4th of July Party - 2017

This year's party was bigger than ever - not because we planned it that way, but mainly because Lance is in the bishopric and felt like we should invite more people, especially all of the new families in the ward. I have to admit, I felt a little put out about this right before the party. I felt like I was putting in a ton of effort, time, and money to pull off a party for a bunch of people I didn't know.

Because that's what I was doing.

I quickly realized that was a pretty bad attitude and what a big first world cry baby I was. Oh boo-hoo, my biggest problem was that the party we were throwing felt too big?! I got over myself and got to work and I'm glad I did.

It was so much fun! Oh yes, there were stressful moments. And it was SUPER HUMID and hot and I dripped sweat pretty much all day getting ready. But in the end it was great. I had a good time catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. (Everyone knew bishopric counselor Lance, but not everyone knew primary pianist Maren! They do now!)

Our final head count was around 57 adults and 71 kids. Ridiculous.

For the past few months I've been saving big boxes and picking them up from Costco and Sam's Club. All of the little kids had a great time building forts and trains with them. Then the teenagers had a blast turning themselves into box robots and battling it out. We had fun watching them. If you every have a big summer party, get yourself some boxes. It's the cheapest entertainment ever.

This year we also had paper rockets, which were a huge hit. Most of the kids and plenty of the dads had a go. (It's fun to watch Purdue engineers try to figure out the best rocket design!)

We'll definitely do the rockets again next year, and maybe do a candy canon as well. I think that would BLOW LITTLE MINDS.

Cole was the lone child to sit next to me during the fireworks show, and he was gone for more than half of it. In fact, I hardly saw any of my kids during the entire evening - I didn't even have to get them their dinners! This is both awesome and sad.

I love our lighting so much.

We had lots of fountains and lots of giant fireworks. I always forget just how loud they are, and that you can feel the heat when you're that close! Lance was a good guy and let the youth help with a lot of the fireworks, which they loved. I had to question this choice, though, when most of our ward deacons were up there (including Spencer) when one of the fountain containers up there caught fire and no one seemed to know what to do with themselves!

We cooked and served up approximately 80 hot dogs and 75 hamburgers, and our guests guzzled around 100 bottles of water, 75 Kool-Aid pouches, and 100+ cans of soda. (More than usual due to the heat.) We had to use 4 giant bags of ice to keep it all cool.

Every year I question whether or not we should have the party next year. And every year I get my answer when I see how much fun my kids have and realize just how much I enjoy it, too.

Camping at Lake Mississinewa

Well, in case you were wondering, the Madsen Curse is alive and well.

Back with a vengeance, really.

In case you've forgotten, the Madsen Curse is that it rains when we go camping. Always. And profusely. We now think the curse is/was (as you will soon read) linked to our tent, because we've now camped at three different spots in Indiana and have gotten rained on at all of them.

This year we decided to go to Lake Mississinewa, which is about an hour and half northeast of Lafayette, by Peru. It had everything we wanted: a big lake with a beach, good campsites, niceish bath houses and bathrooms, etc. But it also had rain. So much rain.

Things started off well. I packed up the kids and what felt like all our earthly possessions, bought everyone a drink at the gas station (gas station drinks have been the key to happy children this summer), and we were off. Everyone was happy!

Poor Tess was stuck by her lonesome in the back, but she didn't seem to mind.

So happy and excited!

After an unexpected detour to the reservoir dam (thank you, Google Maps), we finally made it to the site. Hooray! Only Josh decided he didn't like the campsite. I don't know why. No one knew why. So while we had a quick potty break and started to set up the tent, Josh pouted and moped. It was super fun.

Wait, no it wasn't. It was maddening. Because he fully expected us to go home just because he didn't approve of the campsite. (The campsite which was really quite great.) After a bit of yelling and threatening, he got his act together and we were finally able to get our tent up. 

At this point I could see thunderclouds in the distance and I knew it was imperative that we get the rain fly on the tent. Also at this point Gigi and her kids had arrived. But within minutes of their arrival Gigi had somehow opened a bag weirdly, causing a chef's knife to jump out and slice her nose. 

