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Thursday, July 29, 2010

How to make Chores fun

Even now I can here my mother's voice telling me, as a child, that I could make chores "as fun as I want them to be." Of course I listened closely, rolled my eyes, and stomped off to grumble my way through toilet scrubbing and bookshelf dusting. NOW as an adult and Biblically-minded wife and mother, the list of chores only grows longer and more tedious. I want to pass on a bit of my mother's advice to my children. Often this is best shown by example. 

Today I needed to wash our flea invested dogs. UGH-UGH-UGH! I also needed to blast way spiderwebs, dead bugs, and leaves that had accumulated on our outside toys. Oh! And wash the porch and water the flowers. I dressed the boys in fast drying clothes and we headed outside for our water party. Since we live with Alabama summer,  we must stay hydrated to beat the sticky clingy heat that even a shady tree can't chase away.  So we brought along...

Ice cold water (arrangement by Samuel)

I planted David somewhere safe 

And proceeded to wash the dogs. I do NOT have pictures because it was an ugly mess. I tether each dog to the tree and make a soapy mess all over the driveway as I wash them down. Upon release of their captivity they both promptly go roll in the grass to remove the nice smelling flea and tick soap I've used. Hopefully I've killed the army of unwelcome pests. 

Then Samuel "helped" me wash down all of the toys. His giggles were worth his impeccable aim as he showered me with cold hose water.

The giggles could have been due to his mom shrieking and running while shielding the camera.. 

Mia helped dry the toys while Dakota stayed far away from a possible re-bathing.

I then reacquired the water hose and doused the plants, porch, and Samuel. We finished off by filling up the pool and came in for an AC break and lunch. I'd say today's chores were worth the gritty wet mess the kitchen floor now displays.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

A new addition

You know how big your 1st baby child looks when introduced to the 2nd baby? Well I'm experiencing the same thing in the pet world! Welcome Mia (on left) to our family.


5 month old BALL OF MISCHIEVOUS ENERGY

It makes our still quite youthful Dakota seem like an old man. I've watched them interacting and tried to keep my distance as they adjust to each other. NO LIE, I see Dakota give her the "(grumpy) you've got to be kidding me" looks on a daily basis. Though I'm quite tickled at his obvious lack of enthusiasm with our new gal, it makes for some comical entertainment.  They do wear each other out and try to sneak in the house for afternoon naps whenever they see a vulnerable moment in me.

still working on ladylike behaviors

Here are some of the boys...
Celebrating Uncle Matt's birthday. When David DOES decide he wants to crawl, I'll no longer get to throw the baby on the table for easy feeding.

I know Samuel will grow into this reading chair sooner than I'm ready, but for now it swallows my big little boy in comfy goodness. 

Come on David--- knee, hand, knee, hand, knee, hand--- Oh well

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Recyled in the hot tub

We've made time to go the the pool at least once a week this summer. With 2 small diaper clad boys this requires some finesse. I'm feeling quite proud of my packing skills. We typically tote along: 
  1. swim diapers
  2. face sunscreen
  3. waterproof and sensitive skin baby sunscreen
  4. snacks
  5. extra clothes
  6. diaper bag
  7. blanket, pacifier for David
  8. drinks
  9. pool toys
  10. towels
  11. cellphone, keys, money
  12. Cousins
I've got it down to 2 bags, towels slung over one shoulder, the baby on a hip and Samuel juggling a pool toy or two! Some days, like today, I'm just not in the spirit of adventure and we settle for splashing in the baby pool at home.  This can get old very quickly and so today I ciphered thru the trash waiting on the porch and cut out Samuel size buckets. He was thrilled to scoop up the too warm water and dump it on David, the driveway, or in his dump truck.  David is just as content with our without a toy in hand. He prefers to splash and giggle at Samuel's antics.

A shout out to Milo's tea for providing the entertainment.

 Can't blame Dakota... its hot!!!

Precious!

Birthdays and house fires

Though our schedule has slowed down somewhat, our lives spiral around young boys. The energy never ceases (nor does the whining) and both boys soak up everything around them. David is on the verge of crawling, but seems content to let his brother do most of the toy fetching. I'm working with Samuel to encourage toy sharing--not snatching!!! Besides juggling the boys we've had some eventful happenings. To best illustrate I took note with my camera...

 

Our house is old AND rickety and OLD and amateur wiring keeps things working. Apparently we had a wee bit of a house fire without our knowledge recently. Tim was checking to see why our hot water had ceased to be hot and discovered melted fuses. OH THE JOY!

We also celebrated Samuel's birthday with a cake made by Grandmother (Tim's mom) and lots of friends and family. Thomas the Train is certainly at the top of Samuel's favorite so it was easy to decide how to decorate the cake!


My picky son has decided he loves corn. I'm okay with this. He is branching out!!! So when I'm feeling lazy exhausted then it makes for an easy dinner night. Bon Apetite!

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Tiger the Rooster

I may be a city girl stuck in the country, but I'm a big girl and I can handle the rooster. 
Tiger. 
He struts his stuff and coddles his hens. I've observed the king of the pen for quite some time and have never had a fleeting thought that he would disrupt my world. 

Now lets rewind a couple of days. I was feeling friendly and saved all our food scraps for the chickens. Needing to stretch our legs and use up little boy energy we set out for an afternoon stroll. The chickens were out of the pen and roaming freely enjoying the fresh cut grass and bugs, but as soon as they saw me head for their coop with a scrap bag in hand, I was suddenly quite popular. Now keep in mind I have David strapped to me in a sling and Samuel tagging along. 
It was an easy mission. Step in the coop. Drop the scraps. Exit and walk home. 
But as I was backing out of the pen I was suddenly on the rooster's hit list. All I saw was feathers. The crazy rooster was nipping at my bare legs and moving at lightening speed. I can image an onlooker watching me streak through the yard holding David (although he was strapped securely) and grabbing for Samuel. Then it occurred to me that I was actually bigger and supposedly smarter.  I halted and turned to face my adversary. Swinging my legs out in a marching band style and waving my arms I gave that rooster a good show.
It must have stuck because today when I went to check on the egg layers, Tiger gave me another good show and I (having learned nothing from the other day) gave a compelling scream and run for the broom.

DISCLAIMER:  My loving husband only request was to locate a video camera...for next timeFunniest home videos still exists apparently.


Monday, July 5, 2010

Happy Birthday Samuel!!! (a little late)

This little man has rocked our world. Who knew sleepless nights and snotty shirts could be so rewarding.... 
Inquisitive. Squeals that could shatter glass. Affectionate... at times. Expert climber. Loudly mischievous. Independent.