Our Thanksgiving

Hope your Thanksgiving was a fun food-filled event. Given the largeness of my baby belly, we opted to stay home and invited family to our place. It was actually the first time in 20 years that my parents didn't have Thanksgiving at their house. What a break with tradition! Thanks for sacrificing on our behalf. My younger brother Eli and a friend of his from school, Zach, joined us as well.

They arrived Wednesday afternoon and my dad commenced with his project: building a custom castle loft bed for my kids. (Just so you don't think I'm some sort of spoiled slave-driving daughter, my dad's idea of a good vacation is working on a project. Really.) The inspiration for the project came from wanting the IKEA reversible Kura bed to solve our small bedroom dilemma of where to put the kids with the imminent arrival of one more. But I didn't want to spend $200 on an IKEA quality bed, as much as I liked the concept. So after several phone conversations and discussions, we settled on a design. More on this in a subsequent post.



While dad cut and sanded the rest of us cooked or played games or made some sort of havoc of one kind or another, giving him a hand when needed of course. Our turkey this year was a free-range 18 pounder that we dry-brined by rubbing salt and herbs under the skin and letting it brine in it's own juices for a few days. Then we rubbed it with a baking powder/salt rub, cooked it breast side down at 325* for a couple of hours with salt pork on top to baste it (that has some technical cooking name I can't remember), flipped it over and finished it off at 425* for almost an hour until it came to temperature. It was remarkably good if I do say so myself. Thank you again Cook's Illustrated!



(So maybe it doesn't LOOK that fabulous, but it was moist and flavorful! We really should buy a decent roasting pan and v-rack.)

Rounding out our menu was:
-mashed potatoes
-candied sweet potatoes
-southern style baked corn
-stuffing
-green beans (plain, for the kids)
-cranberry sauce
-rolls
-turkey and gravy of course
-drinks: a keg of Virgil's Root Beer, sparkling apple and pear juice







Games were played and pies were consumed later on that evening. Munchkin might become one of my new favorite games. Friday was more of the same, hanging around the house, finishing up projects/conversations, ending with a rousing game of Pictionary by the grown-ups before Grandma, Grampa, Uncle Eli and "Uncle Zach" headed back to Salem.

We finished off the weekend by watching "the largest daytime Christmas parade in northern California" with friends along our main street, having hot cocoa with them afterward, putting up Christmas lights and eating Thai food for dinner. I love long family filled holiday weekends.

We Need A Day of Rest

A busy end to a busy week.
Matt was out of town until Wednesday night, Thursday was the typical crazy day of speech therapy and gymnastics with another curve ball of Site Council (PTA type meeting) thrown in at the same time as Evalyn's gymnastics. I was very literally home for a total of 3 hours in between 8AM and 5PM.

On Friday, I baked 3 pies and finished final touches on a 15 min slideshow/movie for our big annual early Thanksgiving/Christmas church dinner that night. We arrived early for the dinner so I could set up all the A/V stuff. And then stayed after to visit and help clean-up. Kids had fun running around the church for the last hour of it all. Late bedtimes, tired parents, but it was a nice evening with good friends and good food.

Baby Prep Stuff
Saturday morning. Matt made snickerdoodles with the kids while I prepped and primed the office for a new shade of green paint. While the primed spots were was drying, we all went down to tour the hospital to see where we'll likely be having this baby. It's very small but we felt good about it and the staff's commitment to following our birth plan. There are only 2 labor and delivery rooms and 2 post-partum rooms. Good news is, there's only a handful of people due the last 2 weeks of December so chances are very high I'll get my own post-partum room. Yay for that.

I also had a nice long conversation with Kathy the lactation consultant and feel much more confident in what techniques we can try this time around to get more breast milk out of me for the baby. If we hadn't been moving when Linnea was born, I would've sought out some more options than we had with the previous two. There was just too much going on then to try anything more. But that's water under the bridge. It was good to get our heads more in the game of actually having this baby and what our post-partum life will entail as far as feeding the baby goes.

It was also important too because I'd still been contemplating whether a homebirth could still work for us even if I am GBS postive (won't know for sure on that till first week of Dec). But more than likely I am and that means I will forgo that idea unless this baby falls out of me before we get to the hospital. Not very likely given my history. I'd really love to have one of those big warm padded birthing tubs and labor and deliver in that at home, but that probably takes more planning and preparation than I've done at this point with only 4-6 weeks to go. So it was good to visit the hospital and feel like we could have a good birth experience there with our team of nurse/midwife/family practice doctor that we've chosen. Although a big part of me still wishes that they could show up at my home instead... or there was a fabulous birth center like we enjoyed for our first two...

