Bright and Early Adventures: Day 1

We started the day at Target, staring into the windows willing it to open just a few minutes early. At 8:00, the employees opened the store and I discovered my favorite time to shop Target. There was one other lady there, but otherwise, we had the place to ourselves. The younger crew chose new lunchboxes for school, and I sent the older one after several boxes of cereal. We we out the door and into the car for the next part of our adventure.

We arrived at the Nature Trail right at 8:30am, and the weather was just over 70-degrees -- with a slight breeze and the birds' choir at full-volume, it could not have been more perfect. It took awhile for me to convince the kids to keep their voices down so we could enjoy the nature-sounds, but after a large rabbit bolted and all they saw was the tail, they calmed down.

The next time we were near a rabbit, they did all get to see it. We searched for letters in the trees and flowers and tried to spell "school" by taking photos. Though I did hear a little bit of whining that the trail was way too long, when we got to the end, they all looked at me with confusion and asked, "Is that it?!"

Our next stop was within walking distance, but we moved the car because it had our picnic and towels. We stopped at the park restrooms, then loaded into the car to change into swimsuits and sandals so the kids could enjoy the splash park. In line with our mostly-perfect morning, just as the kids finished dressing, two more minivans showed up, but they were our friends. With eleven kids ages 5 to 9, everyone had several playmates, and we mostly had the entire playground and splash park to ourselves. The kids splashed a bit, but they mostly built forts and played army, had teams that changed every hour or so, took prisoners, played house, climbed the rope web, raced to the slide, found logs and stones to change the forts, and did all the things kids are supposed to get to do all the time (at least that's how I remember spending all my summers). There were a couple tears when someone tripped, and the three of us adults were interrupted several times with questions about lunchtime, but otherwise, our kids played well for nearly four hours. After lunchtime and more playtime, we all headed home.

The kids changed into dry clothes and sat outside enjoying popsicles. I was afraid they might be tired of being outside, but with a high in the upper eighties (quite a treat for mid-August in Texas) they stayed out until I called them in. I spied them laying in the grass sucking the popsicle juice while they watched clouds. I saw them working together to get the swing really high. Ben caught a big black cricket and was watching it. Maddie was sitting on the window of the playhouse, kicking her purple sandals while she leaned on the wood and watched her brothers.

When Allen and I were talking about the kids practicing some acts of kindness this week, he suggested I get the sale-deal the local grocery store was running -- if I purchased a large box of single-serving chips (lunchbox-sized bags), I would get a bunch of other lunch-type stuff free (bundles of bottles of water and Gatorade and boxes of cookies and granola bars). The kiddos helped me carry the treats to the car, and they were excited to ring to doorbell at the fire station. When the fireman answered, the kids gleefully exclaimed, "We brought you treats!" Strangely, it reminded me of a backwards trick-or-treat. The firemen gave them a really quick tour of a fire-engine, then we were off again.

We had a 3:00 meeting at Will's new school so he could pick up his iPad for the year. He was beyond thrilled to get the high-tech gadget that will be one of his main tools for school this year. But, I popped his bubble when I said he couldn't play with it until later. We got home, I crashed. I don't understand why the kids didn't want to rest, but they should sleep REALLY well tonight.

Tomorrow is another super-busy day that we will start really early. I think the high is supposed to be 87-degrees, so it should be another gorgeous day to be outside.

Potty humor

Will: Who wants to see a moon?
Ben: You're just gonna show us Uranus
...

and it does NOT help that we learned at the planetarium that Uranus is considered one of the four "gas giants."

Patience, please

I really want to update the blog. I have great photos that we've taken over the last month that I am excited to share, but I can't yet. I've reached my limit on photos and there isn't a fast fix to make room for new on Blogger. It will take me a while to make room for new photos because I need to go back to the first few years of blog posts and delete photos... one by one... quite the headache. Please be patient with me. School starts in two weeks, so I should soon have a few minutes to work on it. Until then, you can imagine what we have been doing: more zoo camp, kid-time at Gramma's and Granddad's, a mini-vacation with Allen and friends in New Braunfels, a family reunion in California, getting ready for school and buying LOTS of school supplies, Innovation Camp (for school) for Will and me, enjoying Allen's two and half weeks off from work, and more.

PS - if you know of a faster fix, please let me know! I don't really want to start a new one.

