Our big adventures

The boys giggle in bed. Nate checks directions for tomorrow. And I update the blog. We fit our family roles to a tee. Tonight we are in Jackson, Mississippi (M-I-SS-I-SS-I-PP-I). Brayden knows how to spell Mississippi. We're more than half way toward our final destination of Destin, Florida. If all goes well we'll be there by just after lunch tomorrow. Every day for the past three months Beau has asked if today is the day for vacation. And today was the day! My dad was absolutely as excited as Beau. I hear he (Dad) hasn't slept well in two nights just thinking about it. Those two are like two peas in a pod. I can't wait to get to the condo and for them, Brayden, Mazy and Ele to head off to the beach. How much fun there is waiting for us. So I'll try to post some while we're away. I don't know if I'll have a connection. I sooo miss working at Sprint in times like this. It's hard to live without an air card once you get used to being always connected. ...

And so does the last blog entry. . . so goes our lives. Have you ever had one of those months where you just wonder where the time has gone? Apparently, we're working on month four of that "where has the time gone?" mentality. I sit here on this lovely Monday evening enjoying the strawberry wine Nate was so kind to pour for me. For those of you wondering, it's not Boone's Farm, although a good bottle of Boone's straight out of a paper bag from Git-N-Go always did do a body good, didn't it? Here's a shout out to my girls. I'll start with the quick rundown of what's been shakin' in the Bice household. Then I'll find some sweet, funny and possibly just ridiculous stories to tell. For those of you who have been asking me for an update, here you go (Julie, Tamara, Greg, Grandma M., Lisa): Brayden completed Kindergarten with straight +s. That's akin to straight As as far as I can tell. On to first grade we go. We have a contract on the ho...

I remember vividly driving home down I-435 one day in 2003. I was pregnant with Brayden and talking to Karen on the phone. Just before I hit the Grandview Triangle, Karen says, "So what are you going to do if the baby doesn't like the water?" Now let me pontificate for just a minute. This is what I love about our dear friends. They call it like they see it. No holds barred. If your best friends can't be straight up with you, then who can? I know that many people don't understand this, for instance, the time Shawn told me I was not holding off my baby weight very well (in fact, I was pregnant with Beau and Shawn just found out). And Karen trying to help me come to grips with the reality that I may have children that don't like water. . . So I remember that day my immediate and very matter-of-fact response was, "That's not an option." Seriously, people, can you imagine Nate and me having kids who DON'T like the water? It's a way of life f...

Right now I sit at the computer with two little boys excited about life. They are going to help me write the blog today. I've explained to them that this is how we let our friends and family who don't live here keep up with what we are doing. Here goes, we'll see what kind of entertainment these two have in store this morning. Beau: I wish you live here. Beau: We've been cleaning up. We were eating breakfast. Brayden: A small breakfast. (Editor's note: Apparently french toast, bagels and fresh oj isn't a big enough breakfast. These people are s-p-o-i-l-e-d.) Beau: Ele and Mazy came to my house here (a few weeks ago). Brayden: I've been building a robot out of boxes, slinklies (Slinky's) and water bottle lids, paper, some glue and monster tape (duct tape). Beau: We've been playing pbskids.org on the computer. Brayden: I know how to and Beau doesn't. - (Beau: YES I DO) - One of our most favorites is Curious George making a sand castle and Word Girl...

Common language at work includes phrases like, "I ain't got none" and "We don't have no." The female cast of Dallas can be found within a stone's throw. Think big, Texas-style, frosted hair. You walk down the isle at work and could swear a guy is sitting at his desk chewing snuff and spitting it into a cup. AT WORK! (this was likely sunflower seeds, but still. . .) At Christmas you'll find in the middle of the town square a Confederate soldier standing watch over a nativity scene complete with a black wise man. The bar and grill down the road has to have a staff conference to determine if they sell wine by the bottle. There are no less than 36 Christian radio stations to be found when you hit "seek" on your car radio. Sweet tea is a staple. If you're ordering tea, you bet your bottom it's going to be sweet. This is as opposed to only being able to find it at Arby's, McAllister's and McDonalds if you go just across the state ...

We returned from our big Colorado trip and fell right back into the craziness we know and love as life in the Bice household in Bentonville. I've been subbing for classes at the gym where the boys go to gymnastics, the boys have had gymnastics, we've had PTO meetings at school, and we went to St. Louis last weekend for baby Donato's baptism (Karen and Dave's 3 1/2 month old little guy). A "bad day" We were getting ready for Donato's baptism, and I was explaining in 3-year-old terms to Beau that we were getting ready to go to baby Donato's baptism. To which Beau responds, "Why is baby Donato having a bad day?" (bap-tism apparently sounds like "bad day" in 3-year-old boy land) Kindergarten is big stuff Brayden got his report card today for the first semester, and we are very proud to say that he got all pluses (but one). He can write his numbers to 100 and received an award last week for literacy and reading. I just finished looking t...

We made it home tonight after another 2-day car drive across the country (or so it felt). And I have to give major props to the boys. They were amazing travelers. I was prepared for the worst, but they absolutely surprised me. Most of you don't know that one of the things I want to do some day is write a series of children's travel books. Here's a preview of what a few entries would look like for kids traveling historic Route 66: If you take the historic route through Santa Rosa, NM, you'll find a likeness of "Mater" from the movie Cars. Be sure to stop and get some pictures - and check out those rear-view mirrors! Just West of Amarillo, look out to the south to see Cadillacs "planted" in a farm Just East of Amarillo is the second largest cross in the Western Hemisphere , again on the south side of the road. It is bigger than 10 of our houses! (This was Brayden's interpretation.) Just north east of Oklahoma City on the historic route is a restau...