Lots of Updates

 Sorry for the lack of updates! Summer has been flying by and we are trying to enjoy every moment of it. Daryl is playing T-Ball again this summer. He is doing really good this year. It just kills Alex that he can't be out there playing with Daryl. He cries during most of the game because he wants to be on the field too!

T-ball games are hilarious and adorable. If Daryl ever plays in a super competitive league I am really going to miss these games where you get to laugh and stand and cheer for everyone!

After my toe injury on vacation I was worried about keeping up my marathon training schedule. Last Saturday I finally met up with the Topeka running group The Sunflower Striders. They are such welcoming folks. I ran 10 miles on Saturday and then met up with them again for a 6 mile run on Sunday. I think training is back on track! With the help of the Striders I can accomplish my marathon goal!

Lastly, a knitting update. The sweater is coming along great! I am going to take it with me on a work trip next week and try and get the whole body done!!! This sweater screams fall so that is when I want to have it done. Now that my knitting mojo is back I need to throw some new fiber on the wheel. :-)

An Open Letter to Governor Brownback

Dear Governor Brownback,

Sad, ashamed and embarrassed are my feelings this morning. While I have much to say I will try to keep this brief on the off chance you actually read this.
As the Kansas Legislature gets ready for another day in their record breaking session I want to make it clear I believe it is not their fault they are still there. I blame your threat of Veto of any tax bill that rolls back your plan to cut taxes for businesses.
I know how hard it is to admit when you are wrong Gov. Brownback, it hurts your pride and in your case might show the true colors of some of your "friends". Governor, if people only like you because you do them favors with the Kansas economy, they are not really your friends. Your experiment with trickle down economics has fallen flat on its face. Our state is the laughing stock of the Nation. Doesn't that bother you? As a life long Kansan, it bothers me.
I want to let you know it is not to late to admit you were wrong. To encourage lawmakers to help repair the hole in our budget by reinstating business income tax, gradually if we must. The tax bill the Senate passed makes me ashamed. Asking the middle class and the poorest of all of us to bail out Kansas is shameful. Businesses reap all the benefit while the rest of us will pay more sales tax, more gas tax and loose state tax deductions, really?!
Stop this game of chicken you have started with the House of Representatives. Stop insisting you will Veto anything that you don't like. Stop telling them my son's school will loose more money if they don't pass the Senate's bill. The House of Representatives represent the people of Kansas. If they keep voting down the insane tax bill, it is a clue to how their constituents are telling them to vote. They just need you, Gov. Brownback, to be a leader for our state and fix what your broke.
Sincerely,
Candis Meerpohl
Topeka, KS
Lifelong Kansan (and would like to stay that way)

Sorry regular blog readers, I will be back to knitting and funny kid stories in my next post. I just can't keep watching this mess in the capitol and not say anything.

Back Home!

After a great week at Rock Spring 4-H camp with my awesome 4-H'ers I was ready to spend time with my awesome kids! I got home Saturday afternoon to find that Grandma Rosie had made the road trip to visit The Manor.

 On Saturday I was a little too tired to do much of anything but watch the boys play in their little pool. Made up for that today! The boys and I went to the Zoo, Rode the Gage Park train and the Carousel. When it was lunch time we met up with Kelly and Mom who had been playing golf. We decided to go  check out Germanfest in Oakland neighborhood. The food was fantastic and all the festivities were a lot of fun. That was the first time we have made it to Germanfest but we will definitely be back!
What a great Topeka day!

The zoo has added an amazing play area by the Tigers.
It was very cool! 

Daryl had a great first week at camp. He even got an award on his last day for listening and awesomness. I could not be more happy with the program the Back To Nature camp staff has put together. In one week he went swimming, fished, went canoeing, roller skated and bowled. Wow! I'm sad he won't be going this week, he was on the waiting list and didn't get called. After that he is signed up for the rest of the summer.







It was funny to learn that they sing a lot of the same songs at Daryl's daycamp that we sing at  4-H camp. Daryl started singing one of his goofy songs and I would join in. Then I started a song and he stopped me mid Milk song.
Daryl-"Mom stop!"
Me-"Why?"
Daryl-"Why don't you sing your own songs and quit copying mine!"
PS-Kelly has yet to find a camp song that he likes, but Daryl and I will keep trying to convert him to a camp song lover!

Daryl and Alex waving at the train after their Carousel ride. Alex loves that darn train, I need to buy more of those packs on 15 tickets. They are a dollar a piece that way instead of 1.25 if you buy them one by one.

I did make progress on my Harvest Moon cardigan while I was at camp. I'm still on my first skein of yarn so my goal this week is to finish that skein. I would also like to take any length of run this week and I've been nursing a sore toe since our last day of vacation in Wisconsin. I hope I just jammed my pinky toe and didn't break it. I will try a run out in the morning if it isn't raining.

This last picture is for you Uncle Steve. Kelly piled up all the shoes he found in the living and dinning room tonight. You will notice Daryl has two pair and I have three. I've only been home a day and a half! I thought my Uncle Steve would laugh because he couldn't believe how many shoes I had laying around his house and I was only there two days! Evidently, it can happen pretty fast.  ;-)

Verbal Cues

On our way to Daryl's first day of day camp yesterday he was babbling on in the back seat of the car.
He was trying to tell me something but it was coming out like this.
Daryl-"Mom you know that thing Red Cross stop sign, Red Cross red sign, Blue Cross blue sign,..."
Me-"Do you mean Blue Cross Blue Shield?"
Daryl-"Ya! Do you know about that place?"
Me-"What about it?"
Daryl-"It's a HUGE place and it is downtown and Owen's mom works there."
Me-"And......"
Daryl-"Oh nothing I was just thinking about how big it is, it is really big."

That was the first time I realized he was nervous about day camp. He has been talking about it for weeks and he knows all the fun stuff they will do. However, when he starts talking about stuff out of the blue really fast, I know he is nervous.

When I picked him up he was all smiles. Although he looked tired and said he wanted to read when he got home. I asked him if he was tired and he was because they played ALL DAY! The report I got was lots of sports, went swimming and rode on the carousel. He is excited to go back today.

I have a feeling the knitting mojo is finally back! 
On vacation I finished my cable hat and started a new knit with some of my handspun yarn. I liked the yarn but I'm wondering if the cardigan is going to be too colorful. I got some outside opinons yesterday and was told if I wear it with black pants it should be fine. :-)
The cable hat was supposed to be for me but even when I knit the largest size it still doesn't fit my pumpkin head. It fits Daryl just fine, he inherited my big head!

Today, marks an almost week of unplugging. I am leaving for 4-H camp at noon and since the internet service is spotty I'm just not even going to try. Also, the youth are not allowed to bring their phones or computers so I don't want them mad at me trying to use mine.
So for now, this is see you later, I hope to have major progress to report on Sunday on my Harvest Moon cardigan!