Fun at Grandma & Grandpa Kinkades

On top of checking out the puppies, Jack had lots of fun last Sunday at his Grandma and Grandpa Kinkade's house.

We stopped at Dollar General on the way to buy some Super Soakers (DG version, much cheaper). Jack had chosen a Super Soaker as his prize for filling his "Stay Dry All Night" chart.

Jack's first cousins Hunter and Hayden playing with the Super Soakers.

They are twins.

Maybe Jack can win the $5000

fishing tourney next year?

JB, looking for a new partner??

Fishing with Daddy

He caught one!!!

Uncle Steve caught a turtle.

After the turtle was caught, for some reason Uncle Hank and the other men

got out some guns and started shooting at the pond. I think they were shooting at turtles.

It made no sense to me and of course was to loud for Jack's sensitive ears.

We should have brought the earmuffs.

Puppy Love

Last Sunday we went to Cliff's parents house for a cook-out.

They had 7 puppies that were so cute.

Well 6 of them were cute, I think one was retarded.

Check out the one under Cliff's butt!

Global warming, what's that?

What's up with the weather? It is August is it not? Should it not be 100 degrees? Could Al Gore and his global warming just be a farce?

I can only assume that it will be unbearably hot in October. We have to pay for this somehow.

Single Motherhood

Jack and I have been "batching" it this week. Cliff leaves for work around 4 am every morning. We are still in bed. After work all this week and next week he goes to an OSHA class and then gets home a little after 9 pm.

We are ready for life to get back to normal.

Domestic Violence Free--the way to be

Tonight Jack and I went to Holly and Chad Farley's for dinner. Jack swam and played with the boys while I got to visit with Holly and Chad and help feed the adorable baby Luke his supper.

While standing in the Farley's kitchen my cell phone rang. I answered and the voice on the other end identified himself as Officer Bierman of the Newton Police Department. I thought, what now, Cliff has already hit a horse, what can go wrong next.

Officer Bierman informed me that a domestic disturbance had been called in for my residence. He asked where I was, who I was with, what was I driving.

I informed Officer Bierman that my husband had left before 4:00 am for work and was in an OSHA class that he went to straight after work and was in as we spoke.

Officer Bierman said someone had called and said there was an awful fight at my house between me and my husband and I had left in a red car with my 3 kids. A light bulb went off, the neighbors across the street fight like cats and dogs and she drives a reddish car, she also has some kids (maybe 3). It had to be them.

I think Officer Bierman finally believed me and was assured that I was not nursing my bruises in some safe house.

In the mean time, my parents (of course the police called my Dad) are going crazy. Cliff is in Terre Haute at school having just received some sort of odd call from my Dad about the police being at our house (he immediately thinks that some Mexicans have broken in and are hurting Jack and I--why must he think it is the Mexicans?). Cliff sends Jeremy out to check things out with me at the Farley's and I am perplexed by the entire situation.

I called back to speak to Officer Bierman to reiterate that I was not a victim of domestic abuse (but it is bad if you are). The dispatcher informed me that he had realized what was going on and felt VERY badly about the entire mix up.

Cliff came home from school early to find us safe and sound. I am sure the town of Newton is buzzing with the rumors of my big fight with Cliff after that one went off over the scanners.

Rest easy my friends. All is well.

---by the way, if I was Larry Dorn I would choose that "My name is Luca, I live on the second floor" as the soundtrack for this post

MEDIA NIGHT

Here is some info on Media Night and the wares that the Athletic Boosters will have for sale. I just rcvd some new t-shirts this afternoon and will be posting pictures of them soon.

The 2008 NCHS Football season is quickly approaching. Media night will be held Friday, August 22 at Chivesky Field to introduce all of the Fall NCHS Athletes.

The NCHS Athletic Boosters will be offering up a variety of NCHS items for sale on Media Night. This year we have NCHS 2008 Football t-shirts, sweatshirts,and canvas bags. NCHS Athletics t-shirts and car decals will also be available.

Once again, the athletic boosters will give you the opportunity to purchase a personalized, authentic Wilson Newton Eagles Football Jersey. These jersey’s can be personalized with any name or number. They are $50 each and Media Night will be the last night that orders can be placed for the jerseys.

If you would like an order form, it can be picked up at The Freeze in Newton.

Please call Sarah @ 618-783-4045 with any questions. or e-mail me at jak122004@msn.com

Bribery Parenting

I am a firm believer in bribery parenting. If I can print off a chart and fill it with stickers to get Jack to do something, I am all for it! This week alone Jack has earned a trip to El Rancherito for jumping off of the diving board at swim lessons (from Bamp) and a Super Soaker squirt gun from his Mom and Dad for filling his stay dry all night chart with stickers. Not a normal week mind you, but a good one for Jack. I can only imagine what I will have to do to get him to go to pre-school.

What do you think??

Do you bribe your kids? Does it really work or am I creating a monster?

Future Fishing Champs???

Saturday night at my nephew Gabe's birthday party I told my sister Michelle about a $5000 fishing tournament that was being held at the Olney lake. I had heard about it, and read that John Bennett was participating on Shasta's blog.

Michelle and I immediately formed a plan to fish in this tournament next year. We were almost certain that we would win. Like the girl who knows nothing about basketball winning the office NCAA Tournament pool. We were so sure of our win that we were planning the fantastic Disney trip we would take with our winnings when the voice of doom Jeremy chimed in.

Jeremy informed us that:

1. Only two people per boat. That meant not only would we have to get a boat, but one of us would have to drive it (if you have ridden with either of us, you would not let us borrow or drive your boat).
2. We would have to remove the fish we caught from the hooks (this means touching the fish).
3. No cheating. We could not sneak fish into the tourney in our drink cooler.
4. You are not supposed to stuff the fish that you catch full of marbles to make them weigh more. That falls under the no cheating rule.
5. Usually the people that win are really familiar with the lake and fish there quite often. Something that we don't do nor would we plan to start.

Sadly, it looked like all of our tournament hopes were dashed. That's when Jeremy told us the best part. The organizers are so serious about the tourney with the large payout that they give the supposed winners lie detector tests!!! If we can't fish in the tournament, maybe we could administer the polygraph tests, or at least go to observe. If I was giving the test I would sure not waste it on asking questions about fish, I would get some deep dark fisherman secrets revealed!!

So it looks like the brilliant idea of a Diel Girl $5000 winning fishing team was a good one in theory, but it probably is not going to happen.

We will leave the big $$ tourneys to people like Juan Benne.