Summer electives

This week, in Science for Summer...

Spiders: some things really make you appreciate glass


Hormones & Bacteria: what they can do to you, why you should care, and what you can do about it. (It's accelerated course.)


Heat & Humidity: why you really don't want to do your Physical Fitness badge in the middle of summer. in the South. Let's just play in the sprinklers. Please.

Art: Hey! The basement stays cool! Let's play there!

Getting ready for the Harry Potter premier tonight! See you later.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Easter.

Huh. I'd posted a couple days ago about the recovery process here in Northern Alabama. But it's... gone. Ah, I guess Blogger was doing something while I was posting, perhaps? Ah, okay. I'll have to write that one up again, later. Right now, I'm geared up to get these Easter pictures up.

Easter was lovely. We have such a fun mix of ages. James "hunted" eggs by walking with the littles and making casual remarks like, "Oh, that tree would be a lovely place to hide an egg!" and "I wonder if the Easter Bunny likes horseshoes?" Emily and Jase would squeal with delight as they discovered their treasure after acting upon these "subtle hints". We had so much fun watching him at work.

Emily helped Jase, too. And Jase just had a wonderful time. I think he still checks the yard when he goes outside to play.

Jacob is at that wonderful age where he's able to find, able to help, and still young enough to be really excited by his own discoveries. Every year, I think this is it - I couldn't possibly enjoy these kids more. And every year, they surprise me with their joy and their depth. This is a really cool gig.

Sharon generously took about a bazillion shots of all of us together. I need a super editor that can paste the heads from other shots onto the one that's the best of most of us. Until then, this was a relatively decent family photo. The last one of the year, most likely. Next time, Jase won't need to be restrained and James will probably be taller than I. Wow, where does it all go? I could have sworn I was right here for all of it!

We hope your Easter was just as blessed as ours. There is, truly, so much to celebrate.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Color us contented!

We are notoriously non-crafty people, Zorak and I. As such, we tend to forget (or blow off) the craftier aspects of holidays. Paper chains, doily hearts, and even, I'm sorry to say, Easter eggs. Every year we insist to one another that we'll do better. Every year, we experience some kind of neurological twitch that blows the whole thing, and the kids end up bringing us unearthed boxes of egg dye in September, asking if we can use them now. Well, not this year!

This year, we dyed those eggs. There were rainbows, and layers, and wax. (And plenty of supplies, from prior years' boxes...) The kids really got into it, and just did a fantastic job. As a matter of fact, we're so flush with the joy of pulling it off that I'm thinking next year we'll go Big Time and try Pysanky. (That gives me a year to remember to buy/build/borrow the pens... someone remind me of that in a couple of months?)

I think a few factors really came into play. One, the balcony. There's room, there's light, and there's absolutely no worry about messes. It's like having an actual studio right off the school room, but one I don't have to *clean*. Another is the round yard sale table Zorak picked up last year. It's a fantastic table for doing crafty things - sturdy enough to handle Jase clambering about on it, large enough to fit everybody comfortably working around it, and at $10, I don't feel compelled to worry if it gets stained. Actually, between the Christmas cookies, the gingerbread houses, the kite-making, and now the eggs, it's starting to look quite colorful and festive.

The kids and their attitudes make the whole process infinitely more enjoyable than we are prone to expect it to be. I love them for that. And finally, I think we're just wrapping our minds around how much these things can mean to the little guys when we can relax and let it be about what it ought to be about: spending time together, doing something delightful, learning something new, and enjoying the whole thing. So, that's what we're doing. Pretty crafty!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Newfangled Technologies, and Springtime

It's the end of March! Sheesh. Well, here we are. Or, here we were...


