Wednesday, July 27, 2011

My sneaky kids.

Well, again the summer has left me not blogging much. Between getting the plans ready for the ark and trying to keep up with the chores that needed to be done between deluges as well as entertaining some fairly muddy, or on all out rain days cagey kids I left blogging to a day when I could get to it.
But every now and then I have a conversation with one of my kids that leaves me thinking...I really can't pass up putting that one online. Last night I had one such exchange.
Nadine can't help but tell on herself. It's like she's aching to tell me how tricky and sneaky she is but she's irritated when she then becomes busted. She doesn't see the correlation and for that I'm thankful.

Nadine (running in from outside): Hi mom
Me (working on dinner and not looking): Hi sweetie what are you guys up to? (in cheerful tone)
Nadine: Oh nothing. I'm just walking up the stairs sideways with my hands behind my back.
Me: What are you up to? (stern tone)
Nadine: oooooooh nothing. Not one thing.
Me: Bring whatever you have here.
Here I'm imagining her with frogs in one hand and mice in the other heading up to add them to her 'collection'. She likes to collect whatever she finds.
Nadine: Moooooom I just want to take it upstairs and I promise to throw it away.
Me (unable to leave my post that moment at the stove): WHAT! Bring whatever you have to me right now and show me.
Nadine: Can I just tell you what it is.
Me: Yes tell me while you're walking over here to show it to me.
Nadine (while making an audible huffing sigh): Ok fine, it's just a dead bug.

Ryan is also notorious for telling on himself.
Me: Ryan did you dump the dogs water?
Ryan: Yes mom I did
Me: Didn't I just ask you not to dump the dogs water
Ryan: Yes mom

Braeden has become BUSY. I've lost a lot of stuff to him in the last little while. Well not really lost it's more that I know where the stuff is but it's inaccessible to me. For example all of my container lids are now stored conveniently in the very small space under the dishwasher. I am totally aware of their location but am not able to access the services of those lids. Some things I'm fairly confident have headed down the toilet and a lot of stuff is inside the water jug that we water the dogs with. Those things are accessible it's just really really really hard to shake them out of the water jug. So he keeps me on my toes. I'm thinking of reorganizing the kitchen to leave nothing in the bottom cabinets at all...like nothing. His vocabulary is growing as is his charming and somewhat determined personality.

This summer all the rain has made the weeds and seemingly the kids grow. The kids have gained some height, and I've been successful at growing Canada thistle and hawksbeard that is as tall as I am. I'm hopeful that it will be dry enough to successfully weed the garden soon.
The kids have taken up eating more than Tim and I. I'm happy we're adding 12 more laying hens to our farm as the kids are each eating 2 eggs every morning, yes even sometimes Braeden...yeesh I don't know how I'm going to afford to feed them when they're teenagers.

Well we're now at the what I refer to as the relentless request portion of our morning so I should go try and seem maternal.

It's been really wet. A good year for mushrooms and frogs.
and mom's lilies
a happy lap full of peeps
this backhoe does a great 360' the rest of us are learning to stay out of the zone.
these two are evolving into very good buddies.
Braeden is often found sliding, and then climbing up and sliding again, sometimes head first sliding leading to a face full of grass or dirt. He's happy with any kind of dismount.
just fiddling
and more fiddling.



Thursday, July 7, 2011

I seem to have no title for this.

Ya, so it's been a while. Between my lack of time and a vow of silence (sort of) I haven't been on here much. I realize though that there are a few things I really should update you on.

For example. In case any of you  have young boys who are obsessed with construction equipment and are having trouble potty training them, Ryan gave me a few things to think about with my extended (albeit long since successful) potty training extravaganza with him. Recently while he was working his magic he told me "Mom, I've dumped a big load into this pot and now my bum is empty."
Now there was an approach I'd never tried with him. Make it into a Bob the Builder "on site" episode. I'll be locking that away in the vault for the point that I have forgotten the scars of potty training and start in with Braeden. Unrelated to potty training. Ryans working on this move here.



Braeden continues to astound me with his leaps forward in development. He fancies himself quite a little big man. He is blissfully unaware of a size or ability difference between him and his siblings, playmates, parents, or any other person. His lack of size can sometimes frustrate him. He's at this point only able to clear the bottom cabinets and he'd really like to get at the higher ones. He can, and has, moved the chair to the counter to get on the chair, to get on the counter, to get in the upper cabinets. He's a problem solver that one.
We've lost a few toys to the toilet, and I'm sure some other things that I'm not aware of. We've also lost a lot of sleep. The mosquito's are very fond of Braeden's softy lily white chub. I have thereby spent many a night skritching his itchiness. He continues to work on a few new teeth, several new words, and his temper. He's pretty much got the temper one down pat but he likes to keep up the skill of expressing his frustration and discontent. You'd hate to get rusty at something.

Nadine came to me yesterday and declared "A very sad thing has happened!" Now as she carried her trough from her playmobile barn set she showed me Betty. I didn't know she had a pet fly named Betty but she did, and Betty had died, and it was very sad. A sad, sad day indeed. We've laid Betty to rest in with the hosta plant that is waiting to be moved outside.
Nadine: She was my very good friend and I loved her.
Me: Well aren't we glad we had the opportunity to have her as a friend.
Nadine:  *sniff* WAAAAHHHHH
Me: *tries not to smile* Awe honey I'm sorry about Betty.



Anywho, aside from all of that. I continue to take a idiotic amount of pictures. I'd like to say I was running regularly but between Tim's schedule, my schedule, and the kids schedule, I'm content to fit it in now and then and work toward that being a regular part of my life when all the other parts of my life become regular...we'll see.

I found this and it made me smile.
http://geniustypes.com/signs_of_insecurity/
now for a barrage of photos
Canada Day
One of my favorite Veterans :)
a bit of macro stuff

the kids sharing a 'comprello' (I wish I could figure out how to spell what he calls quinoa)
Ryan on his new digging delio
beginnings of a highway
pretty classic family picture, everyone has one. Boy on backhoe, girl with 4' high giraffe...
Nadine blissfully riding at a family bbq
Charming McCharmypants
Braeden likes to spray the water hose.
often at people
but when you take it away to go inside to get ready for bed...sadness
woeful despairing sadness.