Saturday morning my little Cann man and I went for a run/bike ride. That is one of my favorite things because one on one time is pretty rare for the two of us. He'd pick his dad over me a million times over and his brothers keep me pretty busy so while I usually like to listen to conf talks while I jog, I just turned it off so we could chat. It was a little longer than I bargained for because he wanted to go by Sams house, but we had fun. When we got back Isaac was out working on the motorcycle, phew, that saved me from having to go back to the yard sale we'd just been by! 

Cannon is adamant that he is Isaac's #1 helper...but he has some competition...

So we didn't get out of town real early, in fact we're kinda dumb, we left with 3 little kids at just about 11:00 with no real plans for lunch! Dumb! Of course we'd stop and get something but it was not well planned (and quite frankly not soon enough)

We kept our every time we travel somewhere we get pulled over streak alive-dangit-but what's worse is we ended our escape without a ticket streak. Double Dangit! It's not the end of the world but it definitely did a number on our mood (and we were hungry which typically isn't pretty with me, and factor in that morning  run with Cannon I was tired!) But hey, we saw some sacred ground!! The Far West temple sight, it was cool. It feels pretty middle of nowhere, it's crazy to think there were 5000 saints there back in the day!!

After that we finally found some pizza and a park. Isaac had been dreaming of something he'd had in Utah early in the summer. When we got there they said oh sorry that was a promotional thing we haven't had it in months...AND  it was the worst crazy bread I've ever had in my life. (I usually love that stuff) but--at least we'd eaten, and we were headed down town to the Thomas the Train exhibit! The boys were excited and Colt was even dressed for it! 

There was also an Irish fest going on. Greeeaaat, just what I want my kids walking around in. But Colt thought the green fountains were pretty cool. 

After looking around all over a security guard finally pointed us in the right direction...and broke the news to us that it was closed. Bummer! 

So Isaacs next plan was the amusement park--he just wanted to ride one ride with Cannon but he couldn't quite figure a way for them to just let him in, I was dying that he was trying. Then he considered just paying for the whole day and getting the most he could out of it but it was already 4:30 and I reminded him the whole reason we even went to Kansas City was to see his parents. I just think he was determined to do something fun! 

We settled for swimming at the pool and Grandma and Grandpas hotel. Only I never planned on taking my suit and he forgot his. Tanner had to just play on the edges but still pooped in the only swim diaper we had! I'm telling you it was comedy of errors all day long...but did you see that happy little Tann man eating Swedish fish? Totally worth it to get to see Grandma and Grandpa. (They'd had quite a trip across the country to pick up a trailer so they were ready for a shorter travel day too.) Isaac had called the temple that morning and they said they were open with normal hours so after swimming we left the kids with Grandma and Grandpa and off we went. Rejected. Again. I don't know what time we got there but they came to the door and said, "We're closed, we're cleaning up and going home, the last session was a 4:30." 

We said "Can we help clean?" So the guy escorted us up to the cleaning coordinator and he said "We're done, all I need is the garbage taken out." We went to the KC Temple and took their trash out. That's all. 

So we grabbed some dinner and took it back to the hotel. 

Driving home Isaac said he was fine but he looked so tired. So as tired as I was I was too nervous go to sleep so I stayed up and chatted with him. We got home around midnight. 

Sunday was our first time practicing for the primary program. Ug. Bedlam. Praying it goes better this week. At least going in with a better game plan, and it's not fast Sunday so that helps! We can bribe'm with treats! 

Monday...The boys didn't have school but I think Isaac still went to work and honestly I can't remember anything except bemoaning what a disaster primary had been. 

Tuesday we made it to the new Hobby Lobby store in town. It was super fun! I'm going to like this😉 I still can't figure out how our little town of 17k landed a Hobby Lobby but hey, I'll take it!! 

Colts more brave than I am, I wouldn't let Cannon clip my finger nails!! Then just TanO being a goof


And Colt doesn't have school on Fridays so since we were watching sister for Miss Cassie today we upped our game and did a project! I want to do projects with Colt where he gets to create things like Cannon did in Mrs Hardee's preschool, I think that was sooo valuable! But sometimes I'm lazy so I was glad we tried something today! 

