Red White and Blue Festival

They have a great 4th of July celebration here in Arkansas.  It is all weekend long and kicks off with a Parade.  Having been to Mardi Gras, the kids weren't going to be impressed with a small-town parade, and I wasn't excited about the crowds, so we skipped it and went directly to the college campus to enjoy the festivities.  They had a ton of free things for the kids and they had a marvelous time.  also, by skipping the parade, we were the first ones there and there were no lines.

 The National Guard had set us these fun quad bikes.  The funny thing is, we were the first ones there, and these young guardsmen didn't think to tell the kids how to brake, so as they came around the corner, they were going pretty fast and we were all screaming, "Break!  Break!"  Joshua nearly mowed down his cousin, and Marian nearly ran into a truck.  you can see Delaney in this picture- she's not sure how to stop still!

 Marian was a pro  by her second turn (because there was no line!).

And there were pony rides!  The girls were thrilled.  I was thrilled that it was free.

The ponies were cute and fat, so they looked well cared for.

Rylee was nervous at first, but she enjoyed it by the end.

Delaney's pony was named Hershey.  So cute!

 Oh yes, and the big slide! Marian loved it.

Callie went with Rylee.   It took Rylee 2 tries to go down and once she did it successfully, there was no stopping her!

One of the local banks  had this booth set up and the kids had a marvelous time making bead necklaces and bracelets.  It was hot and in the sun, so I was eager to move along.

 And check out this adorable train!  The kids rode in it and had a lovely ride.  Callie rode with Rylee to save space and to help her little sister enjoy the ride.

They just did a slow circle around the grounds.  Delaney rode it twice.

And I ran in the annual 5k Saturday morning.  It was a lot of fun.  I ran it with my dad and when we sprinted the end, he kicked my butt!! I totally thought I'd beat him in a sprint, but the old man can MOVE!  I could not catch him.  But I did come in second in the women 30-39 category with a 30:16.  No, not my best time, but it was hot and there were hills.   And I got a cool patriotic medal. (My dad also got second place, but in the men 60+ category.)

Bad Housekeeping

So, we have a rental house and the renters did not pay the rent.  They were evicted and left, still not having paid the rent.  We went over to check out the place after they were out.  Yikes!!  I have watched "Hoarders" on tv, so this certainly wasn't that bad, but... yikes! People live like this?!  Who just walks away and leaves all this stuff behind?!

A bunch of laundry in the laundry room- unwashed, but decent stuff.

The kid's room.  My friend who knows stuff said it was the room of a kid who spent all day in the room.  the amount of food on the floor suggested the child ate meals in their room, and the tv and other stuff indicated they just spent all their time there.  I was kind of glad I had brought Joshua and Marian with me.  It was really eye opening for Joshua to see this, and to realize how lucky he is.  You can't even see the crusty stains on the floor.  Joshua was astounded and saddened that a child would live in this room.

The kitchen.  Yep, left a lot of dishes and food in the cupboards.  And on the counter.  You can't see the stove, but there is a pot with food in it on the stovetop.  Dirty dishes in the sink.  Who just walks away like that?!  I've moved probably 20 times in my life and never would I have thought to do this.

The floor of the second bedroom.  I know, you think, hmmmm, it isn't so bad.  Then you look a little closer and realize.... is that poop on the floor?!!!  Yes, yes it is.  And they did not have a dog.  

Yes, it was eye opening for the kids.  Joshua was incensed that someone would leave their house like this.  It was almost funny how irate he was over it.  And he so wanted to call protective services about the kid. 

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And on to a happier subject.  Remember the other house that the kids helped clean?  I wanted to show the bathroom before and after.

This is what it looked like before.  Dark maroon paint and striped wallpaper.

Look at it now! I know, much less exciting, but a lot more appealing.  A little paint makes a big difference!

Roasting Smashmallows

 Because they live outside city limits, Mom and Dad can burn their trash rather than pay for garbage disposal services.  This makes the kids very happy since it gives them ample opportunity to roast what Rylee calls, "smashmallows".

 This fire may have gotten too low.  It had burned down to the ash, and was quite hot, but it was hard to tell where the hottest spots were.

It still made good roasted marshmallows for smores!

The kids and their cousins had fun gobbling marshmallows.  Less fun fighting over whose  (who's?) turn it was to use the sticks.

Rylee was just too cute.

 So was Callie.

And Levi was delighted to devour any burnt marshmallows for us.

Back at the Lake

I can't recall if I mentioned that Deborah and her brood came out to visit as well.  We currently have 4 adults and 9 children in the house.  It is crazy fun!  Miranda and her family came out for the weekend last week and it was extra fun, having 6 adults and 11 kids.  Family is the best!

 The kids put on "Float Parade".  They do get points for creativity!

Delaney and Samantha

Levi wasn't thrilled with his part, but the children had a marvelous time.

 Marian needed to have the largest floaty.  She had more fun than it looks like here.

 It was cute and they had a great time.

We did take all the kids out to the lake.  The water was not pretty, but it was cool and the air was hot.

Joshua was most excited about this raft.  It was a pretty big hit.  I do think that the oars got more use than the raft itself.

We also brought the fishing net this time, which made for some happy children. Marian had fun with it, but no one caught anything, thank goodness!

Callie had fun with Grandpa.

Yep, once you start tossing her, she never stops.

Callie thinks Grandpa is her perpetual toss-in-the-water machine.

 Grandpa and Uncle Dan did some tandem tossing too.

 Marian thought it was great fun.

It was good fun!

Rylee was feeling brave in her floaty and meandered all over.  Joshua had fun with all the kids.

The lake was fun and a good time was had by all.  Best part.... I think there was no sunburn!

Child Labor

 Our rental house here lost its tenant.  On the one hand, it is good I'm here, I can do the cleaning and all that and not have to pay someone else to do it.  On the other hand... I get to do the cleaning!  I asked the kids if anyone wanted to come and help.  I was astonished that every single one of my children wanted to come!  I was even more astonished that nearly all of them were really good workers.  I may have to keep my niece, Sarah, because she was amazing and worked hard.

 Sarah, working on the stove.  She scrubbed off all the grime and she cleaned out the fridge as well.  Did I mention that she was phenomenal?!

Delaney's method of "cleaning" the floor.

Callie was the official window washer.  She washed every window and wiped the panes and walls.  

The yard is ginormous.  Big enough that we'd have used the riding lawn mower if we could have brought it.

Joshua buckled down out there in the 90 degree heat and he mowed that yard!  Yes he did.

 Callie helped with the stove after she finished her window washing.  Marian took over the wall wiping.  Marian also cleaned all the ceiling fans and did all the mopping.

Rylee helped to cross the completed jobs off the list.

 Marian also helped to scrape the ugly wallpaper off the bathroom wall. That was a job she really enjoyed!

Rylee also helped with the wallpaper.  She thought it was great fun to spray the wall.  And isn't that awful wallpaper?!!  I mean, to have in your bathroom?! (Not that I can think of where it would be good to have that wallpaper, although it is kind of fun.)

No worries!  The wallpaper is gone, as is the hideous tub surround.  Give us another week and we'll have fresh paint and surround and it will look fabulous!  Then we'll just need a new tenant.......