happy father's day!

russells love the kitchen

1. dave little is a genius.

2. i say, music mae has found her niche.

3. chef-o is freaking awesome. 

4. my kids love "The Kitchen."

5. get the cd and dvd FREE here.

(6. each episode is about as long as a typical breastfeeding session. thank you, God.)

mice

"mice are like superheroes. they can do anything." - d. kramer

mice are becoming quite fashionable on our block. we don't have any currently, but i sought out the expert advice of mouse-hunter david valentine just in case. it's worth sharing...

Mice. Oh mice.
I have some personal theories on mice.

As you know, we also dealt with rats. Rats are different in that 1), they’re frickin scary, 2) bigger, but 3) they don’t live IN your house. They just come in to get food and then leave (they especially enjoy organic salty snacks from Trader Joe’s).

We did call pest control (scherzinger, I think) about rats and I am assuming their policy on mice is similar, though I don’t know that for sure. Basically they set traps and come and monitor them once a week (which is not much, by the bye), and they make no guarantee that the problem won’t come back (which obviously would be a hard thing to guarantee).

Mice, on the other hand, live in your house. (In fact, most houses probably have mice in them. They can live in your attic and eat seeds from plants, for the most part, they are harmless. They are NOT harmless when they hide in your bathroom when your wife is trying to pee and then proceed to scare her to death by darting around the room. I repeat, not harmless).

Here is my theory, if you see mice, or droppings, you have a family of mice hanging out. I don’t believe you have hundreds of them, like roaches, but just probably like 5 or 6. Personally, I have no problem killing them. If you do have a problem with that, I’m the wrong person to talk to.

I have found the Victor clip trap (see attached link, you can also buy these at the Sears in Newport) to be VERY effective. Here is the trick, put peanut butter WAY in the back of the inside of the clip. Mice CAN NOT resist peanut butter. Its like me with free beer. Put the trap against the wall where you have seen droppings and start checking for dead mice the next day (I’ve caught mice within the hour of setting the trap. See how that once a week thing isn’t a great deal?)

Pull the dead mouse out, drop it in the trash (this is pretty gross) and reset trap. Repeat until problem seems fixed. It won’t be solved forever, but it will kill the mice you have.

Do NOT buy the black TOMCAT clip trap (see attached). Though very similar in design, I have found this trap to be WAY LESS effective. Not sure why, but trust me, they don’t work as well.

I have also bought poison pellets. Not sure if that works. (I don’t like the idea of finding dead mice laying in odd places)

I have also bought high frequency noise deterrent devices. Again, I think this might help a little, but its not a solid fix. Victor Traps = solid fix. They are good.

One note, these mice are frickin tricky, so you have to check to make sure they haven’t gotten your peanut butter. Sometimes they do, but if its far enough back in the trap it gets them almost every time.

(also, for what its worth, a cat is also VERY effective, just saying).

Here is another mouse catching theory from the guy who designed the CR website:
how to catch a mouse...

Ok, good luck. Happy hunting.

USE THIS:
Victor Trap

NOT THIS:
Tomcat

zoo commercial!

this is zak morgan...

we love zak morgan's music. last spring we were all out zak morgan groupies. he played a free show at our local library...

mac introduced himself before the show and asked a lot of questions: "are you really zak morgan?" he was even invited up "on stage" (on carpet). mac and bode were pretty shocked that zak morgan was just a plain old dude.

he also played a free show at the zoo...

and like good groupies, we were there...

participating...

fast forward to yesterday morning, 5 am. i'm half-awake, feeding chaney by the light of the tv screen and on comes a zoo baby commercial. "zoo babies are here... come see them... and this weekend, come see zak morgan..." and THERE THEY ARE -- davidrussell and bode at last year's zak morgan show. specifically the back of their heads and partially david's ear. of course, i'm like "what the...? how'd they...?"  better judgement told me to wait until davidrussell wakes before telling him. anyway, i know you have a life and all, but if the zoo baby commercial comes on, watch it.

also, consider seeing zak morgan at the zoo this weekend. he's very talented, and not weird. your kids will love him. 

introducing...

