On Driving a Van.....

Again this summer is going so fast.  I think I've said that in every post.....but it is true!!!  I've got so much to catch up on....vacation, Cade winning Grand Champion Broilers at the Gold Buckle Gala, Cade showing the pigs, etc.  But I don't have any of those pictures right now so I decided to take a few minutes and talk about how much I love my van.

I don't know how Jay and I existed in our pre-van days.  It's kind of like once you have a kid you wonder what you did before they were born.  That's the way our van is....except I do still remember every uncomfortable moment in that car.  I texted Jay yesterday, after a trip to Sams, and asked him how we survived without it.  Yesterday I was able to buy a case each of water, gatorade and Dr. Pepper, a big box of diapers, stop at Wal Mart for some misceallneous purchases AND still had room for the stroller and my smallest child.  Heck - even the biggest child and Jay still would've have plenty of room.  IT WAS GREAT.  I even changed Camryn in the Wal-Mart parking lot in the back of it.  People kind of giggle when you tell them that you drive a van.....but that's just because they don't understand how awesome it is.  I will admit that I do look down on those in G6's now (I mean that I literaly look down on them from my van seat) and feel so sorry for them.  They have no idea how great life could be.....

Driving a much bigger vehicle has been a bit of an adjustment.  I think I've adjusted pretty well to pulling into parking spaces and backing out.  That was until yesterday at Ozark Empire.  I lived out that scene from the first Austin Powers movie where he gets that little cart stuck in a hallway.  I was ready to leave the fair and I could not get the van backed up.  I thought I was going to have to call Jay at the pig barn crying and ask him to walk all the way out of the main entrance and back it up for me.  The cars on either side of me were so close and there was a truck right behind me that I think was taking up more than its fair share of space.  Camryn was screaming for something, I don't even know what, and I lost it.  In a not so proud mommy moment where stress completely took over I screamed "can you just shut up for a minute."  I was sweating and backing and going forward and backing and going forward.  Finally I edged it out and headed down the road. There was an empty space next to the road hogging truck parked right behind me.  If it hadn't been for that I might still be sitting on the OEF parking lot.  I've never had any trouble like that with the van....for awhile I wondered if I had gone stupid since I couldn't seem to get it backed out.  I told Jay about it last night figuring he would laugh at me.  He said "where you parked in the lined main lot on the hill?"  As a matter of fact I was.  He said "Oh yeah, those spots are really tight.....really tight."  THANK GOODNESS!!  I was so glad to know it wasn't me.

The FFA parks cars at Farm Fest so Jay is somewhat of an expert of the OEF parking lots.  I now have more of an appreciation for what Jay at the kids and parents go though during those 3 days in October.  I also understand a little more of why the people they are parking scream and yell curse words at them.  I need to ask Jay to pay attention next year....it may be a mother in a mini-van who has a screaming toddler who almost got the van stuck between three cars.  If I had a high school kid say anything to me yesterday after that incident I might have cused at them to.  I'm going back to the fair tonight, but I'm staying clear of that parking lot.  I'll be parking the van in the livestock lot from now on. 

Also I'm sorry for any typos or gramatical errors.  For some reason I can not go back and fix them.  My mouse won't put my cursor in the correct spot.  So that is my excuse, at least on this post, for the errors.  Actually if you want to pretend that is what the problem always is with my spelling and grammer then please feel free to do so.

Summer Part 2

The Saturday after the 4th Cade took Bonnie & Clyde and the cattle to the Dade County show. Camryn and I went to. I'm going to admit it right now...I am not a hard core show Mama. I can not handle Camryn at shows right now. I am not one of those mothers who can have 6 kids climbing on the fences like wild natives while she is using a baby wipe in a cows butt while her 7th child is leading it in to the ring. It is not in my genetic makeup. I think Jay would tell you he can't handle it either. After that day he told me not to go to OEF or the State Fair. Before the cattle show started Cade was even telling me to leave. He can't handle Camryn's crying. 

Camryn did fine during the pig show but fell apart after that. I fed we nachos and Cheetos to keep her happy. I had brought what I thought was a good supply of things to keep her occupied. Wrong. She blew through that in 15 minutes and was terrorizing everything else

Clyde won Reserve Barrow and Judd won Grand Champion Bull. I didn't even get any pictures of Cade that day with his ribbons. 

