On a Sunday afternoon waaaay back in March I started making a prom dress for Princess. It was the most challenging thing I’ve ever sewn, and the one I’m most proud of. Not because it turned out perfect (it didn’t) or because it turned out beautiful (it did) but because it makes her feel felt like a princess when she puts it on. The smile on her face when she’s in that dress is worth any amount of ripping out, fixing mistakes and cussing. And now that I’ve finally downloaded the photos you can see her smile too. Enjoy!

Princess in her dress. Teacher strung the beaded straps, and the shawl came from our guest from Thailand. Her wrist corsage was gorgeous and smelled as good as it looked!

Princess and Cowboy. Princess had her hair done in a salon, and Cowboy’s sister bullied him into leaving his cowboy boots and hat at home. They both look way too grown-up to me!

Princess with her best friend Janice. Janice made her dress, shawl and matching purse all by herself! My mom made Princess’s matching wristlet – she’s gotten into making purses and bags lately. You can see the girls’ purses in the next photo.

The whole group: Cowboy, Princess, Janice, and her date Josh.

Finally, Princess and me. Teacher wanted a photo of us together since I was still dressed up from band competition. I look at Princess and marvel that I’m the mother of such a beautiful, smart, charming girl. I’m the luckiest mom in the world!

It was going to be a busy night, but not unmanageable. Teacher and I had coordinated schedules and transportation so everything meshed like a well-oiled machine. Easy peasy! Or so we thought…

The plan was:

• 5:00 – Princess would arrive back at school from the Children’s Hospital after dropping off a donation of books she and a bunch of friends had raised funds to purchase. College Boy was picking her up from school because I was still working and Teacher was starting dinner.
• 5:20 – Eat dinner. Teacher was making chicken quesadillas – quick, easy and oh-so yummy!
• 6:00 – Teacher, Jo-Bear and Angel Face would leave for their soccer games. Teacher is the coach for Angel Face’s team, and this year Jo-Bear’s team plays most of its games in the soccer complex near Teacher and Angel Face’s field. How convenient is that?!
• 6:30 – Princess, Z-Man, Little Guy and I would leave for handbells. It was our last night of the year, when we traditionally polish the bells before storing them all summer. Then we go out for ice cream afterward.
• 7:00 – Jo-Bear and a friend would be taken to Badger Sports park by his friend’s dad, who’s also the boys’ soccer coach.
• 8:00 – Jo-Bear would be dropped off at church, a mere 5 minute drive from the ice cream shop, where I’d pick him up.
• 8:30 – Everyone would be home and get ready for bed.

Looks fairly simple, doesn’t it? But of course it couldn’t be that easy… The first wrench was thrown into the works barely 5 minutes after College Boy left to pick up Princess. Princess called to say that she was going to be late getting back to school because the van she was riding in wouldn’t start. And since she was going to be late anyway, could she grab a bite to eat with her friends as long as she got to church in time for handbells? I said she could, then cut the conversation short so I could call College Boy and tell him that Princess didn’t need a ride home.

I called College Boy but he didn’t answer so I left a message. I suspected that he hadn’t taken his phone with him, but I still called every 10 minutes, just in case. As the clock inched past 5:30 I wondered if I should drive up to school to get him. I wasn’t sure how long he would wait since the previous day when he’d gone to pick up his sister he waited a little while, came home, and ended up having to turn right around to go back and get her. I figured this time he’d sit around forever to avoid the extra trip. It’s a good 20-30 minute drive to school and back so I didn’t want to go if I didn’t have to, but I also didn’t want him sitting at school forever. Besides, he had the van with the little boys’ car seats in it!

Teacher offered to stop at school on the way to the soccer complex, but I was worried that they’d be late, so I told him not to worry about it. Instead I called my mom to see if she could watch the little boys while I ran up to school to get College Boy. Teacher was about ready to leave with Angel Face and Jo-Bear so there’d be no-one home with them, and since I didn’t have car seats I couldn’t take them along. While I was on the phone Princess called again to tell us that she’d stopped at school and told College Boy that she didn’t need a ride. I called my mom back to tell her that she didn’t need to watch the boys, and as I was talking Call Waiting beeped again – this time it was Uncle Jon calling just to say “Hi”. I’m ashamed to admit that I was a bit short and rude to him, but my stress level was soaring from the whole College Boy/Princess scenario, plus I still had to clean up dinner, check the diaper bag and get myself and the little boys out of the door on time.

As I said “Goodbye” to Uncle Jon College Boy drove up in the van. Whew! I took a deep breath, and quickly made him two quesadillas for dinner before leaving. He’s lazy and would rather not eat than make something for himself. The little boys were very cooperative and helped find their shoes, socks and coats so we were able to leave on time. The boys and I arrived shortly after everyone else, and with all the hands helping it wasn’t long before the bells were polished and we were on our way for ice cream!