Chaney Rae Russell

8 lbs., 3 oz.

21 inches

born tuesday, 4/21 at 5:28 pm

enjoys scrabble, horseback riding and long walks in the park...

it's getting crazy around here

you know how when something big is about to happen, like say for example... you're about to have a baby, and your plan is for things to calm down, chill out so that you can just focus on the big event? while you may be laughing, i do believe that short seasons of calm can actually happen. however, it's not guaranteed. my plan has been to descend into that couple of weeks with ease, but the plan has been foiled. there's lots of turbulence.
for one, 3 out of 4 of us have been sick for weeks. mac had an awful respiratory bug that lasted about 10 days and i picked that up from him. then, bode got a stomach bug... i got that, too. so i've been down for the count for the last couple of weeks. sometimes i've been able to function, other times i've just been in bed (or on or around the toilet...). i know, i know. poor me.
i'm feeling much better and have actually slept the last few nights. but this morning bode awoke with the awful cough that mac and i had. so it looks like we're not out of the woods yet. davidrussell has iron immunity so we're hopeful there.

it gets better. i'm currently blogging on dr's computer as mine went into a coma this morning. i'm headed to the apple store this afternoon, praying my computer hasn't crashed. so i don't know when you'll hear from me again. i'm bummed b/c i had planned to say much more to you before i had the baby. i'll still try.

while we may not be floating in calm like i had planned, it's still easy to stay focused on what (and who) is coming. it's just not a "well-rested" focus. but that's ok.

fish fry season

thank you, catholicism, for bringing the tradition of fish fries into lent. 

i was raised catholic until i was 7. it was during this time i learned lent meant you don't eat meat on fridays. instead, you go to fish fries where you see all your family and your dad drinks beer while you get to spend nickels on the cake wheel. 

when i was 7, my dad married my stepmom and we became southern baptist. then i learned no one is supposed to drink beer or spend money on any kind of wheel, and lent was the time to start shopping for your easter dress... and shoes and purse if you were a teenage girl. 

but oh the days of the fish fries. right smack dab in the middle of my neighborhood sat St. Luke church. all my catholic friends attended school there and most of my aunts and uncles attended church there. my dad and i would walk to St. Luke's on friday nights and hang out for hours. my uncles were frying the fish, my aunts were serving it and all my little friends and cousins were bussing the cafeteria tables. and oooh the fish. a big slab of fried cod on rye bread, a smearing of tartar, french fries floating in a lake of ketchup... mac and cheese, slaw, catholic green beans. "catholic green beans" are a mystery to me. i don't know how they are made, but at every fish fry or catholic church picnic i've ever attended, the green beans always taste the same. they're oniony and slightly sweet. delicious, unique and consistent. is it some kind of secret recipe? i don't know. 

one friday night every lent season, we would break the routine and head down preston hwy. to Guardian Angels for the best "fish fry" fish in louisville. crunchy, a little peppery -- heavenly fish. and they serve freakin' good brats, too. i think one year i had to go there twice b/c my dad went and then my mom came to pick me up for the weekend and she wanted some Guardian Angels fish, too. crazy.

i still love fish fries. these days when i go, i usually just get carry-out. but i love standing in line, giving my order to a couple of 12 year olds, watching moms and dads cook and serve the meals. the cafeteria is full of community in action --  everyone committing to be apart of something important for them and having so much fun in the process. 

since we've moved up here, i've searched for an awesome fish fry and the results have been so-so. i don't recommend St. Thomas in fort thomas. not good at all. however, Mary Queen of Heaven in erlanger is delicious. they have quite a set up over there and it's always packed. they even claim to be home of the "codfather." if anyone knows of any other good ones around here, i'm all ears. i still haven't made it to the west side. 

my mom is coming in town this friday. i asked her to swing by Guardian Angels on her way and bring me some fish and brats. i can't wait. 

i wish crossroads did a fish fry. i would be in charge of the cake wheel. 

