Say What?!

Once upon a weekend morning,
4 year old Aloria woke early and snuggled in between her dad and I.

Instead of falling back to sleep, I watched her study her daddy's face.

"Daddy?" She said.
"Daddy, you have something white by your mouth."

"Really?" he sleepily replied. "What do you think it is?"

She proposed without hesitation: "Maybe it's bird poop."

...........................

And that was the end of our sleeping in.

Caught Redhanded: a story of the kleenex box's undoing

Just out of sight
and for just long enough...

The Kleenex box lie unprotected.

It's tidy preexistence would never, ever be the same.




























Despite valiant efforts to to contrary.

And a complete lack of remorse.

But judging by this face,
it was totally worth it.



The End.


...Until next time.

A happy din is a good kind to have.

Whew!

Did you make it though all those?

These photos were a few of my favorites from last month (of over 3,000 I took)
while I was taking Ashley Campbell's DSLR course.
I'm sure there should be a post written for every one of these pictures because they are
true representations of what goes on in this house.  I'm equally sure that's not going to happen
any time soon.

As for what does go on in this house, it is good stuff.  Let me tell you about a piece of it!

Tonight as I sat at the dining room table, a swelling cacophony of  life in its most vibrant
reality engulfed me.  Emerald reclined in the crook of my left arm while I fed her mush made from
stewed chicken and broth, with avocado.

Her legs hung over the right side of my lap, but not still.
She be-bopped those two little pudgies to the rhythm of something like Love Potion Number 9
which was turned up to near full volume.

It's been our evening pre-dinner tradition lately to play Oldies - loudly - while finishing up
meal preparations and setting the table.  I've never been one for much dancing, but something
about that music... I can really appreciate Emerald's desire to kick up her heels!  Ok.  It's true
I wasn't completely still either.  It's a wonder all that food got safely to her mouth. Haha!

Glancing across the room into the hub of the kitchen, there are at least five hoodlums tearing
lettuce, sprinkling pizza toppings, unloading the dishwasher, and sneaking occasional pineapple
tidbits faster than big sisters can catch.  Miles, he sits on a red chair in the midst of the activity
(the one pilfering pizza parts) and I see him bobbing and swaying to the musical jive.  I think he'd sing if he could.
It makes me smile.

Times like this I think I should grab my camera to capture just normal everyday fun.

I seriously consider if there's a way I could actually hold that hulk of a camera in one hand
while delivering mush to Emerald's face.  And keeping her hands out of it.  And off the camera.
And then, no.  Reality smacks me and I grin at the crazy thought of it.  And I know most of these
moments just have to be lived in.

Noting a few good things:

* Miles and those eyes.  Ay yi yi.
* Two big boys sharing the light of one head lamp under which to late-night read.
* Susanna and her casual stance on Math homework.
* Hoodlums playing games, hoodlums in candle light, hoodlums in the shower. Lots of hoodlums.
* That five-year-old boy with the hole in his jeans. Mmm.
* One word: Carolina.
* Zack and Miles.  Waking up in the morning together and with a book.  Does it get better?

Her Number is (almost) 3 Months :-)

Says big brother Bryce to his 18 month old sidekick Miles:

"That's your tiny little sister.

She's zero.

She doesn't have a number like you.

You have a number. You're ONE!"

Big Miles and the Dropping Game

This is Big Miles.

He sits at the big table now.

In his new chair.

He likes to eat Peanut Butter and Jam sandwiches now-a-days.

And pancakes when his sister makes them.

It looks like Miles has been eating berries in his yogurt today.


One of his favorite things to do lately is draw with the big kids.

He shows me his pencil, wanting me to see just what a big guy he is to be drawing!

He knows he is pretty smart.


Here's a new game Miles likes to try.

In this game, you drop something and wait to see who will pick it up for you first.

Big brothers and sisters are best for this game.  They love to oblige.

"Mama, it's down there."  Says Miles.

Miles forgets that mama doesn't play this game.

She never wins.

Someone clued mama in about 12 years ago,

that Baby would always drop more times than Mama could pick up.


Poor Miles.

Oh well.

Miles loves mama anyway.

Next time he'll drop something for Zack or Susie to pick up!

Winter Swimmers

One of the most fun things in our Colorado winter, has been getting
the kids into swimming lessons.  I've found that swimming isn't
necessarily standard fare everywhere in the country, but being raised
in sunny California, both AJ and I grew up in the water.
Learning to swim is just a good idea when you're going to be
hanging around water for recreation.

