Ten on Tuesday

1. As I mentioned yesterday Rowan is quite the worker guy these days. At any point in time he has multiple constructions sites that he is overseeing. Outside he is building a house, under the slide. Inside he has a miniature one on the train table that he brought home from Grammie and Papas, there is the big truck construction site by the window, and his work bench for fixing stuff in the playroom. All have workers, he oversees them all, and checks in on them frequently. This sums up Rowan at three, very cute stuff.

 Above is from his outside job site, after finding a grasshopper with his workers.

 Fixing a few things by his tool bench.

2. After our cowboy adventure yesterday morning the boys spent most of the afternoon roping poor Iggy. Iggy is the perfect size for roping and Zane's new lasso is just the right size. It was lots of fun though Iggy is slightly worse for the wear.

3. Our final funtivities before kindergarten continued today Grandma. I should mention usually we average one funtivity a week. Otto's, cowboy place, lunch with Able, swimming at the Y, random things outside of the house. But as the final countdown to kindergarten begins we are trying to hit up all our favorite spots one last time. Today we decided to go bowling. Bowling is NEVER on our list of fun things to do with just Zane, Rowan, and I. It is too expensive, they get bored, and there really needs to be two adults to wrangle everyone. But Grandma was here, she paid for bowling, I paid for lunch, so not as expensive, tons of fun, and everyone remained wrangled. The boys had a blast at Main Event and fun memories were made. Thanks Grandma B!

 Rowan has helped Zane or Daddy bowl before, but this was his first go with his own shoes, and his own turn. He did great with the dinosaur tail and bumpers. He was ecstatic if he got one pin or none and at Main Event you get to build a fun monster creature with every turn so lots of fun!

 4. Have I mentioned the terrible blasted heat here in July. It isn't news by any means, but it is what is happening currently. To be fair this year isn't bad, the temps are in the upper 90s, but not 112 or something stupid like that. But we are struggling inside so occasionally go outside for brief ten minutes of playing. Rowan rediscovered his tractor the other day, complete cuteness, and very useful with all of his construction. In amazing, news it rained three or four inches here last night with rain forecasted for the rest of the week. Rain in July??? That's just unheard of.

 5. Saturday we made a quick day trip to the lake for some fishing and swimming fun. The big fish were biting. Zane and Zach caught two big bass, both of which broke their line before they could reel them in. We have since got new bass bate and stronger line, all set up for this weekends fun.

 6. While Zach and Zane caught the big fish Rowan and I tried to stay cool. The AC in the little cabin never could quite catch up so we were still pretty toasty. Rowan came in and said "let's talk to each other mamma." Ok son, lets do it. We talked and calmly worked a puzzle for about an hour. He's such a fun little guy.

 And of course we took some selfies in there too!

 7. We didn't stay the night because we plan on staying this whole weekend coming up. However, tragedy struck about an hour from the cabin when we realized that Rowan's beloved blanket had been left behind. He had brought it for naps and it was left on the bunk beds. Talk about your classic, epic, parenting fail. At first he thought we were kidding, but when reality sank in he nearly couldn't bear it. He has pulled up and is reluctantly cuddling the blanket Grandma made for him until we get back to the lake on Friday afternoon. It is tough to be three, let me just tell you!

 8. I am making great progress on my first quilt. I have all my blocks sewn together and today Grandma helped me with the layout. This week while I was sewing the blocks Zane decided he wanted to learn as well. He did a great job and by the end of it he was sewing with very little help from me. He's a natural at picking things that go together and we've had a few little sewing sessions since. Today he got to sew with Grandma too which was even more fun!

9. Next up is Zach and I's tenth wedding anniversary next Friday and then I am off to Maine on August 6th. I think we've decided to kayak, see some light houses, attempt a boat ride of some sort, explore Portland, read by the sea, and watch the Olympics. I'm super excited for 60 degree weather in the morning and highs in the lower 80s.

10. Lastly, in exciting news, I was chosen to be a guest blogger on Oklahoma City Mom's Blog. I had applied to be a contributor, but was offered a guest blogging spot instead. It seems like the perfect fit since guest bloggers don't have to come up with a set number of blogs every month. They just submit things when the spirit moves them. Sometimes the spirit moves me, sometimes it doesn't. Either way they sound like lovely people and I really enjoy their blog, so hopefully I can find something new and different to add to the blog in the future. Stay tuned!

Cowboy Rowan Danny

My little Rowan Danny was named after my dear old Dad. My Dad was a calm, kind, slow passed, cowboy. Those would be the top words I would use to describe him, including cowboy. Dad grew up on a farm that was staked in the land run, by his Grandfather. His father, Grandfather, and Uncles were all real life, cattle driving, horse riding, cow boys. He wore a belt with his name on the back with a big belt buckle, he had work cowboy boots, and dress cowboy boots worn twice (only for weddings), and he would have worn his cowboy hat more often, but it was, "too nice," for normal days. He wore overalls, got dirty, put his blood sweat and tears into the land, working hard, yes often with cattle, from dawn until dust. His cowboying life started at twelve when his father had his first heart attach and left him in charge of all of the farming on Blakley Farms. This probably drove him to an early grave, but he loved all of it. To sum it up Rowan Danny was named after a real life cowboy.