I know. WHAT THE WHAT?!?!

But it's true. She really did. There was quite a bit of blood, and we agreed that she probably needed stitches. Good heavens.

During all of this the storm clouds loomed closer. 

So while Gigi went off to Logansport to get fixed up, Spencer and I finally got the rain fly on the tent - just before the heavens opened. 

It POURED. I had to put a few things away and grab the box of games and got completely soaked in the process. Lance had all of our sleeping bags and such, so we didn't even have anything to sit on. This didn't seem to bother the kids at all, though. The fact that I had grabbed some snacks from the van probably helped with the mood.

While the kids played and made an incredible amount of noise, I stewed and contemplated my lot in life to always camp in the rain. And then I noticed that the tent was leaking. Gosh dang it. I texted Lance about the situation. He teased that he was not coming. This is the reply I sent, hoping it would convey what a dangerous decision that would be. (The photo never went through; cell reception was spotty at best.)

The rain finally stopped and we were able to set up the rest of the camp, including another tarp over our tent. It's a good thing we put that up because it rained off and on the rest of the evening and ALL night. I am not exaggerating.

It was wet enough that evening that we could not build a fire to cook dinner. Fortunately, I had brought my big propane burner and we were able to cook our steak bites and veggies that way. It was delish, if I do say so myself.

The night was long but dry. (Well, as dry as you can be in Indiana humidity.) And the next morning was beautiful; cool and breezy and mostly dry. We enjoyed pancakes and sausage for breakfast and sat under the canopies when it rained a little off and on.

After lunch the kids convinced us that we should go swimming. I had no intention of getting in the lake because it wasn't that hot and I knew the water would be freezing. This didn't stop them, though, and they swam and played for a good 30 minutes before another thunderstorm chased us away.

As soon as we loaded into our cars the heavens opened yet again, sending torrential rain and wind. On our drive back to the campsite a tree fell in front of the Reams' car, which they barely missed - SCARY. (Seriously, it took a while for the adrenaline in my body to wash out!)

But even scarier? The next 90 minutes we spent trapped in our tents because it was raining so hard. The canopies don't do much when it's raining sideways. Our tent was hot and sticky and stinky. The kids kept going in and out, getting their few remaining dry clothes wet, despite my protests.

It. Was. Awful.

I wanted to run away. I wanted to shake my fists at the heavens. I just wanted it to freaking stop raining!!! @##*^@*#%@(#!!!!

Eventually we decided that there was no way we'd be able to cook dinner that night, so we went into Peru and ate at Dairy Queen. After dinner it was STILL RAINING, so we went to see Despicable Me 3, which was fun and DRY. (Lance claims that dinner and the movie were the best parts of camping. I kinda had to agree...)

Finally, after the movie the sky cleared. We went back to camp and were able to enjoy a couple of dry hours.

We had glow sticks and the kids had fun running around free, enjoying not being stuck in a tent or as wet as fish.

It took quite a while because it was just so dang wet and humid, but Lance and Craig finally got a decent fire going.

That night it didn't rain. And it even cooled off a bit, which was a relief. But that night Lance and I both agreed it was time to get a new tent. Our old one was 10+ years old, and despite it's claims, it no longer kept us dry.

The next morning was beautiful. We enjoyed breakfast and chatting and the fact that it was no longer raining! I like camping, I really do. Just NOT IN THE RAIN.

I decided to take one last picture of the old tent. I got it for a great price and it was well used. I'm not quite sure when or how it lost it's capacity to keep us dry, but it did.

The kids had so much fun riding scooters and playing!

Instead of using my phone I found my old point-and-click camera, which the kids loved. Cole couldn't believe that the screen on its back wasn't a touch screen! They had fun taking pictures of us.

Lance is a very, very patient and loving man. I don't know that there are many things he wouldn't do for me. But I don't know that I dare ask him to go camping any time soon...

