Chunka Munka 
Nasin Masin
Curly Girlie
Ava Mava
Naughty Nathan
Lias the Pious
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Monday, October 06, 2008
4 Months Already (my ramblings about Elias)
I'm finding it hard to believe, but my little baby is already 4 months today. I know it's clique but it really seems like he's grown up super fast (or maybe that's cause he never was little). He is far and away, the nicest baby I've ever had the pleasure of kissing and loving on. He started out a little rocky for the first few weeks when he didn't like to go to sleep til about midnight, but he's calmed down now.
We discovered, out of necessity and since he's the third kid, that he can put himself to sleep like a dream. About 3 weeks ago our normal methods of getting him to sleep (rocking, walking, nursing) didn't work so we started just laying him down and lo and behold, he fell asleep. We lay him on his belly and he grunts and sucks his hands and the sheet for about 3 seconds, then he's out. I can't believe how simple it is and how nice it is. He sleeps great too, for about 6-7 hours, then wakes to nurse then back out for about 5-6 hours. I always thought Ava was a good sleeper and Nathan was a horrible one, but Lias has shown me just what a great sleeper is. I absolutely love cuddling him and kissing his fat little hands while he's nursing at night.
He's also the giggliest baby I've seen. When he was only a day old he was sleeping and started giggling in his sleep. I thought that was awfully cute but weird for a newborn but he did it quite frequently and still does. When I go in to get him from his naps he giggles and squirms on his belly till I pick him up. We haven't been able to nail down what he likes to laugh at since it changes daily but currently his favorites are: John playing the guitar, Ava telling stories, me bouncing him on my knees and going over a bump in the road in the car. He giggled like crazy the other day on a windy road out here and it was too cute.
Anyway, he's a great baby and I'm loving every minute of him. For some reason, I don't feel rushed or annoyed by being tied down with a baby like I have at times with the other two. I can only guess that I've finally been broken - I like to equate motherhood to breaking a horse and for the past two kids I've still been known to buck and trying to get the saddle off my back occasionally. Now, if he doesn't sleep at a certain time - oh well, there's already 2 others awake too so it's not like he's much harder. Maybe this is how people end up with 6,7,8 kids. Not that that's happening over here. I'm just loving this one I have and thought I'd write it down for his sake when he's a horrible teenager.
-----------Lias Stats @ 4 month checkup: 21 lbs, 3 oz 25 2/4 inches---------------------------
We discovered, out of necessity and since he's the third kid, that he can put himself to sleep like a dream. About 3 weeks ago our normal methods of getting him to sleep (rocking, walking, nursing) didn't work so we started just laying him down and lo and behold, he fell asleep. We lay him on his belly and he grunts and sucks his hands and the sheet for about 3 seconds, then he's out. I can't believe how simple it is and how nice it is. He sleeps great too, for about 6-7 hours, then wakes to nurse then back out for about 5-6 hours. I always thought Ava was a good sleeper and Nathan was a horrible one, but Lias has shown me just what a great sleeper is. I absolutely love cuddling him and kissing his fat little hands while he's nursing at night.
He's also the giggliest baby I've seen. When he was only a day old he was sleeping and started giggling in his sleep. I thought that was awfully cute but weird for a newborn but he did it quite frequently and still does. When I go in to get him from his naps he giggles and squirms on his belly till I pick him up. We haven't been able to nail down what he likes to laugh at since it changes daily but currently his favorites are: John playing the guitar, Ava telling stories, me bouncing him on my knees and going over a bump in the road in the car. He giggled like crazy the other day on a windy road out here and it was too cute.
Anyway, he's a great baby and I'm loving every minute of him. For some reason, I don't feel rushed or annoyed by being tied down with a baby like I have at times with the other two. I can only guess that I've finally been broken - I like to equate motherhood to breaking a horse and for the past two kids I've still been known to buck and trying to get the saddle off my back occasionally. Now, if he doesn't sleep at a certain time - oh well, there's already 2 others awake too so it's not like he's much harder. Maybe this is how people end up with 6,7,8 kids. Not that that's happening over here. I'm just loving this one I have and thought I'd write it down for his sake when he's a horrible teenager.