Little Rowan takes after his namesake in lots of ways. He only has one pace and it is slow, meandering at all times, no matter how rushed we might be. Ask Rowan to speed up and he will slow down, just like his Grandfather (think DC Mall with this situation, no fun dad!). Rowan is kind, and gives great hugs just like Grandpa. As of late Rowan has also started to become quite the cowboy. It all started with his love of cowboy boots. In the dead of a freakishly hot Oklahoma summer Rowan has started demanding to wear his cowboy boots, which he can only wear with his skinny jeans (not technically cowboy style, but Rowan's style for sure). Then last week we found Zane's old snap up "cowboy shirt," classic cowboy, Grandpa Blakley style. Rowan has become obsessed with this whole outfit, to the point that he asks me to wash it every night so he has it ready for the next day.

Grandpa Blakley would never have rocked this fancy hat or aviators, but Rowan is his own man, with his own style.

Last week, after weeks of begging, we went to "the cowboy place." The tiny Edmond Children's Museum with lot of cowboy things to dress up in, a horse to pretend to ride, a bank to rob, and a jail to throw the bad guys in. Rowan loved it and when we told Aunt Abbey about it she suggested we go to the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, formally known as the Cowboy Hall of Fame. (The name was changed so they could put Native American art work and exhibits in there was well. Strange to me, but whatever.) They have a new kids corral area that I thought could be fun. We are currently on our Zane final weeks before Kindergarten tour of fun, so today was the day.

Here he is on the tiny stuffed horse at the Children's Museum. He pretended to ride it for nearly on hour. He also brushed it with a tiny broom and fed it carrots from the pretend garden.

Rowan love, love, loved it. Again, Rowan has the pace for slowly looking at cowboy pictures, belt buckles, cowboy hats, cowboy boots, saddles, rodeo trophies, and statues of horses. He wanted his picture taken with every pair of cowboy boots and every cowboy hat. He loved dressing up with chaps and cowboy vests in the kids corral and making pretend beans by the camp fire. He loved all of it! At one point I told him that my dad use to wear a big belt buckle, which led to this conversation, "Was your daddy a cowboy?" "Yes, honey he was a real life cowboy." "Did he ride horses in the rodeo?" "No he was a real cowboy and worked on a farm with real cows." "Where you're daddy now mamma? Is he in heaven?" "Yes, he's in heaven honey" "Can we drive a car there?" "No, baby" "Is it too far away?" "Yes, honey it's too far away." And then I was crying in the rodeo exhibit at the Cowboy museum.

 This was Rowan's favorite cowboy hat in the place, per him. The classic black, very nice.

Dad would love my little cowboys. He would have loved to meander around The Cowboy Hall of Fame, looking at cowboy pictures, cowboy outfits, boots, horses, and all things cowboy. He would love to watch these two little boys pretend to ride horses, wonder through the old timey township, and pretend to cook with a cast iron skillet on a campfire. He would have told them stories about cowboys and the wild west as though he had grown up in the 1800s. He would so enjoy my little worker boys, both of whom adore their cowboy boots, cowboy hats, and cowboy shirts.

Today was one of those days I so wish Dad knew my sweet boys. I see him in them all the time. I see his face and big blue eyes in Zane and his calm, loving personality in Rowan. I hate that there are random moments I'm brought to tears by their innocent questions about where their Grandfather is, why we can't see him, why we can't talk to him, or when we will see him again? I love that they know of him and think of him often. They ask questions about him and there are always lots of questions about heaven that I can't answer.

This is seriously the only picture I got of Zane that wasn't blurry. Zane definitely has dad's face/ears/bone structure, but he does not have dad's slow paced lifestyle. This picture was followed by the question, "What did this president do mom?" For those of you well versed in Native American history you know that Abraham Lincoln order tons of Native American killed for no apparent reason.  I have no idea what his statue is doing in the Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. I didn't want to get into a conversation about that or about slavery so I just said he was a good guy? We had already delved way to deep into Native American history today.

Needless to say I cried during naptime today missing dad and hating all the things he is missing. I rarely cry about dad, almost six years later, but there are moments, big events/life changes usually, that will always be tough. It wasn't a spiral into a dark place cry, just a simple I will always miss my dad cry. Later in the afternoon we went outside to head to the gym, from the view out of the window it appeared to be a bright sunny day. However, when I walked out I was greeted by a gentle rain, from one big cloud over my house. A sunny blue sky, filled with white puffy clouds and an absolutely beautiful rain, just for me! We stood in the yard and soaked it up. A nice big bear hug from dad, when he knew I was missing him. The boys know rain is Grandpa saying hello so of course they joined in. The rain stopped by the time we were on the main road by our house. Thanks dad, it was just what I needed. I know you're enjoying these sweet boys from up there!

