While I Was Away

Now I understand why Patric suggested that perhaps I look for some cowboy boots while I was gone....

What good were the Star Wars toys doing in the attic anyway?

I hung this shirt out of the laundry last night with no clue what it had been through until seeing this picture this morning. Good job on the laundry Patric!

Suspiciously getting past bedtime while playing with grandpa.

I think that's what grandpas get to do, and I hear that he spent a wonderful birthday with the grandkids.

I Guess Not

I guess I took a blog break after all.

When Nicholas looked at this, do you know he didn't really dig in right away--he was very interested in finishing the picture he was drawing. In fact, he is sharing Patric's with him because he turned-down ice cream at the ice cream store. They didn't have any carrots, so he was lost.

Ben.

Ben didn't have any problems choosing or consuming.

And I think he enjoyed.

Elaine.

Plain vanilla please. Nice and neat.


Alida--chocolate chip with a big old mess.
She was sure to point out that she had eaten the cone when she got all the way down that ice cream that was as big as her head.

And then they moved on to help Patric finish his. Notice Nicholas is really just trying to finish drawing his picture.

Maybe Yes, Maybe No

We'll see how I do on a picture-a-day during workation.

Goggles courtesy the bushes outside the cabin this past weekend.

Roundup

On the trip wherein my brother and I drug our spouses and children to the vacation spot of our youth, we found little had changed.

Relaxing with Noah and mom in the morning.

There was ice cream.

Meandering downtown, if you can call it meandering.

Horse rides.

Admonishments.

Relaxing with a morning cup.

Painting.

Did we mention horse play?

They're getting pretty good at this.

Re-visiting of old restaurants.

Did I mention a perfect baby?

Playing marbles in the Stuber fashion.

Pawing the perfect baby.

Swimming

A little toy gun posse.

And it was all topped off with a cave visit of course. Because what trip to the Ozarks is complete without a visit to a cave?

Perfection

Perfect baby.

Perfect maniacs.

Perfect weekend getaway.

Blogger Hates Me Today

Pictures are freezing my posts.

(And my phone is in the bottom of my van somewhere, mom....)

And so much to share from a great weekend getaway too. Argh.

Back in the Saddle

His first time back in uniform since deployment.

When he got home that evening, the kids were not going to let him alone.

I don't think he minded sharing.

This Picture

Is a first for me.

Halloween costumes in all family photos from here on out.

Zombies

Ever since the failure to pre-screen an episode of The Batman where zombies took over Gotham, the kids have asked to watch it every.single.night.

When I was putting Alida to bed after the first viewing, she looked up at me and said, "Mommy. When I'm a skull, I'm going to be a HAPPY skull!" Oh, well. Okay. Sweet dreams.

The same night, Patric spent quite a bit of time laying out his plan for the boys to protect them from the zombies, even though we all agreed they weren't real.

Two nights ago at dinner, we all pondered whether zombies could swim or not.

At least they don't act like them all the time.

And it's nice to see that Elaine's home-made haircut is beginning to grow out.

Spontaneous Pledging

One benefit of pre-school--having four kids that can spontaneously break out into the pledge of allegance at any given time.

There Will Be A Test

There is always a test.

Brothers. They're a bit easier to understand.

Sisters

It occurs to Patric and I more and more that neither of us have a reference for this relationship. It is a force of its own, and it is mostly an amazing thing to watch.

And it is a very different thing than being brothers to be sisters, that much is easy to tell.

Come on Fall

The Cupcake Incident

Pre-school cupcake parties.

I have opinions layering on opinions about birthday parties for toddlers/pre-schoolers and invitation lists and organized parties and then the pre-school cupcakes and goodie bags that you are nearly obligated to turn up with on your child's birthday. All that alone, there is this:

as I do the rounds before finding the children last night, picking up homework, seeing if everyone has had a green day or a red day, checking boxes for information sheets, I run across a single cupcake in Nicholas' box.

Phooey.

Time for a quick life lesson.

Here we go.

The maniacs spot me and come running. All eyes, except Ben's, are on the cupcake in my hand. Then I hand it to Nicholas, and the girls have a fit, and I explain the situation to the girls matter of factly. Alida doesn't let it go and falls in a heap. She cries the entire way out of the center; she cries getting into the car; she cries as we drive off.

After a short conversation where Nicholas lets me know the girls are upset because they didn't get to sit in the front seat and Ben corrects him to let him know that, in fact, Alida is crying because she wants a cupcake, this follows:

"I know. I'll split it in half and share it with you Alida!"

"Can I have some brother?" asks Elaine.

"Sure. I KNOW! We'll cut it in four halfs."

(I started the math lesson but decided to shut my mouth and let this play out.)

"But, Ben already had a cupcake so he doesn't get any," Nicholas declares.

"That's right," agrees Ben.

"Okay sisters but after dinner and mommy will cut it with the knife."

And do you know, that's exactly how it played out.

An Eclectic Labor Day

A Pirate with his Robin stick.

Bubbles at grandma and grandpa's

Airplanes of course.

Ben is particularly pleased to be the grandson of a flyer.

Boating with Uncle Matt

Worn out.

Airplane maintenance.

Alida and grandpa

Cookies from grandma.

Wet Chalk.

A garden hose + board swing in the backyard.

An amazing rose on the Light Brite.

Mess, movies and naptime.

And then they came home and my three days in my own home without cartoons came to an end...