CHARACTER: mr. and mrs. mil10 & the mouse

Walt Disney World - 2009

Pulling Another Tooth

Last night I returned from San Antonio. I was worn out from the drive. We didn't really get home until about 8:30. I was glad to be home with my family.

EK has been trying to pull his seventh tooth this week. His first goal was to have it out by Father's Day. When he didn't meet that goal, he wanted to have it out before I returned from my trip. He didn't make that goal either.

He was not going to give up. Not too many minutes after getting home, it was time for me to help him pull the tooth. This time I really coached him through it and he was the one doing all of the work.

Now I present to you pictures from the event.

This was before we really got started. See, everyone is smiling.

EK hard at work. He does not enjoy pulling teeth AT ALL!

Is that a smile? It has to be! Seven years old and seven teeth out.

A Funny Thing Was Said

Today is the big test day for level completion at swimming lessons. Sometimes EK will play on the playground while waiting for lessons to begin.

Today is different. Since he has to swim the length of the deep end, he did not want to do a lot of climbing on the playground.

"I want to rest my guns," he said.

Who Needs Big Foot?

In the post below I mentioned animals and the annual county fair. I forgot to mention the monster goat we saw.

To say I don't know a lot about farm animals, or animals in general for that manner, is an understatement. I just don't have a high interest level or experience in that area. However, I did not know about "monster goats."

This is apparently a breed of goats raised in our area. Who knew! It was as tall as EK. Really! Ok, it was as tall as the pen.




Here are two pictures for your viewing pleasure. I don't think the size comes across in these photos, so go look for it. Just beyond all of the normal to average sized goats, keep an eye out for the "monster goat."

See you at the fair!

Let's Visit the County Fair!

When I think of the annual county fair, many things come to mind:

• animals - As hard as I try, viewing of the animals has never elicited a strong emotional response from me as it does with the other mil10s. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the industries and work that goes into getting my food from the field to my table, but I cannot see it as a hobby in this modern age. Here a cow, there a cow, every where a cow cow. Not for me.
• food - The food always looks and smells so appealing. Perhaps it is due to the glow of the flashing yellow bug lights. Fresh lemonade. Funnel cakes. Yum!
• carnies - I am weirded out a bit. I hate to stereotype, so I am going to say only one word-carnies. I will leave it at that.

Last week the mil10s helped to open the county fair. Yes, "Fair Boss" was there to greet us when we entered. No, it may not be as impressive as seeing Big Tex when you enter the state fair, but is a fair tradition.

Our primary reason for venturing to this year's fair was to see some of EK's work that had been entered in the Creative Arts competition. This was our first year to submit his artwork for judging at the fair. Originally, we were going to enter one, maybe two, pieces. Then we decided to enter four. The sunset picture that went to the state level of Creative Arts was a sure entry. The other three were pieces that EK worked on during art lessons.

We had no idea of what to expect. We even talked to EK about the possibility that his pictures might not be recognized. However, we were pleased to see...

"The Chubby Pig" - Superior Ribbon

"The Colorful Parrot" - First Place Ribbon and Superior Ribbon

"Sunset" - Excellent Ribbon

"Three Chinese Men" - First Place Ribbon and Superior Ribbon

Way to go, EK! Here is one picture of EK riding the rolling cylinder in the fun house. It was his only ride of the night. $3!!!

Let the Sun Shine!

The calendar says summer begins June 21. We beg to differ! Around the mil10 house summer is a rolling through like a California blackout. EK's started today, Edie's starts tomorrow, and mine will start Saturday. Yes, summer begins when school is out.

Hooray! Makes me want to pop a wheelie!

Have You Seen My Wordle?

There is a free application available on the web that allows you to make "beautiful word clouds" from any text you input. Check out Wordle.

Words used more frequently appear larger. Instead of imputing a bunch of text (you can copy and paste), you can put in the address of any site with an RSS feed. The wordle above is what appeared when I typed the address of this blog.

So, what would your wordle look like?

Play Ball!

