Ya know what’s outside my house right now? A speed radar thing from the Ankeny Police. (Yes, that’s the official name.) One of those things they put on the side of the road and it tells you what speed you’re going and blinks at you if you’re going over the speed limit. Ya – one of those. Guess what my husband and the rest of my children are doing with it right at this very moment? They are taking turns – amazing feat by itself – running at it so it will tell them how fast they are running. I would never have thought to do such a thing. Leave it to my amazing man to figure out a way for this one to work. What are the top speeds, you ask? Paul – 18 mph. Kierian – 14 mph. Kianna – 11 mph. Aiden – 12 mph. Lycan’s standing on the sidewalk watching. If I ever needed an example of a goofy yet very creative family, I found one.
It’s become an annual tradition. We break out the hot rod and head to the Iowa State Fair Grounds in Des Moines for a day of old cars, tired kids, coloring pages, and pictures. It’s really cool to walk around and check out history. Who owned this car years ago? What was life like for them? Did they drive this every day like we do now or was it taken out only for special occasions? How much did they pay for such a thing? The questions fly through my mind. Paul is like a little kid again. He drives with his arm hanging out the window and smiles and waves as strangers take pictures of his pride and joy. I’m glad he decided to take the car this year. He walks a bit taller when he has the Satellite out in the open air. He’s so cautious it makes me laugh. I spend the day watching all my boys drool over muscle cars and delight at hearing them correctly identify which type of car they’re checking out. What a manly thing for them! Kianna and I? We hit the craft area and check out the jewelry. We like the cars too but not as much as the boys do. Cars and Men – they just go together. The evening is always a bit tricky. See, there’s fireworks. Now, most of us love fireworks. Lycan – not so much. He loves to watch them and see the designs and colors. But when they make a noise, he’s DONE! I’m not talking ok lets think about leaving now. I mean “I WANT TO BE HOME NOW! NO I WON’T WAIT A FEW MORE MINUTES! I AM LEAVING NOW!!” He can’t stand the noise. So, in the car we sat. He on my lap with both hands tightly covering his little ears all while marveling over the designs. “That’s a fountain! That’s a tall fountain! There’s a flower! Mommy! Did you see all the moons? That one’s red, white, pink, green, purple, and sparkly just like the moons!” All without taking a breath. I sure do love that kid.
