What a way to end the day...

Last Friday, we went down to the bay and
did this...















...and this,














...and it ended like this.

After our picnic and watching sea otters in the bay, we let the kids play on the new playground for a while. "A while" ended up being all of 5 minutes. Andrew was climbing on the backs of the "sled dogs" (I'm tired, and a good way to explain them escapes me. A picture truly is worth a thousand words, and if I remember, I'll try to post one), and in the process of stepping from the head of one dog to the back of the next one, he fell. Neither Mark nor I saw it happen. We just heard the blood-curdling scream, and he came running toward me dripping blood all over his face and hands...I couldn't even begin to see where the blood was coming from. Seeing the blood on his hands just made him cry even harder. (Side note: A child dripping with blood is a good reason to be grateful that your husband carries a handkerchief in his pocket).
We got the bleeding slowed down with cold water on the hankie, stopped at the gas station for ice, and headed home. He knocked out his other bottom tooth (it was a bit loose already, but it hadn't been quite ready to come out), and his two top teeth were/are knocked a bit loose. He had gashes on the inside of his lips from his teeth, and we couldn't tell if his nose was bloody from the fall or just from all the blood in his mouth.
That good ol' tooth fairy showed up, and she's a quick learner...she knew this time to leave the tooth and the money. I'm sure she was tempted to give him at least ten bucks for the trouble he went to getting that tooth out, but her prudence prevailed and he got four quarters instead. I think it helped sooth his pain a bit...and if you don't get grossed out easily, you should click on the bottom picture to enlarge it and check out that lip-poor kid!

Hide n' Seek

Anna often plays in her room...I just put the baby gate at the door, and she plays quite happily by herself for hours. Well, interspersed by time with Jacob and/or Andrew who just want to go in and play with her-it's quite sweet.
I stopped by her room to check on her, as it was a little too quiet in there. I peeked in the door, and around the corner, and couldn't see her anywhere! This is how I found her, "hiding" in the corner of her door-less closet!

Friday Funnies

The other day, the boys were discussing flying on an airplane...where we would go next (to see Grandpa & Grandma in PA), maybe we could take a cruise there instead (there was a cruise ship in the bay right then, and bummer that no, it's not by the ocean), when we would go (we don't know yet), how do airplanes fly in the dark (they have instruments that tell them where they are and lights at airports so they don't need to be able to see), maybe we could take a helicopter (no, they don't go long distances like a jet plane), where could we take a cruise ship to (to Hawaii, hopefully we'll have saved enough to go for Mark's 40th in 5 years), etc, etc, etc.

The boys continued their discussion while my mind began to wander. A few moments later, I tune into Jacob telling Andrew that when we go on an airplane next, he will have to bring his piano and the little guitar, and Andrew will have to bring the big guitar and his drums. I ask him to repeat what he's just said, hoping that comprehension on my part will be forthcoming. No luck.

Finally, I simply say, "Jacob, what are you talking about? Don't you think that would be too much to bring on the plane."
"But mom, we need to bwing our inst'uments to fly the aiwplane in the dahk!"

Summer!

Summer came on July 29th and 30th. We really enjoyed it, and Anna got to wear shorts for the first (and last, most likely) time of the season! Couldn't resist posting pics of her darling pigtails to commemorate our summer!

Helicopter Pilot

This baby's too much. Please send dolls and accessories.

Gardening Kids!

We have some great neighbors that live just diagonally across the street from us. Megan (7 yrs.), and the twins Collin and Kylie (5 yrs.) spend lots of time out in our yard, and the boys spend a bit of time in theirs, as well!

I was out trying to reclaim a garden spot in the front yard, and they asked if they could help...why of course you can!

I think at this point Kylie and Jacob were in the backyard playing on the swingset. That's what I love about having these kids over...everyone has someone to play with! Andrew plays equally well with Megan and Collin, Kylie and Jacob always play pretend together (a forte of both of theirs) and Megan is a superb baby-entertainer when Anna and I are out with them all!

Drumming

Andrew's a great brother, isn't he? Letting his baby sister play along...she's the instigator, as she loves playing his drums!

Butterscotch

We brought Butterscotch home exactly one week after Sally came home! As you can see from the pics, the girls get along just fine! Butterscotch is very much a "people goat," and is convinced (rightly so!) that Andrew is her boy! She will follow him around and play chase in the yard with him!

As to be expected for an "older" goat (she only just turned one year, but compared to Sally...), she can be quite headstrong and not respond as well to coming when she's called. So oftentimes, much to her chagrin, I will have her on a leash, while Sally just runs and plays around us like a little puppy!

Butterscotch is very vocal, and will talk to me whenever she sees me in the window, or talks to the boys when they come out...and gets persistent about it if they don't head over to give her some attention right away. The other day she started talking away, so I looked out to see what was going on. Jacob was headed by the pen on his way to the swingset, and wasn't even stopping to say howdy to her! :)

As we suspected, she does assert herself as "queen" sometimes. At first it seemed like a definite "putting Sally in her place," as she would butt Sally off the top of the little house in the pen. Then, it turned into more play, as Sally tries valiantly to butt back! I don't know how their rules work, but I find it quite amusing to see the different positions they end up in for sharing the space!