Saturday was a busy day for the mil10s. EK was in a midday baseball game. EK hit a single, enabling two other players to run home. Our team was victorious. Now there are only two games remaining in the season.

Following the game we met up with the Davis family to head to another ballpark, the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Again, our team was victorious.

Before the game we enjoyed a concert by Casting Crowns. This is our third time to see them perform live. They were great, again.

Enjoy these photos from our time at the Ballpark.

Even before the concert began, a few thousand people had already arrived to listen to Casting Crowns.

It really seemed that we were closer than it appears in this picture. The camera we had with us did not have a very good zoom.


Everyone loves a tattoo, right?

Catching up with the Mil10s

Here are some pictures to share what you have been missing lateley.

The day before Easter our church sponsored a community egg hunt. It was c-r-o-w-d-e-d! We rushed over after a baseball game and made it just in time.

We love hosting Easter lunch at our house every year. So the Coke ham would not feel left out, EK hammed it up by wearing Uncle Justin's glasses during Easter lunch. Why is it that we find ourselves trading and trying on each other's glasses at family events?

Since it was raining, the Easter Sunday egg hunt was indoors. "Baby b" was the lucky volunteer this year to hunt eggs with EK. Here, they compare their winnings.

EK earned honors in the local PTA Cultural Arts competition and was recognized for his efforts by the school district’s Board of Trustees on April 21. Students are encouraged to pursue artistic expression through participation in the annual program. This year's theme was "WOW." EK was awarded the Overall Award of Excellence in the Visual Arts category in the Primary division. His entry advanced to state competition.

EK invited mom to a Mother's Day brunch at school.
What a face!

Thanks for catching up with us.

We are still here!

As you can see blog posting has not been happening lately. One post in May and I was only able to post that one as I sat in a movie theater waiting to see Star Trek (the first time!). I did not even finish the story that I started in that post. May is likely one of the busiest times in the mil10 house, followed by August. Why May? May picks up where April left off. In April Mr. and Mrs. mil10 are finishing out the month making final preparations planning for and administering the much loved (sure!) TAKS test to both of our campuses. Then May begins. Mother's Day, field days, awards assemblies, field trips, and parties. In addition, with baseball season in full swing during May, we have practice two nights a week and a game on Saturday. Don't forget to mow the yard once a week. Whew! That is a lot of activity. Not that we are busier that anyone else, we just have not had a lot of time for blogging.

Today is Memorial Day. We celebrated the day and took time to remember those that have given their lives serving our country with a pool party at Meem's and Peep's house. What a great time. The weather could not have been better. Three games of pool volleyball kept everyone engaged and having fun. Everyone contributed and brought different foods. Burgers, BBQ chicken, and mixed vegetables were cooked on the grill. Kara brought cupcakes - lots of cupcakes. She was inspired by a picture in a magazine she saw in a store recently. At the end of the day, there were still many cupcakes.Shannon brought banana pudding with a twist. Instead of using Nilla Wafers, she used Nutter Butter cookies. Everything tastes better with a little peanut butter! Modie made brownines that EK and I decorated with frosting and sprinkles.It is always fun to have a pool party. Food, fellowship, and family. They go together as well as red, white, and blue!

Boom de ah dah

I Love the World, also known as I Love the Whole World, is an advertising campaign launched by Discovery Channel in 2008 in promotion of their new tagline: "The World is Just... Awesome". The song used in the ad is a re-writing of a traditional camping song known as I Love the Mountains or I Love the Flowers, depending on the lyrics, with a distinctive chorus of "boom-de-ah-dah, boom-de-ah-dah". [source] It is just a fun song redone here with visuals from WDW.

Five Years and Two Days Later

Dallas Zoo - 2004

Dallas Zoo - 2009

Dallas Zoo - 2004

Dallas Zoo - 2009

"Officials at the Dallas Zoo are trying to determine how a 300-pound gorilla escaped from its cage Thursday, sending zoo visitors scurrying for safety.The animal injured four people, including a toddler, before being shot and killed by police."

