"Spring Break"

For Spring Break - OK not really Spring Break because in our school district what they call "Spring Break" is actually today (Friday), the weekend, and Monday which is ABSURD - we decided to yank Capri out of school on Wednesday and Thursday and head to Branson. Take THAT Parkhill School District!

Silver Dollar City wasn't going to be open Wednesday so we decided to drive that morning to Springfield - spend the day there and then head on to Branson. Our first stop was Osceola Cheese, aka, "Cheese town". Osceola Cheese is one of our most favorite places in the WORLD because they offer free samples of pretty much all the cheeses they sell which you can get for yourself via a toothpick and eat as much as you want. They also have samples of lots of other crunchy goodies like kettle corn and veggie chips. It's delish.

Once we reached Springfield we went to Bass Pro Shops. Not my favorite place in the world, but the littles love that kind of stuff.




We had some time to kill before dinner so we drove around till we found a park where we tried to get as hungry as possible. Lambert's Cafe was where we headed next, and anybody who has eaten there knows to show up hungry. It's the original restaurant where they "throw the rolls". But they also have "pass arounds" where numerous servers walk around with big bowls and kettles full of different things like fried okra (which Capri LOVED), black eyed peas, fried potatoes with onions, etc. and will give you a HEAPING spoonful whenever you call them over. The portions are also GIGANTIC. So for your $9 - $12 plate (kid's meals are less and they still can get all the rolls and pass arounds they want too), you certainly get your money's worth. Plus it's just a whole lot of fun!





After stuffing ourselves, we finished our drive to Branson and checked into the hotel.

The next morning, early, we got up and got ready to head out to Silver Dollar City. My trip to the front office to get breakfast for everyone revealed some not so great weather. We knew it was probably going to rain, we had NO idea what was actually in store for us. When we were all ready to go, we opened the hotel door - it was pouring and it pretty much did not stop for the rest of our time there.
Luckily we had enough brains to buy 4 umbrellas before heading to SDC. If we hadn't had those, we wouldn't have been able to stay in the park at all. HUGE puddles had already formed everywhere and it wasn't long before all of our pant legs were soaked halfway up our calves. Sable fared worse, she rode in the stroller and her pants were nearly all soaked. We did our very very best. But finally gave up at around 2:00, after arriving at 9:30am. For those who know us, to NOT close the park is something we never do. But our socks were LITERALLY soaked through our shoes and not in a it's so hot isn't it great to be wet way. It was cold and windy and there weren't any indoor shows going on - only a couple in covered areas. Sable did get to ride Fire in the Hole for the very first time - which is a true milestone in a Runyan's life.
This is LITERALLY the only picture I got. If you blow it up you can see how wet she already is, and this was near to the first thing we did that day. Poor baby. But I'm NOT lying when I say this little baby DID NOT cry or complain about the weather ONCE. The only time she cried was when she fell down running to get on a ride. That's it. She is and has been since the day she was born a true traveler and trooper. We've always said, "We can take Sable ANYWHERE" and we aren't making it up.









When we made it back to our car, we changed clothes - I felt like such a smart cookie to have packed each kid an extra outfit. Once dry, everybody immediately started saying what their favorite part of The City was. Rain aside, we love the place!
Because we left the park early, we drove home earlier than usual and actually had the chance to go to Osceola Cheese again. This has NEVER happened, so it was kind of a neat treat.






Notice my flip flops with socks in the pic below. ALL of our shoes were sopping wet and these are the only other ones I brought for myself.



All in all it was a good trip, and one that will certainly never be forgotten. Which is kind of the goal of a trip right?

Seriously?

YESTERDAY

TODAY - The FIRST day of Spring

I think these pictures prove that Mother Nature has completely lost her mind.

Firsts

A bit ago (one day I will truly get caught up on my blogging and actually post things soon after they happen) Capri was involved in her first science fair. Entry was purely optional, but she was utterly insistent that she MUST do it. In her kindergarten class only 3 other kiddies did a project.





A couple days later Capri went to her first daddy-daughter dance. Jeff got the night off and the two headed for a country hoedown.



Here they are before the dance, and then after with all the gear they brought home. I gotta say, there is little cuter than a daddy and his daughter.

While it breaks my heart sometimes to see Capri getting SO big, and so much older, it is amazing to watch her grow. She is now my little pal, my friend in so many ways. When I make something, she is always the very first I want to show it to. When something funny maybe not so funny happens with Rome and Sable during the day, I love to chat with her about it - and she loves to listen. Capri is in all honesty a true performer. She loves to give concerts, writes her own songs (now she's started actually writing them down), and produces beautiful arts & crafts. Her creativity knows no bounds. She is by far the best reader in her class, devoted to doing well in school, kind to all and has tons of friends. She even has at least one boy in her class "in love with her", according to his mom. When she is at school, we miss her dearly. And when she is at home, we stand back and see what she'll amaze us with next. She is an awesome little girl.

It's a . . .

PS - the different personalities of our kids could NOT be more apparent than in this video.

Valentines Day

Admittedly I am VERY behind in posting. My Christmas Eve, Christmas & California posts are still works in progress. But they ARE coming for those who have asked me REPEATEDLY where in the world they are.

My two favorite holidays are the Fourth of July and Valentines Day. They are both so wonderfully simple and gorgeous. After feeling like the Grinch all Christmas, I welcomed Valentines Day with open arms and plenty of luvs.