Z's Granny celebrated her 97th birthday this month. She went out dancing for the actual event, but her daughters put together a family get-together in Texas so that everyone could come. This is the first time since we've left New Mexico that we have been able to make it out for something like this. In the past, there's always been something - too broke, no vacation time, vehicle transmission died, children got sick... Needless to say, we held our collective breaths until we actually arrived at our destination! It was a great time. The kids had cousins galore to run and play with, and they did. All the children got loved on by their Grannies and other people's Grannies, and total strangers who they were assured were relations of some sort or other. It was pretty awesome.

Upon our return, we found that Spring had arrived! And so, we got to work on projects. First up, the dishwasher. We got word some months ago that our dishwasher had been recalled due to spontaneous combustion. Never a great thing. So we hammered out the details and got a new one, using the rebate offered by Maytag, supplemented by our willingness to pay a little extra not to have to either put out kitchen fires or have to do dishes by hand. (Maytag did offer to replace the faulty component at no cost, but considering ours leaked heavily enough to soak a beach towel each load, we chipped in for the full replacement machine.) It's in, now, and seems happy. Hard little worker, that one. I have pictures, but they're on my phone and I can't get them off.

Zorak's shoulder is healing beautifully. It aggravates him no end, because he wants it to be all healed rightnow. Of course. I can't say I blame him. Thankfully, it's a self-limiting thing - if he tries to push it, it pushes back and makes him stop. I think, in general, he's doing splendidly, and handling both the healing process and the frustration very well and with a great attitude, which we all appreciate.

The washing machine is our next project to tackle. I was going to wait for Z's arm to be back in the game, but the washer leaks and now the dryer makes a horrible racket (sounds like someone kicking dogs in there, it's awful!) With the amount of laundry we need to do, and how small the washer is to begin with, the non-stop squealing, spraying, wailing (that last bit is me) really needs to stop. We can avoid the squawking dryer by hanging clothes when it's not raining. But we've got to do something about the leak before we're all driven mad by a return of the mold! James agreed to help me with that.

Actually, the boys have all been fantastic about helping out around here. John built a rose garden bed for EmBaby. (Pics are held hostage on the phone.) Jacob helped Jase put in strawberries around the tea garden. (Yep. This danged phone is killing me!) EmBaby decorated every flat surface in honor of Jase' birthday.

Yes! Our Easter Baby is three, now. THREE! He was so un-ruffled over it, too. We've had two who refused to turn three, and two who kind of hoped they could maybe be four, or three-and-four, or just skip straight to five. Jase just nodded and said, "Yeah. I'm three now." It's all good.
Oh, have mercy! It's all going too quickly!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Oh, did we get a treat!

We got snow. And not just our regular 1/4" at a time...
We had enough to sled...
To build snow forts...
To sled some more...
To have snowball fights...
And to stump a toddler!

It was beautiful! We had about 8", here at the house. Beautiful, fluffy, cold, thick snow. We've been at it for two days. Tomorrow, it'll be mostly ice. We'll probably play in that, too.

Happy New Year!
Kiss those babies!
~Dy

We Do Love Our Food

If I could say one really terrific thing about 2010, it's that we made some great food. (Evidenced by the fact that not a one of the children will remain in the same size clothing for more than a week or two, and it's all up-up-up!) We've made some changes in the kitchen for 2011 that will make it infinitely easier to work together on our kitchen fun. I'm looking forward to it.

Tamales - this is Zorak's Christmastime tradition. He loves doing it, and the water bath canner works perfectly for larger batches (plus, this saves it from the shame of being a unitasker, per Alton Brown).

We left some for Santa. He was very good to us, in exchange. I erm, I mean "he" was especially tickled over the fresh pico de gallo.

We found a new pecan pie recipe! I know, I know, this comes very close to announcing, "We have reinvented the WHEEL!" But it's true. This recipe is very different from traditional pecan pie, but it's oh, so very good. OH so good. It's the recipe on the back of the 40 oz. ALAGA Original Corn Syrup. I can't explain it. You'll just have to come over and we'll make you one.


