Outside

A couple of weeks ago we finally got the trampoline set up, and the kids' area of the yard is taking shape. Last night marked the first major injury attributable to this lovely piece of equipment. Erik sprained (possibly fractured - they said treatment is the same regardless) his ankle. And so yet another trip to the doctor's office was made. I would tell you all the medical stuff we have been dealing with over the past four weeks, but it's all just too annoying. Chalk it up to life experience.

In other outdoor happenings, Djeryd has been studying the Oregon Trail in school. He has become obsessed with all things Trail. One day last week he came home from school on a very wet day and decided to make a tent like a pioneer. Since it was raining, I assumed he was speaking hypothetically or simply planning some fun things to do this summer. The next thing I know he had constructed what you see above and was actually lying down in it. Please keep in mind that is only a bed sheet over the top of him - hardly waterproof, and the blaket underneath him rapidly absorbed all the moisture from the very wet ground. Sean took the picture through a rain-soaked window pane, that's why it's so blurry. Djeryd does the funniest things. He is so creative and I love how he pursues things that interest him. P.S. He didn't stay in the tent more than five or ten minutes before coming inside - it was really wet and cold. Another thing I love about him is that when he came inside he was all full of ideas on how to make his tent work better next time.

Mad Science Sunday

Meet Djeryd (a.k.a. the mad scientist host of Einstein Online). Something I love about Djeryd is that when something grabs his interest it becomes an intellectual passion for an adventure-filled interval of his young life. On Saturday he went to a chemistry workshop at a local grade school and came home wanting to mix every substance he could find in the house and document his ground-breaking discoveries. On Sunday we were privy to his first ever science show - Einstein Online (clever name, me thinks). He showed off his newly acquired knowledge, until Sean could take it no more and decided to dive in.

Yes, that is my love surfing "easy home science experiments" on his iPhone. Yes, I roll my eyes, but I love it, too. ;> Once Daddy got involved, Erik was right behind him as a handy assistant.

The results were (aside from a very fun Sunday afternoon for the entire family) a colorful illustration of density ("Lorraine, you're my density." - you go, McFly!)

Playing Around

My kids have been on a game-playing streak. They have been playing board games for five days - straight. It's crazy! They play Chess, Othello, Guess Who, Chutes and Ladders, Stratego, and Uno. I'm sure there have been others, but I can't keep track. It is so fun to see them enjoying each other's company in such a calm, relaxing manner. I am also grateful their sportsmanship has improved and we don't have to listen to crying fits when someone loses.

I love it when Anna joins in the fun (or should I say when the boys let her join in the fun). She is a kick and really understands a surprising amount for a three year old. In Guess Who, she can ask identifying questions and give accurate answers, although she needs help knowing which people she has eliminated on her board.

Because the boys have been so buddy-buddy lately with all this "gaming", Annabelle and I have spent a considerable amount of time hanging out together. I guess this is preparing me for when the boys head off to school and it is just me and Anna at home. She is incredibly entertaining, so I am really looking forward to it.

This is her most current form of personal entertainment: singing on the living room table. She wiggles her hips and flings out her arms and sings "loudy". Her favorite song at the moment is: "I Don't Want to Get Off the Table". Like I said, she is extremely entertaining.

Flying High

Meet my very own World War I Flying Ace (a.k.a. Djeryd). Apparently the skies looked friendly this morning and Djeryd has been in them all day. The couch served as his initial aircraft for about an hour. After that, he donned his parachute and bailed . . .

Once he hit the ground he began construction on a brand new aircraft, unparalelled in design for the times. I had nothing, absolutley nothing, to do with this. He has been working on it for hours and, with the plans he has for his cockpit, I think it will be many more hours before he pronounces it "finished".

He did take it out for a test flight, sans controls. I hope he makes it down alright. It looks like he's spotted a good crash-landing spot, just in case his landing gear doesn't engage. Good luck, pilot, and "may the force be with you." (Oops! wrong movie - that always happens to me.)

Cinderella's Slippers

I told you I'd post a picture. Gorgeous! Love Goodwill!

Love these shoes!

And love this girl!

(What a darling shoe model.)

May Day Festivities

May Day is one of my very favorite days of the year. What a wonderful thing to celebrate spring and flowers. We spent the day flying kites and crafting outside in the beautiful springtime weather. The kids pulled out their new kite for the first time and played for literally hours in the field, running back and forth, watching the bright colors fly high in the sky. After dinner the kids put on a May Day show full of jokes, songs, magic tricks and dancing.

The grand finale`. Happy May Day!!

Blessings of Bare

There is a lot to be said for stripping your house down to the bare bones. We are all getting quite comfortable, and actually enjoying, our nightly tradition of hauling the living room table into the kitchen to serve as our dining table (we no longer eat in the dining room - one less floor to keep clean). We wind up all very close crammed around the little table. There is something about sitting directly on the linoleum that makes us all feel a little giddy - like we are breaking a rule and getting away with it.

Another perk of having a virtually empty house is that there is nothing to do. Consequently, we talk. We play tickle games, and one or two of the board games salvaged from the packing boxes to help us ride out these last few weeks. A trip to the library is monumental, providing bedtime reading material for a solid week, instead of library books being tossed and lost among all of the other books in the house within hours after bringing them in the door (we ALWAYS have at least 50 library books checked out - we have had to seriously cut back in order to keep the empty house looking empty - library books have never felt so precious).

The kids have a modest-sized toy box with a handful of toys in the family room. The result - they actually play with the toys! There is nothing else to do so my kids have dumped out the pillowcase full of blocks nearly everyday and then actually built something with them. It's amazing! They say blocks are one of those timeless toys that allow little imaginations to run wild. Before the extradition of all other toys in the house I would have said, "Yeah, right." But, no more. I am a believer in the power of blocks. My children produce castles, caves, parking garages, car ramps, race tracks, and compounds (complete with courtyard, main house and hidden sleeping quarters). The list goes on.

I have had the wonderful opportunity, now that the zoo-i-ness of "remodeling" is over, to get serious about being a great mom again. I am amazed at how easy it is to lose track of the good stuff and why I do it. This slight lull between transitions is turning into a blessing of peace and serenity in our lives. We can do nothing but wait on others at this point, but we are blessed to wait in a splendidly sweet manner.