Be the Light

Sometimes you see things that speak to you. Things that say something you need to hear. The other day, while walking through the 90% off isle in Hobby Lobby I saw this sign.

It stopped me in my tracks. For the past few months the world around me has been a tough place to find good. Obviously my family and friends are lovely. We are deeply blessed and have no personal complaints with life. But the world around us seems to be struggling. And there are days I find it hard to find the good. I moved to Oklahoma because I learned the hard way that time with my family is precious and not guaranteed forever. It was an emotional decision for sure, but one we felt was right at the time. I do not (mom I repeat DO NOT) regret moving here. My children have a wonderful relationship with their Grandmother, cousins, and their Aunts and Uncles. This was the village I wanted to help raise my sweet boys. They have met their Great Grandfather and will have memories of him when he is gone. They are growing up with their cousins, making memories at the farm where I grew up, they are loving it. I DO NOT REGRET IT.

However, my home state happens to be spiraling into craziness. The school systems are literally the worst, 50th in the country. The legislator is run by big oil and currently is broke since oil prices are low. No one cares about improving the school system, paying teachers more, expanding Medicaid, anything that could help the people of this state. I got my son's school supply list a few weeks ago, expecting to see crayons, markers, folders, actual supplies for HIM to use at school. Nope it was a list of things needed to just run a class. Clorox wipes, hand sanitizer, printer paper, post it notes, CRAZINESS!!! The state sometimes talk about making it legal to carry all types of guns openly, EVERYWHERE. There are earthquakes, tornados, it's a million degrees outside, and that is just a little glimpse into the craziness here in OK. However, at the end of the day this is where my family is. I love the flat prairie because I grew up here. I love the huge sky, beautiful sunsets, and the few acres in NW Oklahoma that feels like home. A place where I still feel somewhat close to my father. That is what I love. That is why I stay. Now if all those wonderful people could move to the beach with me, that would be amazing!

At my job I see unimaginable craziness. People who do all sorts of horrific things when pregnant with helpless little babies and still get to take them home. They still get to be called a mother. In the room next door there might be grieving parents, who have lost a child, or are facing the fact that they will loose a child. They did everything right and for some reason their kid got cancer, or their baby didn't have enough oxygen, their healthy teenager had an aneurysm rupture, or they got a brain tumor. Now they are faced with a life time of struggle and sadness. Someone slammed into their car and life as they knew it ended. Endless examples of just how horrible things can happen to good people. It makes my soul hurt on most days. My heart aches for these people. And it is enough to make you ask the very non scientific question of why? That leads you down the dark spiral of "why would God let these things happens?" And the "what ifs" that will drive you insane and get you nowhere. When I leave work I just have to exhale and remind myself, "those aren't my babies." Take the drive home to pray for them and then go cuddle my sweet boys. Never taking a moment for granted.

Then there is the broader world as a whole. Our country seems to be going insane. No one can agree on anything. We can't even make it illegal for people we won't let on planes to have a three day waiting period before they can get an automatic weapon. People are shot or blown up everyday, all around the world. There are terrible people everywhere and they seem to get all the headlines, filling our televisions and news feeds with tragedy all day, everyday. Police shoot people, people shoot police, mass shooting everyday, just an endless stream of tragedy. The flags are perpetually at half mast because there is literally one tragedy after another these days.  And don't even get me started on the utter craziness that is the current presidential election. So much divisive, hateful, racist, misogynistic, utter terrifying, CRAZINESS!!!

Most nights Zach and I end the evening questioning what the hell is happening in the world around us. How many more tragedies will we see? How do we explain it to our children who ask repeatedly why there are so many police cars on TV when yet another mass shooting is in the news. I literally had to explain to my six year old that Harry Potter was not shot, after he heard a NPR reporter talking about one of the Orlando victims working at Harry Potter World. CRAZINESS!! We hold moments of silence and no action is ever taken to change it. We complain, but make no changes, no one votes, all stays the same. It reminds me of the Albert Einstein quote, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results”.

So when I saw this sign I thought, I literally need this, in the middle of my house, to remind me that good does exist in this world. It isn't always flashy and it is rarely the center of media attention or filling up our news feeds. There isn't twenty four hour news coverage of good. But the good is there. There are amazing people, doing great things, helping others, raising children, fostering kids who need a family, loving the Lord, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, making a difference as best they can in this crazy world. Feeding His sheep! Of course the bold words are Be The Good in the world, a Gaudi quote my father use to quote to us often. I try to keep a constant stream of dad quotes going in my mind at all time these days. "Go be a light." "Feed my sheep." "To whom much is given much is expected." "Why are we here? To know, love, and serve God." "What you do to the least of my people, you do unto me." I say these quotes over and over, reminding myself how to Be The Change.