V-day preparations started with getting to make Valentines for Capri's kindergarten class. We decided to make "crayon cakes" for her cards, instead of candy since I figured they'd all get plenty of that. I WISH I'd gotten a pic of the crayon cake making process, every single member of the family helped. We literally peeled hundreds of crayons to get enough for her whole class to have 3 cakes a piece. This time we had Jeff's help, and he came up with the BRILLIANT idea to use a razor blade to cut down the wrapper of each crayon. Then the wrapper was so easy to take off, even Sable could do it.




I was really surprised to look into Capri's Valentine box at her class party and see that there was only ONE other homemade Valentine from a classmate. The rest were the store bought kind. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not being critical of buying Valentines. I was just surprised. I made EVERY single Valentine I ever took to school. I just figured that was how most were done. Guess not!

The day before Valentines Day, we had a little party. I told Capri, Rome and Sable they could each invite 2 friends to come do crafts, decorate cupcakes, and play. Capri chose her cousin Audree, and her friend Emma. Rome chose his cousins Anders and Ammon. Sable of course had only ONE friend request, her cousin Aubrey.








For Valentines I always make presents for the littles. I figure it's the very best way I can show just how much I love them. This year I suggested to Jeff that we also make our presents for each other. He was more than happy to do it, and I'm not sure why I didn't think of it sooner.

So Saturday, while I was throwing the kiddie V-day party, and for hours before and after - Jeff was outside in the back yard toiling away on "my present". All I knew was that I was banned from looking outside, there was mud involved, and that "it's not going so well". When the light was totally gone he finally revealed what he'd been working on. A greenhouse made out of PVC pipe and construction plastic. Only the FIRST one he made, fell apart and he'd had to start over.

There was no possible way I could have been more touched, or felt more loved.

Truly, he'd spent his WHOLE day doing this. Just for me and my long dream of having a garden in the backyard. We have SO many critters that we've never put one in knowing it would just get eaten up. So he figured, greenhouse. Who knows if it'll ever work, but it doesn't really matter. I know my Jeffy loves me. THAT is what matters.

On Valentines Day, we went to church and then did presents and dinner that night.



For Capri I made more felt food for the kitchen (YES, pictures are coming of that). I made gingerbread men cookies, spaghetti with meatballs, quesadilla, and a turkey dinner.



I made Rome 10 beanbags and put them in a cute plastic bin. Beanbags are so fun and can be used for lots of things. They use them the library story time a lot and he always loves when they get to toss them around.



Sable got play makeup. NO I didn't make the super cute bag, that's from the dollar store. I was going to make one, but then saw this and figured it was too cute to pass up. The makeup is made by emptying out old makeup containers and pouring fingernail polish in the wells. It works great and looks VERY real. Just a caution in case you want to try and make some - make sure you have several days to let it dry completely and for the smell to dissipate.



The littles made Jeff a huge card with a message made of candy. They helped me come up with the message and Capri did all the writing.





Apparently Jeff and I really do think exactly the same because he also had the littles make me a giant card - out of white poster board too.





The ONE thing I had been thinking sadly about Jeff and I making each others presents was that it meant I would not be getting roses. You have to understand, Jeff has given me flowers (usually roses, my favorite) for every Valentines Day since we've met. Without him knowing I'd been thinking about this, he made me these:



Tissue paper roses. The streak continues.






For Jeff I found as many of his mission letters as I could in the garage and put them in a nice scrapbook. They'd been in a sticky page album and the letters were starting to adhere to the glue. He loved it and now they are inside where they belong and can be read anytime.



For dinner I made pasta fagoli (pasta with beans), caprese (tomato with mozzarella), bread, and cantaloupe with prosciutto (Italian ham). It was all quite delicious.




luvs!

Yup

Take a gander at the right hand column for more details.

I guess there aren't actually THAT many details.

So here are some more:

1. It took a LOOOOOOONG time to get pregnant.

2. So long that we had a hard time really believing it was true, and that nothing bad was going to happen.

3. Jeff and I spent late Christmas Eve and most of Christmas Day thinking I was having a miscarraige.

4. I wasn't.

5. The babe is super fine, strong and growing.

6. This pregnancy seems to have altered my ability to produce any amount of heat.

7. Therefore, I am FREEZING cold all the time.

8. This pregnancy has also been far harder than the other 3 in the amount of sickness I feel.

9. Therefore, I'm nauseated all morning, OK in the afternoon, and then feel like I may die at night.

10. Our kids are SUPER secret keepers. They've known for months and did not tell ANYBODY. Really it was quite amazing.

11. We're excited to meet this little one. For a while I've looked frantically around, counting my kids (1,2,3) and feeling like somebody was missing. It's been the weirdest thing.

12. More than likely this is going to be our last. It'll be 4 cesareans and I'm feeling more and more certain that my body is not going to be able to do this again.

13. Getting older sucks.

14. We have a boys name, no we're not telling. But NO, absolutely NO girls names.

15. If you want to make a suggestion there are some requirements: it must be an island, it must NOT start with a letter that starts any of our names (A, J, C, R, S), ideally it will only have 2 syllables.

16. No we are not crazy. There is method to our madness.

17. Our due date is July 15th, but the baby will be born via c-section at least a week early.

18. Christmas and California posts are coming.

19. luvs!