Happy 13th Anniversary, Babe!

There's a song by Shania Twain entitled "You're Still the One." Everyone knows I hate country music, but every time I hear that song I can't help but think of my husband.

We have lots of statistical odds against us: we were married young, we were pregnant when we got married, and I come from a divorced household. Despite statistics, we've spent the last 13 years relishing every day together. We've spent much time away from each other, but there was never any doubt that we could make it.

I'll let Shania say it best.

Looks like we made it
Look how far we've come my baby
We mighta took the long way
We knew we'd get there someday

They said, "I bet they'll never make it"
But just look at us holding on
We're still together still going strong

(You're still the one)
You're still the one I run to
The one that I belong to
You're still the one I want for life
(You're still the one)
You're still the one that I love
The only one I dream of
You're still the one I kiss good night

Ain't nothin' better
We beat the odds together
I'm glad we didn't listen
Look at what we would be missin'

They said, "I bet they'll never make it"
But just look at us holding on
We're still together still going strong

(You're still the one)
You're still the one I run to
The one that I belong to
You're still the one I want for life
(You're still the one)
You're still the one that I love
The only one I dream of
You're still the one I kiss good night

Three Strikes...You're Out

It's been awhile since I've commented on a current event, so I'd like to take this opportunity to figuratively high five the Supreme Court for stating the obvious: incarceration in the California prison system violates Constitutional protection against cruel and unusual punishment. In other words, prison life in California is cruel and unusual.

I was reading an old article from Mother Jones magazine this evening about the sad and dangerous state of CA prisons. I think CA is a model about how not to handle criminal incarceration, and it's important to see what they're doing wrong.

Strike 1: CA's prisons run at 157% capacity (and this was in 2008). This is an exceedingly dire situation. No one is safe, prisoners and guards alike. Prisons don't have enough room for beds, exercise, and classrooms. They can't provide proper medical care. They can't provide enough leisure activities, and we all know what idle hands do...

Strike 2: Despite laws intended to educate and rehabilitate prisoners, most leave prison illiterate, mentally ill, and more dangerous. California's recidivism rates are double most others in the country thanks to a law requiring ALL freed inmates to be on parole for at least one year even after they have served their sentences. A majority of inmates are drug/alcohol addicted but aren't treated. The famous three strikes law is bad enough, but so many prisoners also end up with sentences of "life on the installment plan" due to repeated parole violations and the commission of new crimes.

Strike 3: The prison guard union and others with interests in keeping folks in prison are not doing what's best for the rehabilitation and protection of the inmates (or the rest of society). Prison is a punishment, but as any parent knows a punishment that only makes the behavior worse DOESN'T WORK. When we allow politics to determine how long we incarcerate people and how we treat them while their incarcerated, we miss the point. It sounds good for us to say we're tough on crime, but being tough on crime to the detriment of society DOESN'T WORK. We aren't fixing anything by locking people up without also providing the means to rehabilitate.

Now that we know from California's example what doesn't work, it's time to examine what does work. We need to figure out a balance between punishment and rehabilitation. We need to find alternatives to incarceration for some nonviolent offenses. We need to learn from California's mistakes before other states fall into the same pattern.

A Picture Perfect Day

Spring in Nebraska can be quite bipolar: one day the heater's on and the next day the air conditioner's running. It's generally windy, windy enough to ruin an otherwise beautiful afternoon. When that perfect Spring day comes along, everyone takes advantage.

The gnomes come out to play.


Dade whittles sticks into magic wands.


Soren finally gets to ride her teeter totter, although I think this year it's a little smaller than she remembers. Or maybe she's just a little bigger.


And, of course, Colby kicks back with an ice cold beer.


When a lovely day comes along, the Vescapades clan goes out in full force to take advantage.

Great Wolf Lodge 2011

Our bi-annual trip to the Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City has mercifully come to an end. It was definitely a better trip than last time mainly because Soren isn't a baby. The kids had a fabulous time, and really this trip was for them. Soren did a great job in the van, thank goodness, and there was only one threat to quit crying or we're pulling over. It's a new record, folks.

Here we are newly arrived at the hotel and ready to hit the water park. Yes, that's me in a two piece bathing suit for all the world to see. How great is that??


Soren went down any slide she was big enough to use. Next time I'm sure she'll be ready for the big slides with the tubes. Evelyn was on cloud nine on the big slides, but she wasn't quite big enough for the biggest (and most fun) slide. Dade spent the whole time climbing up flights of steps to get to the top of the slides and then racing down. Brody was a chicken. Nothing new there. He did enjoy the slides in the baby pool and took a few trips down the medium sized slides.

Here are some photos from our water park adventures:








We also had to stop by Cabela's to see the deer museum and huge fish tanks.



A new stop on our KC adventure was the T Rex Cafe. The food was pretty pricey, but the atmosphere was out of this world!









Our final stop before heading home was Build a Bear Workshop. The girls always get new outfits for their stuffed animals, and Brody got to pick a new bear this year. Dade was more than happy to sit in the van and read his book. Build a Bear Workshop is no place for a tween, I guess.

Soren got her Puppy some jammies and slippers.



Evelyn chose a cocktail dress and high heels for Lambie.



Brody got to choose a new bear, a camouflage bear named....Camo. He chose a Naval officer uniform for the bear.



I am very blessed to have a healthy, happy family. I am so proud that we have the means to take them on vacation. Now, if they would just stop getting on my nerves the whole time we're on said vacation life would be grand.