I have also started saying/singing the Prayer of St. Francis of Asis a lot as of late as well. It is what came to mid after the Dallas tragedy and has been playing on a loop in my head ever since.It sums it up for me on all fronts. Now it hangs in my bedroom, so it's the first thing I see when I leave my room in the morning and the last things I see when I go to bed. It's a constant prayer for myself to not become as crazy as the world around me. To keep my head up, keep doing good, keep believing in better.

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is error, the truth;
Where there is doubt, the faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

As I tell my children, and have to remind myself daily, "The good guys always win in the end. If the good guys haven't won the movie/series isn't over." Light always drives out darkness!!! I just have to keep telling myself that, and go be a light in the world.

Ten on Tuesday

1. First up, the most exciting news, I finally got a new laptop and can type like a normal human once again. It is a little smaller and was stupidly affordable. I can't believe how cheep they are now. I guess when your phone or tablet does all the same things who really needs an actual computer. Bloggers, that's who! So I'm back and hopefully have less typos and random spacing errors now!

2. This week Grandma joined us for an afternoon movie of The Secret Life of Pets. I admittedly didn't really want to see this movie because I had seen the previews for it a million times and was bored with it before I ever got there. But Zane really wanted to see it and it is a million degrees so we went. However, when Rowan got bored and wanted to walk around I was easily convinced to bale on the movie and go shopping with my little fashionista Rowan. Rowan already had on his "fancy" shirt from his photo session in the morning so was looking very hip.

Here's what we found, tiny aviators, just like Daddy's. Perfect for my stylish little man. A new pair of skinny jeans, still 2t, the 3t ones were, "not tight enough." Super clearance Hawaiian shorts for Zane, and we found perfect Olympic shirts for them both as well!

Rowan loved shopping. These pants were not tight enough either and he took quite a long time finding an "awesome dawesome" shirt.

3. Rowan could not wait to show daddy his matching pair of shades. Here they are at the All City Swim Meet, cheering on MJ and B. I am proud to report that Maggie got first place in her age division in backstroke, third in freestyle, and anchored the winning relay, smoking the rest of the competition. B did great as well, he was in an older age group and just started swimming competitively this summer. He won lots of races and had strong finishes in All City Meet! If you want to see the videos of all their awesome and read about their fun summer swim team here is the link to Abbey's blog about it.

 BW getting his goggles right, very important. You don't want an MP Olympic 2008 situation where you're goggles fill up with water and you have to swim blind. Yes, they were swimming in the huge Olympic pool at the Y. The stands were an inferno that the boys couldn't handle to well. But I did see them both swim a race. I'm so proud of all they've done!

This is MJ's backstroke start. So glad I got to see her win that race. She's ready for the Olympics!

4. Of course Zane needed some aviators of his own after Rowan got a pair. He got a little different style that fits his personality to a T. He was very excited to see that they look just like Mikey P's glasses yesterday while watching Mikey P's daily Facebook Live videos from training camp. Did I mention we are super excited about Rio!!

 Here they are in their perfect Olympic shirts!! I will be spending the first four days of the Olympics in scenic Maine with Anna, but I'm sure there will be lots to watch and cheer for when I return.

5. Friday morning the boys had their pictures taken and we just couldn't waste all our lovely style and go home. So we went to our favorite place, Otto's. This is on the final Zane adventure tour list before school starts. Rowan loves the trains and everyone at Otto's loved and was thoroughly amazed at how white my boys hair is and how tan they are. We are freaks that way.

 Rowan and his face!

Zane's face!

 The boys spent the entire morning confused about what time it was because we didn't go to the gym first thing. We took pictures for about forty minutes, but were done by 8:45am. They were sure it had to be almost ten, hence almost lunch. I'm going to miss our perfect routine.

6. Yesterday morning Abbey had an emergent dental situation which meant we got to skip the gym and have a dance party at our house instead. I learned all sorts of things from my nine year old nephew about what was hip with the kids these days. Very interesting and entertaining.

Dance parties are hard to photograph, but here they are "Hitting the Quan."

Then onto the park for more cousin fun!!

7. Yesterday, we ventured to Norman to see the Titanoboa exhibit at Sam Noble Museum. Aunt Anna joined us on our adventure of course. I am sure she was thrilled to get to see it!

First things first, Rowan needed to pick out his outfit. He went with skinny jeans first, but immediately peed on them and had a full fledged meltdown, but we compromised with the skinny khakis instead. He also went with his "fancy hat" instead of his spikey hair yesterday. Love his style!

Rowan loved all the dinosaur stuff this time. They were "big huge huge huge ones!!!"

Here is the big event, Titanoboa, a 48ft snake, 3 feet wide at it's widest, 2,500 pounds, eating alligators in a single bite, a water snake, full of terror! Get the picture? If not check it out on Netflix, pretty terrifying.