And we sure love the Ream family! Cole claims to have taken a picture of Craig and Gigi, but it wasn't on my camera. Dang it. There's no one I'd rather be miserable with than the Reams!

A few last pictures of the kiddos in front of the cursed tent. They're pretty sure once we get a new tent the curse will be lifted!

(I'm not holding my breath.)

It's hard to tell in this picture, but there's a puddle of water there in the tent. NO WONDER it was so muggy in our tent! This pretty much sealed the deal, and instead of carefully taking it down I just stuffed it into the trunk of the car and unceremoniously put it in the dumpster at the entrance of the camp! Gigi was with me and it was cathartic. I felt a few words needed to be said, and the first thing that popped into my mind was "Good riddance to bad rubbish."

So, after days of laundry and drying everything out, we're finally over this year's camping trip. I have until May (for the Father/Son campout) to find a new - very waterproof - tent. Fingers crossed that we won't have to find out the hard way whether or not the new tent works better than the old!

Josh's 2017 Baseball Season

Josh and his team had an amazing season! It was so neat to watch them really work on their skills and show visible improvement over time. They had a really rough start to the season - really rough. Add all those losses to all the rainouts, and things looked pretty bleak. Josh started really resisting going to practice and such. But about halfway though the season things turned around and they started winning - a lot! All the games, in fact! It was like a light clicked and they just got it.

They entered the league tournament ranked second - AND WON IT ALL! It was so exciting! The last game was especially exciting because it was against the team they played against in their very first game of the season - and lost to, 20-2. Ouch. So winning was especially sweet. Josh also batted in the winning run, which was great. He's become a pretty consistent batter.

There was lots of applause during the awarding of the trophies.

Coach Bob took the opportunity to give another pep talk - as he was wont to do all season. (He and Miss Paula really were great coaches.)

The mighty and triumphant Breakfast Optimist team!

This team was down a player pretty much most of the season, making their wins all the better! (You're supposed to play with 10 players - 4 in the outfield - but they usually only had 9. Two players quit coming at the beginning of the season, and sometimes people just couldn't make it to games due to prior obligations.)

Number one!!

This boy was so happy! But cool as a cucumber about it.

Waiting to get victory snow cones and to listen to one more pep talk from coach.

Coach Bob really did a great job with these boys. I really wish he were coaching Bronco league next year, but he's moving down to Pinto. Dang.

I really, really wish we could have ended the season there. But this weekend the county tournament started. The boys did great and won the first two games on Saturday. Josh even got injured during the first game, getting hit in the chest pretty hard by a ball he was trying to catch. He toughed it out and even helped get the last two outs of the game! And the second game was just as exciting, with Josh getting a great triple and helping with lots of defense.

Unfortunately, the next game was today - Sunday. And we just don't do sports on Sunday. We believe and try to keep the Sabbath day holy. This was really, really hard on Josh. He wanted to play in that game so bad! He cried, and was pretty grouchy on the way home, but to his credit he never asked to play. I tried on a couple of occasions to talk to him about it and why I know he'll be blessed through this sacrifice, but he wasn't that interested. (Mostly just mopey about the whole thing.) But that's just how he coped, and that's okay. Other stuff has been going on, and if he needs to cope this way, that's okay. I prayed all morning that he would be able to realize the blessings of this some time soon, or at least remember this day when he's older and see how keeping this commandment is a good thing. But I have to admit there were times today when I just wanted to say "Suit up and get in the car - we're going to the game!" Just because it made me sad to see him so sad.

Where am I going with this? I can't remember, mainly because it's bedtime and my kids are running around and interrupting me. I guess what I want to say is that sometimes it's just as hard to be the parent as it is to be the kid. But that I know if we do what we should we'll be blessed.

**Update: his team lost their first game on Sunday, making them come in 3rd place in the county. Not too shabby! Josh, of course, was upset and certain that they lost because he wasn't there. Ever humble, that Josh.**

Father's Day/Grandparents Roper Visit

We were lucky enough to have Dad and Susie come visit for Cole's baptism. It being Father's Day weekend made it all the better!