And, of course, there was the annual decorating of the cookies. There were an awful lot of zombies, skeletons, and ghosts. I suppose the Halloween folk like to get their Christmas colors on, too. Amy has assured me this is normal in a house full of boys. And none of her boys have been banned from the bakery, or singled out for profiling. So I just decided a few years ago not to worry about it. And EmBaby? Well, her brothers were so proud - all of her monsters had bows and pretty dresses.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Game Changer!

I'd promised the boys we would go see Harry Potter 7 (um, 7a, I guess) at the IMAX theater. We'd planned to go opening night, but we had the plague. Then we continued to play some hideous version of hot virus potato well into December. So. Fine. We hunkered down to wait for the opportune moment.

I penciled in The Opportune Moment for tomorrow (Friday). However, today (NOT Friday), at four o'clock, was the last showing at IMAX. ARGH. Thursdays are notoriously busy in the afternoon. There was no way I could pull this off with zero notice.

The boys, while disappointed, were shockingly cool about that. So that made it that much sweeter when all the stars fell into alignment, creating that cool rainbow-like effect from the "The More You Know" PSA's. But with some other background music. I'm a little fuzzy on the details.

We printed off our tickets, finished up our school work, picked up the living area, and did a quick de-hillbillifying of the front porch (I do not know how it gets that bad, I swear). I left a list with Zorak of Stuff We Tend To On Thursdays, and presto-changeO, (How do you write that, anyway?) we were on our way!

Now, we don't go to the movies much. It would cost about the same to take the whole family to one movie as it would if Zorak and I were to take a romantic weekend getaway. Which, incidentally, we also don't do, so why would we go to the movies often, right? Right. So, much like I imagine a weekend getaway would be (and yet, in a completely different way), we find "going to a movie" pretty darned exciting. And this wasn't just any theater, this was an IMAX. We hadn't been to one before.

OK, first thing, if you have ANY balance issues, AT ALL, get there early, go way to the top, and then bribe people to go get your refills for you. The curvy stairwells will eat you alive, otherwise. You'll also look like a total dork if you try to duck when Voldemort flies at you from somewhere in your peripheral vision. Don't worry about him, just look out for those stairs!

I don't know what the boys' favorite parts were. They said, vaguely, that the whole thing was pretty great. And, as we may not have been the last three people in North America to see this thing, or read the book, I don't want to give anything away. So I'll just say this: I loved watching it with James and John. They are a *blast* to watch movies with, and I hope they'll still take me with them when they are older and don't need me for transportation or snack money.

Also, we should just buy two tubs of popcorn at the outset and not worry about the snack bar closing down before we go back for the second tub.

And, I have the coolest husband on the face of the planet, who really pulled it out of thin air to make this happen for the boys, in spite of his deep desire to not hear a thing about the movie (that was actually a condition for facilitating our escape to the theater). He gets a cape and a sparkly crown, and we won't even make him actually put them on. We'll just frame them and put them on the wall, so that all who enter here may know that we love him enough not to make him wear the cape.

Kiss those babies and superheroes!
~Dy

Spirit of America

John and Jacob worked the Raingutter Regatta for their Cub Scout Pack at the Point Mallard Spirit of America celebration on July 4th. So we packed up the crew and headed out, together. Em wore her obligatory wings. And Jase did perk up considerably, once we let him out of the stroller so he could keep up with the rest of the crew.

It was hot-hot-hot, but it was a wonderful time. The Scouts of the Greater Alabama Council had so many different booths set up, from derby cars and pedal cars to water bottle rockets and a rope bridge. We weren't expecting such a great turnout -- it was a very pleasant surprise.

All of the boys who worked in that heat really did their Troops proud, and they made the festival a huge success.

Of course, there was funnel cake, and BBQ. Live music (a particularly spectacular treat, here in the South - we still, five years after arriving here, have not ever heard a poor performance), and hands-on booths.

There were flags and copies of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution available. And we truly did celebrate the Spirit of America. As always, a humbling and recalibrating day.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Our John-John is ten!

