Trust God. YeeHaw!

A picture of the girls at bedtime that I sent Tom while he was away

I'm certain this will not be the last time I sit down to my computer and try to force myself to catch up on the days past with some belated blogging.  I think I'm in a bit of a funk and, frankly, just haven't felt like writing in my blog.  Nothing big or dramatic going on here.  Last week I was laying on the floor and Emily came up and sat plopped down on my back and said, 'I cowboy - yeehaw!'  While incredibly cute, the experience has turned incredibly painful.  My back is killing me.  Ugh.  It hurts to sit sometimes, lay down most times and stand up all the time.  So this ailment along with the 100 degree temps, has me a bit lacking motivation to sit at my computer each evening; favoring an ice pack behind me while I sit on the couch.  So I will be quick about my recount of the past week.  I don't have many pictures to show for the week because it's hard to snap pics when one hand is holding my back.

I love when I come home from a meeting and the babysitter is playing tea party!  Her sister came over to join in!

Where did we leave off?  Oh yeah, vacation bible school.  I dropped Emily (and Casey) off Tuesday night.  Was I called back to rescue her when others couldn't understand her words?  Did she wander off from the group and was lost for a time?  Did the other kids shy away from her because she was a little different?  No, no and of course not!  So we repeated this Wednesday and Thursday evenings as well.  What did I do with my glorious 2 hours to myself sans kids?  I very quickly went into Target, Kroger and Kohls respectively each night and then parked in a parking lot nearby the church and read my book.  I stayed close just in case my baby needed me to rescue her.  And I don't think sister even knew I was gone.  I wondered if she got anything more than the social scene among the 4 and 5 year olds at VBS.  Until this evening.-  She was walking through the living room singing, 'You, you, you.  You can trust God' in her own little way and pointing up to the sky when she said 'God' just like all the kids did each night at VBS.  It took me a minute to realize what she was singing - it is one of the songs from VBS!  Lord, have mercy, sister got it goin' on!  The next time I think about holding her back from an experience because I am afraid, I will try to remember her words - 'Trust God.'  Because clearly I don't know squat...... 

Emily "cleaning" the windows

The rest of the week went something like this:  It was 100 degrees.  Tom was gone again for work Mon., Tues., and Wed.  Casey had swim lessons every day at 11:30 and we stayed and swam every day afterwards.  And Casey thought she could get her way with everyone every day this week.  I am by nature a people pleaser; avoiding confrontation in most every situation.  To see Casey get so upset when she doesn't get her way sometimes, and then not be able to handle herself or the situation, leaves me scrambling for new methods to parent this behaivor.  I know it is mostly just in her personality to want to be in charge, but we need to help her find a way to listen to others as well.  Sometimes we cruise along and feel we've got everything under control on the parenting front and then other times, it's just hard.  So we've been talking a lot about listening to others and what being a good friend is this week along side patrolling her urge to be the alpha dog.  For 4 years now, Emily has let Casey run the show here while playing, and I'm sure Casey is struggling to find the situations when she can and cannot get away with bossing kids around.  I want her to be a leader but someone who can compromise as well.  How do I tell her not to be bossy but not extinguish her assertivness as well?  Sigh.  We'll figure it out.  But it's times like these as parents that I hope we don't screw our kids up.

Miss Bossypants herself

Thursday we went to Cincy Children's Hospital here in West Chester for Emily's ultrasound of her kidneys.  Her surgery to correct her grade 5 bi-lateral kidney reflux was in October and her follow up appointment with the surgeon is next week.  Pictures need to be taken of her kidneys and bladder in order for the surgeon to determine how these organs are functioning.  It was a little odd being back at the hospital after 6 months.  We've spent so much time there over the last few years that a 6 month break seemed almost too long without seeing a specialist.  Okay, I don't really mean that - of course it's good news to not be there!  But I've kind of gotten used to doctors checking up on her so much that I start to wonder if we're going to miss something on our own.  But she is a healthy 4 year old who is developing and progressing superbly.  And for that we are thankful for certain.

Mmmm...watermelon

Today all 4 of us went to the pool after golf and lunch.  After a while, Tom took Emily home to nap and I parked myself in a lounge chair poolside and read a book while occassionaly watching Casey jump off the diving board.  My kind of summer day.  Some days I catch myself wishing I could be by myself doing just this thing more often - no kids to have to watch or be in the pool next to, but I always stop myself, knowing that one day I will wish to have them young again.  Wanting me to play with them in the pool.  So I left my seat and swam with Casey and began to throw her around like she asked me to do.  She was squealing with delight and although my back might be giving me some grief about it now, I'm glad I could hang out with just her in the pool playing. 

