Back to the Future, er, Past

So this week is vacation week. The girls are out of school. Jim is off work. I'm not off of anything, though Jim has been handling a lot of J4's mealtimes lately. Christmas is done so I can relax more.

Thanks to Facebook, I got a notice Wednesday morning from Starlight Skatium. They were going to be open that afternoon from 1-4pm. This is a big deal because they have very limited hours. Our first experience with this roller skating rink came two weeks ago at a birthday party. The girls went and loved it! So when I saw the quick ad, and the relatively low admission fee ($5/person), I told Jim we were going skating that afternoon.

Alpha was totally into it! She's the most athletic one of the 4(5) of us. She can go around the rink at a moderate pace without holding onto the wall and without falling down. She was even dancing to the music! Jim and I couldn't help but smile. :)


Beta is a tad more timid. She clung to the wall several times, but did manage to make it around the rink. Jim actually got her to hold hands with him and get into the mainstream. She loved it! But only if he was there to hold her hand.


J4 had fun sitting with daddy and then mommy. We brought some toys and he seemed to enjoy himself.
So, you might be wondering.....did I skate?

Well, yes. YES I DID! It took a few times around to get my roller-legs back on, but I did make it around plenty of times. I spent a lot of time trying to coax Beta off the wall. It didn't work. I also went around worried that some small child would fall or cut in front of me and I wouldn't be able to stop. Thankfully that never happened. I don't think I was going fast enough for that anyway.

The outing was surreal. Here we are at a ROLLER RINK. Many girls there are wearing SKINNY JEANS with GLITTERY ACCESSORIES. It wasn't just a flashback. I truly felt like I was back in the 80's! Except I was the parent this time, not the kid. FREAKY! It was like something out of "Inception".....

But there was a totem, of sorts. Something to remind us what time we were really in. This sign was posted on the wall:

Blogging is so 5 minutes ago

Does anyone blog any more? Has everyone left and gone to Facebook or Twitter? From the looks of my blog, it would seem so.

I could write a million things about what I've been doing the last 2 months, but I'm tired. So I'll just post some pics.

Back in October, we went to the Ozark Corn Maze. Everyone had a blast!


Then, of course, that was followed by Halloween!





In November, it turned cold. J4 refuses to wear his coat when he's fastened in his car seat. So I've had to take his coat and cover him up with it instead of putting it on him. Here he is at Walmart in one of his baby hats.
Isn't he cute???????? (sorry...I'm a bit biased.)

Now it's Christmas! We attended the opening night of Lights of the Ozarks.

And finally, I got my new ornament for 2010.

Testing, Testing, 1,2,3

It's been a busy month! With school back in session, as well as church on Wednesday nights and us teaching Sunday School (oh, and taking care of a baby), I haven't had much time to sit down and think, much less blog.

Plus, I've been ill. I've had stomach pain off and on since about June. It got worse around the first part of September so I went to my doctor. He recommended a gallbladder ultrasound. Apparently, the gall bladder has been known to go haywire in women who have recently had children.

It came back normal.

So he sends me to a GI doc. (oh Joy!) Who recommends me for an EGD. (don't ask me to write it out...it's a long word) Otherwise known as an upper GI scope. I had it done today.

It also came back normal.

But that's not what I'm here to talk about today. Nope, I'm here to talk about doors. Specifically, stuck doors. In hospital rooms.

So I'm sitting on this bed, in my lovely hospital gown. The first nurse's assistant came in and asked me some questions and took my blood pressure. After she was done, she left. As she left, she closed the door behind her. HARD! It was difficult for her to shut it, but she got it shut.

Fast forward about 5 minutes. Nurse #2 comes to the door and knocks. I nervously say "come in." She tries the door. It doesn't move. So I say louder, "come in!" She tries again. The door won't open. I ask if it's locked. Jim gets up to go open it for her.

The door is STUCK! I'm talking, it won't budge. Not moving an inch. Zip. Zilch. Nada.

First of all, DON'T PANIC!

Jim and the nurse keep trying, but the door holds its ground. It is NOT budging. So the nurse gets other nurses to help her. Jim tries some cards from his wallet. The nurses try. Jim tries. The nurses leave to go get help.

At this point, the reality of the situation starts to sink in. Jim and I look around the room. There is no other way out. There is one window to the outside, that doesn't open. (We're on the 3rd floor....) There are two windows into the hall, which don't open either. (You know the kind. It's a typical hospital room! Can't have people escaping or jumping or anything.)

The nurses say they have called someone. I'm picturing maintenance taking an hour to get to us....thankfully, they showed up about 5 minutes later. The bolt was totally broken. They ended up taking off the handle and pretty much breaking the door down. I think the guy used his shoulder and just threw his weight against it to finally bust it open.

All in all, I think we were only stuck about 10-15 minutes. But it was a harrowing few minutes! One nurse said she'd worked there 10 years and that had NEVER happened before. The girl who shut the door said she'd worked there for 2 years and had never seen that happen either. I have to say, it was a first for me and Jim as well.

A picture of the door with the bolt removed.

We had to plug the hole with the sheets so I could get dressed to leave! LOL!

Happy Birthday(s)!

Happy Birthday to the two special men in my life, Jim and J4!

J4 is 6 months old today. I can't believe how fast it is going!

Jim will be mumble mumble years old tomorrow! I'm sure his mother thinks the time is going fast as well. :)

In honor of these two, here is a video we shot about a month ago. It's nothing special. Just what happens at our house after bath time and before bedtime. It involves me, Jim, J4, Beta, and a cow. Things can get kinda crazy 'round here!

(Alpha was in the girls' bathroom drying her hair. She is "practically on her own" you know...) LOL!

We're Famous!

That's what the girls said tonight when they learned that Jim had been interviewed on 4029 TV at a gun show this afternoon. He got to shoot a machine gun. He was VERY excited!

1st Day of School!

Well, now that we're 3 days in, I figure I finally have a moment to post some pictures of the first day of school. This year, the girls are in 4th and 1st grade. So the drama of the first day of kindergarten is a year behind us. Still, though, it's hard to see them both getting to be so big!

Here is Beta, always momma's girl!

And here is Alpha! She is looking way too old for my comfort level....

And now......back to the 80's Retro Pop Reunion!
Yes. Both girls are wearing essentially the same outfit. Beta had the foresight to see that leggings on a 98 degree day might not be a good idea. (When I picked them up, Alpha had taken hers off and put them in her bag. )

How about those leggings and sparkly skirts? Alpha also purchased her first pair of high tops. All of the styles are making me think of the 80's and some of the stuff I wore. I can't wait to see their reactions in 20 years when I pull this picture out again.....

Lies! Deceit! Grrrrrrr.......

EVERYONE SHOULD CHECK THEIR BANK STATEMENTS!!!!!

We found fraud charges on our checking account this weekend. They were small, but fraud nonetheless.

One was for $4.92 from Fericulgames.com.
Another was for $14 from T Trepanier LLC, a construction company in Oregon.
A third was for $6.99 to www.newpetsmark.com.

One was Jim's debit card number. The other two were mine.

So, even if you are not "nerdy" like me and religiously check your account balance and bank statement, you should still look. Don't trust the bank to look out for you. They have no way of knowing which charges you made and which you didn't.

Don't be stupid and trusting! :)