-----------Lias Stats @ 4 month checkup: 21 lbs, 3 oz 25 2/4 inches---------------------------
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Who's the bigger kid?
We spent a quiet 2 days this weekend sitting around, cleaning the garage and seeing which one of us (John or me) is the bigger kid. As we all sat around the kitchen listening to conference (our church has a Semi-Annual Conference broadcast around the world each April and Oct) I kept noticing John folding paper. I figured he was just doodling and since he did let me take a 2 hour nap this morning AND fed the kids breakfast AND lunch AND was making dinner, I didn't want to rock the boat(or get sucked into some adventure) by asking him what he was doing. Right after conference he jumped up, grabbed the papers and the kids (well, all the kids that can walk) and ran out the door. I followed to find this scene.
Yes, that's my almost 30 yr old husband standing on top of the icehouse in our front yard, throwing a paper airplane. And that's my 4 yr old and 2 yr old watching and learning and loving every minute of it.
He had made at least 5 different types of airplanes and wanted to see which one would fly the best. And of course he had to get leverage and momentum so where better than the top of the roof of the icehouse?
After each throw Ava and Nathan were recruited to find the airplane before Allie (our dog) did and bring it back to John for another throw. They ran around like crazy looking for all the planes and fueling John's fire by yelling, "Wow, Dada - that one went SO FAR!" and giving him adoring looks the whole time. I got roped into the fun too cause they weren't quite big enough to reach the planes back up to him.
Wind Blown Hair
Nathan dreaming of being just like Dada
You gotta admit, he's almost as cute as the kids. This is definitely where my babies get their dimples and looks from.
Fun's over - Lias got ahold of the planes
And my efforts to have some coolness factor with the kids too: We made a whole family of scarecrow people last night and even let the kids paint their faces on. We were thinking of giving them hair out of straw but ran out of daylight and energy so right now they'll just remain hairless. And please ignore my patriotic attempt that never got taken down after the 4th of July. I'm just waiting for next year.
Scary Family
Really Scary Family
Lias almost 4 months
The real deal
Yes, that's my almost 30 yr old husband standing on top of the icehouse in our front yard, throwing a paper airplane. And that's my 4 yr old and 2 yr old watching and learning and loving every minute of it.
He had made at least 5 different types of airplanes and wanted to see which one would fly the best. And of course he had to get leverage and momentum so where better than the top of the roof of the icehouse?
After each throw Ava and Nathan were recruited to find the airplane before Allie (our dog) did and bring it back to John for another throw. They ran around like crazy looking for all the planes and fueling John's fire by yelling, "Wow, Dada - that one went SO FAR!" and giving him adoring looks the whole time. I got roped into the fun too cause they weren't quite big enough to reach the planes back up to him.
Wind Blown Hair
Nathan dreaming of being just like Dada
You gotta admit, he's almost as cute as the kids. This is definitely where my babies get their dimples and looks from. 
Fun's over - Lias got ahold of the planesAnd my efforts to have some coolness factor with the kids too: We made a whole family of scarecrow people last night and even let the kids paint their faces on. We were thinking of giving them hair out of straw but ran out of daylight and energy so right now they'll just remain hairless. And please ignore my patriotic attempt that never got taken down after the 4th of July. I'm just waiting for next year.
Scary Family
Really Scary Family
Lias almost 4 months
The real dealWednesday, October 01, 2008
What a week
Has it really only been one week? Let me give you a 15 minute rundown of it and you'll see why I'm bushed.
Last Wednesday- Nathan and John spend the afternoon in the Dr for the thing up his nose. See previous post.
Last Thursday - We have our 2nd dinner guests of the week (who arrived just as we were finishing dinner since we thought they weren't coming and hadn't planned on them anymore. Luckily I had leftovers but...)
Last Friday - John has an all nighter Boy Scout "camp out" but it rained (as always) so 8 boys and 2 adults (big boys) slept in a barn, watched all 3 Lord of the Rings movies on my bed sheet with the DVD projector, and repelled off the side of the barn to get their climbing merit badge. I spent the entire night getting up with a kid every 30 minutes. Insane.
