It's hard to imagine, but sometimes Jackson gets annoyed with his little brother. So to give each of them some breathing room, attend an event that I wanted to and to spend some quality time together before summer winds down, Jack and I went out last night for "guy night."
We drove north past the airport to Platte City, an old river town and the county seat of its county. As we cruised down main street, even Jack thought this historic church looked cool, with ivy growing all the way up to the roof and birds flying in and out of the belfry.
We stopped by a Northwest Alumni Association picnic to see Coach Dorrell (the head football coach), some other friends and for something to eat.
Then it was off to see "Brave," a new Disney/Pixar movie. "Set in the highlands of 10th-century Scotland, a skilled archer defies an age-old custom, causing chaos in the kingdom. The ensuing peril forces Merida to discover the meaning of true bravery in order to undo a beastly curse before it's too late." It was the first movie just the two of us have gone to see together since "WALL-E" four years ago.
I let Jack choose anywhere he wanted to sit and, although we were the first ones in the theatre, he picked the very top row. I put the armrest between us in the upright position and he sat right up against me for almost the whole movie — especially the scary parts. He loved the movie. On our way out, we put a dollar in the photo booth for a special souvenir.
Because Jack had opted not to get any treats at the movie theatre (not even Junior Mints!), our last stop was at Dairy Queen so he could get the "Blizzard of the Month."
He was stuffed ... and it was a great guy night.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
A walk in the...woods?
About 8½ years ago, Leslie and I bought 10 acres just outside of Kansas City that we planted a windbreak on. She and the boys have been out of town for a few days, so I went up there last night to check on the trees.
I just looked at one of the plant tags from when we bought all 68 saplings, which shows they were in little three-gallon pots and 18 inches tall.
Now, most of them are taller than me!
But since I was by myself, you don't get the benefit of someone standing next to them for perspective.
Even at 8 p.m., the official temperature was still 96 degrees.
Surprisingly, this picture makes everything look pretty green.
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Our future forest.
And my parting shot. Goodnight moon.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Words I like the sound of:
- Jammies
- Gizmo
- Mustachioed
- Bouillion
- Shenanagins
- Balladeer
- Hullabaloo
- Gazpacho
- Cornhole
- Thwart
- Onomonopia
- Splurge
- Thwart
Friday, July 20, 2012
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Aquamaniacs
The boys were at the pool for 7½ hours yesterday — from 9:15 a.m. to about 1:15 p.m. with Leslie, then back for 2½ hours in the evening with me!
Jack "surfing" through the water on Mike's back.
Landon getting launched.
Synjin's turn.
We stayed 'til after 10 p.m.!
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Happy 12th anniversary!
Our T-shirts tell what was going on that day — the Major League All-Star game (for me) and Vacation Bible School (for Leslie).
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We've reached a dozen:
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Monday, July 9, 2012
Thirty years ago today
The paper my sister's holding reads:
This "certificate" entitles Neil Neumeyer to a DAY OUT with Grandma just as soon as she is a able to drive a car and walk without crutches. We will go out for lunch, play Putt Putt Golf and just "goof off."
I Love You,
Grandma
XOXO
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Friday, July 6, 2012
Breckenridge family vacation (day seven)
On our last full day in Colorado, Jack actually got to pan for gold.
I'm really grateful to Lance & Felicia for taking him. 
Jack and Nathan looked so hard! 
They did come home with a couple of sparkly rocks, though. 
Meanwhile, Leslie, Landon and I went in to Breckenridge. He and I bummed around on Main Street while she got a massage. 
And there happened to be an art fair starting that day. 
That afternoon, we went with Schuyler to the nearby outlet mall. 
Whether with a flash... 
...or without, Landon got the hang of back-to-school shopping. 
And Grandma snuck in a little more snuggling on our last night there. 
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Breckenridge family vacation (day six)
The bikes we rented for yesterday's trail ride were for 24 hours and we kept driving by this free bike park that looked really neat, so we thought we'd all go and check it out.
Lance. 
Dominic, Nathan and Lexi. 
Jack. 
So that's how you're supposed to do it! 
We soon realized that we're more "coasting down a paved trail" than we are "BMX freestyle," so we decided to do yesterday's trail ride again. 
Leslie and I don't even own bikes, but this sure made us want to. 
Jack was even more of a pro today than he was yesterday. 
Photography by Jack. 
Three billy goats gruff. We estimated these were about 30 feet away. 
Colorado's state motto should be, "Pictures don't do it justice." 
Besides the amazing scenery and the bike ride itself, we also really liked getting to do a special activity with just Jack, that we wouldn't be able to do with Landon. 
Toward the end, we also found this abandoned mine that we didn't see yesterday. 
Back at the house, a deer was having an afternoon snack. This shot was taken from our deck. 
It's become our tradition that one night of our vacation is "adult night out," so Lexi stayed home with the boys. Thanks Lexi! 
Skye and her two aunts, in line to get an after-dinner dessert crepe. 
And in just a month, Schuyler leaves for college in Alabama. I'm so glad we get to spend this time together now. 
