Did Ya Hear The One About The Gynocologist And His Horse?

So, Karoline's father-in-law is the family doctor (italics, mine) and he also happens to have a few horses and a rather large indoor riding arena. It was like a bad stirrup joke waiting to happen...

He was kind enough to let the girls (and Scotty) ride the horses, so just past the crack of dawn we put on our chaps (just me) and headed over.

Aunt Karoline, Kate and "Popper"

Kate loved riding the horse, but the second time around she requested "no skipping."

http://uncutvideo.aol.com/videos/e9de363016d17cdd95af2bace2c099ea?index=0

Yee-Haw!

Giving treats to the horses

This is the nice farmer's saint bernard. She was extremely friendly and sweet.

Yeah, I wish we could stay longer too...

What Do You Do When You're In Iowa?

You pose by huge trees because, well, they're really big and green and don't have palm branches...

You pick out the house that you would live in if you moved there....

And you ride your bike in the rain... in your underpants

Duh, what else would you do?

FYI

Dear Iowa,

This is what my hair normally looks like:

Sincerely,

Mikele

What Did Iowa, Boys?

Kate and I took a trip to Iowa this week to visit Katie and her kiddos who were, in turn, visiting her family. Cedar Rapids is absolutely beautiful and such a wonderful contrast to Phoenix. It rained practically the whole time and we just sat around in our jammers and did absolutely nothing... no, wait...

We arrived Thursday evening - the plane ride was supernaturally uneventful and even though I did pop a Zoloft, I know that God was really the one who calmed my nerves - and were greeted by Katie and Amelia who had made a huge "Welcome to Iowa" sign for us. Kinda wish I had thought of taking a picture of that.

After we settled in at "Nanny and Papa's," we headed over to Lee and Karoline's house for dinner and an embarrasing game of badminton. After dessert (Ho Ho's, not Ding Dongs) we took the kids on a walk down the alley. Yep, THE ALLEY.

Oh, and did I mention that in the humidity, my hair looked like this:

Kate's, on the contrary, curled up:

Grandma Betty was teaching the girls how to play, just in case they visit friends in another state and are asked to eat a lot of cheese sticks and then pick up a racquet.

"He weighed a Washington, Boys."

Miles Gets An Owie

Well, you'd think he'd give us a little more time in between medical issues, but alas...

Do you see the blood? On his teeth? His sweet face all scraped up?

Poor thing... Josh, I mean. He really has a hard time with the kids getting hurt. Miles is all boy and gets into way more stuff than Kate ever did, so it's only natural that we begin to see more blood around here.

He was trying to get on her trike when the whole thing just tipped over and instead of bracing himself against the wall, he just slid down it - on his face.

Thankfully, no teeth were harmed in the incident, but he did get a good strawberry and severed that little piece of skin that attaches your upper lip to your gum. Apparently, this does not need any sort of medical attention and will heal on it's own. "Heal on it's own" also means that it won't re-attach itself, but will just dangle there for eternity. If you would like to see a grown-up version, please contact Jen.

Ok, kid...bring it on.

Saddle Up Your Horses

Last week was Vacation Bible School at church and this was the first year that Kate has gotten to really participate. Jen was her "crew leader" and I'm truly impressed that she made it through the whole week with all those preschoolers and another little girl in her uterus...

Emily, Madison and Kate (and Jen)

I had such a blast this year. The theme was Avalanche Ranch and it was all about hay bales, bandanas and cowboy hats. I had the honor of playing the crazy cowgirl "Reba" and by the middle of the week, I was such a celebrity! Woot! Oh, and I got to wear chaps.

Lori, Me and Carin on Day 1

We had almost 100 kiddos this year

This video is for all of you who would like a glimpse into the world of a three year old:

http://uncutvideo.aol.com/videos/ac4f27503c6a81f021a385bf72d378b6?index=0

Can you see Kate in the front row? She totally sat and stared when I came on stage.

http://uncutvideo.aol.com/videos/ea634f97fa8373a855f136ce2106c8d2?index=0

On Friday night we had a big party with a petting zoo, bouncers, a cotton candy machine and the end program with all the kids singing about Jesus.

Here's Kate doin' her thang:

(special props go out to Jenny as well)

http://uncutvideo.aol.com/videos/fba162e26c0c69ed60b9db493b64bcdf?index=0

like mother, like daughter...

http://uncutvideo.aol.com/videos/e3a2392fa209453591add605e180bf00?index=0

Seriously, we need to have a talk about this phone thing...

http://uncutvideo.aol.com/videos/5b5c86d3289592014b00fbc6e7f3e5c6?index=0

Ok, even I'm a bit sick of myself now.

Amelia Turned 4 (like a week ago...)

Most of you have seen some of these pictures, but there's a surprise at the end...

Happy Birthday, Mia!

Kate was so excited to get all princessed up again - the glitter from her dress made Katie's house shimmer. And the car seat. And me.

Kate and Amelia

Cinderella - aka "Robyn"

Just a little game of Pin the Slipper on the Prince's neck

Kate and Kennedy

Luke

And introducing...

Scotty

(just click on his name)

I'm sure he's available for parties...

Six

In a flurry of peer pressure, I posted Katie's birthday pictures before my own anniversary ones. This does not in any way suggest anything except that I am still thirteen in my head sometimes and I forget that when I get up from a table to go to the bathroom, my friends will still be waiting for me when I return...even when I don't remind them not to leave. Ah, Maturity. And Confidence. They escape me at the wildest times.

Hence!

I still adore my husband and our anniversary was well marked this sixth year. We had dinner at The Terrace at the Phoencian and even though it's June, we were able to enjoy eating outside.

My skirt was the hot topic of the evening and I'm so sorry, but I don't even have a picture of it for you. I bought it at Sam's Club - you know, along with a giant crate of strawberries - and I had been getting a lot of comments on it. I tried to explain to Josh the phenomenon of how women discuss clothing with other women they don't know and how it's Just A Thing. Funny enough, it totally happened as we got off the elevator:

Complete Female Stranger: "Hey! Cute skirt!"

Me: "Thanks! Sam's Club!"

CFS: "No way! Sam's Club?"

Me: "I know!"

Josh was as stunned as I have ever seen him.

Me: "You see! Hot topic!"

Then, because he seemed so eager to learn, I explained that women comment on other women's clothes all the time. When someone points out that your skirt is cute, your response is dependant on what the most shocking piece of info about the skirt is - was the price awesome? (which is what you will usually get from Katie, "It's Coach, but I got it for 3 cents at Last Chance.) or in my case - the place where I bought it is strange and therefore, noteworthy.

Josh still shook his head at me. I tried to tell him that God made women mysterious, so that men wouldn't get tired of us.

Let's just say that he and I will be here to mark year seven next June.

Katie's Birthday Spectacular

Katie is off to Iowa next week, so we decided to celebrate her birthday early with a fabulous trip to P.F. Changs. As usual, we laughed our heads off, Katie and I switched drinks and everyone but me shared a dish.

I am truly blessed to have so many wonderful and Godly women in my life.

Happy Birthday, Kathleen!