Last Saturday - John has the Boy Scouts at our house til 4 in the afternoon. I get home from the woman's broadcast for church at 11 after helping clean up.
Last Sunday- We have our 3rd set of people to dinner ( a new friend of Ava's from preschool and his twin 19 month old brothers and parents) in a week after not having anyone for 8 months. They turn out to be some of the awesomest people we've met in a long time and we hope we didn't scare them off (Hi Jayme and Hugh if you're reading this - we hope you come back!). Nathan seems to be coming down with a cold this night.
Monday- Kick around the house listening to Nathan's cold become a very nasty wheezy mess and finally get a hold of the doctor (after paging him 3 times) around 9 at night. Off to the ER John and Nathan go since his nebulizer doesn't seem to be stopping the wheezing. 7 hours (4 am) and many drugs later Nathan and John come home exhausted. They sleep till 11:30 am while I take Ava to preschool.
Tuesday- We try to make a follow up appt with the pediatrician and can't get past the office staff who repeatedly tells us they don't have any openings. Finally, we come in as a walk in at 5 that night and make them see us whether they like it or not- Nathan somewhat wheezy but not nearly as bad as the night before. The Dr is in a hurry to leave, so tells us Nathan's oxygen level is down, there's nothing more they can do and he needs to be HOSPITALIZED but our local hospital is full so he needs to take an AMBULANCE to the nearest hospital (hour and half away) that has any beds. I ask, can I drive him there myself and she tells me that he could DIE if he had any mucus clots or anything so she's not comfortable letting me do that. My head is spinning, I've got all 3 kids that have been waiting in the Dr office for 2 hours and they send me to our local ER to wait for transport to the other hospital. Nathan is bouncing off the walls - hyper from the treatments he's already gotten and lack of sleep. We (John came down to the hospital ASAP) sit in the local ER for 3 hours while they monitor Nathan, who they finally say is a golden patient and they can't find any reason why he would need to be admitted to the hospital. Thank goodness someone has sense and patience - we head home about 9:30 and crash. Nathan sleeps all night just fine.
Today - Nathan's a little wheezy but we keep him on the nebulizer and he seems fine, just a runny nose and little cough now. I head to the Dr to find out why in the world my forearms, wrists and thumbs are killing me for the past 3 weeks. He examines me and gives me dorky splints I'm supposed to wear daily and tells me they think I have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and to take it easy. In the meantime, driving, writing on the computer (the real reason I haven't blogged for a week), folding laundry, and carrying fat boy Lias all hurt like crud to do. They also did blood work and we'll know in the next week or so if it's something like arthristis or even Lyme Disease (something bit me about a 2 months ago and gave me a really weird mark for about 3 weeks). I just hope whatever it turns out to be is something that can be fixed easily, but I'm guessing that's not how it will go.
Whew. I just reread this post and I think I'll go to bed and hope next week is a little better!
Last Wednesday- Nathan and John spend the afternoon in the Dr for the thing up his nose. See previous post.
Last Thursday - We have our 2nd dinner guests of the week (who arrived just as we were finishing dinner since we thought they weren't coming and hadn't planned on them anymore. Luckily I had leftovers but...)
Last Friday - John has an all nighter Boy Scout "camp out" but it rained (as always) so 8 boys and 2 adults (big boys) slept in a barn, watched all 3 Lord of the Rings movies on my bed sheet with the DVD projector, and repelled off the side of the barn to get their climbing merit badge. I spent the entire night getting up with a kid every 30 minutes. Insane.
Last Saturday - John has the Boy Scouts at our house til 4 in the afternoon. I get home from the woman's broadcast for church at 11 after helping clean up.
Last Sunday- We have our 3rd set of people to dinner ( a new friend of Ava's from preschool and his twin 19 month old brothers and parents) in a week after not having anyone for 8 months. They turn out to be some of the awesomest people we've met in a long time and we hope we didn't scare them off (Hi Jayme and Hugh if you're reading this - we hope you come back!). Nathan seems to be coming down with a cold this night.