March 18, 2004 [source]

Thankfully we were not there that day! However, we were there the day preceding the gorilla escape and attack. We have always been thankful we avoided the incident. Five years and two days later we returned to the Dallas Zoo. As you can see in the photos above, little has changed in the time since our original visit. However, EK's level of involvement and interest were definitely higher.

The Lacerte Family Children’s Zoo is a major attraction with the exhibits that allow for interaction and learning. At the Discovery House EK had the opportunity to pet a snake. Although I cannot remember the specific variety, it was definitely not something I would want to have sitting in my lap like the animal handler.

Also in the children's zoo is Travis & Zach’s Birds Landing, an aviary, with more than 20 species of friendly birds to feed. The zoo says that birds are chosen from all around the world for their people-friendly personalities. EK would beg to differ. After paying $1 for a cup of four live worms, he walked about the aviary unsure about the whole birds-getting-too-far-into-my-personal-space situation. After accidentally spilling his worms once, I picked them up and put them back into the plastic cup. Still unsure of the whole thing, I showed him how to hold a worm in my hand and let the bird get it out my palm. Not really sure about it, EK decided to hold the cup within the bird's reach and let the bird help himself to the worm while still in the cup. Now we know why birds don't eat out of cups. It is a little difficult. EK decided at that point to throw the worm onto the ground in front of the bird. The bird quickly ate the worm but I suppose it was not content with just four worms. It approached EK and pecked him on the leg as if he was asking for more. This bird was certainly not displaying its people-friendly personality. This was surely not a situation out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie, but it was was a little traumatic for EK.

He recovered after a bit. Who knew you would be pecked by birds expressing dissatisfaction with the zoo approved four worm diet? Is that an assumption you should make upon entering an aviary? Indeed we will consider this in the future.

The remainder of the day remained uneventful, from dining on site (free refills all day during your visit!) to the monorail ride through the Wilds of Africa.

From the largest outdoor floral display in the Southwest, to the largest biological experience in Texas, it has been a big Spring Break!

Stop to Smell the Roses, Tulips, Daffodils, Pansies, Honeysuckle, Snowballs...

If you have never visited the Dallas Arboretum, I would encourage you to do so. When we were originally considering walking around sixty-six acres of blooming flowers and trees adjacent to White Rock Lake, I can't say I was completely excited. At the end of the day, however, I can say I am glad we made the trip.

According to Texas Monthly, "This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the Dallas Arboretum’s largest festival Dallas Blooms.... This year’s theme, ‘Dallas Blooms – It’s A Classic’ emphasizes that the festival is now a signature event that millions of people have enjoyed. MSN has even stated it was one of the top ten things to do in the country in spring." Now the display is the largest outdoor floral display in the Southwest!

As today is Wednesday, we benefited from "Buy One, Get One Wednesday." Visit the arboretum website and print a coupon. Entry discounts are always a plus!

Besides the 25th Anniversary Cake Topiary (which was thirteen feet tall), another featured event this year is the Playhouse Storybook exhibit. Playhouses inspired by settings or buildings from children's literature were scattered among the gardens. Featured books include:

• Peter Pan
• James and the Giant Peach
• Eragon
• One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
• The Little Prince
• Treasure Island
• The Lorax
• Hope for the Flowers
• City Green
• Thumbelina
• The Owl and the Pussycat
• Teremok
• Alice in Wonderland
• The Bamboo Cutter’s Daughter
• Hansel and Gretel

Did you count two pirate related texts? That's right, two! That meant we had two pirate playhouses to enjoy. The structure pictured at right was amazing. Inside there were climbing areas (off limits due to safety reasons), a captains, wheel, and a few shipping props. If this was in our backyard, there would defiantly be much less grass to maintain. I think EK would want to live out there.

After a day at the arboretum we left with the following observations:

1. Unlike Walt Disney World, it is ok to walk on the grass at the Dallas Arboretum.

2. Pecan shells make good mulch in flowerbeds. Amazon sells a forty pound bag for $4.99. Who knew!

3. Unsupervised children will throw rocks at the fish in the koi pond. No children, you are not feeding them.

When we return to the arboretum we plan to take a picnic lunch with us. There were plenty of people enjoying lunches on one of the many lawns. It reminded me of in New York's Central Park. However, we left and headed to Highland Park Cafeteria. I don't think we were the youngest couple at HPC this time!