Cole was supposed to have a game on Friday night, but it got rained out. REALLY rained out - it was pouring buckets, and not just for a few minutes like I had thought it would. So we did the natural thing and went to Hu Hot instead! I tried to get a good picture of these two with Grandma, but as seems to be the theme of this trip, there was always one kid making a face or something.

Father's Day was good. In Primary our chorister did a game where 4 dads came in disguise (wrapped in sheets with paper bags over their heads, and crazy faces drawn on the bags) and the kids had to ask questions and guess who the dads were. The dads were told to disguise their voices, but this backfired in junior primary because some of those kids FREAKED OUT. One little sunbeam was so scared she had to leave the room!! This was hysterical and sad... but mostly hysterical. Tess finally guessed that one of them was Lance, and she was right, but Lance scared her so bad when he took off the paper bag that she started to cry and had to sit on my lap for the rest of the game while I played piano. Good times.

At home we had steak for dinner, per Lance's request. Can't go wrong with that! I tried to get some good Father's Day pictures, but as per usual not everyone complied. Josh was hiding behind the couch and generally misbehaving.

And then Cole decided to hide.

I probably took 30 of these pictures, and these 2 were the best. *sigh*

On Monday we decided to take advantage of the lovely weather and go back to the art garden in Indy. It was a GORGEOUS day - low humidity, mid-70's, a lovely breeze.

But despite the great weather, Josh was In. A. Mood. It started with me making him sit with Tess and Cole in the back seat of the van so Grandma could have a captains chair and not be squished in the back. THE HORROR. How dared I??!?! You'd have thought we were torturing him. Perhaps we were. Still, he didn't need to be such a pill. (10 year old boys = very emotionally unstable)

Despite Josh's grouchiness, we still had a nice time. Yet another group picture with Josh hiding in the background - if you look reeeeaaalllly close you can see a glimpse of his orange shirt in the upper right. He was ducking so he wouldn't be in the picture. Stinker.

We eventually had a picnic lunch and then everyone seemed to mellow out for a bit. Maybe 20 minutes? Then Cole started to complain that he wanted to go home. Oh well, it was a lovely 20 minutes.

They all seemed to have a grand time scampering around this giant skeleton art piece.

There was also a little maze that led to this bench. Cole FREAKED out because we wouldn't cheat to get to it! Also, Tess and Spencer decided to scowl.

Then just Tess.

We walked for a bit through the forest and even ran into a couple of elders who we stopped to chat with. (One was leaving for home in 2 days!) We had time to take this picture and then it started thundering and raining and Cole got his wish to go home!

That night we had THREE little league games to sit through enjoy. Cole was in a tournament, and I have to admit we were kinda hoping he'd lose his first game so he wouldn't have a 2nd game. But wouldn't you know it, they won!

I honestly don't think he would have been that sad to lose. Baseball did not quite become a passion for the boy.

We enjoyed Costco hot dogs and some local root beer between games. Perfect ballpark food.

The boys lost their second game, which ended their season. I think they were all okay with that. They got to get their medals while being cheered on by parents.

Cole was so thrilled to get a medal! I'm pretty sure getting a medal was one of the reasons he decided to play this year!

His coaches were so patient with him. He is not an easy child to teach or coach. (Don't I know it!)

One last team cheer for Earl McCoy Law!

Right after this was Josh's game. It was an exciting game, way faster than Cole's. Josh did great and the team won, even after a rain storm that lasted a good 20 minutes in the middle of the game! I was thankful I had listened to the promptings of the spirit and had not taken the umbrellas out of the car as I had originally thought about doing right before leaving for the ball park! We all huddled under umbrellas and shivered while cheering Josh on. Dad and Susie were pretty good sports about it. (Dad lurves baseball in all shapes and forms and Susie loves Dad and her grandkids. It's a good combination that worked out well during this trip!)