"Carter and Harrison dot com!"

A few years ago Carter and Harrison came to us with our tablet. They happily showed us a video they made with their Lego figures. Weeks before that they had built a roller-coaster in the front yard. Weeks after, they grabbed Kurt and took off for a few hours- returning as the proud owners of their own mini-golf course- all created from things found in the machine shed.

Their adventures became pretty entertaining, and I loved hearing about them and seeing them. However, it was not long before they told us they planned on putting their journeys online.

"What?"
"Yeah! We are going to put all this on Carter and Harrison dot com!"

At 7 and 5, my boys had plans involving the internet. I was horrified. My husband was elated.

They had come up with their own internet address?! When?! How?!

It took some convincing, but eventually I agreed to allow Kurt and the boys to create a website for Carter and Harrison. The site, it has been decided, will contain stories of their adventures, random homeschool info, recipes, links, videos, books, and pretty much anything the boys decide they want to share with their extended family and the rest of the world. The site will be kid-friendly, and will be monitored by their dad and me. However- the content will be all theirs.

They are very excited to roll out their new site. Today's post is already up! Click HERE to enter!

Moving and Farm Life- ramblings from nearly a week without internet.

Chapter 1: The Move...

Sunday:

Construction in Reno makes no sense to me. I seriously believe that the city only believes in tearing apart roads one month per year- and that month happens to be July. Because of the roads being half removed (or at least it felt that way) the U-Haul company offered to give us the truck for an extra day if we wanted to come and pick it up a day early. We went to church and then picked up the truck and had it parked on the street, ready for the big day of moving ahead on Monday! We went to bed at a decent time and everyone was pretty excited! It was strange to see our home so empty...

We had lunch with my parents and said goodbye, and our friends Rachel and Evan stopped over and brought fudge!!!!

Monday:

Kurt woke up at 5:30. He was ready to start the day!!! He let me and the kids sleep- he wanted to get things ready by himself. Help arrived at 6 and between 6:00-7:00 the truck was almost half packed!!! I woke a bit later, along with the kids, and got ready for the day. Carter and I ran some errands and then picked up snacks for the road, then we picked up Kurt's parents from the airport. We wrapped up loading, cleaning, and turning in the keys- and we were on the road much later than we had hoped- but still excited to be on our way!!!

We arrived in Salt Lake City at 3:30am. Ouch. Late night! We were all up and around at 10, and we had breakfast at the Corner Bakery on campus. Being back in Salt Lake was so nice- but it made me realize how much I missed Utah!!! 

Tuesday:

Back on the road at noon... we drove!

We stopped in Ogallala, Nebraska for the night. We had actually made pretty good time, but boy were we tired!!! 


(Best part of the day? Fudge!!!)

Wednesday: 

With breakfast in our tummies, we were ready to roll! We drove all day and arrived in Iowa!!! We pulled into our new home just before dark- so we got a chance to look around with the kids for just a moment. We were very thankful for Kurt's parents and his Aunt and Uncle for doing such an *amazing* job on getting the house ready for us- we literally walked in and had fresh sheets and fluffy towels waiting to greet us!!!

We arrived so late, we had forgotten about dinner. Kurt offered to drive us into town for McDonald's - and we all agreed that sleeping with dinner in our bellies would be a good plan, so we left. Just as we set out it started raining one of those nasty Iowa rains. For those who have no idea what an Iowan rain storm is like- imagine having a fire-hose spraying your windshield... that pretty much captures the experience. Kurt drove through it just fine (I believe that native Iowans are born with special genetic abilities to navigate through weather such as this), while the kids and I were freaking out. 

We arrived at McDonald's and placed our order- but because of the storm they had a reset in their power and their Debit/Credit processors were all down. We shrugged it off, and we were ready to leave, when we were presented with our food! The smiling McHelper (I don't know what you call them- cashier? Waitress? Attendant? I thought McHelper was more witty) smiled and said, "If you would just allow us to try and run your card one more time, before you leave here, we will see if it works then. If it doesn't work, it's okay- dinner is on the house." She gave Kurt back his card, and we sat down to eat. Kurt smiled, "That's so Iowa!" was all he could say. (After dinner Kurt went back and offered his card, and the machines were working so it was accepted without any issue. This event was one of the examples of the differences in rural Iowa than we would typically experience in the west.)

Chapter 2: Farm Life...