In the blink of an eye, the turn of a phrase, that split second between a joke and the punchline, he's gone and turned ten. And what a fun, loving, witty ten he is. He's getting more adventurous, too.

We spent the day with Me-Wa and Me-Tae, having lunch (yeah, on Father's Day - I know, but sometimes the schedule doesn't really give us much wiggle room - our waiter really jumped through hoops to help get us in and out quickly), then going to the movies (Toy Story 3, John's pick, and it was great that the whole family could go and enjoy it - there was an absolutely adorable little fuzzy-headed toddler behind us, and all the children in the theater were wonderful - that, alone, was fantastic and amazing!) The 2:15 show was sold out, so we hit the mall to blow a few hours, then headed back to enjoy the 5PM showing.

We didn't break out his Big Gift until we got home that night, just because we didn't want to have to pry it out of his hands every time we had to get out of the car.

(This thing puts the Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle to shame. To shame, I tell you! muuaaahahhaahaaa!)

I'm always touched by John's easy-going nature. He handles disappointments and glitches with a gentle, easy grace that just blows me away. And he bounces right back without blinking, ready to enjoy the next adventure. Onward and Upward! He's silly and affectionate with his siblings. He's a hard worker, and a big dreamer. He does the right thing, even when it's not the fun thing, or the easy thing. He's so much like his Dad, and I could not be more proud.



And, at least when he does go wild and take chances, he's learned to do it with a helmet and padded gear...

So, really, he's set! (Yeah, that's a 15' drop. On a Big Wheel. Sometimes, I just don't ask, anymore.)

Happy Birthday, Sweet John! We love you!

Kiss those babies (they really don't stay babies for long!)
~Dy

This Memorial Day

It's Memorial Day. Do you have someone you'll remember this day? Someone you'll be missing this day, who is serving our country and cannot be with you? Thank you. And thank them. And for those who have passed on, there is no way we can thank them other than by living up to the legacy they've left us.

So today, we'll read this again.

We'll talk about those who have served before to ensure the freedoms we have today.

We'll honor them by doing our best, in every way.

And I'll probably get choked up and cry a little, but the kids expect that by now.

And I wanted to share this song. I love it. It's terribly underrated, and it's beautiful.



Kiss those babies,
~Dy

Post-Mother's Day Recap

Did you have a nice Mother's Day (if you observe it, that is)? We do, sort of. As much as we tend to observe any holiday we might be able to get out of. It's hit or miss, with us. Really, I think there's a sick humor in Mother's Day being observed on a Sunday. What mother's ideal Mother's Day really includes the Sunday Morning Chaos that accompanies, well, Sunday Mornings? Not mine! And I know, it's not like we have an excuse -- church starts at 11:00, we're only half an hour away, and we have everybody showered and clothes lined up the night before. Yet, there you have it. We've become almost entirely nocturnal, and mostly sloth-like before, say ten AM. But, I have yet to convince anybody else we should observe it on Saturdays.

Oh, wait, it's baseball season. I guess Sunday looks pretty good, now, doesn't it? Yeah, love those perspective checks, now and then.

So this year's Mother's Day was nice. Zorak taught the boys how to make French toast, then turned them loose to show off their mad skills. I'm really glad we went with the wider stove. It'll come in handy when they tackle omelets and decide they want to flip them using the pan! Breakfast was delicious, there were no serious injuries, and we didn't even miss the opening prayer!

Then we came home and worked on the property, hauling downed limbs, trimming limbs that refused to down on their own (?), and mowing, mowing, mowing. We got a lot done, until the boys remembered we'd picked up steaks on sale. That's when they began to mutiny. It was a small, absolutely adorable mutiny, as those things go, though. We scuttled back inside to suck down lemonade by the gallon and cook up a nice supper. (Jacob helped with the supper, since he didn't get to help with breakfast. That boy can season a steak just perfectly!)