Monday- Kick around the house listening to Nathan's cold become a very nasty wheezy mess and finally get a hold of the doctor (after paging him 3 times) around 9 at night. Off to the ER John and Nathan go since his nebulizer doesn't seem to be stopping the wheezing. 7 hours (4 am) and many drugs later Nathan and John come home exhausted. They sleep till 11:30 am while I take Ava to preschool.
Tuesday- We try to make a follow up appt with the pediatrician and can't get past the office staff who repeatedly tells us they don't have any openings. Finally, we come in as a walk in at 5 that night and make them see us whether they like it or not- Nathan somewhat wheezy but not nearly as bad as the night before. The Dr is in a hurry to leave, so tells us Nathan's oxygen level is down, there's nothing more they can do and he needs to be HOSPITALIZED but our local hospital is full so he needs to take an AMBULANCE to the nearest hospital (hour and half away) that has any beds. I ask, can I drive him there myself and she tells me that he could DIE if he had any mucus clots or anything so she's not comfortable letting me do that. My head is spinning, I've got all 3 kids that have been waiting in the Dr office for 2 hours and they send me to our local ER to wait for transport to the other hospital. Nathan is bouncing off the walls - hyper from the treatments he's already gotten and lack of sleep. We (John came down to the hospital ASAP) sit in the local ER for 3 hours while they monitor Nathan, who they finally say is a golden patient and they can't find any reason why he would need to be admitted to the hospital. Thank goodness someone has sense and patience - we head home about 9:30 and crash. Nathan sleeps all night just fine.
Today - Nathan's a little wheezy but we keep him on the nebulizer and he seems fine, just a runny nose and little cough now. I head to the Dr to find out why in the world my forearms, wrists and thumbs are killing me for the past 3 weeks. He examines me and gives me dorky splints I'm supposed to wear daily and tells me they think I have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and to take it easy. In the meantime, driving, writing on the computer (the real reason I haven't blogged for a week), folding laundry, and carrying fat boy Lias all hurt like crud to do. They also did blood work and we'll know in the next week or so if it's something like arthristis or even Lyme Disease (something bit me about a 2 months ago and gave me a really weird mark for about 3 weeks). I just hope whatever it turns out to be is something that can be fixed easily, but I'm guessing that's not how it will go.
Whew. I just reread this post and I think I'll go to bed and hope next week is a little better!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Don't stick your finger up your nose... the Outcome
I wish I didn't have another post about Nathan but currently he's at the doctor with John to inspect his nose. As I sat nursing Lias this morning he brought me a piece of the bean bag foam that had fallen out of the hole in the bean bag (the hole had been taped up until Nathan pulled it off yesterday). But two seconds later I heard Nathan say, "uh oh Mama" and stick his finger up his nose. One spotlight, one pair of tweezers and after one huge fight I realized I couldn't even see the foam anymore so off he went to the doctor. Hopefully they'll tell us that it came out the other side and he swallowed it but who knows. Boys.
Stay tuned for the outcome.
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So after 2 hours at the doctor John calls to tell me that they had to put him under and attempt to get the foam out....but Nathan ruined the joke by throwing a tantrum in the background. So home they came, with or without the foam we're not sure but we're not willing to put him under to let them shove something up his nose to see if there really is something up his nose. Anyway, they tell us that if the foam is stuck up there he'll start to smell really bad and have a discharge (ie, runny nose) and then we'll have to decide what to do. Don't hold your breath but I think its safe to bet that the foam went all the way through and I should be looking for it out the other end. Any one wanna come join me in my search?
Stay tuned for the outcome.
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So after 2 hours at the doctor John calls to tell me that they had to put him under and attempt to get the foam out....but Nathan ruined the joke by throwing a tantrum in the background. So home they came, with or without the foam we're not sure but we're not willing to put him under to let them shove something up his nose to see if there really is something up his nose. Anyway, they tell us that if the foam is stuck up there he'll start to smell really bad and have a discharge (ie, runny nose) and then we'll have to decide what to do. Don't hold your breath but I think its safe to bet that the foam went all the way through and I should be looking for it out the other end. Any one wanna come join me in my search?
Friday, September 19, 2008
Chubba Lubb, Chubba Lubb...
We sing this little song to Lias all the time --
"Chubba Lubb, Chubba Lubb. Lias is a big ole chubb. And he fills up the tub. Chubba Lubb, Chubba Lubb."
