Houdini

Tonight we had Kristen's graduation party at the bowling alley. Right as we left the house a major thunderstorm started. I felt terrible leaving Leo in his crate because he is terrified of thunder but I figured it would be better for him to be in his crate at the house then for him to be terrified in the back of our car.

We had a great night at Pinz and we all had fun bowling. After we finished bowling the "grown ups" went home (i.e. my East Coast parents and Deb's parents) and Link, Hannah, Jake and I played laser tag with Shani, Kristen, and Erika. What a blast! We had so much fun.

After laser tag we played in the arcade for awhile and when we got in the car at the end of the night Hannah informed me it was one of the best nights of her entire life. I have to say, I would agree. We really had a great time as a family and as an extended family. I really do love the Walkers as my own and we are so blessed to be a part of their family.

But I digress, this post started out about Houdini.

We had to leave Leo home in his crate by himself. By the time we got home I was very anxious to get in the house and let him out of his crate. Well guess who met me at the door? That's right, the individual who I thought was locked in a crate in another room. He did pretty good though. Other than tearing up some paper that was near his bed in the office he didn't really do anything to the house. Considering he's a 9-month old puppy I think we're pretty lucky.

But......we still obviously need to get a padlock for his crate.

Who took Jake? And what did they do with him?

Jake never plays a game he can't win. We've battled with him on the sportsmanship front so often that I thought we'd never get through to him. He HATES losing. That's what made this conversation between Jake and Hannah so unbelievable.

Hannah: Jake, you better practice your bowling.

Jake: Why?

Hannah: Because we're going bowling for Kristen's party tonight.

Jake (very matter of factly): I don't care if I lose. It's just about having fun.

(stunned silence)

Me: Woohoo! Way to go Jake!

Time flies

When I first met Kristen I was in the 10th grade, her mother was my teacher, and she was one year old.

Tonight I'm going to her high school graduation.

I've always told Jake if he became the middle child he'd become "the forgotten one". Apparently I was right.

Lincoln: Leo, I'm not going to listen to you ask me the same question every 30 seconds while I finish doing this. Just wait.

Me: Did you just call Jake "Leo"?

Lincoln: I don't know, did I?

Me: Yes, I believe so.

(a little while later - a different conversation)

Me: .....so then I told Leo he had to go to the bathroom before we left Grandma and Grandpa's house....

Lincoln: You just called him Leo.

Me: Oh crap. I did, didn't I?

Hmmmm

Yesterday I composed an entire blog posting in my head and said to myself "as soon as I get a chance I'll type that up." Well, now's that chance.

Too bad I can't remember what the subject was, much less the entire post.

The little rose bush that could

A few years ago I planted some rose bushes in front of the house. They are lined up along the entire front of the house with the same amount on each side of the front steps. I've never really done anything with them, especially after the first year or so, but they've done fairly well. Mom and Dad usually cut them back - usually with Jake's help - when they're here in the fall but after the 2nd summer I even stopped watering them on a regular basis. They've proven to be fairly hardy though. The reason I actually chose them was because they were advertised as being hard to kill.

Due to the way the sun comes over the house the right side of the front of the house gets way more sun than the left side. As a result the rose bush to the far right is the largest and they get progressively smaller as you look towards the left. The one on the farthest left side has been dubbed by Lincoln "The Little Rose Bush that Could".

Right side:

Last one on the left:

Knee high by the 4th of July

If there is one thing I've heard a million times growing up in Iowa it's that the corn should be "knee high by the 4th of July". Of course, Jake's corn that he planted the other day is a little behind since, well, we didn't plant it when we should have.

This morning I went out to check Jake's garden and there was one lone sprout coming up out of the ground. I was surprised he even had that since it has only been 2 days. It's in the general area of where he planted the corn so I'm guessing that's what it is. (Did I mention I let the 5-year old lay out the garden anyway he wanted? There is no rhyme or reason to it and certainly no rows.)

Today is June 1st. We'll definitely hit Jake's knees before the 4th of July. Maybe even Hannah's knees. I'll keep you posted.