National Night Out 2016

As usual, on the first Tuesday of August, the police department held its yearly National Night Out.  Eric was there with his colleagues to meet and greet citizens of all ages.  My Mom, the kids (to include Connor's buddy Jared), and I attended to support the PD and also have some fun!

In addition to the police department, local community service providers from the fire department, Bureau of Indian Affairs, National Guard, Army, the local hospitals, Chamber of Commerce, US Fish & Wildlife, etc, were all represented at the affair.  These departments had booths with games, door prizes, and informational material.  Some even brought their utility vehicles (the D.A.R.E. Camaro, a fire engine, the Care Flight helicopter, an ambulance, a cool track vehicle from the National Guard, the mobile jail from the BIA, etc) for citizens to see.

At the beginning of the event, the PD kicked it off by having all of the community departments turn on their lights and sirens.  Ramsey had fallen asleep on the way into town and was sleeping in his stroller.  Before I could wake him, the sirens were going off.  He didn't even flinch and remained asleep!

Next, the PD awarded a police officer, plus two civilians an award for their valiant efforts to save a fellow citizen back in February (who needed resuscitation after collapsing while playing league basketball at a local gymnasium).

 Most of the time, Eric was mingling and talking to citizens, but we did manage to snag him for a few pictures!

 Ramsey seemed to enjoy seeing Neko, the PD's drug dog, a highly-trained adolescent Belgian Malinois.

 Connor and Jared were more interested in going to the Army tent, where there was a competition to see who could do the most push-ups in one minute.   The leader (at the time we were there) had 60!  The boys didn't fare quite that well and were in the 20's.  They had great form though.   :-)

Connor, Ramsey, and I all won door prizes (gift certificates to local businesses).  Lucky!  We all enjoyed a free supper, provided by the Salvation Army, too.  There were bouncy tents/slides for the kids and they showed a movie in the park at dusk (we did leave before it started). 

National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, better places to live.  

I may be a bit biased in my opinions, but I certainly appreciate our law enforcement officials, first responders, armed service men and women, and community service providers for all of their efforts, not only in our fair city, but also nationwide.   It's a tough time in the country right now, especially if you're in law enforcement, and I'm happy to give a big shout-out to those who dedicate themselves and risk their lives to our communities.  THANK YOU for your service!

The Rumble of Monster Trucks

I had never been to a monster truck show before, but Eric has been talking about taking the family to the local scheduled event for two months, knowing that the boys (especially) would love it.   Any kind of family outing is always something I look forward to and this would be another "first" for Ramsey.  Admittedly, I was not so sure about this whole "monster truck thing" and had some preconceived notions.  :-)

The local speedway had two shows; one on Saturday night and one on Sunday.  We chose the Sunday afternoon venue.   Knowing that they had a Meet & Greet planned before the show so kids could meet the drivers and see the trucks, we left the house extra early to ensure we could take everything in.    Beforehand, we had been joking about the names of the trucks and how Ramsey's name (and personality) was so apropos; the "Raminator" was one of the featured trucks!

Ramsey's eyes were like saucers when he saw the first monster truck and we were all interested to see them up close.  We got pictures with all of the trucks, their drivers, plus autographs on a white racing flag as a keepsake.

Here's "Snake Bite":

The incognito driver was wearing a hood that looked like a python.  Ramsey freaked out when he saw him; he was pretty scary.  :-) 

Then, on to see "Rammunition".

All of the drivers were very nice, greeting us all and thanking us for coming.

Below is the driver from Raminator.

And Venom....

At one point, one of the pit men came up to us and handed us a sheet that said "Bigfoot".  He had chosen Ramsey to be one of the children to compete in a team challenge.  He explained that Bigfoot was his teammate.  And, if Bigfoot was the big winner of the day, Ramsey would receive a "special prize", which would be revealed later.    Here's Ramsey with Larry Swim, Bigfoot's driver, giving him a high five.

After meeting all of the drivers, it was time for the boys to get a ride in the "Mighty Monster", a colorful jacked-up monster bus.  For $10 each, Connor and Ramsey went for a two-minute thrill ride!

I somehow must have deleted the video of it (but I am trying to retrieve it!).   Connor was a nice big brubby, taking good care of Ramsey, while he screamed his little butt off during the ride.  We won't talk about how this may not have been the best idea for a toddler.  Connor had fun.

Then, time for the show!  There were six events in all to entertain us; The Wheelie Competition, the Doughnut Competition, Time Trials, Racing Competition, Long Jump, and Freestyle.

Eric brought his shooting earphones from the PD for Ramsey to wear. He didn't love them, until he heard the noise and then realized it was a necessary evil!

