At Papa's House

We spent some time out at my Dad's this weekend.  The kids love the enormous yard and giant trees and even the gravel driveway -- perfect for the RC trucks to play on.

Tizzy, the kids' favorite cat, made an appearance to play for a bit.  She even let Evan and Chloe both hold her which no adult gets the privilege of.

The kids spent a lot of hours with their Papa this weekend, playing hours upon hours of chess.  They never tire of it, and thankfully Papa loves chess almost as much as they do.  He says Chloe plays better than he does! 

They had a lot of laughs together too, especially Evan since he's at that perfect age for jokes, and my Dad always has a joke -- the kind no one will laugh at except a ten year old.... well, and Todd.

Time to Paint

The bedrooms in our house are still the same boring off-white they have been since we moved in 10+ years ago.  Since then they have accumulated multiple "spackle" patches all over the place.  They are, in a word, horrid.  So, we finally got brave enough (and found a spell of time Todd had off work in the summer!!) to paint.  That of course means no one can sleep in their bedroom till the stink clears out.  Even no-VOC paint is still toxic to breathe. 

So, the solution?

Mattresses in the living room for the week!!  First the kids... then, us?  I have no idea how I am going to sleep in the living room yet (I don't even sleep good in my own bed).  Anyway, the kids were pretty excited about this new adventure.  Last night was pretty hyper, but they did great.

After letting them get all their bounces out for 15 minutes, we did our family book time -- we're reading Doctor Dolittle -- and then sent them out to play steamroller for 10 minutes more.  Finally we figured they should settle down a bit with some Garfield books by flashlight, or as they prefer, their new headlamps :-)

Finally we cuddled together and hoped for the best.  We had to talk to them several times about quieting down and being calm, but by 9:45pm they were out.  Hopefully they will be sleeping by their regular 9pm tonight, but if not, at least they are making a really fun memory!

Oh, and lest anyone think that I am brave in the color department, we are merely upgrading our boring off-white to a slightly less boring tan -- the same as our living room color.  At least there will be no more spackle spots!

Visit to the Farm in Fall

We were at our CSA farm earlier in the spring to plant seeds and see the poultry, and last weekend we went back for fall harvesting and a hay ride. 

This team of Belgian workhorses is owned by an Amish man named Eli who also grows food for our CSA.  Cyndy is hoping to have fences built soon so that next year the horses can live there full-time.  They do all their digging, tilling and harrowing with horses, the old-fashioned way :-)

We found the garden patch where we had planted beans in the spring back when the sunflowers had only been about to the kids' heads in height.  Now the beans were nearly done being harvested and the sunflowers were over 12 feet tall.  This one was so heavy it had tipped over completely.

Then we got to dig for potatoes!  Well, at least the men did the digging.  The moms and kids just picked them up, brushed them clean and put them in a basket.

After digging and sitting down to have a snack together, we were on to the horse drawn hay ride which was really the main event.

We sat on a (very uncomfortable) wagon bed with hay at our backs as Eli drove the team around the cleared area of the farm property.  It's quite hilly and the views were beautiful, but those horses sure worked hard to pull us!!

After the ride it was nearly time to go, but first Eli let each of the kids ride a horse.  The team was hooked up to a small cart at that point with Eli on board, but the kids got to hold on tight while they made a circle around the farmyard.  We had to wait for quite awhile before Chloe and Evan got turns, but once they did it was all worth it.

Clay Creations

In the world of modeling clay projects, the kids have been really into making Jeeps in every color.  There are dozens of them around, and since it's pretty much the only real "toy" they've played with in weeks (minus the chess pieces) I guess it's all time well spent.

Evan's two favorite Jeeps are his green ones -- one is even fitted to hitch up to a work trailer.  He also made a red Beetle, a black Smart Car, and Todd's green truck.  The tan truck is Todd's first truck that got rear-ended years ago.

Some other clay projects around the house:

Thanksgiving dinner -- for the horses.

Chloe's birds by their nest full of individual eggs.  She also has several superbly decorated birthday cakes around.

Evan made Wall-E and his rubiks cube.

Chloe has been improving her skills in making things almost too small to be seen by human eyes, let alone be constructed by human hands.  Her most impressive work is with the her snowman.  Originally at Christmas last year, she made one that was about a half inch tall.  Recently she made an even smaller one:

Happy snowman family!!

Sort of Like Rain

We were staying cool yesterday by making it rain in the driveway.  This always serves a dual purpose as it makes a huge puddle in the low spot.  The sun was beating down and the mist from the hose was everywhere, but these pictures still capture the insanity of it all.  You'll have to use your imagination to fill in the sound of wild screaming and laughter that never ends....

Savoring

(I forgot to update Chloe's growth on her birthday post -- sorry Bryce! -- so here it is:  She is 46" and 39 lbs. She wears size 5/6 or 6-slim in clothes. Her shoes are size 11 with a bit of wiggle room.  Now on to the actual post......) 

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These days are lazy and full at the same time.  We really love summer.  Too bad my camera hardly tags along with me anymore.... not too many photos of summertime this year...  I have been moving in slow-motion due to massive unexplainable sleep deprivation, but I will not let that deter me from savoring all these precious memories being made.  I am trying to tune in to the emotional happenings more than the stuff I can observe.  There is always so much there... on the heart level... so much I can't even express it all.

Chloe has a loose front tooth that's been wiggling around for about two weeks now and I just can't even imagine what she will look like as the little ones  fall out and the big ones grow in. I can't wait to hear the little temporary lisp that develops with all those toothy gaps on the way.  She still cuddles up in my lap and mostly still fits there.... and I wonder how much longer that will feel like home for her.  Her emotions are so fragile and so extreme, and we are navigating this growth together.  I want so much for her to know she is unconditionally loved, and truly, that is what she is continually testing anyway.  She is learning everyday that I am willing to try to understand her, to comfort her, to be patient with her.  My love for her is found there so that's where I have to stay focused because she is worth it.

Evan has been like a ball of unstoppable energy this summer.  He is constantly on the go, craving more speed and more freedom.  But he does eventually slow down, and by then it's time to sleep.  I have had so many special heart-to-heart talks with my boy at bedtime.  He shares his thoughts, his fears, his concerns about life, his questions.... and I listen and sometimes answer if he needs me to.  I imagine my days of cuddling next to him on the top bunk are numbered as he will want his own space soon.  He is trying to figure out who is is and what he is capable of.... sometimes I want to laugh out loud at how adorable he is, but he is so serious.  And he trusts me.... what a privilege, that trust.  I know he won't always come to me with his thoughts. Eventually he will shift to talking to his dad, but these precious times are teaching him that I love him. He is worth my time.

Savoring these moments is intentionally done.  Most days I want to drift through the routine mindlessly rather than be involved (especially given that I haven't slept well in years), but oh my, what a loss I would have incurred.  I would have regret and despair and instead I have heart treasures.  I work for these treasures and they are so worth it.

{ Lest I come across seeming smug or arrogant in any way (as can happen in any personal writing on here) let me qualify this post with an addendum -- I wrote this post for ME, as a reminder that even when all I do feels draining and impossible some days, it is worth it.  Savoring isn't easy, but I savor because it is worth it.  Not to brag about it. }

Love for a Kitten

** I haven't been able to post in forever since blogger wants my font to be white when I type.  Finally found a way to see what I am typing so here goes.....**



This little stray kitten is getting well at Bryce's house for a short while, so the kids are now able to indulge in their kitten obsession there!  Little Moses is a sweet purring ball of fur and never tires of cuddles. Evan almost had tears welling up in his eyes, he was so ecstatically happy.