Saturday Morning Peace

We shrunk our kitchen table the other night. With all the leaves in, it can seat eight to ten people. We took out three leaves and made it comfortable, yet snuggly, fit six of us, so we could all reach the board when we play family games.
Allen is on-call this weekend, so he had breakfast at the small table – his computer took up half the table, and two kids eating while watching cartoons took up the other half. At first I was a bit frustrated to not have a place to sit and eat, but then I took it as an invitation to sit on the back porch --- in the quiet (or at least where I can’t hear superhero cartoons).

I sipped my coffee while I read a book. The morning was calm and overcast. Just a slight breeze every so often – enough to make the chimes almost whisper at me. I sat there for an hour, listening to the birds. The mama mockingbird sat on the fence making angry kissy noises at me for awhile. She let me get really close to her fledgling last night to take a picture, though, so I wasn’t sure why she was upset with me. Then I remembered Shadow was at my feet. When I put him inside, she quit squawking at me, and actually came pretty close to grab a cricket from the yard. She seemed to communicate with her tail -- raising it, lowering it, turning around to look behind her, turning back to me to whistle. Eventually, she flew away to either check on her family or catch more bugs, but she still checked in a few more times before I left. Meanwhile, Mama Bluebird was keeping watch over her house. I assumed she knew me by now, since she didn’t hesitate to swoop in to feed her trio a little breakfast. The light pink crepe myrtle blooms swayed slightly in front of her home.

While I sat, I thought about writing a list of all the little sounds I was thankful for, but there were other senses that were happy, too. The mid-July temperature was more than perfect in the lower 70s. The wind tickled the hairs on my arm as it seemed to say “Good Morning” to me. A juvenile cardinal landed on the fence – its neon red splotches on its wings looked out of place on the olivey plumage – but it proudly sang a song that sounded a little bit like a cardinal, but more joyful. I wondered if the mama cardinal was nearby with a look on her face, like I sometimes have when my kids sing – thinking to herself “how cute!” and “how off key!” at the same time.

In the trees around me, I heard many birds, though I only saw a few this morning. I heard crickets and cicadas singing their mid-summer tunes, and again, the mockingbird came to check on me. The clouds rolled and I could see a bit of blue peeking through. I knew the day will be warmer soon, but I wished I could just freeze these few minutes to enjoy longer. The breeze brought me a fresh scent from the basil plant on the table. My cooling coffee smelled rich – I made it a bit too strong this morning, but that just made my porch-time feel more like a vacation.

My to-do list for the day is long – errands to run, meals to make, closets to reorganize, weeds to pull, books to read, lessons to study – but I just wanted to sit… and listen…and watch…and feel…and smell… all the beauty that surrounded me on the dusty porch. My shoulders relaxed. My breathing slowed. I felt like God was with me for breakfast. All the beauty was his way of saying, “Good morning. I love you!” And Mama Mockingbird returned for another chirp in my direction. She flew over the red and yellow garden blooms to the leafy clump in the tree where I suspect she has a nest. The cicadas turned up the volume. Cardinals in the distance filled the neighborhood with song. I’ve stretched my quiet time another half hour as I’ve written this, but my children are calling. I hope in all the busy-ness of today, I think to set my alarm for tomorrow so that I can come out and enjoy it all again.

Little Tex

I was excited to get close enough to the baby Mockingbird to get a picture. Who knew such a young little chick could like such a grumpy old man?

Fourth of July Annual Pictures

Our first Fourth of July family photo was taken in 2008. Every year since then, we have tried to set up the same photo with Jon on my lap, Maddie on Allen's, Will sitting between us, and Ben standing up in the back. This was the first year the photo was not actually taken ON the fourth, but we took it the same week, in the same place that several other photos were taken. Some years, this has been my favorite family picture, but this year that's not the case. One of our children (ahem, Will) decided he didn't want to smile. Maddie and Jon are less than thrilled to still be sitting still waiting for Will to at least look like he isn't in pain. Thankfully, Ben is cheerfully smiling in the back.

... sure....NOW he smiles.

All Through June: Status Updates

Some of our day-to-day activities, photos, thoughts, and Facebook status updates from the last few weeks:

June 2 - Saw the sun rise with my family, picked blueberries for three hours, finished ice-cream and muffin for breakfast #2, and got back on the road just as temps hit low 80s. Productive way to spend 5-10am on a Saturday morning.

June 2 - We picked blueberries, I bought and replanted about 35 plants, I even got the freezer restocked and saved more than $100 at the store. Sweet kind of a day!