Someone had a a two week old goat there. Camryn loved it. Jay had to wait for the goat people to load up before he could get our pigs out. He said he had to wait on someone who looked at her goat, shook her finger at it an said No, No, No like she was talking to a kid. Hmm I guess she was actually talking to a kid :)  Dairy goat people are a different breed. 

Summer Part 1

It seems like this summer is moving so fast that I don't have time to keep up with it all on the blog. I took some well needed vacation time after the 4th of July. As if my co-worker post wasn't proof that I needed a few days off. 

On the 4th we went to Branson with mom and Steve. Charity and her kids met us there. We headed down with no exact plans and had a really fun day. Steve wanted to do a zip line so we went to Shepherd of the Hills first. After finding out there was a two hour wait Cade and Steve decided that wasn't for them. We did take some good pictures by the statutes that they have there. Mom remembers doing that with her family and I remember doing it with mine. We need to take Cade to the play. I think he would love it. 

 

This attempt at a family pictures makes me laugh every time I look at it. It sums up our life right now. 

We also played laser tag, well everyone but me and Camryn, and rode go-carts. At the end of the day Steve and Jay headed back to our house with the kids and the 3 women adults plus Lawson walked around the landing. 

The day after the 4th Charty, Lawson, Camryn and I went to Springfield. Camryn found the makeup samples at Ulta while Charity was looking. Definitely going to have to preach the concept that less is more to this girl....

Two's

We are in the 2's full force right now. If we all make it to 3 in one piece it will be a miracle. I remember 1 being hard with Cade. I also remember disliking 3. It was my least favorite age with Cade. There was crying and screaming almost every night. I don't remember 2 being all that bad with him.  Two with Camryn is pretty bad. It is like Cade's 1 and 3 all rolled into one. 

We've gone round and round with her standing in the ottoman in our family room. Saturday morning I was on my hands and knees cleaning the kitchen floor. I've been off work since the 4th and I wanted to get things cleaned and organized before Monday. Jay was outside doing chores and getting things ready for the upcoming fairs. I was wiping away on the floor when I heard a loud thud and then screaming. I just knew she had broke her collarbone. I got her up and was checking her out when Jay walked in. I've grown a lot in my ability to handle things like this...I calmly told Jay she more than likely broke something. She finally stopped crying and seemed to be soon ok. We got her dressed so she could run an errand with Jay. We were thinking we'd observe her for awhile. I went to grab her under her arms to move her off my lap and she started screaming. We knew we had to take her to urgent care. 

I hadn't showered yet and was wearing a tank top and workout pants I'd cut into shorts years ago. You can tell the colors of our walls by looking at them. I told Jay I needed to get ready. While I was getting ready I asked him if he was going to take a shower. He looked at me like I was nuts. I told him we were not going to the doctor with a possible broken bone looking like trash!!!  So we made Camryn wait a few extra minutes while we tried to make sure we didn't look like we would abuse her.  Before you think we are terrible she could move the arm so we knew it wasn't broken. 

We got in and out pretty quickly. The doctor didn't think she had anything major broken since she could move her arm. He thought it was more of a bruise or a possible cracked rib. He didn't think we needed to X-ray it at that time. If she did have a cracked rib there was nothing that could be done anyway. Putting her (and us) through the stress of an x-ray wasn't worth it. 

Yesterday afternoon was pretty pitiful. She wanted to be held but it was hard finding a comfortable position. She cried a lot. She was crying and wanted crackers. She was so pitiful and said, with big huge tears "I can use my other hand."  

This morning she didn't cry as much but she was bossy!!  She laid on the couch most of the morning and dictated to me what TV show she wanted. I was also switching out bottles of apple juice and milk. We had gotten her pretty close to giving up the bottle and then this happened. I think it is part of her evil plan to keep it. 

When she decided to get up I had to help her. She can't get herself up from a sitting position. That's when she cries and says her arm hurts. This afternoon she got a little more active. 

This evening she is closer to herself, minus the fact she can't get herself up still. I was involved in something in the kitchen and she ran in and emptied out the silverware drawer. It didn't register with me for a few minutes. I walked into our family room and found tablespoons and forks all over the place. I thought it would be selfish for me to have all the fun. I just left them until Jay came in. It's not every day your family room is covered in silverware. 