Casey taking a nap!!!  She woke up denying she took a nap - I'm glad I took a picture for proof :)

The coming week promises to bring more of the scalding temps, so there will be more time at the pool.  Last night some strong storms brought some fierce winds here, but we were spared the brunt of the storm as the worst of it kept north of here.  The strongest winds went through my hometown and the surrounding, neighboring towns.  My parents' as well as both of my sisters' houses sustained some damage, but nothing that can't be fixed.  Everyone is out of power and rumor is that it won't be restored for a week.  I'm glad everyone is safe, but the work for some will be back-breaking in some scalding temperatures.  I guess I'll shut my mouth about my aching back while I sit at my computer.  In my house that is fully in tact.  With the AC purring.  And a lamp glowing on my desk. 

Casey helping the little car out of the driveway so she can give her sister a ride.

Being wrong

Sometimes I just love being wrong. Tom, are you reading this??? I CAN admit when I'm wrong....sometimes

Yesterday Tom took Casey to her first Reds game.  Tom and I both were hedging our bets that she would be bored and they would be packing up after 2 or 3 innings.  Therefore, they sat in the cheap seats in the upper deck.  I say cheap seats only if you don't spend $5 on a bottle of water (x2) and another $5 on cotton candy.  Add in a hamburger and chicken sandwich and the seat you sit in anything but cheap.  But I digress....  I gave Tom instructions to take lots of pictures and have her home by 4:30 so she could cool off and eat before vacation bible school that evening.  This shouldn't have been a problem if all went as I predicted.  But it was sometime in the 7th inning he had to drag her away from the ballpark begging to stay!  Turns out I was wrong - she loved the major league game despite the 90 degree heat and was super bummed the Reds lost.  That's my girl!  I'm sorry I underestimated her and love seeing her open and interested in things I thought might bore her or not be girly enough.  Tom is not as diligent as I am about taking pictures (that's why I had to ask him specifically to do it), but I was happy with the memories he was able to capture in order for me to share in on the fun they had:

As I mentioned, vacation bible school started last night.  My friend, Shannon, is running the show and we wanted to attend to support her efforts.  Casey has attended VBS for several years now and has loved the one week experience each summer!  When Shannon mentioned that there was going to be a pre-school group this year, I honestly didn't really consider signing Emily up. 

...Here is where I will interject with some conflicting emotions I have about raising my 2 unique daughters.  At the age of 4 I was nervous about sending Casey off to VBS for 2 hours to be with strangers, but did not consider not sending her, knowing she would have a fun time singing and dancing and playing while learning about God's message.  At the age of 4 I didn't even consider it an option for Emily.  For all I preach about wanting her integrated and to experience typical kid stuff, I find that maybe I can talk the talk but not be able to walk the walk.  Sometimes.  I am grateful for my friends and family who look at what Emily can do and not what she can't.  I need others to push me so I can continue to push her.  To believe in her.  And to believe that others will rally around her and help her have the most positive experience in what ever she is doing.  It's not that I don't believe in Emily and what she can be capable of - it's hard to explain.  I feel the overwhelming need to protect her.  More so than Casey.  (That's some serious mommy guilt there, trust me!)  I want to protect her from others staring or wondering what she is doing.  And protect her from falling or getting hurt.  Or protect her from the frustration she might feel when she doesn't understand what everyone is talking about.  But I am lucky to have Tom, and family and friends who are there to help me realize that sometimes protecting means holding her back....

So we're back to talking about VBS.  We decided to sign Emily up after all.  On the condition that I would stay there and help her.  We showed up and the program began in the gathering area.  I stood next to Emily near the pre-school group.  She was miserable - wanting me to pick her up, screaming out when the leader asked for quiet, attempting to run off.  After 20 minutes of me trying to convince her to cooperate, I was giving serious thought to packing it up and going home.  Saying, yeah, we tried but she just isn't ready.  The congregation dismissed to their smaller groups and I took a deep breath and decided to stick it out.  Just that one night.  A bit frazzled, I left Emily to hang out with the rest of the pre-schoolers as I sat on the periphery; observing, but not interfering with Emily.  And she was fine.  The remaining hour and a half, she sat when the other kids sat, she stood when the other kids stood, she colored when the other kids colored and she folded her hands and bowed her head, too, when the others prayed.  Emily held her own, following along.  (for the most part - she is only 4 after all.)  Sure, there were times when the assistants had to remind her to stay with the group or not to scream out when a story was being told, but, well, that's just Emily.  It didn't appear that it was something the leaders couldn't handle.  And when they did tell her to do something, she did it.  She didn't need me there last night and tonight either. Although I stayed again just in case the leaders needed help with her, I ended up fetching water and taking the other pre-schoolers to the potty.