8. Then the next big event, school supply shopping with the Godmother. I have no traditions involving God mother's because my Godmother moved out of Oklahoma before I ever remember meeting her. I am sure she has prayed for me for years, which is lovely, but I don't know her. Turns out Zach does have some traditions involving his Godmother, Aunt Sherry (the provider of the famous Mooley), one of which was going school supply shopping with Zach every year. When Zane heard this he couldn't wait for Aunt Anna to join us for school supply shopping fun. Turns out it is very anticlimactic since in Oklahoma the school supply list includes things like hand sanitizer, Clorox wipes, and copier paper. With that being said we had a blast, ate tacos and cupcakes afterwards, so everyone was happy!!! Thanks Aunt Anna for being such a stellar Godmother!!!

9. Aunt Anna also gave the boys some amazing water guns that led to lots of fun when we got home.

Oh and Zane continued to work on his dabbing. Thanks Brendan for teaching him that one, he is a natural!

10. Rowan has been begging to go to the "cowboy place," aka Edmond's tiny children's museum, for weeks. It's free so not a big commitment, but we've had a full schedule as of late. Today was the big day. Rowan brought me his cowboy shirt this morning and asked me to wash it during nap time so he could wear it to the cowboy place. He didn't even pee on his jeans so he had the full cowboy look going on today.

Side note: For everyone upset about the Godfather being left out of the school supply shopping fun, we did go to toddler lunch with Uncle Able (The Godfather) today. Zane told him all about our thrilling school supply shopping trip!

Caution: Sharp Turn Ahead

As my loyal followers, you know I picture my life as a long, winding road. There are lots of twists and turns. Some turns are very sharp, some turns are very gradual. There are hills that have been climbed and times when I'm coasting down the other side of them. Life's big changes are  turns in my road, graduations, marriage, moves, children, deaths, the big events in life. Since becoming a mother most of the jarring turns haven't been changes in my life, per say, but changes and turns in my children's short little roads.  

Zane's heart diagnosis was a sharp, unexpected turn, into a great big hill. That was a hill with some sharp turns on the way up that hill as well. Since our move to Oklahoma, and finally getting settled in a house we love, life's road has been pretty straight. There have been a few curves, but nothing major. No real hills to climb, nothing terribly life changing. Zach and I have stayed in the same jobs, with only a few minor changes, all for the better. The kids have gone to the same daycare, we've maintained the same schedules, and everyone has handled it pretty well. That is all about to drastically change. I can feel the change coming. I can feel life begin to turn and head in a new direction. I have known this particular change would came, at this exact time, for six years. It should not be surprising to me. I shouldn't being tensing up and holding on for dear life. I should be well braced for it, prepared, ready for what's coming. But this is a turn that will be sharp, no matter how long I've known it was going to happen. It will be difficult, it will be a big adjustment, and it will definitely lead us into a new chapter of life.

A month from today my little Zaney Boy starts kindergarten. As the big day approaches I find myself trying to picture how different our days will be when Zane is in school. I am a planner. I like to have a routine, and I like to prep my children well in advance for whatever we're doing. We do the same things pretty much everyday I'm home. It's familiar, they deal with it well, it works. The routine we are in now will be drastically different for everyone in a month. The days I work will have to change to try to accommodate Zane's school start times and Zach's going into work earlier/staying later so he can get Zane to and from school. The days I am at home our mornings won't be as relaxed as they are now and we won't be out the door and on the way to the gym by eight.

There will be lunches to prepare, bags to pack, and my very energetic, unfocused child, to try to wrangle into some sort of calm before his full day of school. There will be buses to wait for, exhaustion to deal with, sad good byes, drop off and pick up lines to sit in, and lets not forget the person who will probably have the hardest time with the whole thing, little Rowan. I'm sad and stressed on numerous levels. I'll miss the routine we're in now. I'll miss Zane. I'm worried about Rowan. I'm stressed about navigating the public school system for the first time as a parent. I'm worried about how Zane will handle it all and hopeful that he will do well. I am trying to be excited about this new chapter, and working hard on figuring it all out, but change is never easy.

This past year I've seen huge changes in Zane, none of which have been easy. He physically is much bigger. He's got a bit of belly, he's crazy tall, and pretty much impossible to cuddle  now. When he comes running at me for a hug I have to brace myself. He's solid and can hurt me without meaning too. This year we've gotten to the point that I can't physically restrain him or carry him anywhere. This has proven problematic when he isn't listening, is distracted, or in the midst of a fit. He is one or all of those things a lot of the time.  His sweet face has changed a lot this year as well. It is very much a big kid face now, with his missing tooth smile. Gone is the little dimpled baby face, on to the kind of chubby, boy face.

