Sweet teeth

Another weekend, another parade. Polk City put on its festival last weekend. We were watching my best friend's daughter, Chloe so we carted her to the parade with us. The pictures above say it all. Goofballs. Oh, and we filled up the bucket on Chloe's head 2.5 times with candy before going home. This was additional candy to add to our already disgustingly huge stash of candy from the previous parade the girls had been to while visiting Uncle Shawn and Aunt Lianna. In all honesty, even the biggest sweet tooth couldn't put that much candy down. I have given away SACKS of candy in the past week. It's all free! Get it out of here! Sophie keeps coming up to me with a wide open mouth to ask me if she has black teeth. She's very worried that the sugar bugs will get her teeth! I've been limiting intake to one piece, two tops, per day. But, after all the whining for candy, I'm ready to throw it back out into the street. Bah humbug.

After the parade we visited the big blown up jumpy things. Do they actually have a name? Then we ate things like walking tacos, pork chops on a stick & hotdogs to our heart's content. Soakin up the Polk City culture. They even had a bagpipe band. Sounds annoying. The kilts were actually not offensive and the music was surprisingly good! Very surprising.

Our cousins Bailiee and Sayler joined us for the parade too. They were visiting their aunt and came all the way from Hinton (by Sioux City) to visit. The girls had a great time with them, especially when we got back to the house and they got to play in their already completely destroyed room. Why don't kids care like we do? Why don't they rush around to clean it up before the company arrives? I sure wish they did, but it doesn't seem to phase any of them!

The other pics are of the girls at Saylorville Lake. Steve found a great beach under the mile long bridge. We can take Rosie there because it isn't considered a public beach. It is under water most of the time, but the lake happens to be really low right now, so we took advantage of it. Steve has trained Rosie really well. He throws this fake duck out into the water and she'll swim all the way out to get it. Then she brings it back. This might not sound amazing to you, but I was impressed! She seems like such a dip sometimes and then she goes and performs really well. Who knew?

Two more weeks of school until graduation! I can hardly believe it! I accepted a nursing job today on W3 at Mercy. I worked there this past year as a tech and I will start there as a nurse upon graduation. It is a cardiac cath recovery floor. Patients go there after they've been to cath lab and gotten a stent or two placed, or an ablation to a vessel, or a pacemaker or defibrillator. The patients don't normally stay more than 2 days, so it is a fast paced place. Very nice people to work with. I'm excited for the opportunity. It's also nice to know what I'm doing in a few weeks! I'm not known as someone who likes to plan ahead, but in this case, I'm grateful!

Steve has been busy working and helping Darrell and my mom out at their place. They were going to hire out some jobs to be done around their house, but decided to hire Steve instead. We can always use a little more cash and I'm proud of him for working so hard. This weekend, he is going to Iowa City to help them put in a fence at my mom's old house soon to be the site of Lianna's new preschool. I'll be staying home with the girls (we aren't much help), but we'll be getting things put together around here. My mom is taking the girls tomorrow night overnight and then watching them on Friday so I can get some work done! I'm SO grateful for this, but she is grateful to me for letting them stay! She's been on vacation for a couple of weeks and then returned only to work and work and work, so she says she misses her grandbabies! I have plenty to do so the day will not be wasted!

I've told a few of you this, but its something I just have to write down. We were in Target the other night and the girls were being obnoxious. They were laughing and screaming and screeching and making noises. I got frustrated and finally stopped the cart and said, "OK! This is going to be a silent shopping trip now. Be quiet! Pretend you are sleeping!" Without missing a beat, Olivia said, "Well, I talk in my sleep." I just had to laugh. I'm wondering how long she'll find a loophole in the rules!

Next weekend is the Sickels family reunion. The Sickels are my dad's wife's side of the family. They do a BIG reunion about every 3 years. Last time, it was held at Dad and Carol's place in Ruskin, FL. This year, it is held outside of Cedar Rapids on a family member's acreage. They have a pond and we'll be camping and playing games and spending the weekend with family. Should be lots of fun! After that, the girls will be going to stay with Grandpa Larry and Grandma Diana in Merrill (outside of Sioux City). They will be there all week. They'll bring them back just in time for my graduation celebration! I will be VERY ready to see them again! Even though I get sad when they are gone, people have really done me a favor by asking to take them for some time. It really helps me get my stuff done and they don't have to see me stressed or too busy to help with bath time that night or leaving to go to a study group, etc. Plus, they enjoy it! I asked them if they get homesick and they said "sometimes, but we like it away too!" So, they are a part of the decision at least. Summer is a good time to visit family anyway!

Well, not sure when the next post will come. After graduation? Sooner? Stay tuned. Enjoy your summer!

Mel