Chubba Lubb, Chubba Burnin Love
The Butcher, the Baker, the Candlestick Maker
Brown vs. White
Demonic Baby
What do you do when your 3 month old already doesn't fit in a Bumbo?
Mister Green-Blue (but not brown!) Eyes
Oh, what a yummy neck to kiss!!
Now who wouldn't want to come have a little bite of him? Yum.
And here are the pictures to see why:
Chubba Lubb, Chubba Burnin Love
The Butcher, the Baker, the Candlestick Maker
Brown vs. White
Demonic Baby
What do you do when your 3 month old already doesn't fit in a Bumbo?
Mister Green-Blue (but not brown!) Eyes
Oh, what a yummy neck to kiss!!Now who wouldn't want to come have a little bite of him? Yum.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Toddler Minds
Pop quiz for mothers of toddlers:
Question: Please explain the difference between jumping and bouncing in words a two year old can understand.
Answer: You can never win a fight against a 2 yr old.
So yesterday I was trying to read my book during nap time, when Nathan, who decided he was "all done sleep" joined me on my bed. He kept jumping up and down, even though I've told him 100 times that he can't jump on my bed cause it messes it up but he's free to jump on his own if he likes. He looks at me as if I'm the dumbest person alive and said
and then he gave a huge jump. Oh, of course Nathan and that makes it all ok.
And today at the park as I was explaining to him that we had to go he kept giving me this line
He's way into airplanes and helicopters right now so the jungle gym was his "heli cocer" and he just couldn't understand why I would want to leave it. Since when does a 2 yr old tell his mom "Look, Mama"??
One more Nathan-ism. Today John went to pick up Ava from a friends and he asked Nathan if he wanted to go. Nathan said no, he "haffa stay and ride he's motor cycle (tricycle)" so John left. Nathan screamed for over 30 minutes, inconsolable that he'd been left. I though about video taping it to show what we put up with over here but I'm not that good of a blogger yet. Are all 2 yr olds so indecisive and then mad about their decisions? This is a daily occurance for us.
Question: Please explain the difference between jumping and bouncing in words a two year old can understand.
Answer: You can never win a fight against a 2 yr old.
So yesterday I was trying to read my book during nap time, when Nathan, who decided he was "all done sleep" joined me on my bed. He kept jumping up and down, even though I've told him 100 times that he can't jump on my bed cause it messes it up but he's free to jump on his own if he likes. He looks at me as if I'm the dumbest person alive and said
" I not jump-ting Mama, I bouncing"
and then he gave a huge jump. Oh, of course Nathan and that makes it all ok.
And today at the park as I was explaining to him that we had to go he kept giving me this line
"Look, Mama. I haffa go ride my helicocer."
He's way into airplanes and helicopters right now so the jungle gym was his "heli cocer" and he just couldn't understand why I would want to leave it. Since when does a 2 yr old tell his mom "Look, Mama"??
One more Nathan-ism. Today John went to pick up Ava from a friends and he asked Nathan if he wanted to go. Nathan said no, he "haffa stay and ride he's motor cycle (tricycle)" so John left. Nathan screamed for over 30 minutes, inconsolable that he'd been left. I though about video taping it to show what we put up with over here but I'm not that good of a blogger yet. Are all 2 yr olds so indecisive and then mad about their decisions? This is a daily occurance for us.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Nathan and the Mushrooms
Mmmmm, mushrooms. My favorite. Raw, unwashed and stolen from the counter top.
Hopefully my mama won't catch me. I know I'm not supposed to eat the ones growing in the plants in the hall but what about this one?
I think I'll just take a little bite and see how it goes..
A little chewier than I thought..
Oh, hi there Mama. What? These are for dinner? And I'm not supposed to eat them raw? Seriously?!
Wanna bite?
Monday, September 08, 2008
What we did today...
You make the mess, you clean it up. Or at least you try to clean it up.
Our (me and my friend Beth) attempted photo shoot. We hung a black sheet up where we thought was good light and took over 200 shots. These are just a sampling of our subjects. We were trying to get some good shots of her little girl and I think we did an ok job, for my first try. I think I need help figuring out where the good light comes from though. I'm trying to get as good as all you fancy posters out there (ie my stinking sister-in-laws and Chels, who all live to far away to really help me - dang you all). Any advice?
