Summertime

Look at these two just dying for a bit of trouble to get into. They are like the children from the Cat in the Hat. They are watching the construction crew take down a tree. I'm posting more pictures, so check back later. I'm just too tired to do it now.
Oh, yeah, here are the cherries and jam I made before the 4th. Yummy! And, I actually canned the raspberries. They are not thick enough, more like syrup, but I'll take it!

Getting better all the time

Better, better, better. I didn't have to clean up any vomit today! H seems on the mend, even though he went to sleep at 5pm this evening and isn't awake at 8:30. I'll probably be up at 5 tomorrow! I'm trying to keep things interesting during the day without doing too much stuff and not giving the boys too little time to just do nothing. This flu has really slowed us down, but I think we're going to have a great summer! Just look at what we've already done (and check out new pics over at flickr):
Not only did T graduate from Kindergarten, but he's learning to ride on 2 wheels! He's just about got it, but is still a little too slow to keep himself from hitting things. I think that he'll be good to go in a few days if we really work with him.


Mmmm! Strawberry sponge cake! It is yummy!

Shitsville

R.I.P. Buffy
We've had our first poultry casualty. Poor Buffy (the lady pictured in the previous post) was eaten by some animal in the night. A and T found her remains this morning. The other girls were alive, but agitated. We don't know what happened or who got into the coop (possum? raccoon? cat?). We'll have to work with the neighbor to strengthen our little chicken fortress. I'm sad it was Buffy. Even though she was a little slower than the others, she was sweet and soft and pretty. I hope it doesn't come back. I'd kind of miss their crazy-eyed, head-jabbing, dash to meet me at feeding time each day.

Strawberries
To celebrate summer we went berry picking last thursday. It was great. The weather was warm and pleasant. The farm wasn't too busy. The boys had a great time. We brought home plenty of berries to eat and mix into freezer jam. Then it happened. A few hours after we were home, H ran into the kitchen and threw up (what seemed like) cups and cups of strawberry red vomit. Luckily, one of my sisters was here to help since H and 1/3 of my kitchen were covered in puke. I thought he had just eaten too many strawberries, so we washed him up, tucked him into bed, cleaned the kitchen and went on with the dinner party that was planned for that evening. But, he wasn't done throwing up. He threw up. And threw up. On the third day, diarrhea joined in. Sometimes at the same time. I called the pediatrician's office only to find out that there is a stomach flu going around and it's most likely just a coincidence that it showed up on the same day as the berries. Hmm, what a coinky-dink! "Just keep him hydrated."
If you come to visit, we'll be tired, crying, still in our pajamas and folding a non-stop stream of linens. Please bring a sledgehammer.

Almost summer

Look how much the chicks have grown! This one is Buffy. She has the softest feathers. She's very shy, but if you can get a hold of her, she usually settles quickly and seems to like being gently pet. I had a good picture of the whole flock, but accidentally deleted it. Oops!

H has been complaining lately about his hot head. Here he is with all of his blonde baby hair. I keep it trimmed, but his head has been extra sweaty lately. Today I gave him a hair cut....

Look how cute he is! Now he can run all over the place and not feel too hot. He looks so much older, too. More like T? I can see a different family resemblance now that his hair is short, but I don't know who it is.

Uh oh!

Parade day!

Hey Look!

So, I uploaded some new photos to flicker. See? We went to the Bonneville Dam! Some of the photos are rated for friends and family only, so you have to log in if you want to see H sitting on the potty seat or stuck in the cat tree. The boys and I went fishing with Grandpa Wayne on monday and they had a blast. It was their first time fishing and they loved it. I thought we might have some tense moments when T realized that the fish were dying, but there were none.

I am still gearing up for summer break and am actually putting together a sort of schedule. I don't think I'm going to date it just plan out a week at a time and let the weather do what it will. No point in going to the beach if it's going to rain the whole time, eh? We've got passes for some of the local hotspots, so if you're going give us a call!

Four Things (in no particular order)

H is nearly potty trained! We have no diapers in the house. It is hard work and I don't think he is entirely ready to potty train, but he does a pretty good job. He's still in "nap pants" for naps and night time, and has a hard time keeping his pants dry in the afternoon, but we're working together and getting better every day.



A and I are going to Skamania Lodge next month for two whole nights. Without the kids! I think it's been about 3 years since we did anything without the boys. We can't wait!





Rose Festival is here! T and I are excited for the Grand Floral Parade on June 6th. Are you going down to watch it? Can we sit next to you? I'll bring treats.....





Ahh, summer vacation is just around the corner. I am gearing up for three months with the kids, uninterupted. If you have any ideas of fun things to do, make, see please send them to me.





See you next time!