Before I begin, I want to stipulate: I have lived in Iowa before. I lived here for about five years, during my late teens, and I moved when I was 21. I had lived in Salt Lake City prior to Iowa, and was used to an urban lifestyle.The Quad Cities was the most rural culture I had experienced at the time. Quad City dwellers most likely would not consider themselves rural at all- the area is a pretty decent size and has many of the amenities of a larger metropolitan area. Still, to me, it was small and foreign (and compared to Salt Lake culture, it was). However- now that I live in rural Iowa- I can say without hesitation: Iowa farm life and Iowa city life are two *VERY* different things. Iowa has vastly different cultures between populations, so my short time here thus far has been unlike anything I have experienced thus far. 

Thursday:

I made a grocery list while Kurt worked on unloading the truck. The kids ran around like crazy people, they couldn't get over how large the yard was and the amount of room they could access to play. We knew we needed to head into town to get groceries before the internet service guy came and hooked us up, so we left in time to do a fast grocery trip and come home. 

A few observations from the grocery store:

While at the store, if Kurt was getting a product, elderly people wouldn't hesitate to ask Kurt to get a second  one for them- even if the product was light and within their reach. This is vastly different from the "wait-your-turn" mentality that seems to dominate the west (where strangers do not usually talk to one another). 

I couldn't find the meat section. I wandered for a few minutes and was so frustrated with the lack of selection!!! Kurt pointed me to an isle- a whole isle- with butchers waiting on the other side. Here, you ask for everything from whole chickens to ground sausage- it is not prepackaged at all. (Again, forces us to talk to strangers!)

I went to the butcher and asked for "grass fed beef" and he had to go ask someone what it was. Another man came over, smiled, and explained they did not carry any such product. Later, I asked Kurt's brother about it- he laughed too, and commented, "That is some California mentality right there- having happy cows in pastures full of daisies!" and laughed some more. When I asked Kurt's dad about it later, he didn't comment at all, just chuckled. So, I will be crossing grass fed beef and butter off my list for the time being =p

There is no "organic" section. 

Our groceries were less than half the price we paid in Nevada/Utah. Not kidding. Same brands, same foods,  just that much less expensive. 

The internet guy was scheduled to show up at 2pm... he drove into the driveway at 2pm exactly.

Kurt's dad stopped over for a few minutes. He brought our mail. No, it wasn't in the mailbox, he had picked it up from the post office for us. Apparently you can get other peoples' mail out here.

I was so bummed I had forgotten to pick up eggs at the grocery store. Kurt's mother provided us with the name of a guy who has chickens and sells their eggs, just down the road. Kurt took the boys- who loved running around with the owner's dog, seeing chickens, and generally messing around. Kurt bought 4 dozen cage-free chicken eggs from organic chickens for $6... (this retails for $24 in big cities, or 50 cents per egg. Kurt's family was floored when they heard we used to pay this price). 

After the grocery store, we came home and Kurt helped the internet guy. Kurt and the internet guy knew a lot of the same people, and they chatted. Kurt is *so happy* about fiber optic internet, and is surprised to find that we are in a 4G wireless area. So, for the things rural Iowa does not have- it has equally strange amenities! 

Carter and Harrison spent most of the day exploring and playing around. Carter was interested in local insects, so Grandma brought him a book all about insects (he carried it around all day!) and he had a great time trying to identify ones he came across. Carter also fell in love with a ceramic cat that Kurt's grandmother had made- he requested we move it to his room =) Harrison enjoyed wandering around and looking at all the trees. They call the clump of trees near the house "the forest" and Harrison enjoyed running around and hiding there. =)

Friday:

The kids woke up to find Grandpa's truck in the yard, and they ran out to see what was going on. Grandpa was taking the combine into town to have it looked at before harvest, and was moving it out of our machine shed. Grandpa let the boys climb into the cab and ride over to his house! The kids were THRILLED!

Following the combine adventure, our family enjoyed farm fresh eggs (quite literally, farm fresh! NUTS!) and sweet potato hash (one of Harrison's favorite foods). The kids then went outside to play while Kurt worked on unloading and unpacking. I washed laundry, and Kurt hung it on the line for me (my ankles were still giant, so he asked me to spend the day inside, doing lighter housework). 

Kurt's brother came over with his two kids, and all of the children played together. They took turns riding Carter's bike, they climbed trees, and they ran around (like little kids are so good at doing!). It was a really nice time, and it warmed my heart that my kids didn't want their cousins to go, and their cousins didn't want to leave!

