Whirlwind Week

We've had a crazy, whirlwind week that might require two posts.

Sunday we went to Bobby's sister house, and spent some time with her and her family. We definitely don't see them enough, so it was nice to spend time with them.

Monday we headed down to Branson. Visited the fish hatchery at Table Rock Lake, which would have been nicer if it hadn't been 150 degrees with no shade.

We also did some go-karting, which is one of my favorite things to do in Branson or at the lake.

We went to White Water on Tuesday. They've changed it a little and added some new slides. We were there all day, and had soooo much fun. Our legs ached when we got home, from up and down, up and down carrying the rafts and walking. I didn't take my phone or camera inside, but here's a screenshot of my favorite ride--a 4 person mat ride that I think we did 4 times.

That night we went again to the Branson Landing light show.

Wednesday was a LOOOONNNNGGG day at Silver Dollar City. It had been about 5 years since we'd been there, and they've added a lot, and moved things around quite a bit. We had an absolute blast, riding all the rides. I loved that the girls finally enjoyed Fire in the Hole, after hating it last time. We spent about 10 hours there, and had such a good time.

It was a quick little get-away, but it was nice to spend time together and make memories.

Just how hot was it?

I knew it was hot today. I just didn't know how hot until I reached into the black bag at Oceans of Fun today, and discovered our plastic cup looked liked this:

We were there for 5 1/2  hours (I couldn't believe it--really lost track of time!). We brought a friend with us, and her cup started to do the same thing, but it wasn't quite as bad.  I KNOW the cup did not look like this before we left the house.

So much for frying eggs...we learned it was hot enough to melt plastic!

Girl Scout Camp 2012

This last week was Girl Scout Camp, which was why I didn't blog at all. I spent the week with Macy's troop, because no one else will. We had a blast--weather was darn near perfect all week out at the lake.

Here's the group the first night, swimming.

Also the first night--fishing.

Later in the week--water gun fight. I started it, then stood by and took pictures, yelling the magic word "Pineapple!" that we said when we didn't want to get wet.

We won the Spirit Stick on Tuesday! Woo-hoo!!

Carving soap. Macy made a heart.

This was our flag for the week. Name was Chips Ahoy and 5D was our unit name.

Made a cactus with bread, glue, sticks, and lots of green paint.

Did archery in the rain on Friday morning. This is our second time doing archery, and the girls love it!

Water gun fight on the last day.

The last day we had a cooking contest against the other 5th grade groups. They gave us ingredients and we had to cook a meal for the judges. We made "pizza holsters"--cooked biscuits in a skillet, mixed precooked hamburger meat with tomato sauce and cheese, then stuffed the biscuits with the meat mixture. We were the only group all day, out of all 4th, 5th, and 6th grade troops, to stuff the biscuits. We also cooked canned potatoes, pinto beans, cheese and bacon bits in a skillet for "cheesy tots". It was a great experience for the girls, and we won "Best Western Theme".

They did a bunch of crafts, and played lots of games, as well as sung a ton of songs. We sang these songs enough that I sang them in my sleep.

Friday night we had a camp-out, with 9 people in the tent. It was crowded and smelled like stinky feet. The girls made farting noises and giggling until after 1am, and the bullhorn went off at 6 am. Yesterday was ROUGH. 

All in all, it was a great (but exhausting) week. Girls had a blast, and I love spending time with this troop and these girls. No one else will do much with the troop, so it's up to me at this point.

But just once-I want to be the parent sitting at home while my kids are the ones at camp. It is exhausting always being the one to volunteer to do stuff.

Summer Fun: Eggs

Yesterday the girls and I went to my Mom and Dad's, and decided to try frying an egg on the sidewalk since it was 106 (no lie...it was.)

We decided to try this asphalt mat they had on their back deck that was super hot, and we used tin foil to try to keep the egg contained.

We really weren't patient enough, but after an hour or so, they were setting up a little and getting harder. Little difficult to tell if they were done. We moved to the front yard and they tried the driveway.

