The Babble from Bismarck

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Sunday, January 27, 2013

80 mph crawwwwwwlll

This is on a half hour drive from Menan to Idaho Falls....what is it about 8 hours that changes everything?

So, we're on the way home from Idaho after Christmas. The kids have subsisted on sugar for the past fourteen days and now we've been in a van together for seven and a half hours. We've decided to stop in Miles City Montana for the night and it is twenty-seven miles ahead. It's getting dark and we're all tired. In an effort to entertain the girls, Allen hits on an idea that will certainly go down in history as something to carve on his headstone. Like this...

Allen R Shaw
Murdered by his loving wife Laura
after teaching 6 year old Joey
and 8 year old Julia the science of
mile markers.

The girls are constantly asking Allen to show them where we are on his Iphone GPS. Allen decided that it would be SO MUCH easier to teach them how to read mile markers. He tells them we are 27 miles from Miles City and are at mile marker 110. He then gets Julia to do the math and the girls figure that we will be at the hotel when we hit mile marker 137. They watch out the window with baited breath for this elusive mile marker.
"Here it comes." Allen says.
"OOOHHH, I SEE IT! I SEE IT!!" Joey triumphs. "It says one one one!"
"That's one hundred eleven." Julia corrects.
"So what is next?" Allen asks. (not knowing yet it was something akin to waterboarding)
"112!" the girls cry out together.
"Okay, now watch for the next one and see if you're right." Allen says.
At this point I glance over at him wondering what he's thinking. 2.5 seconds later I was wondering WHAT THE *&#&*$( WERE YOU THINKING?!? as the girls begin chanting in tandem...one hundred twelve, 112, 112, 112, 112, 112, 112, 112, 112, 112, 112, 112, 112, 112, 112, 112, 112, ....for approximately forty seconds.
"I SEE IT! I SEE IT!" Joey howls. (her eyesight is slightly superior)
"WHAT DOES IT SAY!" Julia demands, just as the sign moves into range.
"112!" they rejoice.
"What's next?" Julia cheers.
"113!" they yell. "One hundred thirteen, 113, 113, 113, 113, 113, 113, 113, 113, 113, 113, 113, 113, 113, 113, 113, 113, 113, for forty seconds.

At this point, I'm deeply regretting using up my ipod battery earlier in the day.
Allen takes the passive aggressive out and simply refuses to make eye contact.
Jacob has his head phones in and is joyfully oblivious.

You may wonder, as I did, how long this could possibly entertain two little girls.
The answer.

"137, 137, 137,137,137 THERE'S THE EXIT! LOOK OUR HOTEL!" they cry. (meaning allen and I, the girls were thrilled)
As I shakily pulled the van under the hotel's port corchere and stumbled to the front desk to check in, I hear the girls congratulating each other on "counting all the way to the hotel".
"Wow, yah, that was super hard." says Joey.
"I know but it went so fast!" agrees Julia.

The desk clerk looked a bit quizzical when I asked for a granite chisel and a room by the pool.


Every parent's dream

Thursday, August 23, 2012

First Day of School

Well, so much for recapping last year. Turns out I have a hard enough time keeping up on the current year. All that may change, MAY change, I'm making no promises even though, for the first time in almost 13 years, I now have CHILD FREE DAYS! WOOO HOOO!

Jacob is in Middle School this year and if the number of girls texting him all summer is any indication, he is going to have a good year. He rode to school this morning with his friend Chase but will be relegated to his bicycle most of the time. He is excited about being in the same building with all of his friends this year.

Jake and Allen

Chase and Jake

Here we are out front of Solheim, a little nervous but excited too.

With the St Mary Marauders, they're usually here signing autographs and takings pics on the first day.

We came to the open house on Tuesday and Julia explored her room and was happy to find some good friends from previous years in her class. (Gavin is thrilled to be sitting right across from Julia, he thinks he's her boyfriend, he's really just a pain, says Julia) The best thing about Mrs H's room is the hamster. The garter snake, lizard, turtle and two fish tanks are nice too. Julia actually wrote a countdown on our calendar from 23 to FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!!!! Mrs H. was handpicked for Julia by Mrs. Hart, Julia's first grade teacher. Julia's teachers pass her on with kid gloves and tearful goodbyes to the best teacher in the next grade, she is a dream student.

Julia and Mrs Herman

This year is Joey's first year in school and she is equal parts nervous and thrilled! For the last two years I've answered endless questions about where Julia is, what she's doing and, most importantly, when will she be back and is it time to get the kids? She has the most wonderful Kindergarten teacher in the world! Mrs. Leier (formerly Miss Moen, Julia's angel Kindergarten teacher) grabbed her name even though I warned her that she was most definitely NOT getting a Julia Jr. Joey has all her own wonderful traits but quiet listening is in umm rather short supply. I hope Mrs. Leier doesn't want to kill me by Christmas...

Miss Moen and Julia 2010

Mrs Leier and Joey 2012 Best K teacher EVER!

After school they came out across the playground holding hands like the best friends in the world. Julia reported the "funnest day ever" and Joey complained about being thirsty all the way home. Jacob stayed at the park with his friend Dylan and couldn't believe he had to be home by six. His parents are ridiculous, we know.

Friday, February 24, 2012

February 2011

Well, the only pictures I can find for February are Pinewood Derby. So that must have been all we did.
Jacob and Allen made their best ever car and Jacob got his best ever race results. Too bad Allen was sick at home with the flu and couldn't watch it. I had a blast though.... I don't know all the magic they did this year but he was truly unbeatable and so beautiful! We raced him a few times with his head on, just for fun. If you want some unbiased opinion on how fast he is, give Aaron Shaw a call, he'll tell you ALL about it.


The car. A sort of plesiosaur.


Races headless to terrify the competition.


The other car's point of view.

The competition.

There were some cool cars there.

The hot dog car.


Final standings.

Monday, January 23, 2012

School Pictures

Here are the school pictures for the year. Julia in Kindergarten and Jake in 5th grade.
We took Jora's picture because we are too cheap to buy one. She doesn't care anyway.
She only thinks about how to avoid having her hair brushed and peace.

2011 Now I'm only a year behind....

Here are some January odds and ends.

Jacob ready to go...waiting for the girls...again.

The inside of my computer tower. I had no idea! It refused to work under these conditions.

Julia's favorite way to go to sleep

A long winter nap

Julia telling us about her new diary she got from the book order.

I had a difficult time holding the camera still but it was funny to us. Someday we'll hear all about
the grossness of it and Julia will be horrified that we put it on the blog.