Anyway, after the hospital it was home for lunch and more painting before we ran out the door again to Medford for the rest of the day. I wanted a darker shade of the very pale light green that was on the walls. But I think I went a bit too dark. "Dragon's Hide" sounded so much better than "Greenwich", even though Greenwich was the center spot on the strip of 7 colors and Dragon's Hide was just darker. I still need to do the touch up/corners/edges but it is definitely darker! Perhaps a less contrasting trim color will help. If I can snag Matt's work camera I'll try and post some pics of it soon and ask for some feedback. (We still need to decide what we'll replace our lost camera with....soon!!)

Why we'll most likely opt for a hotel room next Stake Conference.
This weekend is also our semi-annual church meeting where we meet with church leaders from our geographic area, called a stake, made up of several wards/congregations. Typically there are training meetings for the leaders over the various organizations for children, youth, women and men. Since Matt and I both have leadership callings (he's in Elder's Quorum and I am in Primary) we both had meetings this afternoon. Holly: 2:30-3:30, Matt: 3:30-5:00. Dinner Break. Adult session: 6:00-7:30. Then Sunday morning is the 10:00-12:00 meeting.

Only kink is that we live an hour a way from the Stake Center. So we left our house at 1PM. Plan A was Matt would run some errands with the kids while I was at my meeting, then I would run a few more errands with the kids after my meeting and head home with the kids around 4:30-5:00. Matt would stay for the evening session and get a ride home with someone from Yreka. About halfway into Plan A, Matt suggested Plan B: the kids could just play in one of the rooms with books/crayons during the evening meeting and then we could all go home together, that way I could hear the talks then too. I said sure why not. At least this way the kids will fall asleep in the car and we can just transfer them. Plus Matt and I would get some extra conversation time.

Why Holly will re-stock her car with clothing
So I'm at Jo-Ann's trying to remember what color of sequin trim I'm supposed to get Evalyn for one of her costumes for the ballet performance in a few weeks. I give up and decide to head back to the church. As I'm checking out, I smell a poopy diaper. But it wasn't Linnea, it was poor Henry who thought he'd just wet his pants. Ooops. I can't remember the last time he's had an accident like this. No change of clothes but miraculously a random pair of underwear surfaces in the car. Saved. Almost. At this point I perhaps should've switched back to Plan A and headed home with my pantless boy. But I figured why turn back now? We still need to eat before we head home anyway. By then it's only another hour before Matt will be finished as well.

In very quick time we rushed to Target, nestled Henry into the back of a conveniently abandoned cart with his coat zipped over his legs, buckled the very whiny Linnea into the front with Evalyn in tow.
Pants, check. (I contemplated PJ's at this point, but the pants were cheaper.)
Diapers, since we needed them and I like Target's new brand, check.
Random hairbows that Evalyn snagged from some end cap, check. because I didn't feel like arguing even though I know I will be picking them up and vacuuming them for the next few weeks. weak moment.
Socks for Linnea, check. (Rats! It was Henry that needed socks!! I just now remember...)
Dinner from their food counter, check. It was easier than a drive-thru at this point.
Stop in their nice big bathroom with my paid for merchandise to change Henry, check.

Back to the church to catch the last hour of the evening session. Kids did okay, though it was hard to hear all of the talks over their din. By the last Amen and the strains of the closing hymn, Henry was in meltdown mode and Linnea was at her most independent 2 year old self. As we were buckling into the car (freezing cold wind blowing) Henry had a crying/coughing fit and I could tell it would end with him gagging and throwing up. Sure enough, but I wasn't quick enough with the tissues/bag. Off with that shirt and on with his coat for the ride home. I really do wonder sometimes, if I DID have my usual bag of extra clothes in the back, would this have all happened?? ; )

Fortunately the ride home was uneventful, Matt and I did enjoy some nice conversation, the kids fell asleep and they transferred to their beds without a peep. Now to get up in the morning and do most of it all over again.

Seriously, once you figure 2 round trips at $20 in gas for each trip, that's $40 into a hotel room. Throw in the price of a babysitter for the 6+ hours, assuming we don't pack the kids along next time and that's another $40 easily. Come spring conference we're going to try it out. Except now that I think of it, we'll probably have to get 2 rooms since we'll have an occupancy of 6 by then. Hmmmm, I think we need to make more friends with people in Medford....

I heard this on NPR

While running some errands this evening before COB, I was able to listen to quite a bit of NPR, with only brief interruptions and no competition from sweet little voices in the back seat asking me about going to the park or when it's going to snow or what animals eat what (Henry's latest interest, similar to his "Does it bite?" phase. All very important conversations to have in the car, to be sure. But since I rarely tune in around the house, the 5 min here and there during picking up and dropping off and going here or there amounts to 95% of my news intake.