Even with the earphones, it was LOUD!  Ramsey was OK when the trucks were far away, but up close, he wasn't loving it!

The day started off with the Wheelie Competition, then the time trials.

Here's Bigfoot, soaring through the air:

Snake Bite got so carried away (and out-of-control), that he ended up going off the track, through the outer fence, and into a ditch!  I didn't get that on camera.  It was awesome!

Embracing my inner redneck (that I didn't know I had), I admit that the jumps, spins, and air the trucks got was impressive!

And then there was Venom.... who also went a bit haywire and ended up flipping over.

Thankfully, the driver was not injured!  It took a while for them to clear the racetrack. 

With all of the excitement and noise, we were perplexed to see that Ramsey had dozed off!

 But, when "Transaurus" came out to breathe fire and eat a car, he was wide awake, watching the dino-bot chomp and spew flames!

After Transaurus' show and an intermission, it was time for the Freestyle event which Bigfoot won.

Ramsey's "teammate" Bigfoot did take the title, winning five out of the six competitions (all but the Doughnut Competition).

So, Ramsey won his prize too; a new red Huffy bicycle!

..which now proudly adorns our living room.  :-)

This Frog is No Prince!

Eric was out mowing on a recent Saturday afternoon and found a leopard frog.   Fun!  "Ramsey is going to get a kick out of this," he thought, so into the house came Mr. Froggy.

He showed it to Ramsey, but then the darn little bugger GOT AWAY!  (I don't remember how that part happened; I believe I blocked it from my memory.)  He hopped over against the wall, by the couch.   Now, let me preface this by saying that I like touching frogs about as much as Eric likes snakes (which is NOT AT ALL).  Eric had to corral this evasive little stinker (brilliantly - with a large flat piece of wood we had in the house from a project) and it was up to yours truly to crouch down by the couch and try to catch it, before he went into seclusion into a place we could not reach him!

I caught him.  I felt his slimy skin.  I freaked out!!  He got away.  @#$%%!!!
After taking a minute to recompose myself (and getting a little grumbling from Eric for my wimpish ways - he "thought I was a farm girl?!?"), I got back down on my hands and knees, closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and grabbed the smarmy little fella.  Oh, the drama.  On one hand, I was proud of myself (stupidly so, I know) for hanging on to one of the handful of things that make me truly gag, but also ashamed that I let a teeny tiny frog [temporarily] get the best of me.

**In the pic, you can see him peeking out from behind the table leg.  (Pardon the dust back there; I have since taken care of that bit of grossness.)**

All of the commotion (by that, I mean me shrieking wildly and Daddy "encouraging me") had pushed Ramsey into tears, creating a freak-out moment of his own.   Way to go, Kara, you just ruined frogs for Ramsey forever.  *sigh*

But then, after a brief period of Eric and me trying to calm him down, petting the "nice little froggy", he came around, extended his pudgy little hand, and touched the little guy too.

Eric held it calmly while Ramsey petted it.  "ECH!!!!," cried Ramsey, repeatedly.   But, when Eric asked Ramsey if he wanted to go frog hunting soon, Ramsey excitedly told us "Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!".
A new bug/frog net and colorful cage arrived at my doorstep from Amazon two days later.   Let the fun begin....Daddy.  :-)

Our Yearly Trip to the Cabin

Another year, another lovely trip to Nana and Bumpa's cabin up north....  The trip always seems to FLY by, giving us a minor case of proverbial whiplash.

But, when we're there, we always have a nice enjoyable time fishing, tubing, watching fireworks, going for pontoon rides, and just hanging out in general.
This year, of course, was no different.

Sidenote: This will be THE LONGEST post I think I have ever put together.  Proceed with caution. ha!

On to our story...
It was a relatively calm day on Saturday, perfect enough for the kids to light off and chase parachutes.

Ramsey was trying to use "the force" to make the parachutes fall.

Then it was time to hit the water.  The "big kids" jumped on the water trampoline while Ramsey (and Riggs) hung out in the toddler pool.

Pretty soon though, he had company.  :-)   Connor, Sadie, and Isaac were so sweet to Ramsey, playing with him and splashing around.   The little neighbor girl, Hadley, also came over to play.

Ramsey loves to attack his Big Brubby Connor.

Nice Brubby!

Splashing is awesome!

Hadley had her own pool.  Ramsey found that she had many fun toys in her pool and he liked to go back and forth, playing in both of them!

Everyone needed a rest after playing so hard.

 

In the evening, there was some rough-housing with the cousins.  

 

And also some nice down-time, snuggling.

Awwww!!!

Each day was filled with so many things to do!  The kids did a lot of paddle-boating each day.  Much of the time, they paddled around the point, harassing pelicans and making up funny stories about them and their pelican "army" and soap-opera'ish lifestyles.  Kids!  ha!

