Catch up

I seems like forever since I posted and then I looked and it has been forever. Since our home Internet is so unstable I will not post any pictures today, but just share.

Maddie and Ethan spent the entire summer in Utah and loved it. Some of the funnies that came from that trip-
They went with Grandma and Grandpa Ward to Cabellas, a big outdoor/recreation store. When Ethan walked in the door, he looked and there were some waders (rubber pants that go all the way up to a persons chest- used for fishing etc.) on display. Ethan stopped for a moment and then asked if those were chigger pants. For those of you who don't know what chiggers are, they are little bugs that live in the grass here in OK. If you even walk on the grass you will get little bites all over your legs. When I hear about Ethan's observation, I thought, mmmm we have lived in Oklahoma too long.

Maddie and Ethan both went to sewing camp in Utah and then entered their sewing projects and other projects in the fair. Maddie was elated that she earned $36 on her winnings. She came home with blue ribbons in many categories. That made it easy for her when she got back to OK. She just entered some of the same projects in the fair. We couldn't believe it when she didn't win blue ribbons. After the fair was over we picked up her projects and I read some of the judges comments. I was frustrated. The comment on the pj pants that she sewed read, "should be shorts- not pants", and the pillowcase comment read, " should only be 1 piece of fabric". Maddie had gone over and above the requirements and made the pillowcase with a contrasting band. We are coming to find out in Ok (not just with the fair projects) that you stick directly with the prescribed guidelines- creativity and "thinking outside the box" is not looked on highly.

Ethan was just happy that he earned more money on his projects than Daddy did at the fair.

Ethan is playing flag football and Maddie is taking swimming lessons. She wanted to be on the swim team, but the time commitment of every day for 2 hours was more than I could handle at this time. We think that Ethan should get the award for the team "good-jobber". (Don't look up that word in the dictionary.) When ever anyone does something, whether it progresses them to the goal line or not, he pats them on the back and lets them know what a good job they did.

Ethan started cub scouts and passed off all his bobcat requirements in the first few days. He is usually not goal driven, but I am discovering that he really wants to complete his scout goals. So I have conjured up a way to make everything, homework, jobs, piano practicing, whatever, a scout goal. It has worked pretty well thus far. I am just waiting until he catches on and this backfires.

Maddie and Ethan have had fun creating a library out of all their books. I get to be the patron and go to the "library". I will get a video I took of them at their library up as soon as possible. It is pretty funny.

That is enough for now. It is Sunday and we have the neighbors from across the street coming for dinner. I have plans to have turkey, but I forgot to buy a turkey bag. I don't know how to cook a turkey without a bag- what am I talking about- I don't know how to cook a turkey period. Good reason to have a husband- so he can cook the turkey. (There are lots more important reasons to have a husband, that is just one of those bonus reasons.)