I had read that goats like routine, and whoever wrote that wasn't kidding! We got ourselves (the goats and I) into a regular "bedtime routine," which cracks me up b/c all of the parenting books encourage you to have the same with your human kids! But at bedtime, I go let them out of the pen to wander around the yard while I change their water buckets, spot clean the stall, and refill hay/minerals/baking soda. It didn't take long for them to discover the willow and alders in the front yard, and Butterscotch is undeterred in getting to them! (Which is sometimes okay, and other times I worry about the dogs in the area. I've told her that until she learns to enjoy the alders in the backyard, she's going to be on the leash)! Then, I let them back in the pen-sometimes leading Butterscotch with some fresh branches (she is getting better, as I used to have to carry her back at times). They had started complaining about being penned up. So, for two evenings I broke off some of the alder branches to put in the stall, with which they settled right in. Well, two evenings creates a rule in a goat's mind, I guess, so now they holler at me if I don't bring the branches right away after I pen them up!

I know this may seem strange, but I find I'm genuinely enjoying these routines and "goat chores." I suppose part of my perspective comes from the fact that after being cooped up with three small children all day, it gives me a respite from the routine, time to be outside by myself, some space, or maybe it's just something innate from becoming more self-sufficient, back-to-our-roots type of independece. Or maybe it's just because Mark takes on the kids' bedtime routine more often...he knows I've had a rough day if I head out early to put the goats to bed! (My husband is such a good man, btw)!

Kindra and Jordan went with me to Anch. the day I picked up Butterscotch. Kindra and I love it when a chance to go to town works out, since we get 4 solid hours of time to talk and catch up on life. Jordan, being a true animal-lover, made a valiant case for tagging along, claiming she could keep Butterscotch calm and happy in the back. She won, and she did exactly what she said. :)

Certain words

There are certain words a mom doesn't like to hear, words that just make her groan inside.

Want an example?

"Hey mommy, we found lots of worms! I just keeped 'em all in my pocket...see?"

Crock Pot

Have you ever worked on making a terrific beef stew...you know, browning the tender meat chunks and all the veggies in olive oil to get a nice color and flavor before they simmer? Keeps them from all getting mealy and dumb, you know. And have you added all kinds of yummy organic veggies...carrots, celery, onions, zucchini, corn, even some spinach leaves? Browning each ingredient and adding it to your crock pot as you go? And then had the satisfaction of cutting fresh rosemary sprigs from your plant that you grow in front of your house, rosemary that will simmer and smell wonderful and make it even more delicious? And then have you ever gotten all that flavor from browning everything in olive oil whisked into a nice red wine beef stock? And then, have you ever had all of your nice, brown, organic, flavorful ingredients all set in the crock pot just in time to sweep the floor for company coming that night and then get four children (add an extra 8 mos. old-a crabby, constipated one at that, to your usual mix) loaded in the van for swimming lessons, errands, and soccer practice...and then your crock pot is ready to just have that savory broth poured over your stew...and then dropped your crock pot on the floor to smash into sundry pieces?

If you haven't tried it yet, don't bother. It's heartily discouraging.

PS: If you do want to try it, make sure that at least earlier in your day that you don't have a full, old, hot water bottle stick to your counter when you go to move it, which rips a hole in the side resulting in a flood all over your counter and floor. If you try both of these in one day you might have to post a blog about the whole thing as part of your therapy. Good night.

Sally's Home!

Well, these first pics are two weeks old already!
We brought Sally home on July 19th...I don't who was more excited-me or the boys! We transported her in a dog kennel w/ hay, and she did great for the ride home. She cried for about 10 minutes, but not another peep after that. We stopped at T's to let her out to go potty, get a drink, etc...but she wasn't interested in even getting out of her kennel! Then we stopped at my mom's to have lunch before heading home. Because she didn't know us well yet, I was very worried that she would run off and we wouldn't be able to catch her. So we put her on her new leash and collar for a potty break and to run around a bit. At first (thankfully while I was holding the leash, and not Jacob) she raced around the yard frantically, presumably looking for Lucy and Belle. So sad! Mark and I had to head into the house to get everything packed up from spending the night, and my mom, bless her heart, couldn't stand to have Sally out all alone crying in the yard. I'm sure that she never, in all her days, expected to be cuddling a goat! But, Sally's so sweet, she makes you want to hold her! Then she was quiet the whole way home, but very nervous in her new home. She was "shivering" and didn't want to come out of the kennel. So I think for the first night we left her in it, but with the door of the kennel open, in the stall. And though I was anxiously listening for any sound of trouble through the baby monitor (yes, we had to get a new one for the goat since the whole dryer incident), she did okay through the night.

