an art and crafty person.  It was fun to see the creativity come out in each of the kids and to see three uniquely different shirts.  I think we can safely tie dye in this family and not have to worry about walls, furniture, and floors getting dyed in the process.

Safety Town

There is a nearby city (there are no towns where we live, just one massive collections of cities) where the fire department has built a minature size town complete with roads, traffic lights and signals.  The purpose of this little town is to teach children through hands on learning safety rules and the importance of them.  There is a house where kids can learn fire safety, how to escape a burning house safely, and what house looks like after a fire.  They also do tornado safety as well as traffic safety.  The kids are able to drive around the town, where they have traffic lights to follow as well as traffic directions.  This minature town is usually opened to schools for field trips, but on Fridays during the summer they have family night where families can come and explore together.  There happened to be a Friday where Grant would be able to break away from work early and so we capitalized on the good fortune.  The kids really enjoyed driving around the town.  They have motorized jeeps for the younger kids and bikes for those who are too big for the jeep.  Madeline surprised us all by wanting to drive around with a bunch of other kids.  Madeline drove that jeep like a champ while cranky Spencer sat in the passenger side.  To Spencer's credit he fell asleep on the way over and so he was still waking up from his nap.  While we waited for our turn to drive around the town we went to the different stores where we learned safety rules relating to stranger danger, swimming, riding a bike, and what 911 is used for.  After spending the afternoon learning about safety we headed for a nearby mall and ate dinner.  I am so glad that we went, the kids were able to learn a lot through hands on learning, and we were able to have fun as a family.  A win win situation for all!

When the Cat Sleeps the Mouse Play

Grant fell asleep one afternoon in the living room, and well I couldn't resist.  I was laughing the whole time that my hands were shaking; but Grant had no idea.  When he woke up I told him his nails looked nice, he was confused until he looked down and saw what happens when one takes an innocent nap.

Fourth of July

Fourth of July was a simple day with our little family.  There were no big home improvement projects and no weekend crammed with lots of entertaining activities.  We started the day with fishing.  We have been fishing with the kids before and you would think we would have learned the importance of having all the poles ready to go with hooks and all; but I guess we haven't.  Spencer was bored out of his mind waiting for Grant to get the poles ready and was asking to go home before we even started.  Our fishing experience was looking like a dud which isn't good when you are trying to get the kids excited about fishing.  After trying our hand at fishing we decided to try a different spot and see if we would have any luck.  I am so glad we did!  As soon as the kids put their poles into the water, the fish started biting.  Each of the kids were able to catch a fish and they were excited.  Spencer wanted to stay longer and keep fishing; my how things can change.  We spent the rest of the afternoon playing different games out in the backyard.  One of the games we played was croquet with kick balls.  I used pool noodles and stakes as the hoops for the balls to go through; our feet were our mallets, and playground balls were our instrument of choice.

After our round of croquet it was time for water balloons.  I never have really done water balloons and so this was all new for the kids, and Spencer found his new best friend.  We tried target practice but when the chalk got washed away we needed a new target; this is where Daddy came into the picture he just seemed to be the perfect target.  

After water balloons we headed to the community center to go swimming in their indoor pool.  The kids like the pool and I like that I don't have to worry about the heat with Madeline.  We swam for about an hour and then we headed home to rest.  I really liked the quiet afternoon.  No big projects, no assignments, and no where to be.  It was nice to rest and relax as a family.  For our dinner we had hot dogs, chips, and watermelon from our garden.  For our fourth of July treat we made brownie kabobs.  I used brownies, strawberries, blackberries, and jumbo marshmallows.  The kids really enjoyed assembling their own dessert.  

After dinner it we decided to join the rest of the area and go see the fireworks.  Madeline is fearful of the sound from the fireworks and so we stay in the car to watch them; it just works better for our family.  We just found a spot on the side of the road to pull over to see the fireworks.  The idea was that we could simply leave when they were done and avoid the traffic mess.  Well that idea flopped.  The fireworks were only 10 minutes away but it took us an hour to get home.  Getting home at 11:00 with tired and cranky kids from sitting in completely stopped traffic for an hour was not how I wanted my relaxing holiday to end.  We decided watching the fireworks from New York on TV is the way to go.  The fireworks are set to music, we can have all the treats we want, there is air conditioning, and most of all no traffic.  I think fireworks on television is what we will do next year; the hassle with a bunch of crazy impatient people all trying to get home from celebrating our nations birthday is not how I want to end my holiday.  Besides we can control the volume and that makes everyone in our family happy!

