Maybe their boss doesn't know.

Connor has been making plans to right the world's injustices. This started about a week ago with smoking. Connor visited the health center and it left an impression on him. He is extremely worried about anyone who smokes. We had the following conversation.

Connor: Maybe if we just took all the cigarettes out of the stores, then everyone would quit smoking.

Me: The stores would just get more cigarettes from the tobacco company.

Connor: So the tobacco company sells them cigarettes?

Me: Yes, that is how it works.

Connor: Then all we have to do is to tell the tobacco company that smoking is bad for people. If they knew that then they wouldn't want to sell cigarettes anymore.

Today we had a similar experience.

Connor: What is that place called Hooters?

Me: It is a restaurant.

Connor: Do they only sell vegetables there?

Me: Vegetables? No, they have other stuff, like chicken or something.

Connor: Can we go there?

Me: No, the girls that work there don't really wear a lot of clothes and it isn't very respectful to the people who eat there. It is kind of rude to go around without very much clothes on.

Connor: We should just tell their bosses that they are being kind of rude. Their bosses must not know about it.

Me: Hmmm...maybe not.

Connor: Or maybe they do...and they just are fine with it.

Me: I think that may be closer to the truth.

Connor: No, their bosses wouldn't want them to do that. We should definitely tell them.

Oh to see the world in such an non-cynical light.

Pavlov's child.

You remember in school how you learned about Pavlov? He was that Russian guy who trained the dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell. I have inadvertently conducted a similar experiment with my daughter. This experiment has nothing to do with bells or eating (which is kind of a big deal since this is Sophia). It has to do with my arrival home from work each day.

The kids have been staying home with Ben this summer, and I have been working my usual 40 hours at the library  (snotty comments pertaining to the amount of "work" I do at the library will not be permitted). When I get home from work, I park in the garage, thus, my appearance home is always directly proceeded by the sound of the garage opening and closing.

Sophia has now been conditioned to run to the gate and yell Mama over and over again when she hears the garage door. Although, I hate comparing my daughter to a dog salivating after some kibbles, it is an alarmingly similar process.

By the way, it is a process I have no intention of discouraging. Nothing makes you feel more loved after a day at work than to come home and be greeted by a dancing, smiling, Mama shouting, little girl.

Return of the Extreme Meltdown

In case you haven't noticed it is really hot outside. This heat has created an unfortunate circumstance wherein my children (Connor) aren't getting to play outside as much as they usually do and then they (Connor) get bored and act out. So, with this heat we have noticed the return of the Connor meltdown.

I am sure that you are wondering when the Connor meltdown actually went away and...you're right, it didn't. There are, however, various stages of the Connor meltdown. Through a five year intensive training program, Ben and I have been conditioned to find most of Connor's meltdowns as quite tolerable.

The high heat, lack of outside play time, and Connor's general disposition have resulted in the Extreme Connor Meltdown. This is the meltdown wherein there is much screaming, hysterical crying, hyperventilation, and incoherent rambling. This is the one where we usually tell Connor to go to his room until he can actually explain to us what in the world is going on.

We were in the midst of one of these extreme meltdowns tonight because we had the audacity to expect Connor to stand in our general proximity as we were grocery shopping. After the meltdown was over, I tried to find out why Connor was having such a hard time. I asked him if he was tired, if his ears hurt, if he had a headache, and if he was feeling sick in any manner. His answer was the kind that Ben and I need in those intense moments. The kind that makes us chuckle.

His answer: "No Mom, I am just having a hard time because you won't just let me do whatever I want to."

When I was done laughing I looked over at Ben and told him that at least we've got the honesty thing down.

Desperate Measures

Connor is desperate for a pet and any pet will do. I'm making this assumption based on the fact that he has dubbed the giant horse fly that has found his way into our house as our new pet.

The fly, who has been named Pet Fly, has been in our house for a couple of days now. Connor has assured me that he has trained the fly not to bite anyone and that he will be a really good pet.

This leads me some questions. Does this mean that I can't kill this annoying fly, and if so, what is the life expectancy of the average horse fly?

Maybe it's time to go buy a fish.

My buddy and me.

There is nothing cuter in this work than two little friends. Connor and I went with my friend Lynne and her daughter Ila to the Kids Fest here in Fort Wayne. On the way there Connor and Ila chatted about how they both don't like mascots. It was really adorable to hear their little conversation. Ila expressed her concern about mascots at the festival, Connor wanted to know what a mascot was, then Connor agreed that he doesn't really like them either, and then they both decided to try to avoid them at all costs

We, for the most part, successfully avoided the mascots, and the kids had a bunch of fun.

Connor and Ila checking out the ambulance. 

Getting ready to ride the swing. 

Pretending to be firemen. 

Ila is one of Connor's best buds. It makes me a little sad to think that a year from now we may be moving away and they won't get to play together anymore. We'll have to try to visit next years Kid's Fest before we go.  

Mom and Daducation

 I'm always a little bit worried that I am forgetting to teach Sophia something that she should be learning. What makes this fear worse is that I really don't remember when I taught Connor anything. This lack of memory has brought me to the conclusion that maybe I didn't and that every thing that kid knew at age two came from my mom, Ben's parents, or television. Not that I don't love Connor, but I figure it is too late to go back and fix my bad parenting with him. But Sophia...she still has a chance.

Look at this girl. You wouldn't want to let her down either. 

The doctor's office is the one place where you can be sure that you will learn what you should have been teaching your child for the past three months. The following conversation takes place in my mind. 

Smart Doctor: "So approximately how many continents does Sophia know?"