And then there's Abby!
This pic is exactly how Abby spent the entirety of Sally's first three days! Just watching her every move, not aggressive or mean...just very curious! At first, if Abby tried to creep closer when Sally was near the fence, Sally would quickly hop through the hole in the wall into her stall! But after a few days they were sniffing noses through the fence, and Sally didn't seem nervous at all around her.


Well, after about 4 days, Sally was getting pretty lonely. We spent lots of time out in her pen, and walking her on her leash around the yard. Sarah had always had cheerios in an old margarine tub for treats, so we did the same to signal Sally to come. Well, she would recognize the treat bin, but wasn't so fond of the cheerios! We tried several different kinds of cereals, and finally hit on the treat she goes nuts for: peanut butter oat "cookies." (Just PB, honey, vanilla, and oats that I bake as "cookies" for breakfast). Once we found a winner, we started letting her off her leash to explore, and except for the fact that she likes my irises, it works great! She comes right away for her treat!
Anyway, she's definitely a momma's girl, and will follow me around everywhere...even tries to follow me into the house. And she was just, well, so lonely, poor little herd animal with no herd yet, and just out in her pen crying for me to come get her while she watched us sit at the table for dinner, that, well, I couldn't just leave her sad and dejected out there all alone! So there were a few occasions that I would just bring her in, holding her and letting her sit with us at the table while waiting for the boys to finish dinner! One night she actually was falling asleep on my lap!

Well, after a few nights, she started trying to jump out of her stall to follow me after I would put her to bed. The stall walls are about 4 and half feet high, and her head was visible above the top with every jump. So, we added a plank for height to it. Still, she would try to jump, and sounded soooo sad! So, we experimented with the dog. At this point, I was far more nervous about Abby being around Sally than Sally was. So we shut Sally up in the kennel, and then put Abby in the stall for companionship. Problem solved. Worked like a charm. No crying, no trying to jump out of the stall (after a few nights we did leave the kennel door open with Abby in there, too). So far, all two of the animals on the farm getting along well!

Part of Andrew's morning chores is now to let the goats out! (My clever husband built a door in the wall of the shed that connects the outdoor pen with the indoor stall). We shut them up in the stall at night just for an extra measure of security against stray dogs and bears. (Not stray bears, mind you. Well, maybe bears in a neighborhood would be called stray bears? Hmm). So, Andrew heads out first thing in the morning (finally-something that gets that boy out of bed without saying "But I'm too tired to get up") to open the door, stays to pet them and chat a while, checks that no poop has fallen the in the water bucket, etc! He loves it! (Jacob doesn't have goat chores yet. While he likes them and all, they're, well, not quite as at ease around him...but can you blame them)? :)

Heaven (or...how to get there)

Jacob and I had a most delightful theological discussion at bedtime last night. He was settled in to sleep, and he didn't want me to stop rubbing his back. So, we chatted a while, and our conversation went something like this, though I'm sure I'm not remembering it all exactly:

Me: Jacob, you are such a special boy...God has great plans for your life, you know.

Jacob: What are they?

M: Well, we don't know yet! You just have to choose each day to do what God wants, and He'll show you what He wants you to do and how to be. And then someday Jesus will come back from heaven to get us!

J: Where is heaven?

M: Well, the Bible tells us that Jesus went up to heaven on a cloud, so we think it's way high up in the sky.

J: Can we get there on an airplane or a heliwopter?

M: No...we have to wait for Jesus to take us there.

J: Did Jesus go on an airplane or heliwopter?

M: No, he went up on a cloud.

J: Or maybe on a buhd!

M: No, not on a bird. Jesus is so powerful that he could get up to heaven all by himself. But if we want to just fly, we need airplanes or helicopters.

J: Or God!

Birthday Bowling Party!

Finally, the much-awaited bowling party day arrived! Andrew had been asking for this for his birthday since we went bowling for Rebecca's party...back in April! I think he was as delighted about the whole event as he hoped he would be...never mind the fact that he bowls like a 15. :)

I wish the camera could capture Jacob's delight in watching his pins knock down...he's so funny to watch!

Anna got to the point of clapping for everyone's roll...even for the group on the next lane over!

We went back to Kimberly's new place for cake and presents afterwards. He was thrilled by the upgrade in rocket cakes (funny how an extra day to work with in party preparations makes all the difference). And he was delighted by the presents he received...as was I! I love it when my family gives useful things that he loves...like camping flashlights and devotional books and fishing waders and sandals and money for a drum stand and curriculum for the next school year! (I'm sorry if that's cheating...we don't use all if it for school stuff; and as it becomes more of budget line item, hopefully we won't have to do that at all. But for now, it's the way it goes)!

We still can't believe this boy is six years old already...he's such a neat kid. He has a heart to do what is right (most of the time), and has an open heart to learn Scripture. He is intensely curious about what makes things work...and has a great sense of humor!

Nuggets

Two little nuggets of info you might not know you're missing in life:

1. Baby monitors do not like being tumbled in the dryer w/ a load of damp clothes, and will refuse to function ever again.

2. It's easier to take a rectal temperature on a goat than on a human baby.

You're welcome.