fire safety

i love fire. i love making fire, sitting around fire, cooking over fire, feeding fire... did i tell you what i got for christmas? fire. yep, our once dark and desolate fireplace now boasts a toasty, homey gas fire with the push of a button. not wood-burning, but that's ok. some fire is better than no fire. 

as soon as the weather breaks, we'll be in the backyard almost nightly with our fire pit, roasting marshmallows and watching teenagers roam the alley. after the baby comes, there will be beer and fire. 

but my love for my fire is not unconditional as i recently discovered when we had the fire department over for a visit. i do not love fire when fire shows up uninvited. (some would argue that cooking a pound of bacon on a sideless cookie sheet and allowing the grease to just sort of drip is, indeed, an invitation to fire but that's neither here nor there.)

it was a weeknight like any other. frozen pizza night. (yes, i do sometimes cook.) the oven was preheating, the boys were in the basement. it was about 6 pm. 99% of the time, davidrussell is home at 6 pm, but tonight of all nights, hadn't even left work yet. i noticed the oven was starting to smoke a little. i turned on the stove fan and opened the back door. i started fanning the smoke alarm as a precaution (don't tell me i'm the only cook that occasionally has to wave a towel at the smoke alarm) and called dr. 

"hello?" 

"hi. are you on your way?"

"i'm packing up now." MERMP! MERMP! (enter smoke alarm)

"ok. i gotta go." 

i wave harder. the smoke alarm stops. but i notice the oven is looking a bit chimney-ish. i look in the oven window and see flames. i'm thinking "ok. that's fire. hmm." then the boys come up from the basement.

"mommy, when's dinner? wow, it's smokey." 

"boys, put your shoes on and go on the porch." 

pause: this part is important. we always think we know what we would do if a situation arose, but then when we're actually in it, we don't always do what we thought we would. i should have immediately called 911, but just an ounce of self-doubt will talk you out of a sound decision every time. i was thinking, "well does this count as a real fire? it's only in my oven." i've known many people that hesitated to call 911 b/c it seemed "dramatic" or "silly." i even wondered for a second if it cost money... crazy. 

ok, so i call davidrussell. 

"hello." 

"the oven is on fire. what should i do?"

"ok. look in the cabinet... there's a fire extinguisher. you'll have to read the directions or look at..." 

"i don't have time for this." click. i dialed 911. 

i grabbed the boys' coats and go on the porch. "put your coats on and go to mr. drew's house. tell mr. drew the oven is on fire." they go. and i decide i'd like my shoes. so i run upstairs and grab my sneakers. while i'm upstairs, i hear my neighbor, drew, downstairs calling "kelly? are you ok?" 

"yes. my oven is on fire." 

"ok. i'll get my fire extinguisher." in the distance we hear sirens. i come downstairs.

"ok, thanks." i'm sort of giggling at this point b/c me and my neighbors love action on our street. i knew they would be peeking out and i'd be like "it's me, gang. i called 'em." 

so i'm standing on my porch and drew comes running back with his extinguisher. with him is sweet newlywed neil, another neighbor, with his fire extinguisher. neil says, "david called me." i say, "ah, that was sweet." now the trucks are coming down the street. i ask neil and drew, "can you even use fire extinguishers on a grease fire?" and as the 3 of us contemplate this on my porch, 3 fire trucks, the fire chief's pick-up, 3 police cars and 2 ambulances gather on my block. drew checks my oven and discovers the fire has burned itself out. the fire chief is on my porch, "is it out?" 

"yes. thanks for coming." 

"no problem. we'll do a walk-through, check things out and set up some fans to get rid of this smoke." 

