The Great Debate...

This time it's carpet. After our basement flooded we decided we would just return to the place we ordered the original and just go with the same. Until we found out for unknown reasons the distributor doesn't distribute that anymore. Lovely. I've mentioned before how nightmarish choosing even the smallest of items with Shawn can be. I feel like we just barely got over this same debate. We spent about an hour in the carpet store with our children running a-muck coming to zero conclusions. Both of us were so un-excited to be choosing something to replace something we already loved. Not to mention the expense. Then Shawn randomly picked up a sample and said "This is it!". To my surprise I actually really liked his choice. Once I mentioned I liked it he scooped it up and ran out of the store with it. Any kind of emotion is so out of character for my husband that I just kind of sat there dumb founded looking at the sales lady. I said, "I guess I'll need to set up a time for you guys to come measure?" We took the sample home and debated some more on color. One issue we've encountered is that the bottom of the stairs was also ruined. That carpet was the carpet that matches all of the upstairs and the steps themselves. It is the cheapest carpet on the market and we've hated it since day one. We agreed that maybe we should just replace upstairs in all but the bedrooms. That just added one more color to choose. Surprisingly we chose each with ease. This carpet happens to be really high-end. (Not surprising since it was chosen by the man I love). Trying to save a few bucks a yard, Shawn started calling places out of town. He found one in Kansas City that can give us a small discount. We are getting samples in the mail this week. I'm skeptical. I just want to order it here, in town, today. I really need it laid before the end of August for sanity reasons. Shawn assures me we will have it ordered one way or another by Friday. Still skeptical. I'm sure this skepticism comes from the recent purchase of online glasses he made. He was trying to avoid paying for an up-to-date eye exam. He finagled his prescription from a receptionist and ordered some online. Turns out he ordered them from Italy. We had to fight customs for a few weeks, then ended up getting another bill to pay for the fees of said customs battle. Once the glasses finally arrived and Shawn put them on he of course could not see. Obviously not the right prescription. So this week he will be visiting the eye doctor, paying for the exam, and paying for new lenses that we've already paid good money for. Anyone can see why I think him trying to save a few bucks is questionable. I just want carpet in my basement so my life can return to the way it was.

Life on a Pontoon....

Yesterday was a great day. This happens to be the only weekend this entire summer that Shawn has off. No responsibility except us. Nice. We decided to rent a pontoon boat and spend the afternoon on the lake with some friends. Only afternoon turned into early evening when all the boats were occupied until 4 pm. No problem. It was still plenty hot. We got on the boat and drove to a secluded dock where we parked and spent our time swimming. The kids all had a great time doing jumps into the water. Katherine and I spent most of our time floating around, sometimes with a kid in our arms. Bobby & Shawn spent most of their time making sure the little ones didn't fall in. The little ones spent most of their time eating licorice and oreos. I never left the water until it was actually time to drive the boat away. I knew getting out would be an issue, and it was. Thank goodness I'm married to one strong man that was able to help pull this cumbersome figure up the ladder and onto the dock or they would have had to tie a rope around my waist and tow me in. Lovely.








A few things you might notice in these pictures. 1)Landon is wearing a barbie life jacket. It was once Kennedys. We are not afraid of our feminine side in this family. 2) My husband looks amazingly hot with his hat on backwards. Personal bias of course. 3) It appears that Ethan is driving the boat. He was. Shawn handed him the reigns. I was a nervous wreck.

After we docked the boat we headed to the Fields house where Katherine fed us the most delicious meal with homemade ice cream for dessert. It was the best way to end such a fabulous day.

Gramps and the Fair....

My dad was in Des Moines taking a class for work, so he drove down to spend the weekend with us. We were all soooo excited to see him. We ended up with free tickets to the fair the night he arrived so we decided to check it out. Only this happened to be the beginning of the extreme rainfall we would receive the next few weeks. It was only sprinkling when we left the car. We made it to the carousel. Once that ride was over it was raining pretty good. Good enough that they closed all the other rides. We went to see the animals while we waited for it to lighten up and maybe re-open the rides. No such luck. After 30 minutes wandering through the barns we were in a down pour. They even cancelled the main event for the evening (tractor pull) because it was so bad. We grabbed a sno-cone and some cotton candy on our way out, courtesy of Grandpa. We all had a good time, despite the rain.

The next day the weather was beautiful so we spent our time at the aquatic center--of course. Thanks dad for making your way down here. We all had a great time. You are welcome anytime.

Fabulous Fourth....

The 4th was really low key this year. We attended the parade. Well, some of us attended the parade. The oldest of the bunch (Shawn) and the youngest (Landon) stayed home and slept.

Then we met with some friends and had a BBQ. Shawn was on call and got called in, but the patient had eaten previously so they couldn't operate yet. Thank goodness for hungry people.

I realize it strongly appears that I'm flipping off the camera in the photo of me. I'm not. I was pointing at something. I was probably thinking I should be flipping off someone because that is how bad I hate pictures of me in my pregnant state. I'm enormous. But, I guess this shot proves I'm actually giving birth and not just making up stories. After dinner we headed to our house for fireworks. We have an open field across the street that makes great room for launchers. Remember that nothing is illegal here. The kids had mixed reactions about the pyrotechnics.

We lit off fireworks for probably 3 hours before Shawn got called in again. Since it was already 10 pm we decided to start cleaning up. We all had leftovers. Crazy. After 20 minutes Shawn returned. This time a kid had blown off his hand. Literally. The surgeons here decided he needed a specialist so they life-flighted him to a children's hospital. Yep. He was only 10. Kind of a somber way to end the evening. We had a long talk with our kids after to prepare them for next years event. They won't be participating as heavily as they did this year. In all honesty, we could be living in a state where fireworks are illegal. Who knows what next year will bring. I'm just glad fun was had by all and no incidents were caused that needed hospitalization.

Softball....

Kennedy played softball this year. She did awesome. The thing I thought was the best? The day she came out of her room dressed for a game. She had tied black ribbons to keep the sleeves up in place and used a rubber band to tie up the waist of her shirt. Stylin'.

Neighborhood Aggression....

We have a neighbor across the street that Jack has a love/hate relationship with. One particular day it was more hate than love. Jack came home with a huge bite mark on the side of his face.

So sad for a mother to witness. The next day there was nothing but love. Thank goodness.

Water Days....

One of the things I've always loved about Missouri and this quirky little town is the free wading pools. They aren't just to wade in because they are 2 feet deep. Just enough water to splash around in and not enough to worry that your 2 year old is going to wander off and drowned. Every summer we've spent many a days frequenting these water areas. Until this year. We went once. We even brought pizza with us. Good times.

After that I couldn't get either my 8 year old or my 6 year old to attend. They complained of it being boring. They tried everything in their power to get me to take them all to the beloved aquatic center. I couldn't possibly imagine being able to keep track of 4 small people in such a big body of water when I myself have such a big body to contend with. One Saturday I finally relented and we went. Wow. I'm sure glad we did. We ended up buying a summer pass. I love it. The older two started to swim like fish jumping off the diving board and everything. Jack, my child that would rather sit on the side and eat, is now swimming under water. Even Landon is getting closer to swimming. We are all brown from the sun, and I feel soooo light in the water that I never want to leave. I have to say that it's been a nice upgrade.