We've also cleaned up numerous apple juice and milk spills...that were on purpose!!  I think she knew we wouldn't spank her since she was injured. Jay got on to her for the milk spill and it was

hard not to laugh. That girl is going to gray our hair!!!!

Only 11 more months of this right???  Oh and age eleven has not been pleasant either. It is a barrel of fun around our house right now. We've got one thinking he is 20 and another makes messes 5 times faster than I can clean them up. But at least I got some sweet hugs and kisses from Camryn while I was picking up the TV and satellite to wipe the apple juice up. Oh that girl knows how to work it. 

And I didn't even touch on the display of independence that has developed over the last few weeks...

Generation Gap

I've been feeling the generation gap at work this past week.  We have a couple of young employee's....like right out of college.... that the difference in our ages is so obvious right now.  Actually on Friday I thought I might pull my hair out. 

I was trying to work with a new loan officer trainee Friday and I wanted to scream.  This has definitely been a learning experience for me because I look at him and think to myself.....how do I make sure my kids don't act like this at their first job.  When I first started at FCS 12 years ago I would never had said or done some of the things that was said and done on Friday.  I was trying to explain the concept of treating customers the way you want to be treated and just because you might be able to get away with charging a fee doesn't mean it is always the right thing to do.  Completely went over his head.  Still wanted to argue with me about why I wasn't charging a fee for a loan renewal.  I had to get an edge to my voice and tell him because we hadn't in the past and I wasn't going to now.  He dropped it with me but then told another employee later that when He is the one doing the loans He will charge a fee.  Grrr. 

The icing on the cake though was when Pam, our front desk person was at lunch.  I was on the phone with an employee in another office trying to walk her though the steps for a particular loan she was getting ready.  I knew the customer was there, but they were going to have to wait.  The new employee stood at my office door and waved the customers check at me.  HE WAVED A PIECE OF PAPER AT ME!!!!  It is a good thing that my door way isn't within reach of my desk because he might not have left my office with an arm. 

Another thing that was said was in reference to a plant in our office.  Yes, it is big, it is ugly and it has been there since the beginning of time.  Pam waters and cares for it every Friday.  This new employee announced to Pam that the plant would not be going to Joplin.  Seriously.....what makes someone think when they are new someplace they can make a declaration like that?  What in the world has happened to respect?  What has happened to young people starting a job knowing they are the low man and they have to work and earn the right to make comments like that? 

Jay has been dealing with a similar situation this weekend due to some first year teachers.  They would all be about the same age and again they have no respect for others.  That has started to be an ongoing problem the last few years with Jay and his student teachers.  Last years student teacher made a comment to Jay during contest season that was unbelievable.  Of course Jay and Lyle handled it by throwing him to the wolves (the Freshmen class) to put him in his place.  I don't really have an option like that and it is harder when you are a woman dealing with a slightly cocky man. 

So I'm trying to turn this into a learning opportunity for myself as a parent.  I will not have my son starting a job and treating anyone the way Jay and I have seen these young adults treat their co-workers.  I know there are plenty of young kids who don't act like this.....and I'm also looking to those parents as examples.  It isn't easy, but I am determined that no one will ever want to scream at Cade for the things I wanted to scream about on Friday.  He is going to know better. 

County Fair

Our County Fair was May 31 and June 1.  There was a local radio station that was going to give the two most involved kids a belt buckle and they would be interviewed on the radio.  So that meant Jay was determined to make Cade the most involved kid there.  On Friday they have an Achievement Day and they have little judging activities that kids can do.  I think Cade did about all of those.  He also had cattle, pigs, chickens, a power point presentation and a decorated cake.  He was one busy little guy....which that meant Jay was an extremely busy guy and Papa Jim was a busy grandpa.  Thank goodness Jim was able to help because Jay is so busy with the actual fair he'd never be able to get everything done without Papa Jim's help. 

