Rainy Day Adventure

Today we had such a super time. Brett actually cleared out his stuff from the lab yesterday and will never be going there again, so we had to do something fun to celebrate. We decided on a little trip to Shades State Park. It was raining when we got there, so we ate our sandwiches first, but ended up hiking through rain most of the time. But it wasn't cold and we actually really enjoyed no mosquitoes and seeing pretty much no one else.

All the pictures are pretty blurry because it wasn't very bright out.

This is the beginning of where the trail says "Rugged section." Which just meant we had to walk through the little creek and climb some ladders. It got darker--quite dark actually-- and rained harder while we were in the rugged section, and it was really pretty cool and spooky. Not scary, but a cool atmosphere.

For a long time while we were walking, Jethro was watching the little creek running down the middle of the trail from all the rainwater, and he kept saying "This would be whitewater for ants!" "This would be really rugged for ants!" "This would be a HUGE waterfall for ants!" And after about twenty minutes of this Hazel said, "Enough of the ant stories now!!!!!" It was quite funny.

These pictures are when it got dark and I had to use flash...so it does look darker than it actually was, but it really was really dark for awhile.

Here are the ladders. I love the ladders. They're so fun.

Here we were camped out under a little ledge for a couple minutes to wait for the rain to die down a little bit.

I was there too. Hi!

Talmage--wet and loving it.

It was so much fun to go on an adventure with our little family. Brett and I and the kids all had a great time. Next week Brett will be going to a town a couple of hours from here and staying all week to work construction for a friend of ours who was nice enough to give Brett some temp. employment so I'm sure it will be a long week. Good thing we got in some good playing today.

Another shirt-dress

Remember when I made a shirt-dress and had a cute little girl model it for me? Well, it was so fun I made another one, and had another cute little girl model it.

I think this pretty blue color is just beautiful on Hazel. And I love how cute and summery and fresh the dress looks. These are really easy to make--especially since the tutorial is so excellent. The only sort-of hard part for me was making the pattern. I think the armpits are tight on Hazel, but she says they aren't - I think because she wants to wear the dress. But it's okay, because luckily I have another daughter who will be able to wear this, well, now actually. It just fits a bit bigger on her. Anyhow. So if you feel an inkling, you really should head to the thrift store (or your husband's closet) and give it a go. I have another shirt waiting actually.

Typical Hazel. Jumping and smiling.

Gosh I love those big bows.

The hardest part of this whole project? The hair-do. I can never do two good braids. One maybe...but I had to do the other side over and over and over again. It kept getting worse. But it looked cute finally.

If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive. ~Eleonora Duse

And then we saw this little dearie on the way home.

Robin Hood

So, first and foremost, I now get to go to bed with a doctor. And I like that. :) Brett defended yesterday and his committee signed off and gave him a PhD. WAHOO! He said it went well, he got up later than he had meant to, and so had less time to prepare but thought he didn't do too poorly despite that, and his committee members were well-behaved (his word.) ;) He actually had to give his presentation again this morning to one of his committee members that couldn't make it yesterday. And he is at school right now finishing up the revisions so that he can hand in his dissertation tomorrow by noon. Adieu, adios, arrivederci, auf wiedersehen, au revoir and SAYONARA Purdue and graduate school! We'll miss you. NOT!!!!!

Oh yeah, I forgot to tell about how I'm the worst wife ever!! Well, probably not really, but I did feel bad. Since Brett didn't get up as early as planned, he asked if I could buy some sodas and bring them and the treats to school for him for his defense, so I said sure. And then I got there and couldn't find him, and was wondering where he was, and found out that it started at 10:00, and not 11:00 like I'd thought. What kind of wife does that?! Anyway, I left the foodstuffs on a table by the room and Brett really didn't care at all, so I guess oh well.

So anyway. Here is another picture of us watching fireworks. Fun stuff. We had these stadium chairs that I got at a garage sale for 25 cents each and they were perfect.

And this was Ethne after the fun weekend. :)

Tonight Hazel, Ethne, and I got ourselves made up for a ball. We put on pretend makeup, did each other's hair, and had a swell time.

I actually really like having Hazel play with my hair. I think it feels like a head massage. And she was frustrated because Ethne kept trying to help her, and she said, "You're only little, so you pretend. But I'm big, so I'm learning, so when I'm grown up and have children I don't have to say 'I should have practiced more.'" Okay. Random.

This was my coiffure. The pink bow is a nice touch. Very flattering, don't you think?

And I made this Robin Hood hat for Jethro in a few minutes tonight --I don't really know why I made it tonight, but I did. Instructions here--very easy. Anyhoo, then I had to put a little facial hair on Jethro, which was awesome. So then I had to find a shirt, and then a belt from our Halloween/dress-up stash, and then well, you know how these things go--I just had to run to Jo-Ann's for the feather and then to the park really quick to snap a few pictures even though it was passed the kids' bedtimes and too dark really, but hey. It was fun. And Jethro looks AWESOME.