So tonight, just as I was pulling into the driveway, this news headline made me laugh out loud to myself: Swine Flu and Santas, what many groups are doing to prevent further spread of the flu. The gloves are coming off. "We're going to make hand sanitizing part of the Santa Visit Ritual." Maybe it's been a long day, but that just seemed really weird to me.

Next was hearing listeners responses to a story I actually heard part of earlier in the week about breast cancer awareness/prevention/testing/detection. A lot of confusion stemmed from studies indicating that breast self-examinations shouldn't be taught or encouraged. I guess the reasoning is a high number of false-positives that can lead to more testing and that was bad, or something. Whereas simply focusing on "breast awareness" is just as effective. Much as you would be aware if there was a lump on your leg because you are aware of what is normal for your body. Also, "early detection" of breast cancer via self-discovery of a lump usually meant that at that point the cancer had already spread significantly enough that early detection was a mute point. In other words, early detection via self-exam may be a misnomer. I'm sure I got a lot of this wrong, but it's definitely something to be aware of. And, as with most new studies, it is controversial, especially amongst breast-cancer survivors and advocates. For those who are interested, read more here.

Third thing I thought sounded interesting, The Decade's Most Important Recordings. For the record, I'm not a music junkie. And I'm usually not big into Most Important/Top Whatever lists because there's always so much that isn't on it. Yes I own an iPod but my Top 25 Played in iTunes is most likely Children's Music, Audiobooks or Podcasts.

I'm woefully ignorant of a variety of genres and the significance of artists within those. If it wasn't for college roommates back in the day, and later on my husband, I would be even more woefully ignorant. Surprising to me as I reflect on it, the majority of those days were in the previous decade to this one. *sigh*. So it's only through various friends and their recommendations (mostly on their blog playlists) that I have any insight into the modern music world. And the random NPR story of course. But I would like to know more, to a certain extent.

So this list looks interesting, and the comments that inevitably go with it. If for anything to give me some glimpse into what's what. Of course this is subjective to what "they" think is significant. What I like to listen to and think of as good or significant is my own thing. IF I were into lists I'd probably make one of Music That's Significant To Me and paste it down below. But would it really mean anything to anyone else? Besides I've got at least a dozen other things on my to-do list (one kind of list that I DO find essential) that are more important. But most importantly, I have a 2yo climbing on my back who needs her bedtime stories read. So there you go.

Halloween: Sans Camera

We enjoyed a very low key and fun Halloween this year. With school activities and playdate parties and other costume wearing events, it lasted all week! Friday was the climax with the big Halloween parade in our cozy little downtown. The middle school band plays while the younger two elementary schools parade down main street and then back to their classrooms for Halloween parties the rest of the day. Tons of fun to see all the costumes and and teachers dressed up for the parade. Henry and Linnea and myself even joined in at the very end with the pre-school Evalyn attended last year. We marched along for a couple of blocks. It was fun waving and seeing friends we recognized on the side lines.

I took some cute pictures of that and our family pumpkin patch outing and the kids in their cute costumes earlier in the week. But somewhere after the parade the camera disappeared. Gone. Vanished. It probably fell out of the stroller or car when I put the stroller back in and was in a hurry to get to Evalyn's class to deliver some caramel apples for their class party.

I didn't notice it missing until Saturday morning. I assumed it was in the diaper bag. But a thorough check of the car and all through the house and driveway and even the street where I parked and a stop at the police station yielded nothing. Our last ditch effort is to post a classified ad and a few posters, but I have little hope in that.

So no pictures of Matt and the kids spray painting their paper mache pumpkins that he worked on with them all week. Henry wanted to be a pumpkin and Matt said he would do it. By Saturday afternoon he had a very fun pumpkin head for Henry to wear with his glow in the dark skeleton pajamas from Grammum. Earlier in the week he was a scarecrow and a prince and a cowboy, all courtesy of our very well stocked dress-up box.

Evalyn wanted to be Barbie's Mariposa Princess Butterfly, etc. We got creative with her fun sparkly butterfly swimsuit and skirt from the summer, a pair of dollar store wings from an earlier birthday party and some fun hair styling/makeup. She was happy. And she also dressed up as Ariel the mermaid for her ballet class.

Linnea was a puppy dog that she also wore last year and Henry the year before that. She was also a little flower fairy courtesy of the dress-up box. She actually loves to wear hats and hoods so it was fun that she kept her costume on the whole time!

But no pictures of that or the Trunk or Treat and our very cool decorated back of the car that Matt and the kids did while I was mixing together hot cocoa to bring. No pumpkin carving pictures or glowing jack o' lanterns. No halloween loot snapshots of the kids in candy heaven.