Me: "Continents? Um...yeah...um, maybe none?"

Smart Doctor: "Oh, you may want to start teaching her about that stuff, she was probably ready to learn about them several months ago..but I am sure you have not done any irrevocable damage."

Me: Silent crying

Okay, so maybe she doesn't need to know geography yet, but I am sure there is something. As such, I have started the Tamara Ockree campaign to make sure that my daughter at least knows something by her next doctor's appointment, even if it isn't the thing that the doctor wanted her to know. I've decided to start with body parts and have even enlisted Ben's help. 

Body Parts Mom has taught Sophia: Hair, Nose, and Shoes (okay not technically a body part, but it still has the potential to impress the doctor). 

Body Parts Dad has taught Sophia: Tongue and Belly Button

Really Dad? Tongue and Belly Button? Now I envision the following conversation taking place at the doctor's office. 

Smart Doctor: "How many continents does Sophia know?"

Me: "None, but she knows some body parts!"

Smart Doctor "Which ones?"

Me: "Sophia show the doctor where your nose is. Good. Now show him your hair. Good. Now show him where your shoes are. Good!" Sophia then lifts up her shirt and proudly says "Belly Button!" She then proceeds to try to grab the doctors tongue so she can show him where it is.

Smart Doctor: "Um"

Me: "We'll start working on her continents tomorrow"

Don't be jealous of our three rivers.

Yes world, Fort Wayne has not one, not two, but three rivers and we couldn't be prouder about it. We've got the 3 Rivers Credit Union, the 3 Rivers shopping center, and the very important 3 Rivers Festival. A festival in which we celebrate our three riverness and hold it over the heads of our neighboring cities. How many rivers have you got Auburn? Hmmm...that's what I thought.

The 3 Rivers Festival is a week long event. There is a parade, a carnival, reenactments at our historic Fort (because we've got one of those too), art, crafts, music, and a firework show at the end. Side note: people in Fort Wayne love their fireworks, no seriously, they have a total obsession with them

Here are some highlights from our time at the festival last Saturday. 

Sophia Jane waiting for the parade. She was in love with her balloon. 

Connor did some chalk drawings on the road while we waited to the parade to start. Not only did this entertain him, it helped keep the people sitting around us entertained too. This one is of a giant dragon flower. 

Connor and his friend, Ila, watching the parade go by. I thought the way they were standing together was super adorable. 

After the parade we visited the Chalk Walk. Anyone that wants to can make a chalk drawing on the street. It so cool to see all the different drawings, plus a lot of the artists are really talented. We thought the Wicked poster on the left side was exceptional. 

We also thought that the Twister board was a really cool idea. 

After walking around for a while we stopped to soak our toes in the fountain at the city center. It was nice to get a little break from the action and the heat of the day. 

We also visited the Fort and watched a reenactment from the War of 1812. Plus we rode a Ferris wheel, ate some kettle corn, had lunch at the very exotic Subway, and went home exhausted. It was an awesome time.

Not quite golden, but definitely bronze.

Today Ben and I have been married for 8 years. It has been pretty awesome, and I wouldn't trade a minute of it (even the hard parts) for anything.

During our eight years of marriage we've been blessed with six children, two of which God has given us to raise. We've been supported by wonderful parents and friends. We've moved 675 miles away from our home  and we've learned to rely on each other.

During our eight years we've also gotten a lot of wrinkles and a few gray hairs. But I wouldn't change those either. Here we are in our younger years. 

Happy Anniversary to us. 

Buy me some $3.25 Cracker Jacks.

We've lived in Fort Wayne for two years now. It seemed like it was time to act like a local, so we went to a TinCaps game. No, that is not a misprint. The name of the Minor League Baseball team in Fort Wayne is The TinCaps. You may wonder why (or you may not wonder why, but I'm going to tell you anyway). Johnny Appleseed is buried in Fort Wayne, Indiana so they are kind of obsessed with him. Any of you who have seen this (Jennifer, Michelle, and Kimberly...I'm talking to you), you will remember that Johnny Appleseed wore a pot on his head. Hence the TinCaps.

The baseball field is downtown which is actually kind of cool because you can see the city skyline downtown.

You can also see the giant net that was protecting us getting hit in the face with a baseball. 

Connor had a total blast at the game. He ate the food, sang the songs, dreamed of catching a fly ball, had absolutely no appreciation for how much a soda costs, and charmed his way into some cotton candy.  

Sophia had a pretty good time too. She was mostly in awe of everything going on around her and stayed up until 11:30 pm. This was amazing considering that most nights she is begging us to go to bed at 6:45 or so. 

After the game we watched the post game fireworks which weren't as spectacular as those after a Royals games, but since I only paid $21 for all of us, I couldn't really complain. Then Connor begged us to stay even longer so he could run around the bases. It was worth it when I saw his smile.

Going to the game was a great way to celebrate the fourth of July, have a ton of fun, and mark one more thing off our Fort Wayne to do list before Ben gets his call.

Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse.

My thumb? Not green, but this year I decided to give a very small vegetable garden a try. You can imagine my surprise when not only did I not kill my little plants, but they actually started to grow and bear fruit.

Some version of strawberries that the greenhouse lady convinced me to give a try. 

I love green peppers. The fact that they are actually growing makes me the happiest. 

Rosemary for cooking. 

Plus, a tomato plant for salsa and sauces 

Now clearly I am not anywhere near sustaining my families existence, but I am pretty excited that even if it is in a diminished capacity, I can grow food.

Now I just need Ben to learn how to hunt and our family will be well on its way to surviving the Zombie Apocalypse.