 So, I realize I may have underestimated Emily and the others around her again.  I did see her tonight, amidst all the other kids who were shouting Jesus' name, looking around at them all.  And after they all finished shouting, she stood and screamed "Jesus!" just like the others had done.  I was proud of my little girl.  I didn't see the curious glances.  I saw a little girl who is learning the word 'Jesus' and will one day learn who Jesus is.   While I am still pretty certain she doesn't understand that everyone is there to give praise and sing about trusting God, or even understand who God is yet, I believe being there learning among other kids might be the best introduction. 

I was wrong - to assume that she wasn't ready to be around so many typical peers.  And that they wouldn't be ready to lead Emily.  Maybe it was me who wasn't ready to push her into a new situation - out of my comfort zone.  Maybe I was wrong to think holding her back was the best thing for her.  God, I love to be wrong...

I am considering not staying at VBS tomorrow night; not standing nearby observing and waiting for her to need me to intervene on her behalf.  I was discussing it with Shannon briefly tonight and she said something to the effect of  "that's what you ultimately want for her, right?"  It's true.  But it won't be easy for me to do.  I hope it goes okay.  I think it will.  I hope I'm not wrong...

Reds, Purple and Blue

Tom arrived home Friday evening to some girls that were screaming and jumping up and down when he pulled in the driveway.  At bedtime Casey wanted daddy to put her to bed and Emily wanted me to put her to bed.  She specifically told Tom that she did not want him to do it.  I noticed as each day went by that he was gone she became a little more clingy to me, and while she was excited to see him, she was used to only me tucking her in at night even when he returned.  After they were tucked, hugged, and kissed, Tom and I sat on the patio drank a couple of beers, smoked a cigar and caught up - relishing in the relief that the stress of the past few months was finally over. 

Saturday was low-key for all of us.  Golf, the pool, catching up on mail, and going to the library was the extent of our exertion.  I finished the evening by painting my nails and curling up with a book on my iPad and some wine in my glass. 

Today Tom is taking Casey to her first Reds game and she is way excited!!  I think she might be building something in her head about what a baseball game is like.  Tom thought so, too so he bought the cheap seat tickets.  I'm pretty sure she'll only last 2 or 3 innings before she's bored out of her mind and crestfallen when she realizes baseball is actually a slow paced game and she won't be able to actually talk to Joey Votto (who is her designated favorite player even though she knows nothing about the game).  She has been talking for weeks about needing a Joey Votto t-shirt to wear for today and I indulged her only because he just signed a 10 year contract with the Reds.  (It's nice knowing the shirt will be relevant for a while, so I bought it a size too big to get maximum use :)  I can't wait to hear how this outing goes!  Tom has been charged with taking lots of pictures for me, so I'll post them in the next blog.  There are many, many, many times Casey has had to sit through doctor and therapy appointments, countless tests and procedures and home visits from early intervention specialists for her sister.  Tom and I each try to just do one-on-one special things with Casey when we can.  As a member of our family a lot is asked of her in the way of patience and sacrifice sometimes.  I hope one day she looks back at these special days with fondness more than she looks back at the endless appointments she has been told to sit quietly through. 

Just e-mailed to me from the ball park!

I have promised to paint Emily's nails while Tom and Casey are at the game.  She has been asking me to paint her nails for a week now.  Even as I type this I shake my head, amazed, that she is able to make such a specific request.  I asked her this morning what color she wanted and she told me purple on her fingers and blue on her toes.  This is just cool stuff to witness.  For me anyway.  For a typical 4 year old, this is not news.  Even my 3 year old niece can tell me a story about how she likes to play with princesses and that she doesn't like Dora any more.  But that's not our Emily.  Even though her communication is more simplified, she is learning to share her opinion and observations more and more.  With her nails painted purple and blue respectively, she is trying to sing along with The Wiggles on TV right now as I type.  Again, I stop and observe that she is memorizing the songs and motions - that's got to mean some potential for learning, I'm sure.  Doesn't it??  I don't go through each day hanging on everything she does and wondering what it means for her future, but I do catch myself giving a mental high five when sister gets something.  Her diagnosis is so unknown; we just have no idea what her potential for learning and communicating will be.  But if she learns her colors by looking at them on her fingers or learns songs and expressions from 4 dudes singing on a DVD, then we will embrace it and try to apply those methods to help learn other things.