Dallas Blooms continues through April 12, but the playhouses will be on display through the end of December.

EK's breathing wasn't going well. Could it be all of the blooms? All of the pollen? We had to call it a day and come home for a night of rest at the mil10 homestead.

View From the Back Porch

Today was day two of Spring Break, or day four if you decide to count the preceding weekend. However, spring does not officially arrive until Friday. Today is also St. Patrick's Day. It seemed strange seeing everyone wearing green at Pizza Hut today. But even more strange were the two shamrock stickers our waitress was wearing beneath the outer corner of each eye. Not for me. We celebrate St. Patrick's Day by wearing green and trying to not to get pinched by another family member.
This afternoon was time for work in the mil10 home. After mowing and weed eating (I think the weed eating was needed more than the mowing), Mrs. mil10 asked if we should go ahead and plant flowers in the pots that are scattered around the front sidewalk and back patio. Why not? It seemed like as good as time as any. She and EK went to town and purchased a variety of sun loving plants.
Now we are not green-thumbed, nor do we have an elaborate garden in our backyard. We have a simple lawn and a few potted flowers for color.

We finished the evening by cooking out on the grill. We had Casey's BBQ Chicken and the mil10 version of mini burgers (bite-sized hamburgers served on dinner rolls).

Enjoy the view! Happy Spring Break everyone!

Awana Grand Prix

"You win some, lose some, and wreck some."
~Dale Earnhardt

Tonight was the annual racing event at church. Although our car never came in higher than second place in any heat, EK says he had a great time.
It is fun seeing all of the different designs that people come up with. Everything from a school bus to lipstick. Last year we created a car that looked like a pirte ship. Go figure! This year EK wanted a basic car with fire. Hobby Lobby's fire decals did the trick.

Artist's Corner

At art lessons this week, EK drew his favorite caped crusdaer, complete with the Gotham City skyline. Below is a photo from 2008 where EK enjoyed pretending to be Batman in his new cape purchased at Six Flags Over Texas.

Flat Stanley Sees the World

Flat Stanley was written in 1964 by Jeff Brown. The book tells the story of a young boy that has to adjust to a flattened state of being after a bulletin board falls on him. The book has been enjoyed by countless children ever since. The author even went on to write several other titles in the series: Stanley In Space, Stanley and the Magic Lamp, Invisible Stanley, Stanley's Christmas Adventure, and Stanley Flat Again. One of the projects associated with this title is to have students mail Flat Stanley to someone and ask them to show Flat Stanley around. Usually pictures or journal entries are mailed back to the student to show what Stanley experienced on his journey. EK's class recently participated in this very project.

When it comes to knowing people outside of Small Town, Texas, there are only a very few that we would feel comfortable asking to tackle this project and take a paper cut out around town while taking pictures of him visiting various tourist destinations or landmarks. When you consider those that live somewhere interesting, the list gets even shorter.

Fortunately we were able to send EK's Flat Stanley to two people. The Flat Stanley that EK originally made at school journeyed to San in New York, New York (1,324 miles one way). A scanned copy of Flat Stanley made a long voyage to Sharon in Singapore (approximately 9,727 miles by flight). Since the projects were mailed directly to school, we did not count on getting to see the artifacts from Stanley's trips until Open House. However, Singapore Stanley sent photos burned onto a CD. Modie picked up the CD today so that we could print a few pictures. There were 166 on the disc. Wow. Stanley, Sharon, and her students traveled a lot of places!

I asked Edie if she thought the other Stanleys from EK's classroom experienced such exotic locations. Now if only I could have found a way to make the trip with Stanley. I understand how Denyse feels. The paper doll gets to travel the globe and I am sitting here looking at photos from its vacation.

Wouldn't you know it! Stanley found a pirate. How appropriate. Thank you, Sharon and San. We look forward to seeing Stanley's adventures in NYC.