Along with the physical changes his interests and personality have very much made the switch from little boy to school age kid. This means lots of fart jokes and grouse talk being hilarious to him. He talks a lot about video games and movies, though he rarely actually will sit down and play a video game. He requested that we download minecraft yesterday, which we did, but again rarely sits and actually does it. If you ask him what he likes to do, or what he wanted for his birthday, he would say Legos. This is not true, since the three Lego sets he got for his birthday a month ago remain untouched. A lot of it is I think talking about what other kids his age talk about, but he doesn't have the attention span to do any of it. It's frustrating to me and I think frustrating to him at times as well. I sense change on this front might have to happen once he's in school, but I am tying to keep an open mind and waiting to see what his teachers think. 

For now I'm holding on tight. We're going to all our favorite places on days when I would really just like to do nothing. We're taking a lot of pictures. I'm letting Rowan and Zane play their little made up games all day long. Their current favorite is Rowan pretending to be Zane's dog. The love it! Rowan constantly is saying, "Bobo you want to play that game where we.... (insert something random like jump and spin around) it so funny." We are going to the movies with Grandma, lunch dates, and to the lake or farm every chance we get. I feel like I'm on the last leg of a marathon (I say this as though I've ever ran a marathon, I have not). I am out of energy, exhausted, everything hurts, but I know it's almost over so I'm trying to sprint to the end.  I know we will never be in this place, this exact phase of life again.  So right now my house is going to be messy, my bank account is going to be low, but my heart is so full. I'm trying desperately to soak in every minute before the big life turn.

The Secret Of Fried Okra

My all time favorite summer foods are fried squash and fried okra. I mastered making fried squash a few years ago, but I've never been able to get fried okra just right. I have come close to recreating the fried okra of my childhood, but never mastered it. I should probably mention the fried okra of my childhood is not the deep fried, BBQ restaurant kind. I love that kind of fried okra as well, don't get me wrong, but the fried okra of my childhood is slightly different. It involved taking the big wooden handled knife out to the garden, brave the okra plants, and cut off all the fresh okra. Then we'd take them inside and mom would work her magic. The magic involved corn meal and the electric skillet. The result was thin, crispy pieces of fried okra goodness!!!

A few weeks ago I started on my yearly experiment of trying to make the perfect batch of fried okra. I say yearly because I only eat frid okra two, maybe three times, a year. It takes the perfect okra, which is only available in the summer here in OK. It's a good thing I only eat it a few times a year because when I do I literally will eat it until I feel sick. I am physically incapable of stopping, it's just so good. I might go as far as to say it is my favorite food!

Great news this summer I nailed!!! I recreated the mom's fried okra!!! Not only did I nail it once, but I've been able to recreate my results for a second time. So, before I forget how I made this happen I thought I would share the process with all of you, get excited!!

Here we go, what you need:

-fresh okra, I get mine at the farmer's market, but if you can grow your own, even better

-corn meal (not corn bread mix, doesn't work as well)

-flour

-canola oil/vegetable oil

-salt, lots and lots of salt!!!

Now here is the process that has worked for me.

-Cut your okra into thin pieces, if they are too thick they won't get crunchy.

-Once all the okra is cut, get a big skillet and cover the entire bottom of it with a skim of oil (should have measured it but didn't) not too much or it gets soggy, not too little or it burns). Turn skillet onto medium high heat, let the oil heat up.

-While the oil is heating up toss the okra with the corn meal until it's covered and throw in just a little handful of flour. Oh and lots of salt, obviously.

-Once the oil is hot (sprinkle some water on it, it should pop/sizzle when fully hot) then add your okra. Plan on doing two skillet fulls. You want all your okra spread out, covering the skillet, but not piled up, or it won't get crunchy. The crunch is key.

-Once you have the okra in the pan, IGNORE IT!!! Do not stir it, don't even look at it, because you will want to stir it. DON'T!!! Let it cook on medium high heat for about 5 minutes or until you turn a piece over and it's nice and brown. Then and only then flip the whole lot of it over. Repeat the above process on the other side. 

-While the second side is cooking you might have to use a fork to turn some pieces over or some tongs to take out the pieces that are getting too burnt. This happens before all of it is ready.

-Once the second side is nice and brown take it all out and place it on a paper towel lined plate. 

-Then repeat this process as many time as you need. In between skillets add a little more oil. On your last bunch add a little bit of the extra corn meal mixture from the bottom of the bowl to the skillet. It will brown up and mi with the rest of bunch, delicious!!!!

-Once it's all cooked it will need more salt to make it utterly delicious!

-Enjoy, try not to make yourself sick eating it. 

That's it folks. If you put the okra in the grease too early it takes forever to cook, the corn meal comes off, and the okra gets soggy. If you put too much in a pan at the time, same problem. If you stir it the whole time the cornmeal comes off and it isn't crispy. Seeing the pattern here? I did all these things in previous attempts and was disappointed with the outcomes. 

Here is what the finished product looks like. I enjoyed this batch this evening. Thanks mom for getting us some okra from the farmer's market. It was amazing, so glad you could come by and enjoy the finished product with us.

