MADISON'S BIRTHDAY PARTY

 Madison turned 8. She wanted to have a birthday party with roast and mashed potatoes and a lot of balloons, so that is what we did. We invited all of her little friends. I was glad several of them showed up despite it being on fall break. She got more great presents than I can name. The hit was the talking parakeet that she got from her friend Lucy. Nate and I bought her a keyboard and piano lessons. She has been begging for them. Nate hates the sound of the piano playing so it was a big deal to let her have it. I am glad he was willing to let her.

MORNINGS, VOTING, and a MOUSE

 Madison always wakes up earlier than I wish she would, and waits anxiously for the bus. She hates being late. She hates missing the bus. When she misses the bus she has thirty more minutes at home. It isn't that big of a deal for me to drive her, but she loves riding the bus. I don't know why.

 

 I voted. I think this has been the hardest decision I have ever had to make in voting. I have been voting for close to a decade and the decision has never been hard. My family all voted for different people, that has never happened. A few voted for McMullan, some voted for Gary Johnson, and still others voted Trump. I am ashamed to say I voted for Trump. I loathe him. He has no morals or class. He embodies none of the characters I  believe a president should embody. I live in a state that has voted for Obama the last two elections. We use to be a republican state but I feel like we sold off the ability to be anything but democratic since we legalized marijuana. Since the legalization of marijuana every year will become more difficult to change the political culture in Colorado. People move to the State wanting to live in a Democrat culture. I know we will be hard pressed to have anyone win against Clinton but I am hoping that Trump can. I think he is a tiny bit better than Clinton. He will vote in a conservative supreme court judge. He has too. My vote was in favor or a conservative supreme court judge and not Trump. He is the only vehicle I think we have here in Colorado to get there.

 The girls found a mouse on the property and played with it until it died. Leslie's daughter Addison actually was the first to catch it. She is just like Sierra was at her age. She loves all creatures. She has no fear surrounding them. Sierra found courage in Addison's excitement and took the mouse from her and tried to keep it alive a little longer. She gave it water and I think revived it momentarily.

POPCORN is not CONFETTI

 Popcorn is not confetti, but apparently little boys don't know that.  When mom fixes a snack of popcorn and hot chocolate, and puts the boys on the bed to watch a show, and goes to fill out an online application to refinance the mortgage. Popcorn becomes confetti. 

"Ashton Maxwell, this is a mess."

I smiled when he brought me a trash can. 

 "How are we going to clean up all this popcorn buddy?"

"Well, that is one way."

 I can't eat all of it, I'll get a belly ache.

"James you need to help clean up this mess!"

 "Marshmellow?"

 "James start picking up the popcorn."

"Marshmellow...."

"James look at all this popcorn everywhere. It was super naughty that you threw popcorn everywhere. You need to help clean it up."

 "I don't want to be naughty."

"Then go get the vacuum."

"I will."

"Ashton Maxwell, you crazy boy." Tickle. Tickle.

Sigh, thank goodness the chocolate milk didn't become confetti too.

PIG PEN BUILDING with JOSH WARNER.

 Josh came to build a pig pen and this is how it went.

Can I help? Can I help? Can I help?

Imagine seagulls.

I can't reach. Help. Help. Help.

Again, imagine seagulls.

 She turned that socket wrench in style, look at them lips.

 "Hey? Hey? Friend. After this can we make an in(b)ention together. It will have four levers. One lever will be for smoke, to get rid of the geese. And uhuhuh. The other lever will be for drinks. Then the other lever will be for drinks. And uhuhuh. Then the other lever will be for ice. And uhuhuh. Then the last lever will be very important. Can we uhuh do that next? We need to build our in(b)ention before daddy gets home, okay? Oh, and, and, and, and after the pigs come, can I swim in there swimming pool with them?" 

"This is a pigpen not a swimming pool, son."

"But, but, but I want swimming pigs."

"Josh, can you make that happen? Can we get some swimming pigs?"

Josh said slowly, "Yeah, I think mom has some pigs with webbed feet." He emphasized webbed feet with an eye roll.

Think of pigs with goose feet and try not to smile.

 I have toes of steel. I can walk around this farm in my bare toes. Over gravel, through poop, and across ditches. My feet are as pressed steel.

 Pressed steel? Really brother. 

 Yeah, really.

 Catch this weed.

 Just kidding my hands were empty.

Giggling. Lip stick on my teeth. Don't care. Still beautiful.

INDIAN BOYS

 There comes a day in every boys life when he finds a feather, a really great feather. You know those germy things that fall off of birds.

 The boy's mother is kind of a nut, so she throws caution to the wind and she makes the boy's Indian hats out of the boy's treasure.

How can you be a real Indian without a weapon? So, she grabs two nail files and gives one to each boy. I know what your thinking, those things can jab out an eye? Yep. There are all sorts of foreseeable dangers. I am that sort of a mom. If one of them loses an eye, won't the whole experience be more authentic? I tell ya people, he said he wanted to be a real Indian.

 She didn't anticipate this nut case who ran after his brother at full speed yelling hi-ya. Luckily, his brother was faster and both of them have great balance.

 He was a little scared and ran screaming.

 His brother was like, "What? I am not really going to hurt you. I am just going to run with my knife as close as I can to your body, while screaming hi-ya at the top of my lungs to scare you."

 Well, if you can do scary, then I can do scary too.

 Wait, no. That is my happy face.

 This is the real scary face.

 Wait. Cough. Wait. Cough. I scared myself so bad I threw myself into a coughing fit.

 That was weird.

 Hi-ya! Hi-ya!