Dance Photos

Another year of dance is nearly at its end. After months of practice (and hundreds of dollars) the girls are ready to strut their stuff at recital. Both girls did so well at their class photo sessions. I may be biased, but they are the most beautiful little ladies in the world. See for yourself.

Soren is a little monarch butterfly.



Evelyn's tap class are flappers.



Evie's ballet costume is beautiful, reminiscent of Snow White.


I'm looking forward to shedding lots of tears at recital.

Bilingual Storytime and Author Reading

Our Saturday mornings from August to June consist of dance, breakfast at the bookstore downstairs from the dance studio, and story time at the bookstore. While Evie is at dance, Soren and I head down to the bookstore for Spanish Bingo and a short story read in both Spanish and English. It's a lovely little habit that I've come to enjoy even though it occurs from 8:15 to 11:00 am each and every Saturday.

Last weekend our good friend Sara joined us at story time with her kids. Spanish Bingo is always a hit, and Soren was so happy to share story time with her friends.




That same Saturday morning, a local author was at the bookstore for a reading of her children's book about ladybugs. The kids enjoyed the story, and Evie was done with dance class in time to join us in making a ladybug hat.




As dance class comes to an end for the year, so will our weekly trips to story time. It's a good thing that we bought Spanish Bingo to play at home.

Should I Be Worried?

I asked Soren if I could take her picture. She said yes, so I said say cheese.




Then, she said, "Take my picture again." She proceeded to go into full-on sniper mode.



Watch out, Al Queada. This girl means business, and she knows how to use those foam darts.

A Special Message to My Fellow Mommies

A few months back as a pregnant Natalie Portman was accepting her best actress Oscar, she said that while she appreciated her job as an actress, motherhood was now her most important job. Amen, sista!

While all mothers have many roles and wear many hats, in the end great mothers know that job one is always being Mommy. Mothers work hard at their money-earning jobs, but they do their best work in the trenches of day to day child rearing. Motherhood is a battle, a battle fought in your heart. We fight with ourselves over what's best for our kids. We battle guilt. We battle illness. We fight for every spare minute in a 24 hour day. We negotiate with hostile little dictators who want to argue about everything from what color Popsicle they've been given to what time their curfew should be. During peacetime we're always wondering when the next bomb will drop and always hoping it will just require terror levels to be at yellow and not red. Our vehicles are minivans instead of tanks. We spend our leave doing yoga and drinking chardonnay.

Moms sometimes can't cook. Sometimes they aren't great house keepers. Sometimes they have to be both mom and dad. Sometimes they'd rather be anywhere else but with their kids. But always, always, always great moms find balance in their busy lives. We don't let our children's demands overshadow our personal needs, and we always give our children our best.

Happy Mother's Day to my fellow soldiers in the army of mamas. May you always fight bravely and with lots of friends by your side. When your children are all grown and the battle is won, may you retire those baby wipes and car seats with great pride knowing that you have served your country well. While you'll always be a mama, maybe being a mama won't always be a battle.

Family Fun Night

Every year the elementary school has a little carnival with games, food, and prizes. The PTO puts it on to raise funds for its projects.

There was a lot of waiting in line....


This year they also has an inflatable climbing toy. Soren thought she was big enough, but it turns out she couldn't make it up the climbing wall. Shortly after I took this photo hysterical crying ensued.


The kids had their fill of pizza and soda and played enough games to win a few jinky prizes.

Best of all, I won a snow cone maker in the raffle.

Soren Can Write Her Name!

Soren is good at a lot of big kid things: riding her bike, swimming, changing her clothes, going potty by herself. She loves to practice flashcards and try to tie her shoes. She doesn't, however, like to write. Finally after months of coercion, Soren is writing her name all by herself. I taught her to write with a capital letter at the beginning and lower case after that.

Evelyn was cheering her on the whole time.


And Evelyn was so excited, too, when Soren wrote her name.


I'm so proud of her, and I hope she keeps up the good work!

Soren Hates Boys.....Just Not the Ones That Are Her Friends

Soren cried, screamed even, at swimming lessons and gymnastics because she had boys in her class. She doesn't want to go to preschool because there will be boys in her class.

Here's the rub: some of her best friends are boys. I just don't get it.

Here she is with her bestie, Taver.



And today she played Wii with Bradyn.



I asked her about this, and she said, "I only like boys who are my friends." Alright then.

Spring Awakening

I was anxious to get out into the yard and take a look at what's popping up. The weather is finally turning warm and sunny, so I knew there would be lots of goodies springing up from the ground.

Our first garden plantings (made April 2nd) are coming up nicely: heirloom radishes, kohlrabi, and spinach. Colby planted second rows of each on Sunday. Our garden will be bigger this year since we got rid of the old plastic play ground.




I planted something in the flower pot on the deck. I'm not quite sure what is was, but whatever it is sure looks good so far.



As I walked around the house I noticed another common site in the Vescapades yard: dog holes. Mo likes to dig down to dredge up some cool dirt in which to lay. The spot right by the meter is her favorite.



One new addition to this year's landscaping is our Welcome Gnome.



A few other new additions are cuttings from my mother-in-law's hostas. All four are growing, even the one we thought might not make it. It's pretty cool to have a piece of their house at our house.



Returning from last year are the oregano and the clematis vine. I have a feeling both will be very prolific this year. In fact, the oregano looks like it could take over the world.




This weekend we will start shopping for heirloom tomato plants, peppers, and jalepenos. Cucumbers and squash are coming soon, as well. I can't wait.