A Few Random Shots

** These Dagger Moth caterpillars are still everywhere and the kids find some to play with everyday.

** Recently they brought three of them into the house to explore the kitchen table and also crawl all over their bodies.  The next morning, poor Evan had a skin reaction to the caterpillar hairs and had a red rash all over his body that looked like mosquito bites.  He was really itchy and sore.  It only lasted one day and then they turned pink and faded away.  Weird.

** The kids have declared the crabs to be very boring most of the time, but sometimes right at bedtime we get a glimpse of them out and about and that pumps everyone up pretty well for a few more days.  We're pretty excited for Daylight Savings to end so we'll see them for about an hour before bedtime.

** Chloe has only fallen from her bike one time and that really was only because she tried to make a tight turn.  Oops!  But other than that, this girl has major confidence and surprisingly good balance.  She off-roads all around the house with Evan almost every day.  They like to ride from the corner to our house and see who wins.  If you enlarge this picture, you'll see that even Evan is shocked by Chloe's skills on wheels :-)

** Lots of new little treasures have been made with Chloe's new clay.  She shared a bunch with Evan so he could make mini-Jeeps in every color.  She was making a dozen carrots and a mini-Rapunzel.

** Out at my mom's recently, we wandered the meadows looking for a pine grove (that we never did find).  The skies look so big from up on the hill there!

**  There are also lots of little trails all over the place.  We really need to make a map so the kids can explore and not get lost (on 20 acres it is quite likely right?).

A Little Moment

The Tree House

I need to get better photos, but these show their first time scrambling up the stairs and through the trap door.  It's their own private place.  No neighbor kids allowed (for now anyway).  Don't all kids need a clubhouse of some kind?  Well, this thing is awesome and Todd is the best.

Chloe's Seventh Birthday

The day before your birthday can be a bit agonizing.  A bit like the Christmas Eve for a kid.  So we tried to help Chloe by keeping her occupied.   She opened a package that came from Gramma and a stack of cards from others who love her.

A model horse which she declared to be 'so beautiful,' a headband to decorate -- she took it outside since the markers were really fume-y, and a super soft horse blanket that she fell in love with at first sight.  Thank you Gramma!!

We went out that afternoon to the pet store to pick up two more hermit crabs since Larry is molting and poor Kermit was super bored.  Now we have Garfield (seen below on the left) and Pagoo (not available for a photo as he was burrowing under the log).

 We spent the rest of the day outside where this girl wanted her training wheels off NOW!  (She's been asking Todd for awhile but the timing was never good.)

So at 6.999 years old she learned to ride her bike!

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After declaring August 14th to be the longest day of her life (just like Evan predicted), her birthday morning finally arrived.  Seven at last!!

Chloe's "Moments to Remember" about August 15, 2013

** A huge stack of presents to open!  Seven of them!!  Plus one from Evan!
** Getting brown Sculpey clay so Dad can finally make a turkey for me!
** Unwrapping the unicorn stallion I wanted and then also getting the mare and foal!
** Opening the box with the Playmobil treehouse set in it -- that was the best gift I got!
** Having a new barn for my small Breyer horses -- a real red barn with stalls!
** Eating a huge bowl of homemade chocolate pudding --  TWICE!
** Dad finishing the real tree house outisde that night!

Being SEVEN is all about exclamation points!  Now that I think of it, being Chloe is all about exclamation points too :-)  It was a great day.

Bits & Pieces :: Early August

** Evan and Chloe have been giving Ajay lessons in RC driving.  It's been cute to watch as Ajay really just wants to be able to steer his car and watch the wheels which is not possible if the car is actually moving away from you.... dilemmas....

** Chloe is counting down days till she turns seven.  This photo made me think of how she climbs the doorways all the time like Evan did (and still does). She can make it to the top and touch the ceiling with her head :-)

** The kids always want the crabs to be more exciting so we wake them up to see them move around.  One day we put a pile of new shells in their tank so now they are each wearing yet another new home.

** The interest in Garfield is still through the roof, but also grabbing attention now is Vader's Little Princess (the follow-up book to Vader and Son).  It's hilarious to hear Evan reading aloud to Chloe and explaining the Star Wars jokes to her.  She will belly-laugh like it's the best thing ever even though she really doesn't get it most of the time.

** The neighbor kids have really been around a lot lately.  It seems "Panther and Mouse" is something they are all talking about and they come here to play since we have the perfect set-up for it:  lots of hiding places, a dirt patch for a home base and a shed for the panther's den.

** Evan still cuddles with Roy every day.  All of his shirts have claw holes in them.  Every one.  He just won't leave the cat alone "because he loves him too much!"

** Did I mention.... seven???  Soon.....  Seven!?!  Seven!  Oh my.

This Caterpillar

I think it's pretty crazy that we have observed this same caterpillar in our backyard for a couple weeks now.  He's getting bigger every day and the kids love to handle him.  We are still wondering what he will turn into...

Action Figures and Horses

Darth Vader on his..... throne??

Jabba the Hutt lives underneath the pegasus family.  They abide peacefully together.

Flynn Rider is a farmer of sorts.  He has dogs and rabbits.  Also a cannon.

Just another day in the barn -- storm troopers keeping order while Yoda stands guard.

Chloe makes all her accessories -- these apples are made of playdoh and they are over a year old.

She also loves making horse blankets.  Obiwan is allowed to drape his gown and light saber near this dwelling.

Droids, sleeping horses and Rapunzel living in harmony.

This set up makes me smile forever and ever.  Two kids who love such different things have figured out a way to make it all come together.  I wish they would play with the door open so I could hear more of what goes on here, but I can imagine some of it and that's pretty fun too.