Her simple request for painted nails also makes me realize I don't have to worry so much about some fears I had in the months after she was born.  I worried that Emily would not be able to do typical kid things.  That her limitations would dominate her life.  But as I see how excited she is for me to paint her tiny little fingers and toes, I know deep down that she will most definitely want to do those typical little girl things that I had once worried would never be for her.  I look into the crystal ball in my head and see Casey, Emily and I at the spa getting our nails done together or watching Tom drive off with Emily taking her to her first Reds game.  And she does play with princesses and dolls in her own way.   In fact, I heard the bathroom door shut a few minutes ago and suspected she was up to no good.  I had my phone in hand because Tom sent me a picture of Casey arriving at the ballpark.  I opened up the door to see Emily sitting her doll, Abby, on the potty.  Luckily I saved Abby from the potential plunge she might have gotten, but not before I snapped a quick picture and gave a big mental high five for such great pretending and role playing :)

Yeah, we're doing typical little girl stuff here today - playing with dolls, going to a Reds game with daddy and painting nails Purple and Blue.  Color me happy.

Quick re-cap

Dad and I

The girls and I made it back to our house on Wednesday after 5 days in Ottawa....and Glandorf.  Tom comes home today (yeah!!) and we will welcome him with open arms and a cold beer.  But before we can start our weekend, I need to re-cap our last several days.  They have been filled with seeing family and friends that we don't have the opportunity to see often enough in my opinion.

Sunday (Father's Day) my sister, Lorie, invited us and Jason's family to their house for some BBQ chicken (yum!!).  Dads (minus Tom), kiddie pool, some baseball in the yard, sandbox and some bikes = family fun.  Emily is just starting to learn how to ride a bike.  Their is a lot of motor planning that goes into figuring it all out for her and, as much as I've tried, I just can't push her to learn faster.  We fought over this all last summer and she was so frustrated she wouldn't even go near her tricycle.  This summer she seems to have figured it out and I love seeing her accomplish yet another goal!!  I like seeing the girls be able to ride bikes together now!  And Sunday she got on Adysen's 2 wheel bike with training wheels and started to ride it!  The little show off :)

Emily on a big girl bike!!

Lorie pitching - guess we know who helps Braeden get some batting practice in

Cousins in the sandbox

Father's Day cookout

 Monday evening my nephew Braeden had a baseball game in Ft. Jennings and so we were able to go see a game. Braeden is 6 and it is his first year playing. From the looks of his teammates and opponents, it's their first year playing, too. I am pleased to report, like the proud aunt that I am, that he was probably one of the best players out there. Each player gets like 4 pitches from the coach (designated dad that evening) and if after those attempts they haven't hit it yet, they have to hit off a tee. Granted, I didn't see each kid at bat, but from what I did see, only one or two kids actually hit the ball on the first pitch at both at-bats. Braeden was one of them and he kind of nailed it each time!! Kid can hit the ball. I played every sport available to me, except softball. -I never got the hand-eye coordination part of the game, so to see a 6 year old whip up on the ball first pitch each time I was more than a little impressed! 



Braeden at catcher

Up to bat

Nice hit, buddy!! (see the ball?)

"Go Braeden!"

Emily had never been to a baseball game before, so I was surprised when we got there she started shouting, "Go Braeden!" Loudly. It's not like this game was competitive at all. But Emily got into the spirit and was his little cheerleader even though no one else in attendance was audibly cheering. (Kind of like at church when everyone is quiet after the choir has finished a song and she claps and says 'Yeaah!') Sister likes to throw out some praise!! Otherwise there was a lot of dirt kicking and underwear picking by those on the field.




We all went out for ice cream afterwards and it was one of those really hot evenings where you have to lick your cone double time because it melts so fast.   