Papa Bear, Mamma Bird, and Baby Bird

I have been keeping this secret for awhile because it was nit my secret to tell. However, I got the green light to share the great news from the new parents last week. So I will let the picture do the announcing.

Its all in the hashtags people. You  might have noticed that Able and Kari weren't in any of our fun Fourth of July flag shirt pictures. Because the hashtags would have spilled the beans. The Blakley's are expecting a little peanut at the first of the year. January 9th to be exact. They had their 15 week ultrasound I think last week and all the measurements look great. Mamma is feeling crummy, like you do when you're creating human life, but both parents are over the moon with excitement.

It has been four years since I got to welcome a new little niece or nephew. I love being an Aunt, sometimes more than being a mom. It is all the fun without having to fight any of the battles. Zane doesn't remember when Everett was born and Rowan has always been the baby. So this is a new, terribly fun experience, for the both of them. When they came to tell us they were expecting Rowan started looking around the house, "Where the baby? You bring him with you? Why you not bring him?" Rowan is adamant that Aunt Kari is having a boy and cannot even fathom the idea of a baby girl.  When I asked him what he would do if the baby was a girl he said, "I'd say aahh dang it!"

Meanwhile Zane's reaction was the cutest of all. After Able and Kari came by to tell us the good news it was immediately bedtime. After saying our prayers and singing Zane noticed that it was raining outside. Zane knows that rain is how Grandpa Blakley says hi to us and he said, "it's raining mamma, Grandpa is so happy that Uncle Able and Aunt Kari are having a baby." Cue tears on my part. And yes I am sure Grandpa Blakley is ecstatic, such a sweet boy. Zane also starting crying and throwing a little bit of a fit when I suggested the baby could be a girl because "if it's a girl Maggie won't ever play with me again!"

Since then Zane has been stressing out about all the things he needs to teach baby Blakley. The morning after we found out they would have a new cousin Zane, very seriously, told me, "I am going to teach Uncle Able's baby all about snake safety. I'll teach him (again this baby is obviously a boy to my children) which ones are dangerous, how to go on snake hunts, what to do if he's bitten by a snake....." and on and on. He has a whole lecture prepared, with books, handouts. The whole nine yards, which I am sure is a weight of the Blakley's mind. I mean when you find out you're pregnant your first concern is "who is going to teach this kid about snake safety?" A few days later in the car he said, "I also need to teach Unlce Able's baby about tornado safety, but they don't have a storm shelter so they will have to move." "But I can teach him about fire safety and how to stop, drop, and roll then run outside." Zane also thinks the Blakley's  need to move because there isn't room for the baby in their house, since Aunt Kari obviously sleeps in the guest bedroom. If the baby sleeps in that room where would Aunt Kari  sleep? So funny!

I can't wait to meet the little Blakley baby. I know Able and Kari will be phenomenal parents because they are phenomenal people. I'm happy to help welcome them on the crazy journey that is parenthood. For now I'm storming the heavens for their sweet child and for them both as they prepare for this new chapter. We love you Uncle Able and Aunt Kari!!! Congratulations!

Ten on Wednesday

1. Well we are back from our travels, after a week driving around the great state of Missouri. Our first stop was Illinios at my friend Michelle's house. She played host to us Wednesday and Thursday night. She has a big finished basement that we made into our own suit. Zane was ecstatic to see his old pal Jamey and Rowan quickly becaume best friends once again with Ruthie. Here are Zane and Jamey rocking out in the basement. Yes, their house came complete with a disco ball perfect for rocking and dance parties.

2. Michelle and I use to go to the St. Louis zoo about once a week when I lived there. Now neither of us have zoo trips very often. So we were all extremely excited about a day at the zoo Thursday. However, it being my life, we drove into a storm on our way into St. Louis and it rained till about three in the afternoon. Devistating all around. We went to the Science Center, which is free, and had a good time. Followed by pizza, but sad we didn't get to go to the zoo with Michelle and her crew.



These two are too much cuteness. They were fast friends. I can't believe they are both so big.

Zane and I use to come to the Science Center all the time when he was little and after his cardiologist visits. When he was little he was terrified of this dinosaur. This visit Rowan was very concerned about the dinosaur that is laying down and "bleeding." Lots of memories from this place. So bitter sweet to be back.

In very surprising news Zane won in the 'calm off' with Jamey. This fun thing read his brain waves and moved the ball towards the person whose brain waves were less calm. I cannot believe Zane won!



These dinosaurs were always Zane's favorite when he was little. We really never came back much after Rowan was born. It's crazy to see how big Zane has gotten since our last visit.



Little Ro and the T-Rex!



