Smiley face on a police car.

If you ever get the chance to tour your local police station, make sure you take along a 6 year old girl. We toured the Lenexa Police Station for Boy Scouts on Tuesday, and Lauren took it upon herself to draw a smiley face on the dusty police car. We LOVED the irony. The kids had a great time and we were amused by the fact that everything in this police station could be hosed down "in case the perps vomited."

Joe took it upon himself to do some research on the gangs of Lenexa and Johnson County. If you are familiar with Lenexa and Johnson County, feel free to make the same stereotyped jokes we did about the types of gangs that might be found here. For instance, one gang wears RED POLO SHIRTS, another gang wears BLUE POLO SHIRTS. Initiation involves buying an item from each store in Oak Park Mall in one hour.

Dylan got to attend Take Your Child to Work Day on Thursday with Joe. He reported the experience as being "grrrreat." The boys enjoyed a long lunch hour, Dylan took notes at a meeting and drew on the white board. It was a fun day for both of them!

On Tuesday, Joe served as the WATCH DOG for the kids' school for the day. This is a program to encourage dads to get involved with their children's schools. He helped with the morning drop off (the scariest assignment of all in my opinion), made ice packs for the nurse, volunteered in the kids' classrooms, volunteered for the entire 2 hour lunch shift and helped the cranky art teacher. The kids were SOOOOOOOOOO proud to have their dad there. I will post a pic when I get it from the school.

Big, slithery snakes and rockin' cats.

I try to find interesting things for the kids and I to do when Joe is working on Sunday afternoons at the bike shop. Today, we went to the Kansas City Pet Expo. Ironically, there are no PETS allowed at the PET Expo, so Katy stayed home. We saw this:


The snake looks big, doesn't it? The picture does NOT do this thing justice. It's HUGE. I knew I was safe but I was seriously wigged out by looking at it so closely. The presenter dude, David Nieves, is one of Dylan's heroes. He works with reptiles, writes books and does shows everywhere. We got his autograph and took a picture with him. If I can figure out how to get the picture out of my phone, I'm posting it.

We also saw the Acro-cats. I'm just not sure cats can really be "trained." The Acro-cats are kind of cool, but you had to feel sorry for the trainers because, let's face it, cats will make you work a LOT harder than dogs will. Dogs like to please. Dogs forget that there is a treat in your hand. Cats could give, well, a rat's ass (no pun intended) what you want - they just want that treat. Half the time, the cats would not do what the trainers wanted, and the trainers literally had to drag the treats along to get the cat to perform. They could get away with this poor performance because the trainers would just shrug their shoulders, hug the cats and smile. And this is like, apparently, the PREMIER cat performance act in the midwest. IN THE MIDWEST! We all felt a little embarrassed for the trainers, so we clapped. Which probably just perpetuates the whole wicked cycle. The highlight of the Acro-cats was the Rock-cats (what a pun-filled day!). Here is a fantastic video of the Rock-cats. I am sure you will enjoy the song.



Yes, I know. They don't really rock. But "Electric Avenue" still rocks big time! All I can think is that if these were dogs, they would actually be playing music, singing, and possibly destroying a guitar a la Pete Townshend. But because they're cats, and they could really care less about what they are being asked to do, they can get away with minimal music skills. Just sayin'.

It's business...it's business time!

I have 13 weeks left of school and it is like being inside an avalanche. From here on out, I'm just riding the wave. I wish I'd had more time to post. I should say something like, "I can't believe it's been this long since I posted to the blog! So much has happened, I don't know where to start!!"

SO,

I can't believe it's been this long since I posted to the blog. So much has happened, I don't know where to start.

When we last left the Thompsons, they were getting ready for March. We celebrated Lauren's birthday, and her whole Kindergarten class came over. Joe's mom came in town and we were SO grateful to have her there. Having a lot of 5-6 year olds in one house is not the easiest thing to do. Let's just say that character was built that day.

Then Dylan kicked off our Spring Break by inventing his newest game - Underpants War. He even has a bag at his side for extra ammo.

Sadly, Katy was drafted.

We had a good spring break. For the first few days we just hung out, but then we took the kids to visit our friends who live in Springfield. Another friend and her kids met us down there, and we had to laugh because within an hour of being in town, we had everyone lined up at the bar.

The adults were also figuring out how we could pool our money and buy this PARTY BARGE. We'd like to think we've grown up, but we haven't.

We also went to Branson and went to "Splash Country." It was very fun.

To finish the blog, Dylan would like me to show you that he has reached his personal best in climbing the tree in our front yard.

Behold the glory.

Thanks to my friend Cyndy for turning me on to Flight of the Conchords. I don't have HBO so I hadn't seen them until a few weeks ago, so I'd like to leave you with this (not really safe for kids but super great for adults):

Mr. Potatohead! Mr. Potatohead! Back doors are NOT secrets!

The title has no real relevance to the content of this blog. I just like saying it a lot lately.

We have been busy bees around here.

I had the pleasure of volunteering at Lauren's Valentine party last week. I thought it would be fun to have the kids spell the words "Valentine's Day!" by giving them each a letter and having them arrange themselves in the order of the words. Well, I was hurrying because we were running out of time and arranged the kids so it was backwards. It looked like "SENITENLAV YAD." I realized this and quickly rearranged them so it would not look backwards. In my haste, all I did was rearrange them the same way, just facing a different direction. So Happy SENITENLAV YAD it was. My brain just does not work well under pressure!