It was 10:30 as we climbed into bed, and Kurt had spent the entire day finishing unloading the truck. So many things were already put away- I am so proud to say that 50% of the house is already unpacked! I gave Kurt some ibuprofen and he fell asleep quickly... and woke at 9:30 the next morning! He really needed some sleep! 

Funny things that happened today: Kurt got a hand-written note from our postal carrier, she took the time to explain a form (even filled out part for us) and she signed her name. Lectures on the differences in corn: seed, field/commercial, sweet, Indian, etc- apparently are still Greek to me. Our rural cousins thought it was a bit odd that our kids didn't know how to bike very well on grass, or climb trees. Our children found that it was odd that their cousins didn't have their own golf clubs and weren't comfortable with swimming pools that have high dives. I learned that out here it is polite and expected to wave when someone drives by- not waving to everyone that passes by your home is considered rude. 

Saturday:

I woke up, and begged Kurt to let me mow! This will sound crazy, but I have never ridden a riding lawn mower, and the idea was pretty exciting. It sounded like lots of fun! The day started pretty hazy, so Kurt thought I should start in a part of the front yard. It was a great time!!! I got about 1/5th of the yard mowed, and it started to rain. Thankfully that 1/5th was its own section, so it doesn't look silly. I had hoped to do more- but the rain is still falling! (Good news for farmers!)

We returned the moving truck and then we visited Kurt's grandfather. The kids really liked visiting, and it was nice to see him. As we were leaving Harrison became serious and asked, "Where is the grandma?" We didn't even think about talking to them before hand, we had not realized this was the first time they knew of a grandpa without a grandma living there too. Kurt and I talked to Harrison and Carter and explained Grandma Arlene's death- and both boys were *really* sad. Kurt's grandmother died almost 20 years ago, but it did not lessen the boys' somber attitudes. We took the kids to a playland (still raining!) and got them treats, but both the boys only ate half, and gave the other half to Kurt- feeling sorry for him for not having his Grandmother anymore. I can tell this is something we will need to cover more in depth, but the kids' attitudes and compassion were remarkable and touching. 

We stopped over at Kurt's parents' house, and the boys got to see the kittens that are living in the garage (4 of them!). The kittens were so adorable!!! We chatted with Kurt's parents while the kids played with a basement full of toys, and we all set up plans for next week. Kurt's parents stopped over for dinner- Kurt made chicken salad =)

Today Kurt rearranged the boys' bedroom. They were originally in two separate rooms, but they requested to be together, so Kurt set them up. Kurt has done an amazing job with unpacking, while I have been enjoying access to our internet (as you can tell!). This has been our laziest day thus far, and we are both really looking forward to tomorrow- when our family observes a real "day of rest."

So far farm life is pretty enjoyable. I say "farm life" but really we are not farming- just living on a farm. Today when I had finished mowing, I pointed out a tractor that was working on a field across the street- what a neat thing to see!!!! What made it even more special was that it was Kurt's dad! Such a different life out here- with really neat equipment, and a culture unique to us- it is a pretty amazing experience and I am so glad that Kurt gets to share it with our little family =)

**My husband can drive a mower with some seriously mad skills. John Deere should really feature him in their commercials- he makes it look SO easy!!! He insisted on mowing parts of the yard before allowing me to try- he was worried there would be hidden holes or bumps that might shock me into labor or something (he is already overprotective of his daughter! SO FUNNY!!!!!! LOL!) He also trusted himself enough to attach the trailer-thingie (notice my technical jargon there?) and pull the boys. Our boys had such a blast riding along with Daddy!!!

Ballet!

Ballet is over for this year! Their pictures are not back yet- I will upload them as soon as I have them! For now, I will post this video of the recital and it will have to do. Sorry the vid isn't the best- I promise the real thing was well worth it! Both boys did really well- especially since they only started in January- and we are very proud!

Harrison liked ballet, but wasn't crazy about it, he is more interested in performing on stage with the theater. Carter hopes to go on with studying ballet and wants to perform with a professional company- most of them take kids starting at 8 years old, so he has a year to prepare. If our situation changes, we will be able to help him with his goal by providing private lessons and keep sending him to the best schools in whatever area we happen to live. It is *HIS* passion that fuels this- and we support it!

Monterey Bay!

My mother and I took the boys and their cousin to Monterey Bay, California. It was a great trip! The boys adored the aquarium! The view was wonderful and the whole trip was quite a treat. Before we arrived we stopped for a tour at the Jelly Belly Factory, it was loads of fun!