And so, we ate and laughed, and relaxed for the evening. The boys considered ways to build a "Mom Chair" for the dining table - one that's wider than usual to accommodate an extra child in Mom's lap while she eats. I think they finally decided maybe just putting a back on the bench would be the way to go. Jason encouraged their efforts with his primate-like agility and determination. It was nice. You know, like Life.

And I realized, while going through photos for this post, that this is the closest thing I've got to a recent picture of the whole family... So, at least we have a good idea what to shoot for, for Father's Day, right?

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

It's... um, Wednesday, right?

Right. OK, cool. That means we'll have to leave the house before five (yes, we've become Baseball Vampires, only emerging from our cave for practices and games, at twilight - not as romantic as some might imagine). But today? Today we make the rounds: Egg Lady, Farmer's Market, Veggie Stand, and then to the store for whatever we can't get, there; music lessons, and a side trip for some art study, as well. Then, off to batting practice for John. I wish the crockpot fairy had come during the night.

So far this week, we've had a lovely blend of gardening and land management, academics, and good old fun. I wish I'd thought to jot down the things the kids have said this week, because they've kept me in stitches. Granted, that makes it harder to stay focused. But they're a lot of fun.

Animal Control came by yesterday to pick up three stray puppies that had decided they really wanted to be ours. They were adorable. They were also, unfortunately, much like the Chubb Chubbs, but without the loyalty factor. Or the hope of staying small. They were cute and playful and sweet, with jaws of steel and a vicious street thug attitude when it came to food and other dogs. Presumably, that 'tude extends to small children that carry beef jerky, or are slathered in yogurt. We didn't wait to find out. Thuggery won't fly here, I don't care how cute you are. So, yay, they're gone. I also learned that if you have a stray hanging around for more than ten days, even if it's off and on, it's considered "yours" if you're the one that calls, and you have to sign over rights to it before they'll haul it away. Since it took us a week to figure out they were definitely strays, and then we spent another few days trying to find a home for them, Animal Control Guy said they were mine. Wild.

The boys' music books have completely disappeared. I'm not sure if it's a quiet protest, or just a hard-core case of brain fuzz. The boys seem as baffled as I am, though.

And, since I just don't think I'll ever get around to doing an actual Anniversary Post, it was our Anniversary. Back on the 11th. We celebrated with new plants for the Forever Home, and steaks on the grill at home. It's kind of exciting, not having to buy things like wiring and PVC glue, anymore. Very exciting, to be doing it together. The kids think we're weirdos right now (James and Jacob were angling for a trip to the Longhorn Steakhouse!), but hopefully they'll get it when they're married, and will enjoy strong, happy marriages, whatever they look like and however they celebrate. That's the goal, anyway.

Aaaaaand, we're off and running!
Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Classically Four

EmBaby asks, "Why did God give you an Emily?" Her favorite answer? "He knew we really, really needed one." She always smiles and says, "That's right!" I think she's got a good grip on the situation.

Sunday, she turned four, and so did all her dolls, and all the girls in her favorite stories, and her little ponies. It's a houseful of four-year-olds, if you ask her.


The timing wasn't that hot, on our part. (Not the birth, itself - we all know there wasn't much say we had in that!) But, it was a Sunday, which is a busy day for us. And then someone from work offered Zorak a deer, so there was a drive to pick it up - yes, that day. She had a birthday party/deer butchering party. Bit unorthodox, I suppose, if you don't live in the more remote parts of Russia. We were all busy, getting things done and visiting in between, so that's the best shot we have of the cake.


EmBaby went with Zorak and Smidge to pick up the deer, so I made her wear warm clothes that morning. She compromised by layering. A girl doesn't have to sacrifice feeling pretty just to stay warm, you know! Particularly not on her birthday!


There were stickers, which we are still finding in weird places on Jason. He has got to be the most patient little brother, ever. And there were the People We Love, who came to spend the afternoon with us, and help celebrate her into her new stage with love and cheer.


