5 Brainbusters by Owen

1) A beach party is a party that's at the beach.

2) Birthday money is money that you get for your Birthday.

3) If you give me $1, I will also get $4.

4) I could run faster than everything if I didn't have shots today. Now I can only run faster than bikes.

5) Helicopters are electric.

September It List

Owen: Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire, money, Popeye, boogie boards (owning, not riding), starting school this week, saluting, Pictureka!, Rice Krispie Treats, belts, sharing every ounce of his knowledge with his mom while driving in the car and skateboards.

Lucy: Bieber Fever, reading, doing chores, having a boyfriend (although she's not sure if he knows that she's his girlfriend), hot lunch, Pictureka!, sleepovers, riding the bus, accessorizing, riding a bike with no training wheels and dreaming of having her own ipod touch.

Jenny: Dreaming of having my own ipod touch, laying on my couch watching tv (keeping it real), Fall magazines, having friends visit, golfing with Owen, walking my neighborhood with Lola and chinese food.

Kevin: Football season, getting ready for an operation that I could tell you about but then I'd have to kill you*, surfing, playing with his new iphone, mastering the grill, playing soccer with Owen and Bieber Fever. ;)**

Lola: Barking at scarecrows, making friends at the dog park, duck breast jerky treats and sleeping.

* Joking- sort of
**As always, written by Jenny

The Sounds I Heard While Walking Lola Last Night

80's rock and tools in an open garage
Other dogs barking
Kids crying because they don't want to go to bed
Kids laughing because they are getting tickled by their dad
A mom yelling at their kids to go pick up their bikes and scooters (that might have been me)
Bunnies jumping out of some shrubs
Lola snorting
Garage doors closing
Coyotes yipping and howling not to far away
Skateboards
College Football
Lola panting
Water filling up a bathtub
Horses neighing from the stables
More coyotes
A mom chasing her kid on the playground
A church small group laughing
Giggles
Someone asking for ice cream
My kids yelling "it's Lola!" like we'd been gone for weeks

I love my neighborhood. I love that it's safe enough for everyone to leave their windows open. I love that I immediately shut all mine when I got home. :)

Full Circle

Four and a half months ago Kevin was there to help send off a group of Marines to Afghanistan. At the end of July he had to be there while someone told a wife of one of those Marines that her husband had died. I remember that I saw it on the news in Oregon and Kevin was at her house. Strange feeling. The rest of the group came home very early Thursday morning. Every story of troops coming home is emotional. I can't even watch those videos of the returning parents surprising their kids at school. I know for Kevin it was a little different because they were people he's been working with, talking to and praying for. It was hard to keep my tears in check while he was telling me of the ceremonial part of the morning. Then he added that the widow was there. She's only 23. Today, as I drove across base, I kept picturing her with his sweatshirt on, standing there with a group of friends that were all welcoming their Marines home. Hers was the only one not there. Breaks my heart. At the same time, I'm so happy I could cry for all those families that are back together again.
It's funny though, as I was tearing up in the car, I passed by some Marines dancing to get customers for their car wash fundraiser. I looked up and saw a sky with five giant helicopters that looked like a scene from an action movie. I pulled onto my street and saw that the landscapers were mowing today and my thoughts went immediately back to whether or not I pulled the soccer goal from the back yard and if I cleaned up all of Lola's poop. Life goes on. I just hope we don't forget about the people out there who have sacrificed to make that possible for the rest of us.

What a strange, fun, sad and exciting world I live in.