Oh the Places You'll Go

We hit the road tomorrow. Stop 1 is Gma and Gpa's for lunch (a tradition) then on to Aunt Jill's. Sat is ride day at the fair. All cousins are going with and maybe Uncle Mike - though we're trying to talk him out of it because it's 1. SO hot 2. VERY bumpy ground 3. He's a pain in the butt. :-) (But #3 has never stopped us from taking him before) :-)

Friends are showing steers and horses - which will be a lot of fun for my kids to see. Mary Scot gets to stay over at the fair with her steer - they actually sleep in the stalls with the livestock. Jack couldn't believe that. Whole different world for my guys.

Sally is excited to ride rides - even though she's not too into the big stuff and she's getting too big physically for the little stuff. She still likes to go and sometimes Jack can talk her into big stuff and then the faces she makes are priceless. We picnic in the park after rides (another tradition).

Demo Derby on Wed and Harness Racing on Thursday. Would LOVE it if the kids picked all winners and we could walk out of there with TALL cash. Ha ha - we usually bet $2 on each race. :-)

Camp is still going well. I love it that when I pick them up they are FULL of stories of the fun they've had through the day. Jack eats a quick snack and then he's off to the neighbor's. Sal has to download a little - she usually hits her room and plays "camp" with her people.

We pass the Library each day on the way to camp and the carpenter's union has been on strike. Of course Jack asked about it and so I gave him my happy clappy liberal idealism about what unions do. :-) So we began honking each day and waving. Since no other workers would cross the line - there was no one working. The other day they were working (the union got their contract signed) and so we talked about that and at the end of the convo I said "So every one's working, now." And not missing a beat - from the back seat Sal says "except you, Mom." :-) Thank you Sally.

Jack has been very curious (as much as Jack ever is on a subject - his attention span matches that of a gnat) about government workings. We explained that we would not be attending Village functions this year - due to their horrible treatment of Public Works and Police and Fire. As I told Jack that there was little chance that Daddy would loose his job he asked about why Bill attends the board meetings and boycotts things. As I explained that as you go through life you must stand up for what you believe in and always fight for the underdog he piped up with "like when *next door* calls Sally names and her and I go home". EXACTLY!

The kids next door are horrible. I got into it with the "mother" (there's 4 adult females over there). She's one that believes her children. Rooky. Thinks her children don't swear or say mean things to Sal because they don't do it in front of her. Well, there's logic for you! Ughhh. So I'm SURE those kids will NEVER be in trouble with any authority. PAlease! I know Jack is a lying weasel and he knows that I know. :-) Autism doesn't allow Sal to lie - but she does get confused as to when something happens. So you have to decipher things with her. BUT on a good note - the children next door have moved!!!!! YAY! I *think* there's still one female over there - which I'm guessing is Gma, and I think she's staying. But no kids - yay! My kids and Tommy down the street always played very well - until those kids came into the picture. They were MADE to stay outside from the time they got up till night time - and I mean stay outside - so they sat on their front porch and made things miserable for the others. I agree with kids being outside - but you can't just put them out there with nothing. In the summer I allow almost everything to go outside. Sal's dollhouse and people have taken up residence on the front porch. Jack has taken out cards and a couple of wrestlers. I've NEVER seen them or Tommy just sit on the porch and do nothing ALL afternoon. Adults always screw things up. (just ask Jack) :-)

Mabel has been resting up to play farm dog next week. She LOVES being out there - she stretches out as she runs top speed and she's only a couple of inches above the ground. Of course Chunk and Tiny (the *real* farm dogs) look at her like "why waste so much energy pup?" I swear you can see it in their eyes "city dog doesn't know nothin". :-) It's the getting there that's hard with Mabel. She sits in the back of the car and howls at cars that come up behind us. (rolling my eyes)

What Should I Be?

I recently had to attend a "workshop" at IDES on how to get employed. When I explained to the kids where I was going because I got all this "you look nice, Mom, where are you going?"..... I told them that I was going to a meeting where people would help me decide what I wanted to be when I grew up. Since this conversation, Sally has come up with everything from Science Teacher to Doctor to Garbage Lady for me "to be". Seriously, she must have talked for an hour about what I should be. "You work at Chuckee Cheese, Mom"...... "You be a Police, Mom" . It was quite comical.