The felted jackal was fantastic with all the guests and activity. He stayed in the living room, of his own volition, while everybody ate. He didn't terrorize even the smallest guest. He had a lovely time. And when everyone left, he promptly crashed.


And, of course, she loved her annual serenade-by-phone, from LB and her tuneful crew. (Love the outfit. Her brothers picked out the skirt and headband for her. They're pretty good at having a sister!)

And it's shaping up to be a beautiful year!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

A Celebratory Weekend

Zorak woke me Saturday morning with a kiss, saying, "You get your birthday present a day early." I felt bad pointing out that my birthday is in July, not January. I also worried a bit, considering he's known this for 14 years, and he's had the actual date down pat for about eight years, now. But, no. No worries. He had the right date, and the right girl. He also had a beautiful sentiment...

He gave me a gift, to commemorate Emily's birth. A token of the work I'd done that day, and a loving Thank You for everything I do, every day, year in and year out. Talk about humbling! (And here, I was wondering if perhaps he needed a Palm Pilot to keep track of dates! Sheesh, what a dork.) That's it, up there: a pasta maker! I love it!

We spent the day, making pasta, trying new things, laughing, eating the mistakes. It really was the perfect way to honor our family, and all we share.


The boys were helpful and interested, and we all learned a lot. (Let the smoke right out of the pasta bottle, so to speak. That was cool!)


But I think they got a whiff of the whole meat grinder introduction (do you know how long it takes to grind 30 pounds of sausage by hand? *grin*), and while they hung in there and tolerated my weirdness, after a couple hours they dispersed to go do more varying things, like playing with Legos and cleaning the bathroom. EmBaby hung in there, though, cracking jokes, asking questions.

I introduced her to my favorite pasta obsession: CHEESE! Cheese IN the pasta! (Confession, I could eat my weight in cheese ravioli, cheese manicotti, and cheese-based-cheese lasagna. But I never buy it at the store, and I don't order it at restaurants because, either way, it would cost $90 to feed me on that stuff. But now??? Whoooeeeee! Yeah, baby! We're eating right!)


Em is a master crimper. She's awesome. And she's tough. She never left the counter to follow the siren song of Other Things. What a trooper, huh?


"I did it! Can we have pasta on my birthday, Mom?"

Yes, Baby, yes we can. With cheese.

I hope to earn that appreciation, day in and day out, from both him and the children. I know it sounds hokey, particularly coming from me, the Queen of "Suck it up and do yer job, already," but I am honored to be their mother, and his wife, and to have brought these children into this world. There's not another job in this world that would be worth it, to me.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Happy New Year

We've had a quiet, recuperative few days. If I were going to get sick, this last week would have been the prime time to do it. Unfortunately, I waited until tonight, the last day of vacation, to get sick. Gotta work on my timing, but school this week may look an awful lot like the last week did...

(Note how James and EmBaby are kind of trying to smile for the camera. Jake has no clue I'm even talking.)

The kids and the dog are finding their groove. He's a delightfully patient puppy. It doesn't hurt that they spoil him rotten (see here, watching Saturday morning cartoons),

or that he has the choicest spots for leisure...

Zorak and I had romantic plans for New Year's Eve: in bed by nine and out cold by nine-fifteen, at the latest. However, at some point we've taught the children to tell time, and use calendars. No clue what we were thinking. So. There had to be New Year's Activity. We put the littles to bed, as normal, and stayed up with the bigs, playing games, drinking root beer floats, and finally -- completely blowing past the midnight hour in our focus on the game!

We wished everybody a Happy 12:05, at which point they hit the wall and were out by 12:20. Not bad. Not bad at all.

And that sentiment pretty well sums up our 2009. It wasn't what we planned, and some things went horribly awry. Some panned out well, and a few turned out better than we anticipated. In all, it was not bad. Not bad at all.

Happy New Year! And Kiss those Babies!
~Dy