We spent the last few days out in Omaha with Popeye's dad and stepmom. The kids had a great time. We got to actually saddle up the horses (a first!) and ride both Saturday and Sunday. Princess Monkey Eyes was in heaven. "Sugar" doesn't get saddled very often and they're trying to train her. I got to ride her and work with her on her rein training. Funny thing - I've learned that while riding a horse with a bit in its mouth, if you want to turn right then you apply pressure with your left leg and pull your reins to the right. Well, their horses only know about the reins, not the legs. So each time I applied pressure with my leg, she would break out into a trot. I learned quickly not to use my legs with the horses while I had a kid in the saddle with me. :)
This morning Mr. Fantastic had an audiology appointment. We thought that since we were there visiting family, he should get reprogrammed. Advanced Bionics (the maker of his CI) has come out with a new program. It's called Clear Voice. What it does is if Mr. F. is in a room with background noise that's kinda constant/steady (think of a fan, restaurant, etc...) then the program will find the frequency that the whitenoise is on and then minimize it. How cool is that?! Mr. Fantastic went into the soundproof room to try it out. His audiologist turned on the whitenoise and then a man's voice came across the speakers saying different sentences. First Mr. Fantastic said, "Whoa." (Meaning it was really loud in there.) But then 3 seconds later (after the program had identified the whitenoise) he said, "Cool." Yeah, totally.
Then we started the long ride home. It was REALLY long. Optimus Prime had been barfing all morning - and it didn't stop. We pulled over 3 more times to let him barf along I-80. Not to mention all of the bathroom breaks along the way, too. Why can't my kids be more like me and just hold it until they get home?! Sheesh! The last stretch home I had put in a CD that one of my dear friends gave me. Her sister had arranged new melodies and music for 8 different hymns. They're gorgeous and I love listening to them. The kids love it, too. Grand Duchess was singing along to the songs (trying) and when one of the songs ended she said, "You know why she said 'Be Still'? Because she was painting nails." And another comment she made was, "She's asking for help because she was going to fall off a cliff." Oh, okay. She's so funny.
Let's see. What else has been going on here?
Just plugging away with life. Popeye has started hunting again with another deputy out this way. Hopefully he'll bring us home some meat one of these days.
Mr. Fantastic turns 12 in 2 weeks. I can't believe it. And Princess Monkey Eyes turned 8 last week! My dad came up for her baptism. It was an incredibly spiritual day - much needed in the Royal House. Princess Monkey Eyes has been a changed person ever since. Her fit throwing is kept to a minimum and she is now trying to be a peacemaker. It's awesome.
I think that's about it for now.
It was a long drive home, so I'm going to go crawl into bed.
Tomorrow I'm going running with Popeye - the navy ball is this weekend & I have to try my hardest to lose these pounds. They won't seem to go away no matter how hard I try! Desperate measures are to be taken, I fear.
Anyway. I'm tired. Carry on with your lives and thanks for stopping in to read my update!