"thank you."

all of the above took place in about 5 minutes. 

now, i'll mention this was one of those days when i went to the gym that morning and never had a chance to shower and change. so here's me with the "pregnant stale gym" look at 6 pm, and as it turns out, all fire-fighters are hot. and apparently, it doesn't matter if they are 25 or 55, they're just hot. i'm just sayin'... can a girl be prepared to receive guests? put on some mascara or something?

drew and neil stood on the sidewalk with me while the fire-fighters went through my house. sweet Iraeli neighbor, miri, comes out on her porch and calls to me in her adorable accent, "Kelleee, are you ok? don't worry, i deed the same theeng. thees ees why i don't cook french fries."

the fans are super industrial and super loud. the boys were in drew's house with his wife, anita, staying warm. later i heard mac came out and asked the fire-fighters, "is my mommy ok?" they were all very professional and kind. as they were leaving, we stopped one and asked about fire extinguishers and grease fires. as it turned out, neither mine nor neil's would have been safe to use and drew's was so old, it didn't even words on it. 

the trucks left, the "smoke cleared" and i went to drew and anita's house to get the boys. we talked for a bit and then here comes davidrussell. he missed the whole thing. we did all get some birthday cake out of it as it was drew's 30th birthday. 

i could sit in embarrassment over my lackadaisical approach to grease in my oven, but i'm not. on the contrary, i feel pretty excited about what happened. it was a learning opportunity for me, my boys and even my neighbors. we were able to see how we handle emergencies and talk about what to do. and i actually did a few things right as i'll be happy to point out below. 

To Put Out a Cooking Fire in Your Kitchen (from firesafety.gov):

• Call the 911 immediately. 
  
• Slide a pan lid over flames to smother a grease or oil fire, then turn off the heat and leave the lid in place until the pan cools. Never carry the pan outside.
  
• Extinguish other food fires with baking soda. Never use water or flour on cooking fires.
  
• Keep the oven door shut and turn off the heat to smother an oven or broiler fire.
  
• Keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen. Make sure you have the right type and training. For kitchens, you need Class K.
  
• Keep a working smoke alarm in your home and test in monthly.
  

ok, so all in all, i wasn't a complete idiot. i called 911 semi-immediately. when i saw smoke in the oven, i opened it a couple of times to see if there was fire. i think that might have actually helped fire along. but once i saw flames, i did not open it and i turned off the oven. i didn't bother with the fire extinguisher b/c i didn't feel confident about it and i really felt like it was a bad idea to open the oven door (Spirit thing, for sure). 

some other takeaways:

1. get a cookie sheet with sides (i did).

2. say "no" to self-doubt, especially in emergencies. 

3. never hesitate to call 911. no matter how silly you think it might seem. 

4. if you have Christ, his spirit lives in you. Flesh would have you panic or doubt yourself, but the Spirit will make good decisions. you don't have to have some big conversation inside about what to do. live in the Spirit. 

5. keep making bacon wraps. 

sing it! "be cool about fiiir-ya safety..." 

our new pets

i'm so excited. i've been wanting to do this for months and today - FINALLY! we got our worms! look at them. aren't they sweet and cute and gross? 

back story: i've been attempting to grow tomatoes over the last few summers. while i have actually eaten some of my very own tomatoes, overall the results have been disappointing. but rather than killing my desire to grow vegetables, it has made it stronger! this past summer i created container gardens on my back porch. 

why am i doing this?

a. homegrown tomatoes are so tasty and if you're growing them yourself, they're also very cheap.

b. i'm the only one in my family that eats certain vegetables so why not just grow them instead of spending money on them and having them go bad. 

c. getting the kids involved with growing veggies they like (red and orange peppers) is a great learning experience. 

why on my back porch?

a. with 2 boys, i just can't sacrifice any more space in my already small backyard for gardening. 

b. the dog isn't pooping on them.

c. raccoons, stray cats and strangers in the alley are less likely to mess with them. 

this past summer, i had chives, cucumbers, orange and yellow peppers, and tomatoes... or at least those are the plants i bought at lowe's. my actual crop was less than desired. by mid-summer, the boys were learning "all that hard work i put in with mom was useless and let's just go to kroger." i called my dad, a vegetable-grower and farm boy. his diagnosis was bad soil. ack! bad soil?! is that like bad blood or bad karma? it sounded so final, like some judge had just dropped the gavel - Bad Soil was my conviction. SHE'S GUILTY! you can't make a whole lot of excuses for bad soil in a container garden. however, we do have a problem with cats using flower pots as litter boxes. gross - an excuse with little dignity. 

