furry friend

 Last week the boys found a vole stuck in our windowwell... yikes!

They caught it in a bucket and watched it play, and (gulp) even fed it some pears and crackers.

A vole is a mix between a mole and a mouse- so it digs tunnels in your grass and flowerbeds.

It has a shorter tail than a mouse. We have them around here since we are surrounded by fields.

 It was actually cuter than I thought. 

Usually we see them after Suki the cat has gotten them and proudly left them on our porch to show us.

 My idea was to let Suki out to play...

The boys were not into that idea and wanted to let him free.

 So for family night, we took a drive down the road to the closest field and let him loose. 

cool plant in the field

We topped off the night with frozen yogurt... seems like everyone was there.

I hope the little vole is running free and happy- away from our yard.

paint by water

 My boys can't get enough of painting with water on the sidewalk. 

So cute, easy and clean!

Elliott even wrote his spelling words like this the other day.

Then of course the boys moved on to painting everything- like the steps, the house and my legs.

see how our garden grows

 Our little tiny garden has produced the perfect amount this year!

The boys love  collecting the cherry tomatoes every couple of days.

 We even had one cucumber plant make it! 

We especially love the baby cucumbers- they are so cute.

We let them get big before we pick them though.

 I tried all different sections of our flowerbeds this year since our garden spot is now covered by shade. This tomato plant grew right next to our blue atlas cedar tree and it's taller than me!

It gives us a few tomatoes every day too. It makes me happy!

 We planted all different kinds of pumpkins this year.

I used a trellis for the jack be little pumpkins and just let them grow up it, just twisting the vines behind it every few days. Such a space saver! I've heard you could even do this with bigger pumpkins.

Cherry tomato on the side of the house.

We bought it from the neighbor girls for $2 in the spring.

There is a bush in the middle and then the pumpkins on the 

trellis are right next to that... takes up hardly any flowerbed space.

Next year when you see the little packet of pumpkin seeds- think of the trellis!

Gardening is such a calming ritual for me and the boys everyday.  

I am so thankful for this beautiful world!

slammed

sad Linc after a too late nap

Oh man- we've been busy around here. I keep thinking things will slow down... we'll get into some sort of schedule. But it doesn't happen. Homework is a fight. Ollie had to get stitches in his chin. Elliott had some mystery sickness and kept missing school. After a doctor's visit and a trip to the hospital for a renal ultrasound, we found out he has a kidney stone. At 8 years old. Huh? I've never heard of kids having them, but there it was- gleaming like a pearl on the ultrasound screen. He feels sick to his stomach and it hurts to pee. We thought it was a bladder infection, poor kid. Pair all this with carpool, helping at the school, babysitting and a husband who has had a couple of stressful weeks at work- it's been crazy. Linc hasn't been sleeping that great either. Since he can climb out of his crib he's always showing up at the side of my bed with his blankie and pillow in hand in the middle of the night or in the early morning. Every night and every nap I have to sit in his room while he falls asleep or he'll just come out. Dang taking the binky away. He used to go to bed so easily. I feel like I'm stranded upstairs the second the boys are in bed. I want my "put the kids to bed at 8:00 and have four hours of free time" back, but it's not quite happening. And my kitchen floor shows it. I'm trying to remember the last time it was mopped? Whew. Here's to a better week. And that Elliott can pass the stone and move on and be my happy little buggies again.

P.S. I know everyone is busy right now, so thanks for letting me get it out.

boys first concert

 We were excited to take the boys to see The Flaming Lips last week, since we know they always put on quite a show. The boys really like one of their albums too, although they didn't get to hear very many songs they knew. 

Anyway- as you can see there were lots of fun things to watch during the show. They had confetti cannons and giant balloons- some filled with confetti. They also handed out lasers... the boys were all about that. Then Wayne would hold things up- like a mirror, and everyone would shine their lasers on it for a cool effect. And let's not forget the giant hands shooting lasers on the mirror ball! It was a fun show!

 

the flaming lips- be kind to animals

Oliver on Adam's shoulders

Linds, Elliott and I hung out on the sidelines...

Elliott got a little tired at the end of the show because 

it was late, but Ollie was still dancing and having fun.

The next morning they were asking me when the next concert is.

And they said their favorite concerts so far are, The Flaming Lips and 

The Beatles (since we went with Adam's parents to a Beatles cover 

band and they knew all the songs.)

Too bad all the shows aren't this fun and are usually in boring clubs where they aren't allowed.

And- isn't it funny how some kids know all the sports guys when they're little, just like their 

dads and they tour all the famous sports fields and live for things like that... which is great!

It's almost inevitable that my boys will make music a big part of their lives. 

I've mentioned before that Adam's brain is at least 80% music and or music gear all the time right?

It's amazing how much influence a dad can have on his family.