Matt did pull out his trusty vintage Nikon and snapped some shots with that, so hopefully we'll get some nice prints back at some point. Fortunately, some friends have emailed/posted a couple of pictures, but none of Evalyn yet.


marching in the parade with the preschool


at our friend Jenn's house (Linnea is hiding behind Tigger)

New To Us Oven

Yet another project to document is the new wall oven. When we first moved in, we took one look at the tiny ancient wall oven and decided to replace it. So we found a great deal in the local paper and bought a used new-ish one for $200. To install it required some minor cabinetry work and some electrical so this was a job for Super Dad.

The original time frame got pushed back because of other projects in that first 6 months that were higher priority. So the oven sat in the garage. And sat. And sat. It became a surface for coats and car items and whatever else needed to get set on it. Finally enough was enough. We were tired of tripping over it and having it take up space in the garage. Plus with my growing belly and the prospect of hosting Thanksgiving dinner rather then venturing on the road at 36 weeks, we wanted our larger nicer oven installed please.

So my parents came down to visit us the first weekend in October, also Conference Weekend in our church where we hear talks/sermons from our prophet and other church leaders on Saturday and Sunday in 4 different 2 hours sessions. So we were a little tight on time, but my dad was very efficient and able to cut out the cabinetry, wire the new outlet and install the new stove all on Saturday.




The upper cabinet had to be cut away for the taller oven. He was able to move the frame-plate thing up, cut the doors and voila! Once I spread some wood filler and paint on it, you'd never know the difference.



By Sunday morning we were enjoying Orange Rolls (I use this recipe but for the filling I prefer this one.)baked in our new bright and shiny oven. Oh, and we even baked potatoes on Saturday night! These were huge russets from my parents garden topped with homegrown sweet peppers. Yum.



I'm still getting used to the front hinge rather than side hinge like the old one. That was the only nice thing about the old oven: being able to open it like a microwave and reach right in to check the food. But for all the other features like digital temp control, timed baking, TWO shelves and enough height to bake two cookie sheets at a time, I'm in baking heaven.



I was a tiny bit sad to see our old oven be demolished and heaped in a pile, but it really was time for something new. (It wasn't nearly as traumatic as seeing our beloved sofa crammed into the back of that garbage truck in Maryland. I seriously did shed tears about that. ) The new one is safer, too. The kids can touch the door without risk of burning themselves which was a very real concern with the other one.

I'm sure I could've told this anecdote in a much more creative way, but oh well. I still have at least 3 posts or other going-ons to catch up with!!

No More Brown

While I'm on the subject of paint, I'd been meaning to post some pictures of the amazing transformation Uncle Dougie did to our house this past spring and summer.

First, here's the ugly brown gables/gutters/eaves that our house has had since we moved in. Yuck.



But at least it's better than the whole house being PINK AND BROWN, like the north side of the garage was.



Not to mention our unfinished trim from the window install project a year ago. (Note the off-white primed trim rather than bright white.)



After he was done our house and roof looked years younger. Seriously, the white roof looks so much better with white trim and gutters than the brown did. Less contrast or something. Even though it could be replaced aesthetically, until it starts leaking we've got another 5 years out of it I'd say. ; )



It was so amazing how much better things looked from every window to not have that brown peering in everywhere.





A HUGE HUGE HUGE THANK YOU to Uncle Dougie for his hard work and time he put into this. The last part was while we were in PA in August so we came home to not only fresh paint but a re-organized shed and rearranged rocks in the entry with a friendly gnome on a stump that Eva named Peter and a re-done play area for the kids and rocks lining the perimeter of the grass. It was a lovely lovely treat to come home to. You are the best Doug!!

Painting the Door Red

I'd been meaning to do this little project sometime this summer, but never got around to it. Then I saw a friends post (Thanks Melissa!) about her recent door remodel and realized my window of time to do this project with a couple of days that weren't too cold was rapidly shrinking. So last weekend I bought a quart of paint just did it. (Well 2 quarts actually, including the primer, and some new sponge rollers. So frustrating they don't sell PINTS of primer and paint for small projects like this!)

The scuff marks and boring white paint has annoyed me since we moved in. But it's one of those things that you stop thinking about once you get inside versus interior walls that you stare at ALL the time. : )

Evalyn was excited when it started out pink. It only took two top coats. And of course with Mommy painting, the kids wanted to paint too! Evalyn even painted a picture of her very own red door. It was pretty cute. (I wasn't in the mood or had time for her to "help" me paint the actual door, so I was glad to see she came up with an alternative after her tantrum.)

























