Dress-up

Luke says, "You look like a boy dressed up to pretend he's a cowboy, Seamus.  I look like a real live explorer."

Saturday Gak

We used this Gak recipe and the boys are having tons of fun...as you can see.

Merging, or Starting Fresh with Five?

 People in Winnipeg don't know how to merge.  There are only a few places in the entire city where it is necessary, since Winnipeg doesn't have any freeways.  And still, I expect people to get it: If you drive the speed of traffic, that gap is big enough for your vehicle!!  If you sit on the side of the road waiting for a gap at a total standstill, you will never find your opening....and I will be here, stuck behind you (stupid head).

I learned how to merge by necessity.  Bakersfield was a 20 minute freeway's ride away from Shafter, and Bakersfield was where the interesting stuff was happening (don't get me wrong - Shafter's volleyball in Mannel Park, and yearly 4th of July Parade were pretty darn fun, but Bakersfield had a movie theatre!).  If we wanted to get to the FUN, we learned how to merge early in our driving careers.

In relationships, merging is much more complicated because you can, and have to, expect the other drivers to take you into consideration.  It's not just about speeding up and jumping in.  Sometimes you just don't click.  And sometimes you spend so much time looking around at everyone else that you forget what you're supposed to be doing!

Our family is in the middle of merging.  It's pretty distracting, and sometimes difficult...for some of us.  Seamus has no trouble at all loving the newest member of our family.  He just adores the idea of having a baby around to kiss and hold.  Luke is pretty worried what another little brother is going to do to his lego projects, or his complicated maze of train tracks.  Derek has to schedule ten minutes into his lunch time just for saying good-bye to all the little ones.  And I somehow have to work a fourth person into my sleep schedule, my homeschool schedule, my menu planning and laundry...not to mention the current difficulties I have in just walking and sitting and sleeping while pregnant.

I've been using this metaphor of merging as I think about baby #3, and then I found this painting.  I painted it in November 2007.  Everyone on my Christmas list was in the middle of some "New Start", and I was considering painting each of them a unique symbol to represent a new phase of their life.  Kathy had a new baby, Amanda was pregnant, I was pregnant, Sarah just moved to Fresno, Mom had an empty nest, Dad was doing something just for fun (for maybe the first time EVER), Melissa was considering a big move...



Maybe this metaphor is more helpful in considering our family life with baby #3:  A new start.  It's not exactly that this baby has to jump in our busy lives.  It's that we all have to pull the car over to let in a new passenger, and start down the road again - start fresh - with Five.
 

35 Weeks

Luke Says, Seamus Says.

 We have a guest for a few days: J'Mark!  He's a really popular guy in our house because he does excellent animal imitations, plays rock, paper, scissors indefinitely, reads books with all the voices, and tosses giggling little boys up in the air, or holds them "up-see-down" (Seamus says) if they're really naughty.

My favorite part of having one of my favorite people in the whole world here for a few days (besides having an awesome role model of someone who helps clear the table after meals), was having an inspirational artist to teach Luke his art lesson this morning.  How special to get a lesson in drawing expressive forms and faces from J'Mark!!  Of course we ended up using a Ninja Turtle as a model...because it's John-Mark, after all.

I should note that this is a turtle John-Mark drew very simply so that Luke could follow his directions.

Seamus says

I like the dump-o-wings with sass-kup (translation:  I like the dumplings with ketchup).

Daddy drives his hat around on his truck (referring to the WBS decal).

We love one 'chother.

Let's read Cutie and the Beast!

You're so smart, Mom.  You're just a smart guy.

(to Elaine, at church)  You gotta take your sandal off and SMACK! the scorpions, okay?

Luke says

Finders keepers, losers leapers!

Our neighbor has orange hair with a crack in the middle.

me: Remind me to wash your jacket tonight, Luke.
L: Okay, but only if I remember.

J'Mark!  I'm dead!  Come check in my pockets to see if there's anything good.

Seamus and Fall Colors

Last week I harvested all my zinnias because there was a risk of frost, and I didn't want to lose all the marvelous color before I had to.  The colored glass in the South window showed off the zinnias quite vividly in the Fall afternoon sun.  Seamus and I had a little photo shoot just for fun.

Slow Saturday Mornings

Beans beans, the magical fruit

I have had a pretty rough couple of days.  Luke is into mischief and my tolerance level is very low...which is a recipe for disaster.  If you can believe it, this little bean escapade was actually intentional!  Yesterday and today I planned fun activities for us all to do together, that didn't include getting dressed, leaving the house, baking something, or anything having to do with christmas preparations.  It was just what we needed.  I need to remember that messes are sometimes fun, that playing is more important than checking things off the to-do list, and that most of the time Luke is driving me crazy, he's not trying to drive me crazy - he's just trying to have a good time...and I need to get in the spirit and stop being such an old fuddy duddy (thank-you Doris Day).  I'd show you what we did yesterday only we decided to give them as Christmas gifts, so it's going to be a surprise! 

A Little More Sunshine

Luke and Ally go way back, so even though Ally is uncomfortable with most children, she puts up with Luke's hugs and sweet, "I love you Ally"s.

Who doesn't love working with a pickax that's bigger than yourself?

Considering sprinkler problems in Auntie Sarah's backyard.

Baskin Robbins 31 Flavors!!  Grammy's fondest wish.

Picnic in the Reedley Park.

Trying to catch minnows.  This boy was undressed as soon as he saw water.

Everybody loves you John-Mark, you can stop being so adorable.

To wade or not to wade, that is the question.  Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous name calling (lily-white legs!!) or bare legs against a river of troubles, and by opposing, end them.

She's got it, she knows it, yeah yeah yeah.

We all thought we were rolling up our pant legs so they wouldn't get wet.  We didn't take into consideration the splashing four-year old who, every few minutes, came running up to us through (his) hip-deep water.

We later figured out that the poles went inside the tent...what kind of ridiculous tent-designer designed a tent you have to be inside of to erect?!

Seamus's turn on the family heirloom rocking horse.

Luke says, "I wanna show you my skateboard tricks, Plain 'Ol Grammy!"

*LOVED*

VERY bold.

For sure it was warm enough to slip and slide in California, while in Manitoba there was confectioners sugar scattered all around...it was sugar, right?

Bubba bubba bubbles

There is much bubble blowing around here ever since I dug out the fun blowers (which I bought at the end of season last year and put so deep in storage that I didn't find them until the end of this season).  But the real skill comes in another kind of bubble blowing...chewing gum.  Adeline has endeavored to teach Luke the trick of it, and with much picking up of wads of gum blown out on the ground and re-chewing ground gum (because we can't waste bubble-licious), Luke has now officially mastered the art of bubble blowing!

Seamus was enamoured by the bubbles coming out of everyone's mouths and couldn't figure why he couldn't just stick his tongue out and make one too.  Well, kid, first you gotta learn to chew gum without swallowing it!

Bubbles.  Learning nonsense skills.  Playing in the sun.  That's what friends are for...