And that was about the end of our experiment.

Friday tidbits

As I type this, I can hear the girls downstairs in the basement giggling. I have no idea what they are up to, but I'm enjoying the fact that they are actually getting along and not bothering me. Is there a more beautiful sound than your two daughters laughing together?

We had a great week; spent a lot of time with friends, eating delicious food, watching fireworks, swimming, just having fun. The girls woke up today asking "what are we going to do?" My response? NOTHING.

We did work today on our Girl Scout SWAPS for next week. Macy made little canoes with oars, and Kaylin made little smore's. I'm all about simple, and these were pretty darn simple. Some kids/parents go WAY overboard, but not us. We made about 60 each, which will be a decent amount when we trade them next Friday.

Speaking of Girl Scouts, SO THANKFUL that apparently there will be a break in the heat next week, since we'll be at camp Tuesday-Saturday morning. Highs of 92 might not sound good, but when the high has been 103, it sounds delightful.

Yesterday we went to see the new Katy Perry movie. It was cute. Today, in between making the SWAPS, Kaylin decided her Barbie doll needed a Katy Perry-esque dress. She made this with felt and hot glue. I think Katy Perry would be pleased, although it's not a cupcake or a swimsuit with flashing lights.

Kaylin continues to do very well with her expander. I keep forgetting she even has it in her mouth, until I have to turn her key. We go back on Tuesday to have a check up. 

Have a great weekend!

Wordless Wednesday-Happy 4th!

Color Run Picture Blow-out

Macy and I did our 2nd 5k together today. It was the Color Run, which has been called the "Happiest 5k on the Planet" and it was SO MUCH FUN. We signed up back in March or so, and it sold out in about 2 days, 13,000 people! They had to open another date on Sunday.

Here's our team, Team Awesome Socks! We met in the Arrowhead parking lot at 6:30. Yowsa.

Me and my friend Kathleen. We've done a few races together, and she's super speedy fast. Not me...slow and steady wins the race. (well, not really. But finishes the race.)

Me and my friends Amy and Mandy. Amy's daughter Kaylee (one of Macy's BFF's) was supposed to do it with us, but she went to her grandma's in Oklahoma, so Mandy filled in last minute. This was their first 5k ever.

Me and sweet Macy...same height. Yowsa again. She was so excited!

In case you don't know, the premise of the Color Run is to get as much paint on you as possible. You are supposed to start with a white t-shirt and see what you end up like. There were 4 paint stations along the race, then a big color festival at the end.

Here we are after the yellow color station.

Here's my dear friend Jenn and I after the orange station. It was her birthday; what a way to celebrate!

For the race, you ran around Arrowhead and Kauffman. Here's Macy and I in front of the K.

Jenn and I after the blue color station

Macy and I after the pink one, almost at the end of the race. She and Anderson (Jenn's son) literally laid down on the ground and rolled in the pink powder.

Here's the three of us after the race. Kaylin came down with a friend, and enjoyed getting paint all over her without walking or running.

Kaylin is, apparently, going to be prone to heat problems. This is the second time (last year at WOF) she's gotten sick in the heat. She didn't throw up, but we had to wait it out under a tree in the shade. She was fine once she got water and in the air conditioning.

Macy and I again, at the end

Love the turquoise!

Macy and I at the finish line! We did it!

Jenn and Anderson at the finish line

Macy and I at the end. She is amazing! Run/walked 3.1 miles with me without a complaint. She loves it!

We had an absolute blast. Yes, it was 90 degrees (not kidding) but there was a nice breeze and we were moving. The color stations helped break it up, and really, it never even felt like 3.1.

Observations:
1. Sunglasses were necessary. That stuff BURNED when it got in your eyes.
2. The color tasted disgusting. It supposedly was safe to eat, but so gross you wouldn't want to
3. The crazier the outfit, the better.
4. The color at the festival at the end was a lot brighter than the color along the way.
5. The turquoise doesn't come out all that well, even after showers and scrubbing.

Can't wait until next year!!