I think that's about it.

No internet connection on the computer tonight??? So I've plunked this all out on my phone. Typing on a keyboard is much quicker-and you might get more detail but oh well! 

Maybe next time! 

Tonight I was going to blog earlier while Isaac and the boys went outside but...he had a project going and I'm just not comfortable with them out there (in the street) when he's distracted. So Tanner rode his trike and the other two boys and I roller bladed. It was so fun. We had a great time. The boys both loved it too--Colt just came out of bed to tell me "It was the funnest day ever." Pretty sure that's a win! ...now for getting him back to bed, hmmm, wish me luck...

Last Saturday we hired a babysitter and went on a date. Mexican food and toured the new Harbor Freight in town. We're big time. Then the grocery store where I just ran in while Isaac ran over to the project house. He told me to take my time...his mistake...that put a damper on the date--oh well. 

Its crazy but I don't have very many pictures this week. This one of a door at Colt's school however, might have inspired this years Halloween costumes. We'll see if I can't really pull off tigers. My wheels are spinning. Tanner was no where near the door but when when he saw me pull out my phone he immediately said "cheese" or deese...he knows!

 

 

We fed the missionaries this week...okay I made them frozen corn dogs and fries. So lazy. But that's every dinner for me lately. The next day I ended up saying something to Isaac like "We'll just do something easy for dinner." Ummm so it will be like EVERY single other day when I scramble to make the easiest thing I can think of because I haven't even thought about it until 45 min before he comes home. Yup. Normal. I see no change in sight--oh well. 

A fun thing that happened this week was I got to go to Cannon's class. He gives me a hard time at home pushing boundaries and such but he really is on his best behavior at school and I'm grateful. I was just helping students log on to the laptops but I snapped this quick picture, then his teacher sent me one of him checking out the caterpillars (I think that's what they were) in class.

 

And the backhoe saga...you knew there was one right?! Oh for one thing Isaac's legs arms (and face where he probably wiped sweat off) are in full blown poison ivy reaction. (Or whatever it is we get into around here.) Cannon has some too but not as bad as Isaac and I'm just counting our blessings it wasn't Colt! The week and a half delay is consistent for us, we know they got into it the Saturday that they were cleaning up the project house. Oh I guess that's the other news-he did rent it out to the couple in our ward. Ok the backhoe: I said to Isaac "Is this the last time you're going to borrow Bro Rogers backhoe?" And he said "It should be." But I didn't feel like that was the commitment I was looking for. He had ordered some stuff to try to seal up the gas tank though it got here this week-that took all night Tuesday. Then Wednesday it was out on the deck just drying or "curing" Isaac had to go to YM/YW  Well, Colt put a stick in the tank. He's a 4 year old little boy...what did we expect? Luckily we stopped it before Tanner got any in there but he was right behind him. So that added to Thursday's adventures, but thankfully he got it out. And got the backhoe back together Thursday. I just told him I was so tired of doing the bedtime routine by myself. (I'm a wimp but I like his help!)

Today he got some gas in it, and...it still leaks...but apparently not as bad. But he was pretty happy to at least get it started back up. But they didn't get it welded, and Monday's a holiday so...Maybe next week we'll get brother Rogers his backhoe back.

We are getting back into a routine with school and such and have been able to hit a park a couple times with the Tilton's. That's good for mom's and kids! And all of the sudden Colt can do the Monkey Bars? I asked him when he learned and he said he just watched Cannon. Okay, that sounds about right.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_up1tYJeQA

Tomorrow we're going to meet up with Grandma and Grandpa Ison...somewhere along I-70...I think we're leaning KC way. But that should be fun. 

Other than that...we're just plugg'n along. 

Colton is 4, the Solar Eclipse was "for" his birthday!

There is so much to blog, and its late and I'm tired, but we'll see what we can do.
Saturday was a work day at the project house. One of the neighbors had complained to the city while we were in Utah. The second picture is the cleaned up version...??? Oh brother.

