What I want for Christmas. (Louise)

My Christmas Wishes are as follow:


1: My siblings to not argue, 
2: The privilege to wear makeup. 
3: To be taller, 
4: That no one would tease me.
5: So that no one would call me as follows: Weezer, Squeeze, Captain Squeezo, Tweezer and Beezer. 


These are the wishes of Miss Louise Bowling, the second oldest of the Bowling children. 

Hi-Ya!

It is that time of year again where American middle class suburb parents unite for the purpose of enhancing our children's lives by cluttering the family schedule with some form of paid, organized activity.

Soccer: let's twirl in the backfield or run as close as possible with the other players in a blob.
Basketball: run, pass, dribble, miss; repeat.

Maggie decided it was time to stretch the girls horizons once again, "How about we sign you up for tennis?" she brought up in the car tonight.

"I don't want to do tennis, I want to do Kung-Fu."

It sounds as if the girls were together on this one.

Bowling 2011 Roadtrip – Day 11: Accolades

A quick word of pride for my daughter Louise, who has the same fears we each face, but does so with greater resolve than anyone her age I have ever known, including myself. She emulates the family saying: “Fear on the inside, Courage on the outside.”
Today, she practically begged for the opportunity to climb a high ropes course and traverse its limits. The leader encouraged me to follow Louise to make sure everything went well (as she was only ½” over the minimum height). After the second element, she turned to me and told me to stay back, “I do better when you are not near me.”
I realize her independence will cause her (and me) some heartburn and unnecessary failures, but I am impressed by her all the same.

Bowling 2011 Roadtrip - Day 6 – Wall Drug

Wall Drug.
What do you say about Wall Drug?
It is Wall Drug, the original tourist trap, serving free ice water since 1931. A series of separate looking stores all contained within one establishment, including boot store, gold jewelry store, t-shirt shop and chapel.
We got the patches, the free bumper sticker, 4 bottles of wine, 5¢ coffee, a coffee mug, and half-dozen donuts good enough to slap your momma.

Bowling 2011 Roadtrip - Day 5 Daily Notables

Bought two game-piece boards of Interstate Bingo at the Corn Palace; you mark off objects as you see them (overpass, tractor, 18-wheeler mud-flaps with the women silhouettes). With the kids in the back and the parents not paying attention, the child most willing to create their own truth has the best chance of yelling 'BINGO'.

Congratulations Louise for your 5-game winning streak.

Bowling 2011 Roadtrip - Day 3: St. Louis is a Hoax

We’ll do our best to keep positive. Left Land Between the Lakes, enjoyed a drive through Paducah, KY (birthplace of Stephen Curtis Chapman and Jim Gregory), downed a dozen wonderful homemade donuts, and headed to St. Louis.
Before climbing the Arch, we stop by Pappy’s Smokehouse, made famous by Man-v-Food. Yes, it is Sunday lunch, in a town where EVERY OTHER restaurant in a ten mile radius is closed for the Sabbath, which has been shown on Travel Channel for dozens of marathons… surely the line out the door is an allusion. After learning that the line represented a one hour wait to get inside, but before learning that EVERY OTHER restaurant in a ten mile radius is closed for the Sabbath, we decide to look for another establishment.
It did not go so well. At some point, Louise is quietly crying in the back of the van. “What’s the matter?” “I’m hot, I’m tired, and I’m hungry.”
Finally have to leave the city, drive to the suburbs and eat a Qdoba. Forget the Arch – just a stupid American treasure and structural engineering wonder.
Night spent at the Oak Grove KOA in Mo. Two room cabin with A/C and a pool full of old people.

Why I Love My Mom

1. You're funny
2. Loving
3. Pretty
4. Nice
5. Sweet
6. Funky
7. Groovy
8. Good at Dancing
9. Awesome
10. Cool

Happy Mother's Day