Friends

Darcy left bright and early this morning with her daddy's Aunt Ruth, cousin Jean, and the Jean's college aged daughter, Amanda. They all headed down to Branson to spend the day at Silver Dollar City. Ronda Vincent (one of Darcy's most favorite singers in all the world)is performing down there today. Darcy has been SO looking forward to this trip! She and Jean have plans to ride the new giant swing while they are down there, too! (Jean always goes on the roller coasters with Darcy!)

Rayna wept herself to sleep last night at the thought at not being able to go along with her big sister. It is rough always being "too young" to do the really fun stuff. She was fine this morning, though, when she woke up after Darcy had already left. She and I made a "mother-daughter" day of it while Doug was in school, then we all went out to Sheridans for chocolate milkshakes after Doug got home from school. Doug is excited because his Great Aunt Ruth whispered to him that she would be bringing him and Rayna back a present. Doug is ALL about presents!

The photos here are of my kids with their good buddies, Laura's children (Caroline and Tommy)..and of me with my buddies, Lisa and Laura! (Oh, and Lisa's dog is in one of the photos, too...shouldn't forget to list Lisa's furry child, Violet!)

Lisa, Laura, and I are daily accountability partners for dieting and exercising. We meet together once a month (either up here or down there in Southern Missouri) to strategize, socialize, and try out new recipes together! In between times, we keep daily track of each other via cyberspace and the telephone. This is one accountability situation that has really worked for me...mainly because those two twins are really TOUGH!!! Friends are such a priceless treasure.

Cooking has never been my forte. Yesterday, though, my friend Lisa, the kids, and I took a day trip to Southern Missouri to visit my friend Laura (Lisa's sister). We're accountability partners with each other for our dieting and exercising. Yesterday we met together to strategize ...and we cooked Sicilian Roast Stuffed Eggplant for lunch. That is the most elaborate meal I have ever helped make. It was DELICIOUS!

My three kids and Laura's two kids had a blast playing together all day. And, it was good to finally PROVE to Doug that Lisa and Laura were NOT the same person! (Last time I took the kids to visit Laura, the minute Doug saw her, he was certain I was pulling a fast one on him. He insisted to me that Laura was ACTUALLY Lisa (her twin sister and the only one of the two that Doug knew). At the time, Lisa was on vacation in Mexico (that was when we were puppysitting Violet). The fact that WE had had Lisa's dog for several weeks AND that this "Lisa" (whom we kept insisting to him was LAURA) had TWO KIDS, still wasn't enough to convince Doug that she really WAS a different person. So, I was eager to see his reaction when he finally was FACED with the truth as BOTH of them would be in the same place together for him to see. His reaction disappointed me. He just was completely nonchalant about the whole thing (THIS from the kid who spent the last MONTH insisting to me that Lisa just calls herself Laura when she puts a pair of glasses on....kind of like Doug calls himself Spiderman when he dons his Spidey costume.) However, if I was disappointed by his lack of reaction at seeing Lisa and Laura together, I was more than rewarded a few hours later when I witnessed his reaction to Laura's husband coming home. I hadn't even been thinking about how my son idolizes soldiers and policemen (right up there with fictious super-heroes!)...nor had I been thinking that Laura's husband is the chief of police. In he walks, in full uniform, carrying his rifle, gun holstered to his side, and then removes his concealed gun, as well. Well, Doug's eyes were as big as saucers and his jaw dropped in utter amazement. He would not have been more in awe if Spiderman, Superman, AND Batman had all walked in together and greeted him by name. If that wasn't enough, much later in the evening, Laura's husband took Doug out and let him sit in the squad car and check it out...and then, gave him a police department ball cap from his former position with the KC police department. Doug has LIVED in that ball cap since! (As evidenced by the picture of him eating breakfast this morning!)