 

Isaac asked me if I had a good day. Yes. I did. But between the take Tanner, so he could get in on the fun, go get Tanner, take lunch, go get Colt he's sick of it, go get Cannon he's had enough now too I'd had plenty of trips to that house. But they had the fire trucks at JCPenny for a Back to School think so Colt and Tanner and I went there and Tanner won the drawing for the bike helmet. Sweet Right? Well except I'd just bought Colt a new one (off amazon, it would cost me more to send it back) but I'd wrapped it with his other birthday presents that very morning. Its still hidden in my closet wrapped. And they whole way going to pic up Tanner's helmet Colt was negotiating why it should in fact be his...because he needed a new one and Tanner didn't. But this week he's only really used his old one. 

Anyway...the fire truck was fun and Tanner was MAD when I pulled him out of that driver seat!

 

It was an ALL DAY Saturday project (isn't it always?) But along the way something broke on Brother Rogers back hoe so he drove it to the welding shop to have them fix it Monday morning. Every time he stopped (and I'm sure when he was running it too) that thing was leaking fuel like CRAZY. Well...there's more to the story...its coming.
By Sunday Isaac was talking about renting that project house out to a couple in the ward who are kind of in a tight spot. I was fine with that but I don't really know if that's going to happen, and neither does he. It would take a lot of work to get it livable, get the plumbing working and such. Then he mentioned if not rent it out then maybe get a bid to get it torn down.
Anyway we made it to Monday and Cannon was SO EXCITED to wake Colt up for his birthday, what a pal, right?
Spoiled with presents...double check! Among other things both Grandma's got him legos!

We had a "Frosting Roll" for breakfast and we had made it to the day of the Eclipse.

 

Isaac wanted to go for totality because we were so close. Our neighbor Darrin came over and they plotted and planned the best location until even Isaac was like: okay, whatever! (Which if you can over analyze and second guess something more than Isaac...that's saying something.) 98% was really good enough for me but I was sport and went for it. We checked Cannon out of school early and headed south. Well as we were driving we kept seeing people looking out the windows trying to see it, so I grabbed a pair of the glasses and tried it. I said "I can totally see it, the Sun is the shape of the  moon." Isaac's response..."Hold the wheel." But he couldn't really see it, but out plans for where to watch it turned quickly into okay so...next exit? Sounds good and we watched it at some Messianic Temple, with a handful of other people.

As we were pulling in Colt said "Why are we just wandering around?!" And Cannon looked at it for a few seconds then said "This is actually pretty boring." Ha! So he is my kid! These nice ladies gave us some Eclipse Black Cherry Soda...it might have been the kids favorite part.

 

We were there probably a little more than a half hour. But I admit: Totality was pretty dang awesome.  Since we only had to drive less than 2 hours to see it, it was worth it. (I wouldn't have driven crazy distances.) Here is a picture of the sunset in the middle of the day. (For pictures of the Sun look online--they are way better!) But the whole diamond effect or whatever its called was sweet! We also heard that the animals would start acting crazy...well our little animals did!

After that we went Gun shopping. Isaac is a shopper--as in he's going to check out EVERY possibility before he spends any $$ But the boys had SO MUCH FUN, it was Colts birthday, I was game, we topped it off with slushies so why not? Right? My four favorite people, shopp'n it up:

Isaac didn't buy a gun but Cannon did talk him into a little kids size 22. I (aka mom the grinch) put the breaks on that. He is going to have to be a heck of a lot more responsible--and forego all the crap play shooting at each other nonsense first! I am however all for a gun that was a good size and the boys learning to shoot right and be respectful of the weapon and so on.
So we came home empty handed (except for slushies and crazy bread)
I was pondering on Cannon's ability to talk his dad into ANYTHING though. I'm telling you--that birthright son stuff must be ligit. But it made me realize that Cannon, even if he whines, communicates what he wants to his dad--and Isaac does his best to accommodate. But I think I realized I'm not as clear with expectations and what I want (and hopefully a LOT less whiney) but I end up expecting him to know things I want--or don't. But he doesn't know. Anyway, so when the project house came up and if we tore it down and ended up staying here in Kirksville we could just build there....I said "I don't want to live there! Not build, not nothing." To which he replied "Good to know." So (its documented here) but I think it was a really good thing to watch Cannon talk his dad into a .22 and then kind of process the fact that its not that Isaac will do anything Cannon wants and wouldn't do anything I want...it more about clarity of what I want with him.
I think this was an important discovery.
Anyway---back to the week
Traffic was HORRIBLE coming back and we ended up dirt roading it getting around some of the rest of the stand still. Seriously an hour and 50 minute delay on out hour and 45 min drive???? YIKES!
When we got home we got right back to the birthday business and I scrambled to make a cake. What a beaut right? But he loved it, and it was his birthday so good enough. Actually, they ripped those little mini transformers off and played and played and we didn't even cut the cake until the next day.