3. After pizza Michelle and I went to meet our friend's new twins. Becky is one of my oldest St. Louis friends and has been through a tough road getting to these precious little girls. Hannah and Ellie are both adorable and mommy is doing great as well. I am so glad I was able to stop by and see all of them while I was in town. I hate that my friends there are starting to have kids now and would want to do mommy stuff now that I am gone. I do love seeing them become mother's and hopefully I'm able to give them some helpful mommy advice along the way. Here are Iam with the proud mamma and both girls.

Love me some baby snuggles!



4. Our wonderful hosts made us ice cream sundaes every night, which was an added bonus to the free lodging. The kids had a great time together, as did the grown ups and we said good bye wishing we were closer to one another or were able to stay longer.



5. Friday morning we headed to the zoo, in stupidily humid St. Louis weather. I had almost forgotten how sticky it can be there. The zoo definitely did not disappoint. We saw all our favorites, Hippos, elephants, penguins, polar bears, lions, tigers, sea lions, and lots of things in between. We road the train all the way around and Zane even got to say "All Aboard" on the last leg of our journey. In surprising news Zane opted not to go to the snake house saying, "I know they are there, I remember, and I've seen them all before." Great news to me who wasn't looking forward to the huge snake house on the hill.

 The hippos were surprisingly active when we were there. Rowan loved them and called hem all RoRo the hippo after the stuffed hippo that is his namesake.

 Zane was happy to see the return of the king cobra statue. It had been taken down to be refinished, I guess, the last time we were there. See his cobra face!

 I seriously have this picture, of Zane outside the penguin house, at every age. This is his favorite place. He is never happier than when he is at the St. Louis zoo, specifically freezing in the penguin exhibit. I love seeing him light up when we are there and it is a place so full of memories for us.

 Rowan loved the penguins this exhibit as well. He got his very only, little hoppy that he names Mr. Elephant Penguin!

 One last shot with his penguin friends.



Family shot on the train. Zane has always wanted to get to say All Aboard, at six he was just the right age to do it!

6. After the zoo we headed to West County to see Great Grandma Baker. Never miss an opportunity to see your grandparent's, or parents for that matter. Georgia was good, though looking older and more frail. She was very happy to see the boys and both of them told her stories of there summer adventures, from swimming, to snake hunts. In sad news Georgia fell in the bathroom on Monday and broke her right arm\wrist. They aren't doing surgery due to her age, so hopefully it can heal up alright with a cast. Prayers for Great Grandma Georgia would be greatly appreciated.



The boys were shockingly well behaved during our lunch date. It had to be the Lord, because these two are rarely shockingly well behaved.

7. Then we headed South to Grammie and Papa's farm. First up Rowan faced his greatest fear, Shy Shy the dog. This was Rowan's Everest and I am so proud to say that he has over come his fear completely. He petted Shy first thing out of the car and even posed for pictures. It was a big step and he was very proud of himself as well.



Side note: How cute is Rowan's STL Zoo shirt? It is an adventure shirt, with a snake AND  penguin. On the back there is a monkey and a lizard. So adorable, terribly over priced, but Rowan and I both love it. Wish it had come in Zane's size.



8. Papa and Uncle JR have the most fun toys. First up the big rig, complete with the air horn. I'm sure the neighbors loved us.



 9. Rowan has been dying to get on another horse and Aunt Trina just so happens to have three! Adeline showed Rowan how to brush them and get them ready to ride. He loved his horsey, whose name escapes me. He gave him pats and brushed his hair.

 The only thing better than a horse ride is a horse ride with Papa!

 Zane got to ride the big horse this time. Don't ask me what that face is. He has to always pose for pictures these days.



10. The other big news was that Zane caught his first catfish. After years of blue gill, this was big news. He was very excited and slightly sad we couldn't eat it.









We had a great visit and loved getting to see everyone. I cannot believe that I have a teenage nephew. This is Clay, he turned thirteen in May. He is almost as tall as I am and I am afraid will have passed me by the next time I see him. He is such a sweet kid and so great with both my boys. I loved getting to catch up with all of them.

Papa has other fun toys as well including an excavator and a track loader. Rowan is into all things constructions so he was in hog heaven. Oh and there are toy CAT machines everywhere. Needless to say Rowan had a great time at Papa's house.

 Lastly, you have to have a group shot. Here are Grammie and Papa with all their Grandkids.

 Cousin pictures are my favorite. They are so much easier when there isn't a baby to hold.

 And then we faced the ten hour drive home all in one day. Rowan doesn't ever watch movies, he just isn't interested in them. He would rather talk continually for ten hours. He napped for maybe an hour and a half, but beyond that it was pure jabber and a constant stream of "Mommy, mommy, mommy." At one point we stopped at a quick shop that happened to have Melissa and Doug toys, this is a genius idea for anyone who owns a quick shop. I frantically got sticker pads and these cool new horse toys to try to keep our kids entertained. We made it home in good time and had lots of laughs thanks to Rowan's random stream of thought! Now we are back home and back to work. Trying to get our house and lives pulled back together. It remains blazing hot in OK so we are a little stir crazy.