The members of the bell choir all get along very well together and time just flew as we chatted and laughed over our ice cream. Suddenly it was 5 to 8 and I had to run back to church to get Jo-Bear. The little boys were still working on their ice cream so I left them there with Princess and my dad, who’s a member of the bell choir. I figured it would take 10 minutes to run back to church, pick up Jo-Bear, and get back. Silly me, I should have known that it wouldn’t be that easy!

At 8:15 Jo-Bear still hadn’t arrived. I was getting tired of waiting in an empty parking lot, worried about how the little boys were behaving at the ice cream shop, and worried about where Jo-Bear was. My dad didn’t have his cell phone with him He rarely does so I called my friend Cindy’s cell phone instead. I figured she’d be hanging around the ice cream shop with everyone else until I came back. I was right, and she relayed the message that Jo-Bear hadn’t arrived yet. Then I called my mom to ask her if Jo-Bear had arrived at her doorstep, or if maybe he was at home. My parents live just two doors down so the kids go to their house if they’re ever locked out of ours. Jo-Bear wasn’t at Grandma’s, and when she walked to our house to see if he was there he wasn’t. I settled down to wait, and wait, and wait.

I’m not very patient and after about 15 more mind-numbing minutes I couldn’t take it. I called home to see if Teacher had arrived back from his soccer game yet, and have him check the phone for messages. He was home but there was no message. I began to worry that there was a miscommunication and Jo-Bear had been left out at Badger Sports Park for us to pick him up, so I called Cindy’s cell phone again. I suggested that my dad leave the little boys with Princess and come to church to take my place so I could pick up Princess and the little boys. He arrived shortly after and offered to stay at church so I could run out to Badger Sports Park after the ice cream shop. My dad’s an absolute jewel, even if he never carries his cell phone with him.

As I pulled into a parking space at the ice cream shop my cell phone rang. It was Jo-Bear, calling to say that they’d “run over a little” because they were having so much fun. It was 8:45 – I’d say they’d gone over “a little”! Jo-Bear’s friend’s dad had offered to take Jo-Bear home, but since they were just up the road I told him to go to church instead and to “tell Grandpa that you talked to me and he should take you home.” I figured that since my dad had been so accommodating the least I could do was let him take Jo-Bear home right away instead of waiting for me to stop by church and tell him to go home.

Inside the ice cream shop the little boys were entertaining Princess, Cindy, another bell choir member, Diane, and the rest of the patrons. Little Guy was running around in circles like the Energizer Bunny and Z-Man was singing the ABC song. Luckily the boys are so cute no-one seemed to mind! Princess and I packed them up and headed home, thanking Diane and Cindy for staying around to help out.

Although things didn’t go like we’d planned, causing unnecessary stress and worry, this fiasco taught me two valuable lessons: First, don’t let the kids go anywhere with anyone except their parents or grandparents. OK, I realize it’s not realistic, but it would make life MUCH less stressful!Secondly, always, always, ALWAYS carry your cell phone and make sure it’s charged and on!

This purple theme is the third blog theme I’ve had since I started blogging, and believe it or not I’m considering another one. It’s all Anna’s fault – she clued me into The Slovanian Designer yesterday. When I took a peek I instantly fell in love with the African theme. The only thing holding me back is that the African one doesn’t have any purple on it… and the fact that I paid a designer to find and upload this theme for me so I hate to change it so soon. Plus I love the fonts and arches in this theme… but that African one is so gorgeous and so unique… if it had a zebra or two and a bit of purple I’d be all over it. Yeah, I know I’m waffling – I’m really good at not making up my mind.

Anyway, I liked the African theme so much I just had to peek at the rest of page, and to my surprise there was more than just templates! Moni has graphics he’s created and photos he’s edited too. I love looking at this kind of stuff and was amazed by the model in the snow. I’m learning to edit photos but I don’t think I’ll ever be good enough to add snow where there wasn’t any before! Hint, click on the photo to see the entire thing. I won’t admit how long it took me to figure that out.

Do me a favor – take a peek at Moni’s blog then come back and tell me what you think!

One of Jim’s dreams while in America was to see the Great Lakes for himself. He asked Teacher about flying to see Lake Superior, but Teacher told him that Lake Michigan was just an hour away. “By bus?” Jim asked. Apparently Thailand has an extensive system of buses that Jim often used for travel. “No, you don’t need to take a bus, we’ll drive you.” Teacher told him.

Since our van wouldn’t fit all of us plus Jim we asked the kids who wanted to go. Jo-Bear did, but the girls decided to stay home and watch a Gilmore Girls marathon. So Sunday afternoon we packed the boys and Jim into the van and took off for Manitowoc and Lake Michigan. Teacher had underestimated the distance to Manitowoc so the drive was actually closer to two hours than one, but it was a peaceful drive. Z-man and Little Guy slept the whole way, occasionally snoring gently or muttering in their sleep. Jo-Bear played his Nintendo DS, and didn’t complain when I made him turn the volume down so the game wouldn’t drive me crazy. Jim looked out the windows, occasionally asking questions about the farms we passed. We did our best to answer his questions and explain dairy farming to him. Jim’s parents are farmers in Thailand; growing rice and a local fruit that I’ve forgotten the name of, and it was interesting to discuss the similarities and differences between their Thai farm and Wisconsin farms.