so anyway, my dad suggested i simply use miracle grow. "well, i don't know, dad. isn't that kind of chemically?" i don't have deep convictions about organic living (yet), however, i did have this picture of pouring miracle-gro vinaigrette over my salad. if i'm going to do this, why not learn how to do it naturally? so i decided summer garden '08 was what it was and i'd try something different in '09. 

enter worms. back when i was in 1st trimester sickland and on the couch 24/7, i discovered a lot of "new" tv. i was watching the bonnie hunt show and learned about indoor composting, or "worm bins." i knew this was my answer! you just throw these guys in with some paper and rotten food and come spring, you've got yummy rich compost for your garden. sweet. i decided i would do this some time between i-feel-awful and baby-is-coming-any-day. 

so today we got our pet worms and made our worm bin. it was fun, easy and definitely something the whole family enjoyed. the boys wanted to name the worms. while we didn't name all 100 of them, we decorated our bin with the names we picked.

here's mac holding "max," "diggy," "wiggly," "dirty" and "slimy."

bode with "bode."

be nice to your new friends. don't eat them.

instead, love them...

the truth is 3 years ago, i would have been content with a single tomato plant and an annual camping trip. but lately i've been dreaming of big compost piles and acres and gardens and sometimes even chickens. sending my kids out to play and not seeing them for hours as they are playing fort in the woods or wading in the creek somewhere on our land. i don't know what the future holds, but at least i know my chances are good for some soil redemption in '09. the next big step will be the harvest. hopefully this works...

want to make your own worm bin? here's some info:

1. read this post from the germinatrix and do what she says. 

2. i got my worms at Petsmart. they sell them as "food" and keep them in the back so you have to ask for them. a container of about 50 sells for $4.25. the germinatrix recommends you get at least 200. you could probably get them cheaper at a bait shop, but i paid for convenience as i got my bins from target and went right next door to petsmart. 

3. if you're in the cincy area, know this: 

- while all petsmarts carry worms, the oakley store told me they're having trouble keeping them in stock b/c of indoor composting. so call before you go. 

 - i did try Whole Foods in Rookwood. they do not carry worms and didn't know what i was talking about. probably the san francisco whole foods carry worms, but not in cincinnati.

- there's a bait shop on Erie Ave. near Edwards called Delamere and Hopkins.

ok, who's ready to get their own wormy worms?

adventuous spirit

i haven't known much about what advent exactly is. like a lot of things, i was over-thinking it. 

advent is latin for "coming" or "arrival." it's a season of preparation. specifically it's a celebratory anticipation for those that believe Christ is the Son of God to celebrate his birth. in other words, "i can't wait to celebrate Jesus' birthday. i'm actually so excited to celebrate that day that i want and need to have small reflective celebrations to count down to the celebration." this attitude is also, i've decided, known as having an adventuous spirit. (yes, i made up a new word.)

i'd like to have an adventuous spirit. i can say - yes, i feel that way. but it's easy to become bogged down in thick "christmas season" traditions and "to do" lists. the countdown to Jesus' birth excites me, but the countdown to christmas can sometimes stress me out. 

i love how my kids don't struggle with this. it's all anticipation, all excitement all the time. at this point they understand a lot more about "getting presents" than they do "God in a virgin womb," but still. i think what i might be saying is, as children, most of us have the foundation for an adventuous spirit. but as we get older, other crap can screw with that foundation. i don't know. 

anyway, i didn't have a whole lot of exposure to advent as a kid. i've wanted to do something with my own family, but never really got a plan together. do i get calendar with little doors that open?  a little house with candy compartments? do we participate in a full out activity everyday after dinner from nov. 30 - dec. 25? again... over-thinking. i shopped around and what's available is overwhelming (and a little disturbing). i mean, Lightening McQueen has his own advent calendar. even Legos makes an advent calendar.  i came across this book and it's been perfect for us - it's called the Bible. you should read it. no, i'm kidding. not about reading the Bible, but about what i found. 