Because of the insurance that we bought to fund Sally's Special Needs trust - neither one of us is allowed to ride a motorcycle. This has never been a problem till Jeremy entered our lives. :-) He's a big biker and now Bill has the bug. Jeremy, knowing that Bill wants to ride but can't had a brilliant idea to buy a Dune Buggy for Bill! Can I just say - they got it - they went out in it and came back COVERED in mud and the BIGGEST smiles!!!! So their goal is to get it street ready and take trips around here.

Jack has become one of the gang down at Jer and Jen's. All 6 kids treat him like the brother they have. :-) He LOVES being with them. I think he really likes having siblings that don't have so many "problems". It's a nice break for him. Sal and I get some quality time then too. :-) Sally loves to go over and hang in the hot tub. Jeremy dials it down for the kids and they hop in and out of it and jump on the trampoline, swing on the swing set, generally run amok. :-) They're so good to Sal. Jeremy always tells her that she is his best friend. ;-)

I have decided to write a book (or books) about Mabel. The October list has badgered me about it and now friends on facebook say the same thing. From talking to the girls who have had books published the advice is that I should set up a time each day and write. Set a timer and do it. I'm gonna give it a shot. I've been taking a bunch of pictures of her to illustrate the book. God knows she's given me enough data. :-)

We're all looking forward to vacation. We'll be truckstering downstate again, to Aunt Jill's and the Adams County Fair and Brown County Fair (horse racing). There's several people we'd like to get in touch with. Tod and Rachel top the list. Can't wait to see the kids.

Back to my job search. I'm really not looking so much - I've decided to be a SAHM. (Stay At Home Mom). I figure I can volunteer at school, and always be there for Sally's stuff - which is getting more and more. The girl has a social calender that rivals the Queen. :-) I am thinking of going back to school ......again. I don't know.

It's been a little tougher here lately. You know how "great" (pfffttt) I am with transitions and Sal's been having bathroom problems more and more. :-/ I'm hoping we can be on some sort of level ground by the start of school.

The 4th and All

Whoa - this weekend was a blur. We started Sat morning at 7 am and left for Darien parade. We helped Jeremy with his Prince Patios entry. On the way to the parade ALL children rode with Jen in the van. Bill and were left ALONE to drive the dump truck. It was the most PEACEFUL ride I've had in a LONG time. :-)

The kids all piled in the back of the dump truck at the parade and proceeded to bean people with dum-dums and tootsie rolls through the parade. We had a BLAST! We then retired to THE Shag and had a bar-b-que. The kids ran through the sprinkler, jumped in the water on the trampoline, in and out of the spa, and basically ran amok. :-)

We were ALL tired when we tucked in that night. Sunday we slept in and returned to Jeremy's to participate in Lisle's parade. *I* got to drive the Prince Patio's Explorer and Sal rode with and we both threw out candy. Driving and throwing is no easy task. ;-) Plus, at Lisle, the crowd is VERY close to the vehicles. It was a lot of fun.

Jeremy has a motorcycle with side car on it - Sadie (age 3) rode in there and threw candy. It was SO cute. Jer led the way then Jen, in the "fire van" , me in the Explorer, and Bill in the dump truck. I realized that afternoon that my kids had been accepted into the Fox family when Katelynn gave Jack AND her brother flack in the same tone. :-) Makes me very happy.

We all went to watch fireworks together. Jen took Jack and we took Katelynn. It was really nice to have a teenager in the car . I think it's so great for Jack to be around the Fox kids - to see what it's like to be a little brother (and big brother) to "typical" kids. They actually came looking for the kids on Monday afternoon! Katelynn and Andrew rode their bikes over and asked if Sal and Jack could come to their house. THAT is nice.

Anyway the fireworks were ok. Not worth a public service job - but ok. We managed to sit in the crying baby area of the village. DANG. There was a reason Sal never saw fireworks till she was like 8. It's just too much for some kids. By that time, they're tired and sun beat and just nasty. Don't try and comfort them through it - TAKE THEM HOME! They'll get to see fireworks ALL their life. But this particular family felt it their duty to make sure EVERYONE got to hear their precious scream at the top of his lungs - over and over and over and over. Ughhh.

On the way home, we stopped and got the traditional Frostee . Little Sadie had the best time , there were so many fireworks going off all around that she couldn't stop looking everywhere with her eyes wide open. She is a cutie.

Mabel made it through the night and didn't seem to be TOO affected. At one point in the night Sally asked if there was someone at the door (the booms sounded like knocks to her) ;-)

Mabel has a new trick of getting the pantry door open and getting into the garbage. She brings the whole bag out and goes through one by one while dining under the kitchen table - until you get home and as soon as she hears "oh, Mabel" you hear scampering and then sliding under the couch.