Poor Papa Jim didn't have the best day.  Jay is in charge of the chicken show so he needed help running to our house to get Cade's chickens.  He doesn't like to take the chickens early in the morning with the other livestock.  Papa Jim drove Jay's truck to pick them up....and he got a speeding ticket.  The insurance on Jay's truck is due the end of May and I honestly don't remember seeing the new insurance cards.  Papa Jim was frantically digging through the dash looking for them.  Since he had some that had expired a few days earlier the Highway Patrol let him off.  He said they were probably sitting in the mail.  Whew.  Then when Papa Jim and Memo were leaving the sale that night he backed into a friend's car.  At least Memo was laughing about it when she called to tell us about it Sunday morning.

The fair went really well this year.  They fair board worked really hard this past year building some permanent buildings for the animals.  It was really nice to have an actual arena for the cattle shows and the sale.  It also made the clean up go much faster.  I couldn't believe how early Jay got home Saturday evening. 

Jay and Cade getting Bonnie and Clyde ready.  Showing the pigs were definitely Cade's favorite activity.  He loves those pigs.  The pigs didn't do as well as we had hoped - but judging is just one man's opinion.  Last week Clyde won Reserve Grand at the Polk County Fair so you just never know. 

This picture makes me laugh every time I look at it.  I don't know what happened between the two of them but Camryn looks like she is telling him what she thinks.  It's a good thing he didn't get too close or she might have whacked him with the pig stick.  These two will more than likely be involved in the same things over the years so I'm sure we will have more pictures of them together.  Wouldn't it be funny if they got married????  I'd have to blow this up and have it hanging in the church. 

This was my favorite picture of the day.  Got them both in the same shot.

The chickens that caused Jim to get a speeding ticket.  Also two days earlier I opened up our electric bill.  Normally our bill is right around $100.  This time it was $175.   I was running around in my head how in the world it could be so high.  Then it dawned on me....IT WAS THE CHICKENS!!!  Jay had been standing there silently while I was processing it all just waiting for me to figure it out.  They are lucky it was almost fair time by the time the bill came in.  In one moth those chickens used almost as much electricity as the 4 of us and the entire house!!!

But of course when I saw this I knew the extra $75 was worth it.  Cade won Grand Champion. 

This is Cade's cake.  He got a blue ribbon on it and it gets to go to Ozark Empire.  Janella did a great job with him.  I think he decorated this on his third class.  It is a Styrofoam block and the icing is hard as a rock.  It's been stored on our computer cabinet since the first part of April. 

Jay's plan of having Cade be the most active participant paid off.  Cade won a belt buckle and he was interviewed on the radio last week.  We were very proud of him! 

 

Disposing of Chickens

For anyone who doesn't know us this post will sound like we are the most backwoods people you would ever meet. For those who know us, Jay in particular, you'll understand how this is just another day in the life....

Jay and Cade are raising 20+ chickens for the Gold Buckle Gala at the Ozark Empire Fair in a few weeks. Normally we raise them in the spring for our county fair which means it is cooler. We don't loose many chickens. This time has even different because it is hotter and these over fed chickens can't handle it. Two have died in the last two days of a heart attack. 

Dead chickens mean we have a dilemma.  What do we do with them. If we throw them in our woods Charlie and Rocky (our neighbors dog who spends more time at our house) will get a

taste for chicken. That would be disastrous for Jay and Cade's project. 

When the first one died yesterday Jay pulverized it with his gun. He wanted to see what these hollow point bullets would do. Problem solved. Then there was another dead one today....so they decided to dump it somewhere else.

Cade loaded up in the back of the truck with the dead chicken. Jay told him that he'd yell at him when it was time to throw the chicken out. Jay went a few feet and realized Cade was standing so he yelled at him to sit down. Cade threw the chicken out... They hadn't made it out of our yard yet.

Cade got the chicken again and they headed down the road. Jay looked in his mirror and Cade's arm was sticking straight out of the truck, holding the chicken by the legs as they were driving down the road. Cade doesn't understand covert operations yet. They dumped the chicken and then headed back to the house. As soon as they got back to the house Jay got concerned about where he left it. He was afraid it might have been in a neighbors walking path. Also, it wouldn't take much thinking to figure out who was  responsible. So they went back and picked up the poor chicken again. Jay then drove to a more secluded spot and got rid of it. 

I didn't know any of this was going on. I was in the house with Camryn wondering what in the world was taking them so long to feed. I never dreamed they were tossing a dead chicken from the back of the truck. I asked Jay if that was what we were coming to.....drive-by chickening. 

There is never a dull moment here.