Faint hearts never won fair ladies.

-Robin Hood

(the rest of these quotes are dedicated to my brother Wyatt. I have good memories of watching this movie with him over and over and over... it gets funnier every time--especially when Wyatt rewinds a part for the 700th time)


Mommy! (sucks his thumb)
-Prince John

Criminently, now I know why your mama called you Nutsy.
-Sheriff of Nottingham

Sheriff: Is the safety on old Betsy?
Trigger: (pats the side of the crossbow) You bet it is, Sheriff.
Sheriff: That's what I was afraid of.

[after being stuffed into a barrel full of ale... ] Hiss: Please! Please! I don't drink!
-Hiss

Sheriff of Nottingham: 'Criminently,' Trigger! Point that peashooter the other way.

Prince John: That insolent blackguard... Oooh! I'll show him who wears the crown!
Hiss: I share your loathing, Sire. That scurrilous scoundrel who fooled you with that silly disguise, who dared to rob you and made you look so utterly ridiculous...
Prince John: Enough!
[swings at Hiss, who dodges him]
Prince John: Hiss, you deliberately dodged.
Hiss: But, but, but... Sire, please.
Prince John: Stop sniveling and hold still.
[Hiss holds still while Prince John hits him]
Hiss: [dazed] Thank you, Sire.

Robin Hood: [He and Little John are dressed as Gypsy women] Ooh-de-la-lay! Ooh-de-la-lay! Fortune tellers!
Little John: Fortunes forecast! Lucky charms!
Robin Hood: Catch the dope with your horoscope!

Prince John: Hiss! You're never around when I need you!
Hiss: Coming, coming.
[begins singing ‘For I'm a Jolly Good Fellow’ until Prince John uncorks the barrel he's in]
Hiss: Oh! there you are old boy! PJ, you're not going to believe this, but the stork is really Robin Hood.
Prince John: Robin Hood? UHHH.
[ties hiss around a pole]
Prince John: Get out of that if you can.

Clucky: Take that, you scurvy knave!
Prince John: Seize the fat one!

"Oode-lalley, Oode-lalley! Golly what a day!"
-Alan-A-Dale, the rooster

Oh, poppycock. Female bandits? What next? Rubbish.
-Prince John

Prince John: This crown gives me a feeling of power! *Power!* Forgive me a cruel chuckle. Heh-heh-heh. Power...

This weekend

Ethne got a trim. Before and after:

We went to Chicago. Traffic was awful. Brett vowed (yet again) that he will never go back.

We got to swim in a pool.

Talmage didn't like it.

Jethro did.

We watched a parade. Uncle Leo made faces. Hazel said "Happy 4th of July!" to everyone, and they --exactly according to her plan--bestowed much candy to her.

The kdis were very cute in their red, white, and blue. Except that it rained on us all through the parade, so they had to have jackets on.

Talmage LOVES Ethne. Awwwww. :)

We are a cute family.

Talmage and Isabel got tuckered out staying up late for the fireworks.

I have a cute honey.

And a red tongue.

This picture of Hazel watching the fireworks was taken in the dark with no flash, and on my camera it looked completely black. Then when I increased the light in Picasa it looked like this. Nifty eh.

Ooooh. Ahhhhh.

Watching the show.

I got to ride home holding this cute boy's hand.

I am grateful for this country. I am grateful that even though we have to drive through Chicago to get there, we can go visit my wonderful, fabulous sister and her family. I am grateful that she makes me pandequeso when we come. I am grateful for our new Suburban which is soooo roomy. I am grateful that Brett is defending his thesis tomorrow and after this week will never have to worry about schoolwork again. I am grateful that data and files stored on a laptop can be e-mailed (it was a very VERRRRRRY very VERY ugly moment when Brett realized he had left his laptop at Kami's house--after we arrived home to our house). The end.

Ethne is funny.

Today we were invited to eat at one of the campus dining halls with our nice friends. Another friend whose wife and kids are in CA right now came too. When Ethne was done eating and some of the rest of us were finishing up, Ethne said nice and loudly to Dustin "I have clothes on!" (Okay, the background is that I was mentioning it was cold and we had been playing in the fountains earlier but had changed before going to eat, so I think she was saying she was warm. But it was funny.) And then, she said, "I have Dora panties!" And Dustin was like hmmm, thanks, I did not know that.

Then, Ethne was supposed to sleep at the hospital tonight so that they could monitor her since she snores, and see if she needs her adenoids out and whatnot, but Brett came home with her because she had a fever. Anyway. When Ethne came in she shouted, "Where Jethro, Hazel, and Talmage? In bed? Were they ornery?" I had to laugh. No, it's just bedtime. Funny girl.