 Harrison just woke up from a nap, gotta love the nap-hair!

 Jelly Belly Time!

 The boys were *thrilled* to see the puffins! They remembered them from our homeschool unit on birds!

 Took a break for lunch, Carter couldn't resist trying on Forrest Gump's shoes!

 The kids loved touching all of the interactive aquarium exhibits!

 Sean loved playing with the puppets in the children's area!

 Carter played in the children's area for a few minutes, but preferred being on the balcony (right next to the children's area) and watching the ocean and spotting animals. 

 Harrison merged the worlds- he brought the costume from the children's area outside to join Carter! (He is Nemo, and he is swimming, can't you tell? LOL!)

They loved watching the ocean!

Disneyland Part 4

Our last day!!! We were at the park when it opened, and we were ready to go! We asked the boys to start the day with their favorite rides, and Harrison wanted another ride on Star Tours! Carter wanted to ride on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad! After the rides were complete we made our way to Mickey's Toontown! The kids rode rides and got to tour character homes. What a fun time!!! The highlight of the morning, by far, was when the boys got to meet Mickey Mouse himself. They shocked me by rushing up to him and hugging him happily! Lots of smiles and pictures! We then toured Mickey's house (his washing machine was running, and wouldn't you know it was full of his white gloves, lol!) and then played around some more. This day was super relaxing. We re-rode rides that we loved, rode a few we had not yet tried, and we took it really easy.

Blurry because our boys literally stampeded Mickey!

Of course, train rides were a given. Carter is still obsessed with trains!

We were sure to take a break this time, and we went back to the hotel to swim and splash together. It was such fun! I love the enthusiasm our boys have for play, and their smiles were huge!

Carter was far too busy going down waterslides to stop for a picture- but Harrison cooperated!

We played around and then showered and dressed for dinner. We had dinner at Goofy's Kitchen! This was the first "character dining" experience we ever had, and I don't think I would ever go without doing one again! What a *FUN* experience! The boys *ADORED* seeing so many different characters and getting to talk to them! Carter met his first princess (Hey, don't judge me! Our kids don't *want* to meet princesses so I never got to go meet them myself!) and he was quite taken with her- it was Snow White! After she left Carter sat in quiet thoughtfulness and when I asked what was on his mind he replied, "I like Snow White, but I love Kayla." He smiled and helped himself to his third dessert. LOL! Kids!

(Their dinner choices interested me. Carter picked pizza, Harrison picked broccoli, corn, and cupcake frosting- he avoids the cake but loves icing, lol! The Disney characters would pretend like they wanted to steal food!)

We rode more rides, and then took our place for the fireworks show. We had a spot right in the garden in front of the castle, and the view was amazing. Seeing the fireworks and our kids smiles made the day perfect! The park was busier than I had ever seen it, or even could have imagined, so we hung back when we realized that most people were on their way out. We took the kids shopping and they picked things for themselves (we only buy things the last day there because I do not like hauling things around) and then they picked gifts for their cousin Sean. Our children picked Star Wars toys, lol- of course.

We were going to ride the Monorail back when we saw that the line for the Autopia ride was nearly empty. Carter had wanted to ride it desperately but the long lines and the complications of seating (Carter wanted to drive, but had to have an adult with him. Harrison wanted to drive and needed an adult too- but it recommended pregnant women not ride because of possible bumps and crashing) we had always passed, but this was the time to ride- I felt it! The night was calm and peaceful, the park was emptying, and I wanted to finish the day off perfectly!

We got in line and Kurt worked it out (being the genius he is) that Harrison and I (note to self: don't ever allow Harrison to drive!) would be the very last car in a group so no one would be behind me and bump me, and Kurt positioned himself and Carter in the first car of the next group so that eventually when there were cars behind me it would be Kurt and Carter in the lead, and they wouldn't crash into me. All seemed like a good plan until I snuggled next to Harrison, buckled our shared belt, and heard his little voice ask me, "Mommy? Is this a *real* car?" I thought for a moment- took in the engine, pedals, steering wheel, and I answered, "Yes, it is." Harrison then let out a malicious laugh sounding something like "MMMUUAHAHA!" and started turning the wheel this-way and that with a crazed look in his little eyes. It occurred to me, this is the first time, in his whole life, he ever got to steer or drive anything. Carter always "called" driver position in bumper cars, driving games, and even those grocery carts that look like vehicles and Harrison always went along with Carter's request. Harrison went crazy with glee and took me on quite a ride. I admit, it was a bit frightening, but by the end we couldn't stop laughing- we were having so much fun! Near the end of the track Carter and Kurt had caught up to us (but maintained a safe distance) and I was able to snap pictures.