Monday is also the day Casey informed me she got a mosquito bite on her head at Girl Scout camp the week before and we should (and I quote), "be on the lookout for one smart mosquito out there because he probably sucked out some of her knowledge.  It's probably mostly at the part where 8+8 is stored because I can't seem to remember what it equals."  Ahhh, love me some Casey quotes  :)

Tuesday, the girls and I went over to my friend Marna's house to hang out with her and her two kids.  We were treated with a visit from Jill and her three kids!  Casey considers Marna's daughter, Morgan, and Jill's daughter, Audrey, to be her "Ottawa friends" and always asks if we can see them when we are in town.  I am lucky to have been able to maintain such dear friendships since high school.  We don't get to see each other often enough but I fully appreciate their presence in my life.

Wednesday, we packed up and left Nana and Papa's house.  Nana had been with us for 10 days and although she was sad to see us leave, I kind of suspect she was ready for some solo time as well.  On our way home we stopped for a visit at my cousin Jean's house in Vandalia.  Jean and I went to school together from kindergarten through high school.  We became closer friends around the time we both got married and Casey and her daughter, Megan, actually were born the same day - just hours apart!  She has 3 daughters and I have 2, so that just adds up to a lot of girly fun for all when we get together.  Later in the afternoon, we started the last leg of our trip home.  The girls were exhausted from the heat of the past week, the busy days and late nights, so when at 7:20 that evening I asked who was ready for bed, Emily just walked to her bed and curled up and said, "Nigh, nigh, mommy bird."  And she was out.

Thanks for hosting, Jaime!

Thursday was another busy day as we loaded up ourselves in Mandy's minivan with her and her 3 kids at 9:00 a.m. to go see some college friends and their kids in Columbus.  Jaime and Joy live in Columbus which isn't that far from Cincinnati but it seems with every one's schedules we're only able to get together a couple times a year.  Jaime hosted us all at her house which has a pool.  4 college friends, 10 kids and a pool made for my kind of summer day.  The kids bobbed, floated, dove, splashed and swam the entire day while we sat and talked about kids, husbands, jobs, vacations, plastic surgery, families and growing older.  I think I surmised that I was the only one that feels like she's getting older and I am determined to change that.  Work out a little more and focus a little less on the things that stress me out.  And about plastic surgery?  Let's just say each of us agreed it's not off the table for discussion.  It was a really nice day and the kids were exhausted to say the least when we left.  Another night of early bedtimes for me while Tom was away.  Sweet!!


The girls and I went to our neighborhood pool this afternoon and rushed home for Emily to catch a nap so I could clean the house before Tom comes home this evening. The girls are so excited to see daddy - Casey even made a poster to welcome him home. Emily will wake up soon so I am just going to add some random pictures from the last week in this blog. Just a quick re-cap of some of our fun.

See the Big Wheel Casey is riding?  It's the same one my sisters and I rode as kids!  Dad saved it and it still works!

                                 I think we all feel as exhausted as this picture of Emily in the car :)

Small Town Love

The last time I lived in my hometown was in 1994, the year I went away to college. 'Went away' might be too liberal of a phrase because Bowling Green State University was only a 45 minute drive away from my parents' house. But, nevertheless, I lived there for 4 years and then moved to Cincinnati after graduation in 1998.  So for 18 years, when I have met someone new and have been asked where I am from, I have always said 'Ottawa Ohio.'  But the fact is I am not from Ottawa.  I grew up in an even smaller town called Glandorf.  I've found some people have at least seen the sign next to Interstate 75 that points them 25 or so miles west to Ottawa.  (Ottawa is Glandorf's next door neighbor and is where Wal-Mart, McDonalds, Wendys, Arbys, Subway and Pizza Hut are.  I don't think I left anything out.)  Others, familiar with the small towns that make up the landscape between Lima and Toledo, know generally where it is but have still not heard of Glandorf.  I guess it's just easier on the conversation than trying to describe which dot on the map in the cornfields of Ohio Glandorf is. Kind of like telling people I live in Cincinnati rather than West Chester, the suburb we live in. The difference being West Chester's population is 60,958 and Glandorf's is 958. (Ottawa's population is 4,396 and Cincinnati's is just under 297,000 so it's not like everyone I meet has even heard of Ottawa but you get my point).