It didn’t seem like long before we entered Manitowoc and started looking for signs to the beach. We passed one little park with a small beach, but it wasn’t the one Teacher had found online and wanted to visit. Just up the road from the little beach we turned off the main road into a woods that offered a peek of the lake through the trees. The blacktop road gave way to gravel as we got closer to the beach, then ended abruptly in a turn-around. Teacher parked the car and we all tumbled out.

Next to the road was an arched wooden bridge over a stream of clear, rapidly flowing water. Jo-Bear jogged over the bridge with Little Guy trotted after him holding Teacher’s hand. I had out my camera and was already taking photos so I didn’t notice right away that Z-Man had balked at the bridge. “He’s scared” Jim called to me. “You want me to carry you?” he asked Z-Man. Z-Man nodded and raised his arms to Jim. I started back across the bridge to take Z-Man from him – I didn’t want our guest to feel obliged to carry our son, but Jim said “Is OK” with a big smile so I continued across the bridge.

Here’s everyone starting across the bridge, and the stream under the bridge. I don’t blame Z-Man for being scared.

The view from the bridge to the lake – gorgeous! And Jim carrying Z-Man across the scary bridge.

Z-Man was happy to get down and walk on his own on the other side of the bridge, kicking the gravel ahead of him, then scuffing through the sand when the gravel ended. Jo-Bear bent down to take a handful of the beach sand. “Mom, feel this, it’s so soft!” he called. “We should take some home for our sandbox.” he added. Teacher and I looked at each other and laughed. In Michigan he’d built a sandbox for my daycare and filled it with lake sand from a local quarry. I loved that fine, soft, dust-free sand so much! One of my biggest disappointments in moving to Wisconsin was that I couldn’t find lake sand for our new sandbox. I kept teasing my in-laws that they should fill the back of Dad’s pick-up with sand, or at least bring a garbage can full of lake sand when they visited – but in the almost 10 years we’ve been here they never have. Since our visit to Manitowoc I’ve decided to find a Manitowoc quarry with lake sand, rent a trailer and get sand for our sandbox there. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s SO worth it!

The beach was obviously not a swimmer’s beach; judging by the large boulders visible through the waves and the number of shells, sticks and stones in the sand. The boys all had a blast throwing stones into the lake – without being yelled at! – and searching for “treasures” in the sand. Teacher found some crab shells and after Jo-Bear saw them he was on a mission to find as many shells as he could. He found quite a few, including one with a dried-out crab inside. Grosssss!!!! Jim was awed by the size of the lake and took tons of photos. Teacher followed Little Guy up and down the beach, scooping him up when he got too close to the water and the waves washed over his feet.

The shoreline, and one of the crab claw treasures Jo-Bear found.

Z-Man is looking for treasure while Teacher keeps an eye on Little Guy. At this point his feet are still dry…

Jim takes photos of himself everywhere he goes. If I ever get to visit a country more exotic than Canada I’m sure I’ll do the same thing. It just amazes me to think that we have a friend halfway across the world.

This is one of my favorite photos from the day. Little Guy loved being on the beach, I can’t wait to take him back when it’s warmer!

It was amazing how relaxing the bright sunshine, scent of fresh lake water, and sound of the waves were. I could feel the tension leave my body as I walked along the beach next to Teacher. Apparently he was feeling the same way; “Relaxing, isn’t it?” he asked, putting an arm around me. I rested my head on his shoulder and looked out toward the horizon, watching the water glitter in the sun and filling my senses with the lake. “Oh yeah.” I agreed. “If I didn’t love our house so much I’d really want a place on the water.” We stood there for several minutes, just enjoying.

After about an hour an a half we were ready to leave the beach – at least the adults were ready. Jo-Bear was old enough to hide his disappointment, but Z-Man openly pouted and Little Guy cried and arched his back to get down as Teacher carried him away from the water. This time Z-Man wasn’t afraid of the bridge, and after crossing it once he wanted to go back and forth one more time. I walked with him as Teacher got Little Guy in the car seat, then we all piled back into the car for the drive home.

By this time it was 4:00 and we hadn’t really had lunch – just muffins around 10:00 – so we were hungry! A quick stop at McDonald’s provided the solution, as well as loudly annoying toys for Z-Man and Little Guy to torment us with all the way home. Next time we’ll try Burger King – their toys can’t be as annoying, right? All in all it was a great afternoon, and I’ll never forget the way Jim’s face beamed as he stuck his hand into Lake Michigan. “It’s cold!” he said first. Then, “I touched the Great Lakes – is always my dream.” It doesn’t get better than that!

More photos coming later as I get time to edit them!

Little Guy was hamming it up the other morning so I snapped a series of photos. If you look closely at his little finger you’ll see me wrapped around it. Yeah, I’m a total marshmallow when it comes to the kids, but I can’t help it – they’re so cute! And Little Guy’s big blue eyes and adorable smile get me every time…

Isn’t he just the cutest?!