 

Apparently I shorted him in the sprinkles dept. Ha. 

 

We may have not have cut in until the next day--but the frosting got sampled right away. 

 

And then it was back to school and the routine. I was so excited to have Colt in afternoon preschool so Tanner could come home and nap...I just didn't think about how bad he was going to hate that plan. He and Colt are SO CUTE walking in to preschool together! He has to put his backpack on everyday just like the other boys.  He gets ticked when we take it back off to put him in the car seat. And he HATES getting left out of the school fun and having to come home with boring old mom. 

 

Poor little man...hopefully he gets used to it...because he get so mad nap time hasn't exactly been easy...

 

And he's heck on the bookshelf lately, not because he's mad--just for fun. Little twerp! And if he can't get a page to turn he just tears it. I'm been taping all kinds of books back together. But he's a big shot in the big boy swing!

 

And check out this little Colt man toughy. Didn't even flinch or shed a tear for shots today!!! (He's been so nervous about it too) But right before the nurse came in we made a deal-if he didn't cry I would buy him a book off the little scholastic order forms his teacher sent home. One book for each shot, he got to pick. DONE. After the first shot he said "didn't hurt!" But after the second one he still didn't flinch but he whispered in my ear. "One tine dove huwrt." Cut little stink.

 

And tonight we did the Truman Volleyball free clinic. (Along with going to watch some of Cannon's friends play football.) The boys had fun!  

Oh I almost forgot to finish the backhoe story. They went weld it but couldn't start in because all of the fuel had leaked out. They put more in, it leaked out too. So the welding shop called Isaac and said we can't work on it like this, so Isaac spent ALL of Tuesday night messing with that dumb thing. I guess the fuel tank is rusted out. Who knows. But he tweaked his back working on it. I've put on his socks the last 3 mornings. He was pretty gimped up, especially Wednesday, but luckily he had to get his physical for his CDL Wednesday and every doctor around here is a D.O. So the guy was able to do a little manipulation on him and get him a little bit more straightened out so at least he's on the mend! We think! And the backhoe is just sitting at the welding shop with its gas tank on our front porch. He did mutter something about "something like this always happens" they other day...true...very true. 

Well I'm sure I'll have stories to tell next week too!

1st Grade for Cann man Preschool for Colt

After an hour delay because of the stupid dog, we took off from Huntington last Friday night and had a pretty smooth trip. Sunday I taught sharing time but probably shouldn't have, it was a blur. It was pretty cool here last Monday (59 degrees when I took the garbage out) and I really felt like we had left summer in Utah and come to fall, but then it got all sweaty nasty hot again and I thought oh yeah, humidity-I didn't miss you!

Tuesday we got to meet Colts teacher and Wednesday we met Cannon's teacher. (Colt wouldn't do a picture by himself--or even get very close to Miss Mikki but we are very thankful Myla is in his class!)

Thursday they were off!

We've tried to squeeze in a few park trips with the Tilton's and today Adalyn is hanging out with us. (I love how she calls me Miss Windy) when leaving the park the other day Colt was so excited about this green car and wanted one someday...so he's Isaac kid. 

We also had a back to school shin dig with Isaacs work. The boys love playing with Micheal.

And both big boys got to ride home with dad! Colt started the ride, Cannon finished it.

When I got out my phone to take the first picture Tanner automatically said "cheese" so of course we documented that too (whipped cream face and all)

Whipped cream that day...ranch this day and the Motorcycle helmet cuz he thinks he's a big shot. He keeps me on my toes!

Seems like a busy week but it will be good to get back into a rountine.