My Dear & A Deer

For the first time in seven years, Josh isn't coaching H.S. Cross Country this fall. When he got voted as a Trustee on the School Board in May, he could no longer have the paid position. He has missed coaching, but not doing it has given him extra time to enjoy other things that he hasn't had time to do for years. One of those things was hunting. For the first time in 14 years, he went deer hunting. Every day for a week, in the evening and in the morning, he would go on the search near our home for a buck. Since he decided to start hunting after deer season had already opened, it was difficult to find one around here. A few times, I heard him singing "Doe, a deer, a female deer. Does are all I ever see..." What a funny man! But, his luck finally changed last night... He found a spike, and he shot it down! He was as delighted as a little boy who just got a lollipop! He called me at home, and I told the news to some very excited boys. We piled into the van and drove a mile down the road to where he was. We watched him gut the deer and load it up. It completely grossed us all out. I can't believe after 14 years, he still remembers how to do that disgusting procedure! Today, Micah asked "when are we going to take down the deer and eat it?" Josh explained to him that the deer needs to dry out for a couple days before we can take it down, then we will take it to the butcher, and then we can eat it.
Way to Go Hunter Josh! We can't wait to partake of the yummy "turkey" (another one of Micah's mispronunciations for Jerky).

Gohee Hopping then the Harver Store

All four of my boys have had speech delays, and all due to numerous ear infections. Ammon had tubes put in his ears when he was 2 1/2. Jonah and Micah got tubes put in their ears when they were 18 months. Kanyon is going to the ENT doctor next week to see if/when he will have his procedure done.
This is going to sound crazy, but the one thing that I'm grateful for that comes with speech delays is mispronunciations. For instance, when Ammon was little, he used to always say "I huw woo" for I love you or "dough-boy" for cowboy or "bwoo" for moo. SO adorable! Jonah and Micah used to say "appee-haus" for applesauce, "wausee" for horse, and "neamote" for remote. Kanyon's words have doubled within the last two weeks, and he can say "eee-ooo" for see you and "yoo-ooh" for shoe and "Amah" for Ammon. Even when they get a little older, and they are trying to say it right but it comes out wrong, I don't do what my children's speech therapist says to do--correct them. I think it is just too dang cute and too short-lived to correct. I love hearing their own little words.
For the longest time, Jonah and Micah said "gohee hopping" whenever we had to go to a certain store in town. This past week we made four different trips to the "Harver" store (as Micah calls it). Can you guess where these two places mean?

Jonah and the whale

Jonah and Micah are identical twins. Ever since they came home from the hospital, we have had them dressed in color-coded clothes. We do this to not only help us (even though we know who's who), but for everyone else to identify them as well. We almost always have Jonah wear blue, and Micah usually wears red or yellow or green. I explain to people at preschool and church and MOPS and babysitters how to remember who wears what: "Jonah and the whale-whales are blue-Jonah wears blue".
Today, I was at the computer, and one of the boys ran in through the front door and down the hall to the bathroom. After several minutes, I yelled down the hall "MICAH, what are you doing down there?" (Micah is my mischevious one, and if you don't check up on him when he's quiet, you never know what you'll find later.) The shout back came: "I'm not Micah, I'm Jonah". I called back, "How do you know you're Jonah?" He said, "Because I'm wearing the blue shirt!" Totally made me laugh! Such a smart boy-he knows the system. It's funny that's the way he identifies himself now as well!!! At least they haven't figured out yet to switch shirts and confuse us all!

Salmon Idol

I performed and competed in the Salmon Idol competition last week. It's a fundraiser for the high school show choir just like TV's American Idol, except on a small-town-scale. The annual event started last year, and I've participated in it both years.
My song choice was inspired by the movie "Mamma Mia". I LOVED that movie! I watched it twice in the theaters, which is rare. I sang the song Dancing Queen by ABBA. I chose two cute high school girls (AKA Kimi & Sloan) to be my back-up dancers and dubbed them the "Teen Queens". We had SOOO much fun getting ready! I felt like a giddy teenager again! We came up with our choreography and practiced several times prior to the event.
That day, we got dressed in our hot-pink and black costumes, did our make-up complete with pink eyeshadow and glitter spray, and sprayed our hair pink. I made the crowns (can you tell where they originated? Answer=BK!!) We wore sunglasses that we tossed off during the song, and we had prop-guys.They handed us our crowns, donned T-shirts complete with "Cheer for Kala and the Teen Queens" signs, and dipped the girls so fashionably at the end of the song. Rather than just getting up on the stage and singing, I was all about having an awesome production! Mission Accomplished! Due to my tight corset, and dancing around, I couldn't sustain my notes, and therefore I was a little disappointed in my actual singing. But I'd like to blame that fact on my missing links...unfortunately, my best man Josh and my best friend Hailey couldn't attend the event. So I think it's fair to say that I just wasn't the same without them!!! The judges' results announced that I didn't win again for the 2nd year in a row, but disappointment didn't keep me down for long...now I have even bigger plans up my sleeve for next year! Surely the 3rd time will be the charmer!!!

Fickle Pickle

When I was growing up, I hated certain foods. I thought that meant I was "allergic" to them. Once, in 4th grade, I was getting served hot lunch by the lunch lady and I told her I could not have the spinach because I was allergic to it. Later I found out that I really wasn't "allergic", since that didn't mean the same thing as "dislike".
I remember from my childhood my Grandma Rose's cellar as always being full of homemade canned peaches and pears. Those peaches were divine. But I never liked the pears. The texture was strange to me. That's the same reason I disliked tomatoes, although I love ketchup. And, well...I can't remember why I didn't like cucumbers, I just didn't--although I do love pickles.
This summer, we tried to grow corn, pumpkins, onions, and cucumbers in the garden. Only five corn plants even grew, and the corn growing on them didn't mature enough to eat. None of the onions even sprouted, period. And as for the pumpkins, the deer have taken big bites out of all of them that were big enough to do something with. That leaves the cucumbers. Remember, I said I didn't like them? Well, we've had dozens and dozens of cucumbers. Our only successful crop this year. We started pulling them in August, and I finally got the last bit out of the garden last weekend. Guess what? I like cucumbers now. They are so delicious. Josh likes them with sprinkled salt and pepper on them. That's yummy too.
Josh's aunt gave us a whole bunch of home-grown corn and some cherry tomatoes. The corn was delicious, we had it for 3 whole meals. And remember how I didn't like tomatoes? Well, they were so ripe and delicious, that I ate several.
Our apple trees didn't produce any apples this year due to the late spring frost after the blossoms bloomed. I was looking forward to those apples, too. Our cherry tree produced its fruit in July, and I enjoyed partaking of them. But guess what had a TON of fruit on it? The PEAR tree. Remember I disliked pears? Well, I started eating them and they are so delicious!
I've been thinking that maybe I'm a fickle pickle. Maybe I really don't know what I like or dislike. Maybe I was a prejudiced youth who had stubborn thoughts toward certain foods. Or maybe my taste buds have changed. Who knows? I've changed my mind about spinach, too (remember I used to be "allergic"). So I'm thinking I'm going to try all of the foods that I was "allergic" to as a youth and see how they taste now. Starting with Brussel Sprouts.
NOT!