I also got to go with Dylan and his class to the Negro Leagues Museum and the Jazz Museum. We had a great time and the kids enjoyed looking at all the exhibits. I forgot my camera.

Joe and Dylan have been really busy with Boy Scouts lately. Last Friday, we all went to the Blue and Gold banquet. Joe got up on stage and presented awards to his boy scouts. He looks so handsome in his uniform, and it makes me laugh because Mr. Anti-Establishment is that much closer to becoming The Man.


We kept the kids up a little late on Wednesday so they could see the Lunar Eclipse. Dylan was very prepared by pulling his baseball socks up as far as they could go on his legs so they would not get cold. Eclipses are cool, but I have to admit seeing that red moon was eerie. I kept hearing devily-Omen-type music in my head.

We have also had a very big rite of passage in our home. Last week, I came home from work late and discovered this on Dylan's door:

It had to happen sooner or later! Dylan has also been posting other types of signs. He is apparently running for "House President" and displaying his campaign materials all over the place. He was also kind enough to leave me a note on my computer that read "Bossy Mom."

How sweet.

Go home and take a snow day, Mrs. Braintree!

It seems as though snow days come quite easily to the children in the Shawnee Mission School District. In the olden days, there had to be a foot of snow on the ground before they would cancel school! Whoever the superintendent is now must be freakishly afraid of snow.

Anywhoo, we had fun! We watched TV, ate pizza and went sledding. Katy is becoming quite the sledding dog. She is finally getting comfortable sledding down the hill with us. Dylan got into a snowball fight with some high school girls and was quite proud of himself. It was a good day.

Karatology

This challenge was inspired by Cyndy. I'm copying her.

ARCHAEOLOGY: the study of material remains

What's the oldest article of clothing you still wear? I have a long sweater that I bought in 1992.

What's the oldest article of clothing you won't get rid of? Probably that sweater.

When was the house/building you live in built? 1984

What in your fridge needs to be thrown out? Nothing! I threw out everything that needed to be disposed of at 3:00 today!

BIBLIOLOGY: the study of publication

What are you reading? TEXTBOOKS.

Do you have a favorite quote? "Up from a past that's rooted in pain, I rise." - Maya Angelou

What's the most recent music you purchased? I just bought some Allman Brothers that I swore I had but didn't have.

What book could you read again without being bored? The Secret Garden, The Rainmaker, Jitterbug Perfume, Alive, The Stand, Pride and Prejudice.

CARDIOLOGY: the study of the heart

How old were you the first time you fell in love? I thought it was 16, then I thought it was 19, but it was more like 23 and it was for GOOD.

What charities do you have a heart for? Too many to name. Top of the list? Safehome and MOCSA.

What's the best way someone can show their love for you? Follow through, give me patience and let me sleep in.

Name five things you "love": My husband, my kids, going to the movies by myself, mashed potatoes with a good gravy, and furry pets.

PHYSIOLOGY: the study of physical function

Are you right-handed or left-handed? Right handed

Do you like your smile? Only if it's totally a candid smile. Photo smile, GROSS.

What's your best feature? I've been told I have nice nail beds.

Have you ever had anything removed from your body? 2 babies, although now that I think about it, I did that pretty much on my own. OOOH!! My wisdom teeth!!

Which of your five senses do you think is keenest? THE SIXTH ONE.

OMNOLOGY: the study of everything

What color do you think looks best on you? Turquoise

Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake? No!

Where's the first place you went today? Target

Do you stand or sit in the shower? Well, I stand because there is nowhere to sit and I'm able to stand, so why not stand?

AXIOLOGY: the study of the nature of values and value judgments

Would you walk naked for a half mile down a public street for $100,000? HELL YES! I could cover a 1/2 mile in 5 or 6 minutes. That's roughly 16,666.66 a minute - I did the math! Hey, is that the devil's challenge????

Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100? Sure! Do I have to get into it, or can I just phone it in?

Would you pose naked in a magazine for $250,000? I have huge student loans, OF COURSE!!! Although I might get sued for emotional damages from the people who saw it or wanted refunds.
What value is of utmost importance to you in a friend? Loyalty

Would you accept an indecent proposal for $1,000,000? OMG have you seen that movie??? It was a big ol' mess, and I can't imagine it would work out any better for me.

TECHNOLOGY: usage and knowledge of tools

What's the last movie you saw? E. T.

What's the first website you visit when you log on? Perezhilton.com

Would you quit blogging for $25,000? I'm sure many people wish I would, so sure.

What piece of equipment do you wish you owned? One of those pretty, large, flat TV's.

GENEALOGY: the study of relationships within families

Is there a specific family member you're really missing right now? BRANDON!!!

Are you named after anyone? I was told once that my parents liked the name Kara because of Kara Kennedy. I didn't quite have the cool last name to go with it!

Is there anyone really famous in your family tree? I am related to the dude who started Dickinson Theaters. Does that qualify as really famous?

Reunited, and it feels so good.

Will is back. The kids got to have a friend over last night and she chose Will. Dylan had Mitchell spend the night. Mitchell was seeking refuge from his little sister's slumber party. They had quite a good time, and as you can see, there was a lot of giggling. We ate pizza and watched "ET."