In North Idaho where we spend most of our time now-a-days,
the hot summer season is shorter, but we still spend a lot of it in the
lakes and streams.  It is really really good to see the kiddos catch on
to staying afloat and learning their strokes!

This year Aloria joined the ranks of swimming learners.
Isn't she just the darling-est thing ever in all that swim get-up?!

Our lessons take place at 5:30pm and we've had great instructors
who've fit seven children into two classes that overlap so we can
get out of there in an hour(!)

Still with the convenience of all that, it is a full-on sprint to get out
the door with 7 towels, swim caps, goggles, shoes, warm clothing over
swim garb (since it IS winter and there IS snow on the ground)...
then to get hair up, caps on, kids in, kids out, dried off, socks and shoes
onto wet feet, collecting of all said garb and paraphernalia and phew.
It's a workout just rehashing it!

A few fun photos from swim lessons :-)

WAHOO!  Come'on summer - we'll be ready for ya!

Afterglow

Sitting in the semi-darkness with my feet up on the coffee table,
white lights sparkle softly over my bed and behind me on my
"Every Day is a Party..." sign.

It's ten o'clock at night, but things are just finally quieting
as two big fellas turn down the volume of their boyish laughter,
and two toddlers find their eyelids too heavy to continue in their
after-being-tucked-in hooliganism.  My littlest chub has been
sleeping peacefully for a while.

This afternoon I taped an invitation to my big girl's bedroom door.
"Come join me for a Girl Date tonight!"  it said, and promptly
at 8:00 they did.
First we painted nails - so unique from one another, my girls.
One wants light pink, one wants red on her toes and glittery green
on her fingernails.  My eldest wants only a bit of glitter on her toes.
She doesn't like to be noticed.

After that, we made chocolate muffins  - one minute each, in a mug -
then topped them with yogurt and raspberries.  I offered a dollar to
whoever finished the whole thing.
Only Olivia.
The other two will have a lovely breakfast of left-overs in the morning :-)

Finally, all hunkered into my bed (which I find, now barely fits four of
us at the sizes these young ladies are!) plus the addition of three dolls who
joined us for our date, we watched a short Shirley Temple.

Now they too, are tucked.

So the sign over my loveseat ~ "Every day is a Party..."
apparently it's true.
At least it was tonight.  Or it can be if I make it so.
Not only that, but even after the "guests" have left my room and it's
less giggly and more peaceful, I believe there's a bit more party to be had.

Shall it be a movie?  Maybe a little bloggy chatter?  Or perhaps...
perhaps I'll pick up a pencil and whittle away at a new piece of artwork.
Whatever, it will be lovely.
I have my twinkle lights and a candle and the day's not over quite yet!
And don't you know?

Every day's a party :-)

~A work in Progress~

Carry On Jeeves!

Oh boy.
It's that time of year again.  Time for wrapping up loose winter ends at the Idaho
cabin and packing up the belongings we live with daily in order to head toward
Colorado.  There we have a winter haven closer to AJ's work and where the kids
can take swimming and music lessons more conveniently.

You would think I have a system by now, but even with the familiarity of all this
rigmarole I find it difficult to pack the things we are currently using every day.
It's simply a reality that packing is a last-minute affair.

It's ok.  This marvelous cabin is more and more together by baby steps and
in that regard, easier to winterize.  This year we had gravel put down on the driveway,
some trees cleared, berries planted on the trellis, and a front deck built on the guest cabin.
Log piles cut up to reasonable lengths and piled neatly, rogue firewood moved into
the woodshed, and lots of clean-up trips to the dump.

We played hard this summer.  We also accomplished some forward progress on this
place.  And now the flurry of oil changes and studded winter tires put on, summer clothes
sorted and put away, freezer emptied, pantry cleaned out...
and all this while still trying to live oh-so-daily life :-)

Each of the kids has his own Rubbermaid tote for packing personal treasures and
possessions in.  This year Bryce has his own and it's been rather entertaining to see
what makes the cut.
When poking around in his loot I drew out a couple rattles and baby toys, holding them
up doubtfully for scrutiny.
"Oh no Mom!" he quickly assured me, "I packed those things for Miles!"
And that was the last word on the subject.