So now I'm not sure what to do about the screen door. Obviously we should paint the trim work around the door white (currently blue) to match the rest of the trim work. But I'm not sure if we should
A) paint the screen door red or ?? as well
B) remove the screen door entirely or
C) replace the screen door with something else.

It's nice have the screen as an extra barrier/sound/light/ventilation option. But it's not the most amazing (or terrible) screen door in the world. It's certainly lacks curb appeal.

It would also be nice to be able to add some sort of porch cover or complete redo the steps/porch layout all together since it's really just a functional stoop and that's about it. If you ring my doorbell when it's raining or snowing, you'll get very wet without an umbrella! Not very hospitable or welcoming if you ask me. But of course, a big project like that is just one of many on my list of "ways to make our house better."

How to Feed Kids

I'm at a loss folks. Feeding my kids is getting pretty tedious. I feel like we eat the same 3 meals over and over and over again. Especially when Matt is out of town for a few days at a time or has church meetings shortly after he gets home. (Meaning I'm actually cooking something instead of Matt whipping something up, which he graciously does the majority of the time. He really is a great cook.)

I feel like all my kids eat is a cycle of
pancakes (homemade whole grains but with sugar on top),
french toast,
eggs with cheese,
yogurt (with or without granola),
apples,
cheese,
deli turkey slices,
bagels (whole wheat mini),
plain pasta,
PB sandwiches (except E who refuses it 95% of the time),
plain tortillas,
black beans,
toast,
carrots with ranch,
black olives,
frozen corn,
frozen blueberries,
green beans,
grilled steak,
grilled chicken,
pizza with ranch.

Mix this same list up 6 different ways for snacks and mealtime and that is what my children subsist on. I guess it is a decent list of food, but a little lacking in the protein. Maybe it's more that I'M BORED with it and want to make more adventurous meals but am frustrated that I can't think of anything to make for THEM that I want to eat as well that they will EAT. So casseroles are out because everything is mixed up and saucy. Grilled meat with veggies or a salad on the side are fine but that gets boring.

Yet I know there are families out there where their young children are adventurous eaters and don't insist on bland boring food that doesn't touch on their plate. What do you do??

Or for those of you do have somewhat picky eaters who are now older, did they outgrow it on their own so that they will eat "grown up food"?

Also, any suggestions on food blogs out there for kid friendly food??

Thanks for any ideas you can offer!

Now to go to the store with a bunch of cranky kids to buy more of the same thing....

Linnea is Two!

Hard to believe that just 2 years ago we welcomed our active little girl into this world. From the crazy summer of moving and preparing for her birth on the other side of the country to settling down here in the sunny mountains, it's been quite an adventure.

It's been a delight watching her grow and become her own little person. She is very determined and knows her mind. She's always been very good at expressing what she wants, but now that her vocabulary is picking up it's even more fun hearing how opinionated she is!

*"Lellow" is her favorite color followed by "peenk" (pink) and "poopa"(purple) and "boo"(blue).

*She loves doggies and kitty cats. She has a little striped beany baby kitty that she sleeps with along with her most recent baby doll. And her blanket "banky", of course.

* She is very good at putting her shoes on the right feet and will change them when she gets it wrong, without me pointing it out to her. Henry and Evalyn are still working on this... ; ) And like most kids her age, anyone's shoes of any size are fun to play with. Even my kitchen gloves.

* She LOVES Blue's Clues and definitely watches more than she probably should. She's so dang cute and insistent when she comes up to me and says entreatingly "boo! boo!" (with a very faint "l"sound) and does the little open and closed hand signs for Blue's Clue's from the show.

*Tantrums: she has them at a higher rate than the older two, hands down. Hard to say if it's her personality or being #3. We're talking screaming, very loud protestations, throws her body on the floor, etc. over very slight provocations. She spends a lot of time in her room cooling off.

*When she's not throwing a fit she's very sweet and loving, often doing little errands and requests for everyone in the family. Closing the door, getting toys, putting dishes in the sink, etc.

*NeaNea loves balls, ducks, airplanes (BIG! Up High!!), BABIES, coloring, putting things on her head and doing everything her bro and sis are doing.

She's just one fun little girl and we're so happy to have her in our family. As I was going through photos for this post, I realized that I need to take more video clips!

Here's some pics of her, slideshow format, chronologically from last fall to now. Click the play button to view.

Apple Crisp

Okay, I had a few requests to post my apple crisp recipe. I've fiddled with it a bit because the single recipe amount is never enough in MY opinion. Plus if there's any extra I can always find someone willing to clean the bowl out (usually me). ; )

I use a pastry blender to get everything well blended. I used to use my hands, especially as a kid, but it's much more efficient if you have a pastry blender on hand! Another nice tool is an apple-peeler-corer. I use mine regularly all year long. Just rinse off to clean and pop it back in the cupboard. Great for picky kids' snacks. And makes for super easy homemade applesauce.

oh, and this pic from Martha makes me want to host some amazing fall party.... I LOVE the fall!