With smiling faces we left the ride and we piled into the Monorail and went back to the Disneyland Hotel for our last night. Perfect day, perfect sleep, perfect trip.

And then, the next morning, we headed home.

(Yes, I adjusted Harrison's chest buckle before leaving!)

Disneyland! Part 3

Wednesday we were sooooo tired!!! We decided that we needed to "sleep in" and we would start the day at Disney's California Adventure Park when it opened at 10am. It was *so* worth it! We woke refreshed and ready for the day!!!

We walked into the park and Carter asked to stop and take a picture with the airplane on display. So- we did!

We rode a lot of rides that day! But the first ride the boys enjoyed was Grizzly River Run! They really enjoyed it, and they managed not to get too wet!

Kurt is waving, the boys are wearing green shirts and orange hats.

I am not sure of why, but we did not take a whole lot of photos on this day. The boys rode a *lot* of rides- from Goofy's Sky School roller coaster to Monsters Inc- they had to ride it all! Along they way the boys were delighted to see a show by Phineas and Ferb! If that wasn't exciting enough they also saw a Toy Story Green Army Men (our boys call them "hut huts" because of the noise they make when they walk, in the movie) drum corps! We had lunch at a small Greek restaurant, and we enjoyed live music!

We waited longer for the Toy Story ride than any other ride. The reward was not only a great time- but as we were leaving the ride BUZZ LIGHTYEAR walked past us! Harrison looked at us for approval, and upon getting it shot to Buzz's side!!! He *loved* getting to walk next to Buzz!!! Harrison followed Buzz (and we followed Harrison) for about 100 yards, when Buzz was taken to a crowd of people who were lined up to take pictures with him. Buzz was taking over for none other than WOODY! Carter was *so* excited!!! Buzz and Woody stood together for a moment, and one of the Cast Members approached us. He saw our boys' "1st Time!" buttons and asked us about our trip. The boys were speechless, they couldn't take their eyes off of their heroes. We apologized for our children's rudeness and the man smiled- little did we know he was Woody's escort through the park, and when Woody came through the crowd the man arranged for Carter to have a moment with him! Getting to high five their favorite Disney characters was so magical, and they couldn't stop smiling! We did not get pictures of the event- we were too in awe! (*It was *VERY* crowded, and seeing that we allowed Harrison to run ahead of us we needed to keep our eyes on the boys and not on cameras!)

We rode a few more rides before it was time to head over to Disneyland for dinner.

Kurt rode the Bug's Life bumper cars with both children. However, Harrison was... um... less skilled at driving near me so I could snap a photo. So, here is a picture with Kurt and Carter! Kurt was able to ride with Harrison, and then swap children and ride with Carter- so everyone had a turn.

Dinner time! We had reservations at Big Thunder Ranch BBQ. It was *SO* much fun!!! The live entertainment, great food, and gluten-free options (they had gluten-free cake!!!) made it so special for us!!! The entertainers got a huge kick out of our little Harrison- who freely got up to dance with them! His nickname was Hop-along Harrison, and Carter's was Cowboy Carter. It took Carter awhile, but at the end even he couldn't resist dancing- and before we were finished the boys were on stage!

Harrison was so happy to be able to eat cake- because it was gluten-free! Here is also enjoys cocoa! 

Carter enjoyed eating ice cream! (He also needed some cocoa!)

After dinner we headed back over to Disney's California Adventure park and took our places for the World of Color water and light show. What an amazing production! The graphics, lights, and water were so spectacular! We were so sad when the boys insisted they needed yet *another* bathroom break (despite having one less than 20 minutes before) and we missed the last few minutes. However, because we left a bit early we were able to take the boys to the restroom and then ride on the new Little Mermaid ride with ZERO line (this is a big deal, the line is usually at least an hour long!). I was thrilled!!! The boys have never seen The Little Mermaid, but they thought the ride was pretty fun nonetheless- and I was delighted!

Then- time for bed!!! We hobbled back to our beds yet again! This was the only day we didn't take a break at the pool, and we could feel it!

Happy 7th Birthday, Carter!

Carter's birthday was such a great day! We kept it really small, family only, and it was a really special occasion. Carter requested a repeat of last year's cake (in his mind, why would we mess with perfection?) and I was happy to drive to the bakery and make it happen. Such fun!