They did manage to come back with a turtle one morning (caught it in their net), who, incidentally, hurriedly (or as quickly as a turtle can muster) scooted back to the water!

And there were fireworks to shoot off, which also meant little army men to blow up!

As the boys lit off fireworks, Ramsey played with the army guys and hung out with with the fam, especially Cousin Sadie.

 and Uncle Troy too.

During the evening, us "old kids" got a little competitive and played Corn Hole tournaments.

Another day at the lake was perfect for water fireworks!  The kids had a hayday, throwing water firecrackers into shallow waters, blasting tiny bullheads (sorry PETA).  

Some of the baby bullheads were nearly bulletproof!  Poor fishies!!

As the laughter and commotion grew, it drew more of us to watch.

Nana and Ramsey watched from inside the house.  Poor Riggsy whined, as he had to watch from the deck.

For the first round of nighttime fireworks (Saturday night), instead of taking the pontoon up to the northern part of the lake to watch a show, we all sat on the deck and watched the huge display that was just across the lake.  (My picture-taking here is lacking.  Oops) 

July 4th proved to be a fun-filled day of activities.

After our picture-taking with the cousins (see earlier post), Ramsey wanted to run loose and play with Riggs.  

And, apparently he was itching to get out of the heat and into some cool water!

What is a trip to the lake without tubing?!?!   We were lucky that the 4th was a rather calm day; ideal for pulling the kids on the water.

In the clear blue sky above, a local aviator showed off his bi-plane, flying low to the lake and performing rolls and such.  

Awesomely enough, the plane had a cool nostalgic name; The Red Baron!

While Connor, Sadie, and Isaac water-tubed, Ramsey had his own version of tubing (inside the house).

 

He had a ball, engulfing himself in the tire inflatable rings.  He encouraged us all to cover him in them also, since he couldn't get all four stacked on himself!

The second round of nighttime fireworks (Monday) was in a small nearby town that puts on a fabulous display every year.

Ramsey was a bit leery of the loud rumbles and big BOOMS (even though one of his new favorite words is actually "boom"!).   He may have still been a little out-of-it; he had fallen asleep on the drive over (it was well past his bed time) and we woke him up out of his deep slumber to get a glimpse of the action!

After a few minutes, Ramsey and I retreated into the pick-up.  Ramsey watched a little bit, but was more comfortable playing Angry Birds.  I watched as much as I could.   The show certainly delivered, as usual!

 Tuesday was a fun day to head to the resort to get ice cream and run around on the playground!

All of the kiddos had a great time, even "the big kids" who aren't too old to enjoy the wonderland.  :-)

Bumpa came over to play too.  :-)

Wanting to be like Isaac, Ramsey was eager to play on the digger too.  Sweetly, Isaac helped his little cousin.

Connor found a fun over-sized tire swing.

He invited Sadie and Isaac to get on and go for a wild ride.

Uncle Troy "helped them out" and gave them a big spin.

After we returned to the cabin, the kids played a little more, until it was time for Auntie Sarah, Uncle Troy, Sadie, and Isaac had to go home.

~~~~~~~~~

Luckily, the boys had beautiful weather for a fishing trip up north on Wednesday.

Bumpa caught a northern and brought it back for Ramsey to see.

Ramsey actually gave the fish a kiss!  Bleh! ha!

Eric tried to release the fish back into the water, but after 15 minutes of trying (then Connor trying), they finally gave up... and decided he'd make a good supper.

Early that evening, we went out for a pontoon ride.  The lake was like glass; breathtaking!

Even though we live on the lake, Ramsey hasn't been out much, so he was a bit hesitant. But, after Daddy pointed out the pelicans, he was engrossed in seeking more birds.

Later that evening, Connor went on the paddle boat again and came back with a nice small-mouth bass!  Throughout the week, the toddler pool became a fish "holding tank" until they were cleaned.  Yes, we dumped the pool each night!!!  :-)

Eric, Connor, and Bumpa went fishing with Uncle Troy on Friday, veering off of the lake and boat-fishing on a nearby slough.  They had great luck and came back with a cooler-full of fish!

Ramsey got in some good "Bumpa Time" while Daddy and Connor were cleaning fish.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch while the men-folk were gone fishing that day, Ramsey went into the pool again and helped Nana "do some chores", watering the plants.

Our last night at the cabin was Friday.   Connor and Riggsy hung out and relaxed together on the floor.

  And then Ramsey joined in too, not wanting to be left out.

 We had to say our goodbyes on Saturday.   Ramsey, who never takes naps, finally crashed on the couch before we were getting ready to leave!

Until next year...!