Holly's Apple Crisp

4 c sliced apples (peeled as well, if you prefer) about 4 medium sized

1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup butter, softened (add a bit more if it seems too dry)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter an 8x8 dish and place apples evenly in bottom. Mix dry ingredients together and then blend butter in with a pastry blender. Sprinkle over apples and bake for 20-30 minutes, depending on how soft you like your apples and how brown you like your topping!

Double this for a 9x13 w/ 6-8 cups apples

good luck!

It's Raining!!

The first precipitation we've had in MONTHS is pouring down! A delicious cold front moved in last night and we finally had some decent fall weather with temps in the 60's instead of 90's. Lovely.

There's something programmed in me about baking and cool weather. I went to bed last night with a clean kitchen and dreaming of pumpkin muffins in the morning. It took me awhile to decide on the recipe and I ultimately combined 2 or 3 recipes to make my own version. I need to make it another time after tweaking the spices and moisture content, but I will post it to be sure!

Other posts are forthcoming....

Sunday Afternoon

We have been overdosing on apple crisp this weekend. We ran out of the store bought apples so we tried our luck with the tree in our back yard. Henry and Evalyn helped pick about a dozen of the best looking apples. Holly and the kids fixed the dessert as I pecked away on the computer at the kitchen table. Holly exits to knit or read, or both at the same time.

And this is the scene that played out:


Scene:

Daddy, slouching at the computer. Evalyn and Henry going in and out of the house at leisure, keeping the door open throughout.

Characters: Evalyn, Henry and Daddy.

Evalyn: MMmmmmm! I smell something good from the oven.

Daddy: You do?

Evalyn: Yep! Daddy, is the apple crisp ready yet?

Daddy: Nope, not until it goes 'beep-beep-beep-beep."

Evaylan: Oh, awright!

...5 minutes later. Running in and out of the house.

Henry: Daddy, is the apple crisp ready?

Daddy: Nope, not yet buddy. The oven needs to go "beep-beep-beep-beep." Why don't you look for some more airplanes.

....20 minutes later apple crisp is cooling on the stove top. Evalyn sees the apple crisp cooling off on the stove top.

Evalyn: Daddy, it's ready! (beelining to the stovetop).

Daddy: No! Evalyn DO NOT touch it is VERY HOT!

Evalyn: I am just going to see if its done.

Daddy: It's DONE, EVALYN!. It just needs to cool.

.....Oblivious, Evalyn gets a giant spoon from the drawer and digs in.

Daddy: Evalyn!

Evalyn: It's okay, I am just testing it. I am not going to eat anytying.

.....Evalyn, procceds to eat without burning her mouth.

Daddy: Awright, then. (Evalyn walks outside.)

....5 minutes later -- Evalyn re-enters.

Evalyn: Daddy, I just cannot keep my mind off that apple crisp.

Daddy: Well, then! Should we have that for dinner instead of leftovers?

Evalyn: Okay!

Henry and the Nikon

Henry stole the camera from me this morning and started a new hobby. Here's his first offerings and, who knows, perhaps the boy will make a career of it.

For your eye alone










High-school Year Book Glam Shot










Toes











A portrait of the artist as a young man

Another Girl, Probably

Some big news we've been sitting on for awhile, or cooking up depending on how you look at it, is that we're expecting Baby #4 in late December! This little addition was a bit of a surprise for our family and we're still wrapping our brains around it. But we are excited for this new little one to join us.

When we told the kids about the news awhile ago ("Mommy's going to have another baby") Evalyn's first response was, "Can we name her Aurora?" We thought that was pretty cute but explained that we didn't know if the baby was a girl or boy yet. (For those without little girls obsessed by Disney Princesses, Princess Aurora aka Sleeping Beauty is E's favorite one.)

Fast forward to the 21 week ultrasound and: inconclusive. The umbilical cord was hanging down between baby's legs. Most likely it wasn't obscuring any boy parts, but it's not 100% a girl since those little parts couldn't be seen clearly either. Sigh. The one time when we were hoping so much to know the gender so we can get rid of bins and bins of clothes. Oh well. Maybe we'll get another chance in the near future. But for now we're assuming girl and I can finally start making a blanket with girly colors. If it turns out differently I'll have a lovely gift to give away! : )



(head on right, bent knees/legs with cord in between on left)

Oh, and if it's a girl Matt says we're definitely getting a dog so Henry has someone to rough and tumble around the yard with. We'll see how soon that happens...