Madeline's Baptism

Here it is August and I have yet to write about Madeline's baptism; things have been busy on the home front this Summer.

Madeline was baptized on her eighth birthday, just like she wanted.  In our stake they have Child of Record Baptism every Saturday before Fast Sunday.  Since Madeline has medical needs that need special attention she was able to get permission to have her own private baptism.

Madeline's baptism was one of those moments that will be seared into my memory forever; it was a moment where I was proud to be her mother.  Prior to her baptism we broke up the Fourth Article of Faith into four separate Family Home Evening lessons, we did this a month before her special day.  During this time we also talked to her about what she could expect to happen at her baptism and she even practiced with her Daddy a few times.  The one concern we had was if Madeline would allow water to touch her eyes.  Because Madeline cannot close her left eye, she doesn't like to get water in it, and to be baptized you have to be completely submerged in water.  As her parents we took this concern to the Lord and knew that because Madeline was making a righteous decision He would be able to help her and there wouldn't be any concerns.  Come baptism day, Madeline was a champ and the water was not a fear for her.  Because of her baptism Madeline is no longer fearful of water.  She now goes under water when swimming and she now prefers showers to baths; it is so amazing to see what the Lord can do when we turn our heart over to him.

One of the things that I did for Madeline's baptism was make her baptism gown.  I knew that there wouldn't be a jumper in the closet that would fit her.  I didn't choose just any white fabric to make her dress, I made her dress from my wedding dress.  My wedding dress was hanging in my closet safely wrapped up and it was just taking up space.  I knew I was no longer going to be able to fit it and with Madeline as tiny as she is I knew the likely hood of her being able to wear it one day was probably a slim chance.  I used everything from the buttons, lace, and material.  It was neat to be able to pass something so special to me to Madeline.  I have enough material leftover to make the boys their temple ceremonial packets.  My dress will no longer be tucked away, but will now be handed down to each of my children for them to treasure as well.

Back to the baptism:  Madeline was beaming on her special day, you could tell she knew she was making the right decision and she knew that her Heavenly Father was proud of her.  She was a breath of fresh air and a reminder to me of how simple, pure, and joyous the gospel is and the joy and excitement it can bring to your life.  Anthony gave the baptismal talk and he hit it on the nail and our Home Teacher gave the Holy Ghost talk and reminded us all who the Holy Ghost is and the important gift he is in our life.  When Madeline was baptized, me being the tough person that I am held back the tears.  It was a pure miracle to see our daughter baptized.  Eight years ago we didn't know if we would see this day; eight years ago we were overwhelmed with issues dealing with her heart and the steps it would require to give her a chance at life.   Now fast forward eight years later and she has overcome all those stumbling blocks with dignity and grace and with resounding faith in her Savior Jesus Christ.  Watching Madeline come out of the water, was like watching an angel emerge.  As her mother it was a pure gift and all the hard times that we have endured together were worth it in that moment.  In that moment I saw what I was fighting for.  The countless doctor appointments, therapy appointments, surgeries, hospital stays, and the hours of uncertainty, were all clear to me the moment she came out of the font.  Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the day to day living that we sometimes forget what the eternal picture is; the goal that we are all striving for; the very reason we came here to earth.  After Madeline was baptized we had a brief testimony meeting and we were all given a gift to be able to hear Madeline bare her testimony.  Madeline loves to bare her testimony, and to hear her testimony of baptism, the love of our Savior, His Atonement, and the opportunity to return and live with Him; put everything into perspective.  My focus was sharpened and my resolve made stronger.  It was Madeline's testimony that I felt my Savior's love, I felt His arms wrap around me, and I heard him say I knew you could do it.  I knew you would take care of my special daughter.  Madeline is a gift that keeps on giving.  I am so glad that I listened to my Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ.  I am so glad I trusted in them the day she was born and I was overwhelmed with fear of having to take care of a special girl.  I am so glad for the lesson I learned early on that all I needed to do was love her and allow the doctors to do the rest.  It was this lesson where everything was put into perspective to me.  I didn't need to get wrapped up in all the medical issues, I just needed to love her; and loving her was something I could do.

Here is Madeline's own words about her Baptism Day:  "I felt special on my Baptism day.  My Mommy took out her wedding dress and made a dress for my baptism.  We went to the Stake Center and my favorite part of the program was Anthony's talk, my big brother.  And then I got baptized by water.  And my dad confirmed me a member of the Church after I was baptized.  After I was confirmed I felt the Holy Ghost.  When I felt the Holy Ghost I felt happy.  While Daddy was changing I shared my testimony.  And my testimony was about baptism."