it's called The Story of Christmas Story Book Set and Advent Calendar. it opens from the middle and on the inside contains 24 miniature books, each telling 3-ish paragraphs of the story. the little books are attached to a gold tie so once you've removed them, they can be hung on the tree. the book also includes the prophecies of Christ's birth from Isaiah and Micah as well as a map of the holy land. it's easily found it's way into our bedtime story routine and now whenever i hear "mommy, when is christmas gonna be here?!," i can say, go look at the advent book. 

coming together at the end of the day and reading a "chapter" from "the story of christmas" has felt like a foundational re-set every evening. especially with little boys hearing much of the story for the first time. whatever the day was like, we're able to end it on a note of truth - truth we want to celebrate. 

of course, lent is also a time of preparation. i came across this straight-forward explanation of the difference between advent and lent. i liked it so i'll share it:

There's a time to get ready by focusing on your own sinfulness and wrongdoing, a time for personal transformation and following Christ to the cross. That's Lent. There's a time to get ready by rejoicing that our God is not far away and unfamiliar with the struggles of human life, that Christ is here right now among his followers, that God has already begun to bring in the Kingdom, and that Christ will come again to make it clear who really runs the place. That's advent.

interestingly, celebrating advent has made me more excited to celebrate advent. hmm, something is happening...

let's get the advent party started! unless the rapture happens before then (i'm just sayin'), we'll advent it out next year fo' sho'. i'm open for ideas. so tell me, how do you and your family participate in the season of advent? 

good morning, joy!

yesterday morning, the boys woke up full of joy. i mean, they were covered in it. at first, i couldn't figure out what was going on. it all started when i woke mac for kids' club. he usually protests going for a few minutes before he surrenders to the plan. but yesterday morning, he popped right up. he was excited and speaking politely to both me and his dad. 

next, i head into bode's room. typically, if things aren't going exactly as he would like, then he's mr. pissy about everything. he's mad about getting dressed, he's mad if mac comes in his room. he's just mad and cranky. well, yesterday, i slip in and say good morning. he says, good morning and expresses concern that his "babies" (rhino and cleveland browns dog) are not in his bed. mac enters, "good morning, bode." bode replies, "good morning, mac. have you seen my babies?" mac answers, "no, but would you like me to help you look for them?" bode says yes and mac clarifies, "ok, i will. but i have to get dressed first." (this was an act of staying focused on what i had asked him to do, rather than being distracted.)

so, i'm kind of in awe at this point. 

now i'm expecting a fight with bode re: clothes, but he says, "mommy, i need to get dressed." i give him clothes and exit. he runs to the bathroom naked and meets mac in the hallway on the way back. "bode, you want me to help you look for your babies now?" bode has changed his mind. "no mac. will you come in my room? i have to get dressed." mac replies, "oh yes." 

bode and mac proceed to bode's room, which is the size of a large walk-in closet. as bode shuts the door, i hear him welcoming mac, "this is my room and there's all kinds of wonderful things." mac says, "oh thank you. can i play with this?" "yes, mac, you can."

i'm in the hallway, "what the hell...?"

this goes on throughout the day. they talked about sharing over breakfast and laughed together. after service, i went to pick mac up first and he had made a sword out of poster board as a part of the lesson. i'm thinkin' oh great. he's going to swing it around bode, bode will have some lame picture and start whining for a sword. well, we proceed to the 3 year olds to pick up bode and mac is holding up his sword ready to chop bode when he comes out. but, behold! bode comes out with the poster board shield he made. the boys are both delighted with the other's weapon as it is a challenging, yet fair fight. i'm like - are you kidding me?

all day... well until about 5 pm or so. it was a post-thanksgiving miracle!

that morning, when mac first woke, he had even asked me about faith. what is it? what does it mean? he told me that God is all around and he's thankful for God.