First Day of Kindergarten

Friday was Evalyn's first day of school. Her very own first day of school since we were still traveling back from the East Coast on Wednesday when the rest of her class started! More on that later.





She picked out her new princess backpack before our big trip and was very excited to wear it to school and have it on the plane. The weather was/is still pretty warm so no new school clothes until it cools off a bit!




She really likes her teacher and two of her friends from church are in her class, plus some kids from her pre-school class. So far she is only one of two kids who get picked up halfway through the day, the rest of her class are Extended Day and have lunch, an extra recess, and story time and get out the same time as the 1st and 2nd graders. I guess alot of kids have older siblings or parents work so it's easier that way. But another friend's kindergarten class is the opposite: there are only 3 Extended Day kids and the rest go home at noon.

I'm kinda torn on what would be best for Evalyn. Part of me knows she would enjoy the extra socialization time, but she is already so tired coming home "early". Maybe we'll switch her after Christmas or something. We'll see how she does with a half day for now I think. The only thing she's mentioned so far is that she wanted to eat lunch at school with her friends.

In other kid areas, I dropped the ball on soccer sign-ups so neither Henry or Evalyn will get to do that this fall. : ( SO, instead we joined the YMCA and they are each taking a gymnastics class once a week. Henry during the day and Eva after school. And because it was only $10 a month E is also taking a 30 min ballet class once a week. Maybe it sounds like alot, but I think it will fit their active "I'm bored" personalities just right. : )

So here is a blog post. Finally. It's been a very very busy summer and I'll try to do a quick bullet point summary... in my next post. With lots of links to my sister Heather's blog who HAS been a great blogger of our family reunion and all the activities there.

Where'd June Go?

I tried writing a longish catch up post about the month of June, but there was so much I think I'll have to start from scratch and post a bunch of snippets. We had preschool graduation, house painting, a trip to Sacramento (both May items that didn't make in on the blog yet), birthdays, haircuts, fence building, visit to Salem and Portland and swim lessons to end off the month. So consider this an index of posts to hopefully come. : )

Cylindrical salmon, pills that fizz, aloe chunk juice whatever that is.....

Having lived within 300 paces of Traders Joe Bethesda for a couple of years, I forgot just how quirky this store is. This video brought back memories.



(Note from Holly: I watched the video from a link Matt sent me then said, Hey, this would be fun for the blog! And so I click over to it and he'd already posted it. You're the best honey!)

Our cousins were here

We had so much fun we didn't take ANY pictures of

*the wading pool antics: numerous wardrobe changes as wet swimsuits were exchanged for dry clothes and partially wet clothes were exchanged for swimsuits or dry clothes

*the sidewalk chalk outlines on the patio, April's brainchild of occupying the kids before dinner one evening. Evalyn loved this and has added to the collection.

* the popsicle and strawberry faces (Henry and Lillie seriously downed 5 popsicles one afternoon)

*Troy and Henry vainly trying to swing on our "holey" hammock. yes, the beloved hammock has reached it's end after being left out to the elements too many seasons in a row.

*the garden box makeover that April and Carlin helped us with. Yes, I finally faced the music that it's too late in the season to terrace the slope and build the 3 super duper boxes that I really want. So it's make-do or do without!

*the yummy bbq feast which included ribs that Matt prepared ala-Uncle Dougie. Yum.

*cute 14mo Savannah carefully navigating the toy strewn floor on her two little feet

*the 5 big kids (which includes my 20mo Linnea who acts more like a preschooler than a toddler. sniff. ) playing so nicely together. for the most part.

*Playing Settlers of Catan and Ticket to Ride: Europe. Always more fun with more than 2 people.

*drinking homemade Italian cream sodas. perfect on a hot day: Crushed ice, Izze Blackberry Soda, a generous splash of cream. stir or swirl glass. bliss.

I DID manage to snap a shot of the kids playing on the front grass after church on Sunday, minus Savannah.



And here's the aftermath, Monday afternoon when all the playmates were on their way home:





It was a fun weekend.


On Friday before they arrived we went on a spur of the moment outing to Sportsman's Warehouse (an hour away in Medford) to buy life jackets for the family (in prep for The Arrival of The Boat). We ended up getting two swimsuit lifejackets for H&E in addition to the Type II jackets for the boat. This was mostly due to Henry's crazy poolside antics when we went to see friends in Sacramento the weekend before. We're hoping swimming lessons this summer will help, but either way we'd rather not have a drowned boy. He will jump in whether you're there or not and getting scared and swallowing water doesn't seem to phase him. Yikes.