June 3 - Menu for tonight uses up the end of our 2-wks of produce and fresh herbs from the garden: marinated grilled pork chops, cucumber salad with Greek yogurt dressing, and sweet potatoes with orange-thyme butter.

June 4 - Survived our first day of VBS with 17 8-year olds (11 of them are boys). I am always nervous going into the week, but it's already so much fun. I need that many kids to fool me into believing four at home are "quiet."

June 6 - Zippidy Do Dah! We had 19 kids and 2 teens today. :) Somehow it went better than yesterday, though. Aiming for two dozen for tomorrow.

June 12 - The boys have been busy. I may need to pad the wall before the train starts it's run.

June 12 - Day of construction: 3 boys building with Lego, 1 boy with Geotrax, 1 boy with Polly Pockets, 2 girls with girly Legos. Surprisingly quiet with 7 kids in the house.

June 12 - The kids often let the flies in. Flies drive me crazy. Inspired by the darn bugs, Will got a Venus fly trap... And named it. The plant is still a baby, and just got it's "jaws" today. Yet... The kids now INTENTIONALLY leave the door open... Why? "So flies come in and Sarlac can eat and grow." There are flies EVERYWHERE because they are bigger than the plant that is in a lidded terrarium. Quite frustrating. ...  It came with a pitcher plant... Maybe that can be Audrey II :) kids keep looking at me oddly when I say, "feed me, Seymour!" in a weird voice. Maybe THAT'S why they leave the door open :)

June 13 - I was hungry for sweets. I resisted. I had a large glass of water and went to decorate my garden fence since my last scripture washed off. I always forget how much fun chalk can be!

June 14 - Ben: MAMA!! Jon put his finger in MY mouth and I made it slobbery. ... I'm mad that he put his wet finger in MY ear!!

June 14 - Maddie: I AM IN BED NOT MAKING ANY NOISE!!!... shouting heard twice from upstairs, at the other end of the house. Oh, the irony....

June 15 - Will spent another week at a VBS with friends. We finished the week playing with his friends and their families (now official OUR friends) at the spray park, then we tried to be hidden as we searched for a letterbox. It's hard to be "hidden" when our group looks like we belong on Captain Kangaroo with five adults and ten children.

June 15 - Spent the evening with my girl friends and their families. We celebrated Simone's birthday with a rainbow cake. On the way home, our family stopped to watch an awesome lightning show in the sky. What a fun day!

June 16 - Note to self: when riding my bike without a target destination, turn around and head home just before the burn begins. At least I can count it as a workout, since I had to keep enough of a speed to keep my sunglasses from fogging. Completed about five miles!

June 17 - From Allen: What can we learn from this? Ben doesn't like buttoning shirts. Jon is a helpful sort. Maddie is stronger than she looks. Everyone pitches in to get us to church on time.

June 18 - Is it a bad thing that I know the ER staff by name without reading name tags? A rough (long) evening ended with some priceless moments with my niece, a tummy full of steroid, and now lots and LOTS of little girl giggles as the clock approaches midnight.

June 21 - New recipes this week had my kids fighting over the last of the baked kale and spaghetti squash casserole. Tonight 3 of the 4 enjoyed roasted zucchini topped with Roma tomatoes, fresh basil, and just a bit of mozzarella. It's so much easier to eat heathy foods when the kids enjoy them, too!

June 22 - Sialia still thinks she needs to sit upon these eggs that should've hatched a month ago. :( I'm just glad to have her nearby :)

I spoke too soon! She has laid four more and added them to the first four. That's a lot of eggs!

June 26 - Planning to chill for a day and a half while Allen is here for meetings. Too hot to be on the balcony, though.

June 27 - This is really the best way to have a vacation. I planned on paying for my meals, but the company sponsoring Allen's conference covered all the wives meals, too. Since we drove here, I was only out the cost of the pedicure, and I loved spending the afternoon at the spa -- steaming, massage chairs, rainfall showers, and finishing up a good mystery novel.

June 28 - It is definitely easier to shop for a vehicle without kids, but I really hate shopping for cars.

 
June 29 - The quiet has been nice. I've read several books and caught up on my Bible study and blog. I'm ready for my kids' hugs now, though. I'm excited to see them tonight -- not so excited about three hours on the road.

June 30 - We spent the weekend with my parents. Dad and I spent most of his birthday (today) together working on business stuff, talking about the past, talking about the future. The kids enjoyed fishing and swimming in the lake. The boys are all getting to be pretty confident in the water. Will was excited to show me he could jump off the dock and swim.