They really do.....

.....have 9 lives.




This is Peanut, our garage cat. Looks pretty good right? She's been missing for a few days. We didn't think much of it, she always shows back up. This morning Arnie heard meowing coming from the storage compartment on the front of the camper, he opened the door and there she was. She's been locked in there for somewhere between 9 and 13 DAYS! That's right, DAYS! No food, no water, no light and very little space. I can't believe she's ok! That could have turned out so awful. God was on Peanuts side.

I swear we're very careful with our kids and our dog, but I probably wouldn't hire us to cat sit anytime soon!

**UPDATE- 8:37pm- Maggie just went to the garage to get a popsicle....right after she went out the door we heard a SCREAM. Not a little scream but a serious scream. Arnie got to her first, Peanut was standing right next to her holding a live mouse in her mouth. She kept letting the mouse go and chasing it down again, I think Maggie's screaming was like cheering to Peanut. I was planning on taking her to the vet in the morning for a good check-up, but apparently she's back to her old self. That a girl! Maggie might need therapy!


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The best plans....

....are sometimes the last minute kind. The girls and I headed to Omaha Friday morning for swim lessons with every intention of coming home in the afternoon. Amy called on our drive to tell me that she and the kids were spending the weekend in Omaha and would be at the zoo on Saturday and then my parents to.d me Alex and Ellie were coming over on Saturday evening. SO, we threw our "plan" out the window. Arnie brought us some clothes, and we stayed.

Saturday morning we had a great time at the zoo....



The stroller crew.


Cool Chicks!





Maggie loves the baby giraffe at the zoo. She's seen her before with Grandma and Grandpa, but she was really excited to get to show her friends. (this isn't the actual baby giraffe, just a statue :))


All the little people, except JJ, he was too interested in the sea lions to join the picture :) Maggie, Carly, Gracie, Henry & Cade.








Maggie was so excited about getting to push Henry around. Apparently it's more fun to be a "big sister" to someone who you don't actually have to put up with all the time.


Grace didn't even make it out of the parking lot before she was asleep. Evan Maggie took a nap after we got home.

Before Alex and Ellie came over Maggie and I had to go rescue Grandpa and Uncle Deem......


Someone wasn't paying attention and turned in front of them (don't text and drive!!!) Thank God everyone was ok, it was a pretty bad accident without seat belts or in smaller cars the outcome could have been very different.


I think they are a little sore but all things considered they are in good shape.

Then it was time to play with Alex and Ellie!!!!! Yah!!!!


Our own Ryder Cup.....I think the USA won in this match up.


The little girls were safer inside with the golf clubs swinging outside.





They're getting so big!!! They sure do love playing together.


After a fun evening we headed home. What a great unplanned surprise Saturday was (minus the totaled truck).

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Here and there....

Arnie and I spent Friday to Wednesday in Charleston, SC. We had a great time. It was a beautiful place with lots of history and cool things to see. For as much as we travel with our kids, I think this may be the first trip we've taken without them since Maggie was born. Maybe a quick business meeting here and there, but definitely not a vacation. It was really nice to work on our own time, to have dinner whenever we wanted for as long as we wanted and to sleep past 7am....but truth is, I really missed the girls. We kept seeing things I knew Maggie would love and I'm just not used to having that much free-time. I don't think we will wait 4 years to take our next kid-free vacation (actually we're going to vegas in October, so I guess we won't even wait 4 weeks) but I also wont stop hauling my kids along with us most of the time.

Of course, while we were enjoying our vacation the girls were having a blast at Grandma and Grandpas. According to Maggie they went on tons of bike rides, played at the park, played at home, made lots of art projects and even slept a little. I think my parents are probably exhausted :) I'm so glad the girls were good and had fun.

Maggie thought it was funny that while they were riding in this...





...daddy and I were riding in this...






When mom showed Maggie the picture, she said "they're saddle must have been bigger." It sounds like the girls went on several bike rides with Grandpa pulling them, I wonder how sore his legs are now? Grace loves her helmet, she was still wearing it when we got there to pick them up.

A few picture from Charleston...


They definitely teach American History a little differently in the South. I'm not sure anyone has told most of the people they lost the war.


I didn't know there were dolphins there, it was an awesome surprise! These came and swam right along with our boat (to Fort Sumter).


If there is a aircraft carrier, submarine or fort around, you can bet my husband will find it :) This is the Yorktown (my grandpa served on this ship.)


Arnie playing on an airplane.


Amazing houses and buildings everywhere you looked.


Maggie hid a beautiful Anniversary card in our suitcase.



On our Anniversary we charted a sailboat. It was so beautiful, definitely my favorite thing we did while we were there. They taught Arnie to sail and we enjoyed sunset in the harbor.












A few more pictures from Grandma and Grandpas...








Today it was back to reality for everyone at our house, thankfully the weekend isn't too far off!!!

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Self portrait...

Last night on the way to Omaha Maggie took lots of pictures....here are a few of her self portraits..... so silly!

weekend...

We spent the weekend camping at Mahoney. Friday night we drove into Lincoln to have dinner with Gramma Lea and Papa, and Saturday Arnie left for awhile to go watch the Huskers, but otherwise we just relaxed and enjoyed the awesome weather. I love fall!


Maggie was concentrating really hard on the new magic tricks Papa taught her. She
thinks they only work if she has her special magician visor on.



"Think anyone would notice if I hid these in my dress?"

Not many kids go to visit their Jewish Papa and leave with a Santa on a Motorcycle.
Papa is one of a kind!





"Me too! Me too!"

 

Saturday we decided to cook hot dogs on the fire (usually we use the grill),
Maggie thought it was fun for about 30 seconds, then she wanted me to finish it.



The girls are really starting to get along, it's fun to watch them be friends.



Worn out? or just ornery?

Saturday afternoon Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Deem came to play!
Yah!!!

Maggie loves having a playmate.

Girl Farmer...

Maggie told me the other day she was going to be a girl farmer when she grows up.

Now that it's close to fall, our car rides to and from Omaha are filled with farm vocabulary (and of course a million questions).....harvest, corn, soybeans, combines, feed corn, eatin' corn, corn hair, John Deere.....and on and on.

About the 4th of July we noticed a single ear of corn sprouting out of Grandma and Pop's flower pot. Maggie has been checking on that ear all summer. Finally, Thursday was Harvest Day! Maggie was thrilled. She told me she "took the cob off the wheat" all by herself. And that it was "feeding corn not eating corn". Obviously our farm knowledge needs a little perfecting. The corn is now sitting on our fence post and she is really hoping a deer will eat it.