The funny thing about going to Medford at the last minute: my sister and her family were due to arrive from Salem that night. We left Yreka for a "quick trip" about the same time they left Salem, figuring we had a good 5 hours before our guests arrived. All the little errands added up and before we knew it I was panicking that April would arrive before we did. And I still hadn't made the beds up yet! We got home literally 20 minutes before they did, just enough time to put our tired ones to bed , set up the pack n paly and put clean sheets on the new "guest bunk". Whew.

An Arrival

Matt's long awaited boat arrived today. He and Henry drove up to Medford to retrieve it from the freight company. It's a small pram-style boat that fits in the back of his pickup. A two-seater, just the right size and stability for solo fly fishing on stillwater or small rivers (ie, the boat is small enough for one person to maneuver) OR for more social fishing with a buddy (hopefully me when we can get a sitter : ) or a couple of cute kids.



Spring Creek Prams is the company that made it for him. Jim Wheeler did an excellent job customizing it for him with a motor attachment (for going upriver) and all the extras so Matt is ready to go. Now to carve out an evening in a busy week so we can test it out.


I just thought this photo was cute. Like a little boy on Christmas morning waiting to ride his new bike.



(Matt wanted me to note his circa 1987 phonograph stereo (playing Jackson Brown's The Pretender album as the photo was snapped). Next to it is his vintage 1938 Philco radio. We're still looking for someone who knows how to repair it so we can move it inside at some point.)

"Does it bite?"

Henry loves bugs. He loves asking questions. Only about half of these I can decipher the first time around. But the phrase "Does it bite?" is very recognizable by now. When we read stories and he sees pictures of animals or bugs or spiders or lizards he always points it out and then asks if it bites. Or if he sees something that catches his eye while driving around or playing outside.

It was so cute when he first started doing it because he'd stick his pointer finger between his teeth, as if to bite it, while he asked the question, quasi-signing it.



Then his questions got more elaborate. "Do dogs bite?" Hmm, well, some dogs bite. They have teeth and they bite their food. But they don't usually bite people. So do I say yes or no?

Next question: "Do spiders bite?" Yes. (That was easy.) Unless he's asking about a harmless housespider, they bite bugs but not people. Right?

"Do cats bite?" Again, they can. Especially if you are mean to them. (We have ongoing issues with certain children not being nice to our cat.) Yes?

Do cows bite? Yes, they can.
Do pigs bite? Yes, they can.
Do sheep bite? Yes, they can.
Do birds bite? Umh, they bite worms. And bugs. They have beaks, not teeth.

Now the question changes.

Do lizards bite? Yes, they can.
Do they have teeth? No, but sharp mouths like birds....

.....whew, are you tired yet? I sure am!

But of course it endears him even more in my heart. Especially when he makes jokes out of it. H: "Does it (his fake plastic bug) bite?" I say with a smile, No, silly it's not alive! H: "Does it bite the couch?!?" Hilarious laughter ensues.

Really, his simple questions make me think 10 different ways. My motherly response of not wanting him to be afraid of things that could bite him but most likely wouldn't keeps me from saying "Yes" right off the cuff. Sure, everything bites. All creatures eat in some way or another. Is he asking if they bite people or just if they have the ability to bite something? I want to soften the blow somehow and give an ambiguous answer with lots of caveats of when and how and what it bites. For food, for protection, etc. Why is this?

And then question changes to is it alive, does it have teeth, does it bite people. I definitely think we have a scientist on our hands here! How best to nurture his curiosity without confusing him with so-called parenting wisdom!?

Oh, and a somewhat related note: The kids and I went to a friends farm and of course they got to see some animals up close. Henry was fascinated that the chickens had wings! Now, I was certain he'd seen chickens up close before, but I guess they'd only been wandering around pecking, no wing action. And with all of our "biting" conversations about teeth and beaks and birds and lizards, he'd figured out that chickens were birds and they didn't have teeth. But where were their wings?!? So when he saw one spread her wings and flap around he was so excited I didn't understand what he was saying at first, while flapping his own arms wildly, "Chickens have wings!!" It's all about connections...

I Want This Bike

So I just saw this awesome bike and contest on my friends blog and figured, of course I'll post about it on my blog and hopefully win it! Really though, I have been poking around at family bike options. With Evalyn in kindergarten this fall and Henry most likely starting preschool as well, I figure I could bike down the hill with Linnea in the back and bike up the hill with both of them! It's only about 6 long blocks... Either way though, the kids are getting bikes soon and I figure we need at least one adult bike for us to ride along with them. Mind, I'm not a bike rider, but I have this notion that if I find the perfect bike, maybe I would be... Forget the new digital SLR: this bike in cream or blue please!