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Random Shots of Life
So this post definitely has no definite title cause it really shows the randomness of our lives. To start us out, here is my favorite little chunka munka - Lias - doing my favorite activity - sleeping. What is it about little babies when they're sleeping?? They make you want to cuddle up to them , smell their sweet little milky breath and gently kiss their squishy cheeks. I did all of these, right after I took the picture.
The peaches are (were) back. I've decided I'll only use 2 yr old boys to help me can from now on. It's right up their alley - sticky, messy and you get yourself covered with it.
And who's my lucky helper this time? Conner Deluca (one of my old roommates from college) cute-as-all-get-out 2 yr old, who rode all the way from Kentucky strapped in his car seat to see me. He brought his mom Kristen and dad Adam along with him and they stayed at the Genho Bed and Breakfast for 3 nights, 4 days. We drug them to DC, made them bounce around the farm in the truck with no air conditioning on one of the hotter, muggier Virginia summer days, and took them along to a lawn party down the road at the house we lived in when we first moved here. And Conner got to celebrate his 2nd birthday with cupcakes and candles and a tractor present. Kristen wrote me to let me know today he crawled over to their door, got his play keys, and told her that he's coming back to "wimmie's (lynnie's) house". I think I'll take him anyday.
And for all his hard work and effort I sent him home with 10 jars of peaches (out of the 21 we canned this time).
Speaking of big kids, here's our all grown up 4 yr old on her first day of preschool. We bit the bullet this year and enrolled Ava in Catholic preschool down in Culpeper, a 30 minute drive away. So every Tues and Thurs we start our day at 6:45am (groan...I am NOT a morning person and neither is Nathan) to get everyone up and fed and out the door by 8:15. She's loving every minute of it and told me after the first day that "I forgot all about you and Nathan and Elias while you were gone". She's already telling us all about her new friends and singing little ditties from class, and she's only been twice.
Since we're in town anyway, I decided to take Nathan over to Culpeper gymnastics and let him blow off some energy. I had looked into signing him up for story time at the library, but then decided (wisely) that he's more of a jumping kinda guy, rather than a sit still and listen guy. We went today and he wasn't quite sure what to make of all of it - especially the having to follow directions part. I'm required to go along with him to help him and he wasn't too nice about letting me know that he didn't want to do what the rest of the class was doing. That is, until he saw the big trampoline and then he got very cooperative. He blew the teacher away with his jumping - as soon as he got on she asked if we have a trampoline. "No, but he's been on a few" I let her know since he was jumping 3 times higher than any other kid. Sweet Lias laid on his blanket the whole time kicking his fat little legs and cooing. I think Nathan really needs and enjoys the one-on-one since Lias came so this will hopefully be his special time this fall.
Really, I only signed Nathan up for gymnastics cause I felt guilty that the rest of the time I'll be dragging him along shopping. Just look at the find we came across at the local thrift store this week! Here's Lias modeling our $1 outfit.
I think he makes a rather pretty girl baby. I'm not quite sure what I'm gonna do with these since I don't have a girl baby to wear them, but they were too cute and cheap to pass up. John tells me I have a problem but I'm sure I'll find someone who needs them. I told him to beware cause our shopping bill was gonna jump with me having 3 hours 2 times a week to do nothing but shop.
And last but not least. I was vacuuming the kitchen last night at 10:30 after the kids finally went to sleep and what did I come across but this.
I yelled for John, who was sitting 10 ft away working on his computer and he quickly came to my rescue. Actually, I'm really not afraid of snakes but under my vacuum induced hypnosis, he caught me off guard. And he was right in the middle of all the shoes by the front door - I can only imagine the drama it would have been had he been in my shoe the next morning. He was only about 12 inches long and quite cute, if you like snakes. It's cricket and grasshopper and beetle season out here and that means they're out in droves. I think he came in looking for one to eat. The kids loved him this morning and then we turned him loose to grow up big and strong and eat all the mice around. Here's a picture of his mom from last fall.