Either way, I know where I come from and am glad we can visit here for days in a row so my girls know it too. Songs about small towns are written for a reason. They are mostly country songs, but they generally paint a pretty good picture of the area I grew up in.  Songs about sittin' on your porch with a beer watching the sun set over the fields nail it.   Songs about a dirt road and some bottles rollin' on the floor boards capture more than a few of my high school memories.  For the record, I have never been on anyone's big green tractor nor have I been asked if I thought said tractor was sexy. :)  Don't get me wrong, I love living in a metropolitan area and often wonder, aside from being closer to my family, if I would even like to move back. (Remember? The nearest Target is over an hour's drive away!)  But I fully appreciate the charm of the small towns when I am here or am sitting in traffic in Cincinnati listening to those country songs on the radio.  

Missing my Jazzercise class, I went for a walk/run through the town of Glandorf this morning.  I walked the length of town listening to Dave Matthews on my iPhone and stopped to take some pictures and smell the roses so to speak.  What I love most about blogging is I have become more aware of moments, however large or small or ordinary or extraordinary; wanting to capture them more often than before.  Maybe I am romanticizing the small town life some here, or maybe it's the perspective you get from living some place more urban for so long.  But as I walked through this town that doesn't have a single stop light and the only traffic jam is when you get stuck behind a John Deere on a road with no lines, I found myself calmer and breathing deeper.  I really started breathing deeper when I began to run on the path around the park.  By the time I got there I was feeling very inspired by the quaint charm that comes from the absence of urban sprawl and the calming presence of the big Catholic church where I have received every sacrament.  So I turned the music from Dave to Zac Brown Band and began my run.   Quaint, calming charm turned into red-faced gasping as I don't often run for exercise.   It became quite obvious that I am not in as good of shape as I thought I was, because it felt like I was pulling a pallet of bricks behind me as I ran.   In all honesty, it was probably more like a pallet of ice cream and Miller Lites, and that brings home the reason I am not in the ideal shape I'd like to be in.  But I did find some items along the paved path that I paused (very briefly) to snap a picture of.   Little things that all help add up to make my hometown.  A small town with big impact.  For me anyways.

The gem of Glandorf: St. John's Catholic Church
(someday I'll post take pictures of the inside of the church and you will understand why it is such a gem, but I need a better camera for that)

This is the K thru 8 school that I went to with the exact same playgroud equipment still there!

Evidence of the town's German heritage

No doubt, farming is a way of life for a lot of folks here

I still don't know why the local watering hole and pizza place is named the Bomb Shelter

Main Street is a compliment of houses, family businesses and fields

Just had to take a pictre of the barber shop

The park still has the same red twisty slide and merry-go-round that were there when I was a kid

The new path around the park now has excercise equipment to humor you (that's an old tractor seat you sit on for your presses)

I thought these were hilarious!

Also there was a fence you where you can get in some resistance work with varying weights!

While we're talking of small town characteristics, I was nearly bowled over Saturday when mom and I went to the local grocery store in Ottawa after we arrived in from Cincinnati.  (okay, West Chester)  My mom works at Kohls Market in the bakery and, yes, that comes with some pretty tasty perks for us :)  At the checkout we wheeled the cart up to the register and the lady begins to type in every single item's price.  Manually.  With her fingers.  Not a scanner in sight.  Then she got on the intercom and called for carryout register one.  I looked quick and she meant for us!  I took out my iPhone, flipped it to silent and inconspicuously started to take some pictures of it all.  This experience was not foreign to me, because this was how groceries were rung up at this very grocery store when I was growing up.  I had no idea they still did this, though!  I'm told that the owner wants to keep the experience more personal for the shopper.  I say, 'great idea!'  Everyone in line was waiting patiently as the cashier flipped each item around, finding the sticker that had been placed on by a human hand with a sticker gun.  I have to say, though, I have been carrying out and even bagging my own groceries for too long, most times with two kids in tow, and I felt very uncomfortable having the young gentlemen cart the bags to the car.  I resisted the urge to push him aside and assure him that we could handle our own groceries as I watched him and my mom chat up about the weather.   And I couldn't make eye contact with him afterwards because I felt slightly awkward that I didn't tip him for his service.  My mom laughed at me and shook her head.  Yeah, it's good to come home and see that things don't change.  I'd probably stop staying for such long visits if I had to ever (and I mean EVER) wait at a traffic light in Glandorf, Ohio.

Entering the price for every item by hand

Not a scanner in sight

Groceries delivered to your car (and stowed nicely)

The best thing about these small towns is seeing family, though! :)

Casey lounging in the baby pool

Emily enjoying some pudding (or a facial scrub.  not quite sure)