into the morning, i found myself continuously trying to figure out what had brought this about. i could see right away that there was a great spirit of joy on mac and bode. and i know this is who they are. but what was the formula that got us to this morning of joyful obedience and treating each other with love and respect? was it the family time spent over the weekend? was it the way i discipline in love perfectly all of the time? (haha.) i kept asking davidrussell, what brought this as if it was some perfect batch of kids i had cooked up and i just needed to figure out how i or we did it so we could learn from that and do it more. well, how dumb. it took a while, but it did finally occur to me to just receive the gift. 

these aren't my kids, i just get to care for them for a couple of decades. so who am i to think i conjured up this lovely morning with my parenting skills. and i understand i don't have to be a perfect parent to "earn" great kids. He is doing an awesome work in mac and bode. my job is to see it and tell them about it. so what i learned most is to say thanks and ask for more days like yesterday.

road trip to huber's farm

huber's farm is the mother of all things pumpkin patch. it's right outside of louisville so i'd been there a few times as a kid and have such fond memories. i've been wanting to take us all there, but just never got it together. plus, doing something like this in a day used to be really tough for us with naps and tiny kids, etc. now the kids are old enough that a 2 hour road trip is an adventure and fun for all of us. i really hate crowds in my old age and knew the weekends would be packed. but mac ended up having some inservice days and davidrussell took the day off and it all just came together. on the eve of the road trip, i called up auntie erin:

me - "hey, i know this is a long shot but we're going to huber's tomorrow. do you want to come?"

erin - "what? tomorrow?! i have to work! we're so busy!" pause. "let me call my boss." click.

she called back like 15 minutes later - "what time are we leaving?" 

i was so excited b/c the only thing i wanted to eat was gravy... gravy streaming over a variety of greasy foods. (some pregos are too sick to eat, i'm the opposite. eating is the only thing that brings relief. i mean, you could bottle up mashed potatoes and gravy and put it behind the counter at the pharmacy and i'd get a prescription and pay a co-pay for it. "does humana cover gravy?" "why, yes, it does." "thank you. what a country." ok, back to story.)

ok, let's see... oh yeah, huber's farm has a restaurant. a delicious, everything is homemade, just like grandma makes, restaurant. 

we arrived just in time for lunch. every table starts out with deep-fried biscuits and homemade apple butter. david ordered the all-you-can-eat ham and fried chicken. erin picked up one of the huber's recipe books for sale in the lobby and read to us the recipes of what we were eating. i didn't take any pictures of this part. i guess i had a one-track mind. 

after we were stuffed, we were off for some good 'ole fun on the farm. apple launching, corncob cannons, the cow train...

we took a wagon ride and fed the animals...

bode was a natural goat-feeder.

erin made a friend.

next, we were off to the pumpkin patch...

we could have stayed out here all day. it was beautiful.

mac the scarecrow.

everyone found the perfect pumpkin. auntie erin and bode picked some apples in the orchard, too!

right down the road from huber's farm is the winery. another super fun place. 

the winery has a nice farmer's market and a lovely cafe. above the cafe is the wine loft where they offer free tastings. i could not partake, of course, but that's ok. i had gravy.

family vaca 2008 Second Stop: Destin, FL

Second Stop - Destin, FL!

from henderson we drove to destin. no, not straight through. we usually stop in alabama on the way there and on the way back. yes, it takes a little longer to get there and costs a few hundred dollars more by the time you add up hotel and food both ways. but we feel like our kids' lives are worth an extra 300 dollars as we can't guarantee everyone would make it there alive if we drove straight through... for a number of reasons.

davidrussell and i agreed - this was by far the best family vacation we've ever been on. with kids, i mean. the boys are growing up and so we're not tied so much to a nap schedule and we can stay out later than 7 pm. 

it seems like we learn so much about our kids on vacation. and there seems to be this growth dynamic that happens right before our eyes. this thing, "the vacation," seems to not only offer opportunities to grow, but also opportunities to illustrate how they have grown. it's a unique opportunity to see their strengths and weaknesses, their gifts, what they love. (and that applies to mom and dad, too.)

