Schafers in America - 6/21/2014 Burnt Truck, Botanica, Big Screen

The kids work up before I did the morning, came in and got in bed with me, and took over.  I was surrounded.  A knee in one back and a mouth full of hair.  After unsuccessfully getting back to sleep we all went out the living room, and had breakfast.  Got around, and packed for the day.  The plan was for the kids to go over to Grammy's house for the day and possibly for the night.  I packed the bag and got all their over night things ready.

My plan was to drop the kids off at my parents, then head out to Lake Afton to do a training bike and run for next weekends race.  I gathered all of my things I needed and loaded them in the car.  The kids and I started out trek over to Goddard.  We were on 47th and almost Hydralic, when I pointed out the the kids the area where several years ago my truck caught on fire and exploded.  Mason asked me if it that really happened and I went into the story of how it happened. (I ran over a mattress in the middle of the road on 235 over by the South football field.  I didn't realize it was stuck under the truck and kept driving until I got just past Hydraulic.  The mattress  caught on fire, and thus so did my truck.  It is quite comical and I constantly get ribbed from people who see someone moving and have a mattress tied to their car or in a truck.  Maybe one of these days I will write the whole story from my point of view.)  Needless to say my little story had the full attention of Mason.  The rest of the trip he was asking me questions and playing the what if game.  A few of his comments were as follows:

+Dad was I in the truck with you?
   -No Mason you were not born yet.

+Dad if I was in the truck I would have jumped out the window, and if it was not open I would have kicked it out and then jumped out!
   -Mason if you or Madison had been in the truck I would have made sure you were the first ones out.

+Dad if I was there I would have kept the truck from blowing up by putting the fire out!
   -(I should that thought of that!)

+ Dad if you ever blow a truck up again will you make sure I am there?  I want to see that in real life, and then ask the firemen if I can help them put it out and ride on their truck.

It was quite comical.  The whole time Mason and I were talking about this Madison was off in her own world, singing a song from Mary Poppins "Feed the birds, tuppins the birds"  over and over and over and over again.  It was her theme of the day, she was still signing it later tonight.

We were almost to my parents house when Madison asks me a very good question, "Dad, where did you put my pillow?"  It was in that moment that I realized I had forgotten all of their things, pillows, clothes, etc sitting on my bed back at the house. I just laughed...

I got the kids dropped off and my mom's plan was to take the M&m, and her other grandchildren to Botinica.  I told my mom before I left and her and the kids left that I don't think the kids will be staying the night, since I forgot their bag at home. 

I don't really have many stories from their afternoon since I was off riding but here are a few pics from the fun (All pictures taken by Dennis M Brown of Nell, Robin Hood Men in Tights, TMNT 3, and 13 East fame):

After the kids got back we played baseball in the back for a bit, and then started to make our way towards home by way of a stop at my brothers house.  He just started to install a home theater with a new projector and screen.  We settled in and decided to watch the Lego movie.  Mason was enjoying it.  Madison watched about the first 10 minutes, then her and her cousin Abi decided to try to pull out about every toy in the basement.  Par for the course.

After the movie was over we headed further home, and stopped in Derby for dinner at Los Coco's (reasonably priced and pretty decent food).  Once we got home the kids took showers and headed to bed.  It took very little time for them to fall asleep once Madison stopped talking and trying to convince Mason that he was her step son!  I do not know where she comes up with this stuff.  She just kept yelling at him that he better go to sleep or he will be in time out.  And she can put him in time out because he is her step son.

There are only a few days until Beth gets home, I will do my best to continue to write the blog.  It may not be every day but I try.  But I wanted to take the end of the blog tonight to advertise for another blog.  Mine falls more on the humor side, but if you enjoy reading about the family you should definatly check out:

http://schafersfam.blogspot.com/

Beth writes 98% of them, and is 1000% better writer than I will ever be.  She has been writing on there since 2008.  Each post, in my opinion, is better than the last.  That blog as over 15,000 views!  It is that good.  So if you have some time check it out, but be prepared to laugh, cry, and  be challenged!