That's all the way up in the columns of our porch and she's at least 6 feet long. We're not sure how it got up there or how it got down but we found it a few days later in our bushes.
The end of the randomness - for now. Good night.
The peaches are (were) back. I've decided I'll only use 2 yr old boys to help me can from now on. It's right up their alley - sticky, messy and you get yourself covered with it.
And who's my lucky helper this time? Conner Deluca (one of my old roommates from college) cute-as-all-get-out 2 yr old, who rode all the way from Kentucky strapped in his car seat to see me. He brought his mom Kristen and dad Adam along with him and they stayed at the Genho Bed and Breakfast for 3 nights, 4 days. We drug them to DC, made them bounce around the farm in the truck with no air conditioning on one of the hotter, muggier Virginia summer days, and took them along to a lawn party down the road at the house we lived in when we first moved here. And Conner got to celebrate his 2nd birthday with cupcakes and candles and a tractor present. Kristen wrote me to let me know today he crawled over to their door, got his play keys, and told her that he's coming back to "wimmie's (lynnie's) house". I think I'll take him anyday.
And for all his hard work and effort I sent him home with 10 jars of peaches (out of the 21 we canned this time).
Speaking of big kids, here's our all grown up 4 yr old on her first day of preschool. We bit the bullet this year and enrolled Ava in Catholic preschool down in Culpeper, a 30 minute drive away. So every Tues and Thurs we start our day at 6:45am (groan...I am NOT a morning person and neither is Nathan) to get everyone up and fed and out the door by 8:15. She's loving every minute of it and told me after the first day that "I forgot all about you and Nathan and Elias while you were gone". She's already telling us all about her new friends and singing little ditties from class, and she's only been twice.
Really random shots - this was what I saw when I stepped out my front door on Tuesday to head to our first day of preschool. I guess the heifers all wanted to say good luck to Ava also.
Since we're in town anyway, I decided to take Nathan over to Culpeper gymnastics and let him blow off some energy. I had looked into signing him up for story time at the library, but then decided (wisely) that he's more of a jumping kinda guy, rather than a sit still and listen guy. We went today and he wasn't quite sure what to make of all of it - especially the having to follow directions part. I'm required to go along with him to help him and he wasn't too nice about letting me know that he didn't want to do what the rest of the class was doing. That is, until he saw the big trampoline and then he got very cooperative. He blew the teacher away with his jumping - as soon as he got on she asked if we have a trampoline. "No, but he's been on a few" I let her know since he was jumping 3 times higher than any other kid. Sweet Lias laid on his blanket the whole time kicking his fat little legs and cooing. I think Nathan really needs and enjoys the one-on-one since Lias came so this will hopefully be his special time this fall.
Really, I only signed Nathan up for gymnastics cause I felt guilty that the rest of the time I'll be dragging him along shopping. Just look at the find we came across at the local thrift store this week! Here's Lias modeling our $1 outfit.
I think he makes a rather pretty girl baby. I'm not quite sure what I'm gonna do with these since I don't have a girl baby to wear them, but they were too cute and cheap to pass up. John tells me I have a problem but I'm sure I'll find someone who needs them. I told him to beware cause our shopping bill was gonna jump with me having 3 hours 2 times a week to do nothing but shop.
And last but not least. I was vacuuming the kitchen last night at 10:30 after the kids finally went to sleep and what did I come across but this.
I yelled for John, who was sitting 10 ft away working on his computer and he quickly came to my rescue. Actually, I'm really not afraid of snakes but under my vacuum induced hypnosis, he caught me off guard. And he was right in the middle of all the shoes by the front door - I can only imagine the drama it would have been had he been in my shoe the next morning. He was only about 12 inches long and quite cute, if you like snakes. It's cricket and grasshopper and beetle season out here and that means they're out in droves. I think he came in looking for one to eat. The kids loved him this morning and then we turned him loose to grow up big and strong and eat all the mice around. Here's a picture of his mom from last fall.
That's all the way up in the columns of our porch and she's at least 6 feet long. We're not sure how it got up there or how it got down but we found it a few days later in our bushes.
The end of the randomness - for now. Good night.
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