it's also funny to see how much they remember from the previous year. so b/c these little guys have remembered some stuff, we've stumbled into some beach vacation traditions. such as,

daddy always gets mini cereal boxes at the grocery. i'm not sure the boys even know these are available at our local grocery store at home. 

another unexpected tradition is fishing... jellyfishing, that is. these are the only ones we've learned how to catch.  

the lifeguard explained the small blue ones are babies. (whatever.) these didn't seem to sting. but we also caught clear ones and pink ones the size of dinner plates. 

3rd tradition - being stung by jellyfish. one day mac was stung 8 times, 3 times in the same place as shown here. we were all stung once or twice through the week. mac made it into a sport. 

so we've become experts on jellyfish stings. here's what you need to know:  1. jellyfish are more present than ever. (see jellyfish story.) 2. take a spray bottle of vinegar with you to the beach. 3. if someone is stung, rub wet sand on the area as this removes any stingers. 4. spray with vinegar. 5. do not use fresh water as this makes pain worse. here's # 6...

yes, you can actually pee on your loved one as the ammonia also brings relief. last year, when mac was stung for the first time, i was unaware of steps 1-5 and only had "Friends" as a reference so i took him up to the house and said, "it's ok, honey. sit here and mommy will get some 'medicine.' i grabbed a cup and headed to the bathroom." what can i say? he stopped crying instantly. "WHAT? I WOULD HAVE DONE IT FOR ANYONE OF YOU! HE'S MY SON AND HE NEEDED MY HELP!"

the 4th tradition we seem to have developed on our summer vacation is my favorite - trying something new. everyone seems to be in the fullness of their adventurous spirits and excited about trying new things. (both of the boys were actually potty-trained on vacation!) we had a ton of "firsts." some on purpose, and some unexpected. 

here's a few...

we all drove go-carts for the first time. super fun.

we went out for a late dinner (i.e. 7ish) and stayed out, listening to a band, even did a little dancing.

mac tried his first meatball sandwich. "so, mac, how is it?"

we played on the beach at night.

mac walked all the way up to rick's crab trap and bought some candy all by himself. 

when he returned, he decided to share with some friends he made on the beach. later, it occurred to me this event marked another first - mac bought his first round (of skittles). i felt proud and alarmed all at the same time.

davidrussell and i had our first complete conversation on the beach with kids. now that the boys are old enough to play together without one of us doing the "hunched-over-follow-around-coverage" walk around the smallest, we could actually sit next to each other and chat. at first we didn't know what to do with ourselves. it was great. (perhaps it was this kind of "connecting" that lead us back to another 3 years of no conversations on the beach. haha.) 

mac and i rode bumper boats for the first time. 

we're pretty sure this is where the boys received their first bacterial infection. the tied had been rough all week, but had calmed significantly on our last day. it made me for these awesome sand bars that went 30 feet out. the boys (and lots of other kids) played in these all day. it was a bunch of little baby pools. 

sure, it made for lots of fun and cute pics. it also made for a vomiting fiesta all the way to nashville. the poor little guys were so sick, they just slept and puked for about 10 hours. while it sucked for them, it actually worked out pretty well for us as we made great time driving back. i mean, we couldn't feed them or anything so it cut down on stops significantly. we stopped in nashville for the night and by the next morning, everyone was ready for eggs and bacon. cracker barrel was right next to our hotel so there ya go. God is good. 

well, those are some of the highlights. i hope next year i'm able to say: here's my first time taking a baby to the beach. but we'll see. we like to call our beach trip "annual," but we want to be open. it sure is a blessing!

here's some more pics... 

we stopped for some cheap shoe shopping at the Zappos Outlet in Shepherdsville, KY.

bode is right. this place is disgusting. here's a brilliant review that says it all.

bode and his muscles.

mac and his daddy.

jellyfish, beware.

i love this guy.