Blueberries

I said we put Grandpa to work during his visit. Oh, we put Grandma to work too. We took her to a farm in PA for blueberry picking, knowing full well she wouldn't be able to take her spoils on the airplane and have to leave them with us.


Adelaide was a blueberry picking machine. She stuck by Grandma the entire time, picked only the blue ones and served as excellent quality control making sure stems did not find their way into the bucket.


Ethan picked about two cups. He didn't whine, complain or tromp down a blueberry bush so I was completely satisfied with his contribution. I think his favorite part may have been the ride on a little bus from the farm to the patch and back. That and being with his friends.


As for me, I'm thrilled to have 7 bags of blueberries in my freezer at $1.60 a pound! I don't mean to keep rubbing that in, Mom (he he). Hopefully the blueberry muffins Adelaide made today will help ease Grandma's burden of going back to Utah's berry prices. We're going to miss her!

Reveling

We've had company the past week and a half. My dad, mom, brother and sister. And it has been fabulous! Here are some highlights.

The Hill Cumorah Pageant. Great fun. Ethan loved meeting "King Noah". Currently the story of Abinadi and King Noah is his favorite BOM story. (We suspect it has something to do with his morbid fascination for burning.) Ethan asked this actor if he was going to drink real wine like the real King Noah. It threw him for a second.


Joseph Smith's farm and the Sacred Grove. Honestly, the most beautiful place I've ever been.


We've been a few other places, but truthfully we brought my dad out here to put him to work. He built us a mantle for our fireplace. In return we gave him a 10-year-old mattress to sleep on in an unairconditioned home. We're hoping the utter admiration from his grandson is enough for him to want to come back. Ethan said, rather amazed, that Grandpa sure was a good builder. And we need Dad to come back. We'd really like a new deck! ;)

(I'm teasing, Dad. I so appreciate all your help and advice. Randal and I have felt at times like we were drowning in this house. We really needed your encouragement. I love you.)

We have had so much fun with our guests. Every morning Adelaide comes into our room, early, asking when her friends are going to wake up. And every night our kids go to bed exhausted. This night Addie didn't even make it to her bed:


There is so much more, but in an effort to keep somewhat brief I'll leave it for a future post. To keep you on the edge of your seat, you can look forward to:

1. Randal's new nickname, Captain Gangsta.
2. My new calling. Aghhhh!
3. Ethan's junk sale. Literally.
and
4. The big reveal of my dad's mantle (once I paint it).

The Power of Ten

In honor of our 10th wedding anniversary.
Come home, Randal!

Sunday Blues

My contributions to the blogging world have been a little scarce lately. I'm not sure what to say. Randal's been out of the country for the past two weeks. It seems little has happened in the meantime. The 4th was nice, but simple. The kids and I have hit up a few parks, the Redbox and ate pancakes for dinner a number of times. None of it that blog worthy.

Really things have gone well. The kids haven't quarreled--too much. And I've tried not to lose my patience--too often. I even managed a few visits with my nemesis, the elliptical.

However, Sacrament meeting today did not reflect this in the slightest. Despite my best efforts (and believe me I really did try), we were late. After waiting in the foyer until the sacrament was over, we made our walk of shame to the front row with Adelaide protesting (loudly) the entire way still angry with me for not letting her pick every dandelion she saw on the way in. After wrestling a few more minutes with her nonsense, I had to haul Addie out along with her near full-blown tantrum. After a time-out she agreed to happily walk back to our seat with her arms folded. Halfway down the isle I had the gall to lightly touch her back in encouragement. She flung me such a dirty look the couple sitting nearest us started to laugh. All this took place during a very nice talk about reverence...of course.

Afterward, one of the older ladies came up to me and hugged me tight. And now I'm left dumbfounded. Two weeks with very little incident and Adelaide chooses to unravel it in an instant--in front of the entire ward. We all cannot wait for Randal to come home.

My kids may be failing miserably when it comes to being reverent, but one thing they love to do are projects. Our house has been project central thanks to the dollar section at Micheal's and the creative brain of one soon-to-be-six-year-old. Ethan is constantly coming up with things he and Adelaide can make together. The wood projects in the photos I had nothing to do with. Ethan put them together himself and helped Adelaide with hers. As for the bead coaster thingies--three hours, three hours my kids sat at the table and tediously put those together. That day just may have been the nearest day to heaven.
I zoomed in on Addie's latest artwork. Far be it from me to call my child a prodigy but this, she informs me, is a slug. The resemblance is uncanny. Perhaps the girl may have something.

Welcome, July

Well, June flew by. Mainly due to the recent visit of Randal's sister, Amy, and her four boys from Arlington,VA.

With so many precocious, little visitors in the house for a week and a half we tried to find some places to go, close to home, to have some fun and make some memories. Perhaps the favorite night (at least according to 3-year-old Cyrus) was playing in the waterfall after a campfire, hot dog dinner.


The photo below has the kids standing in front of a crazy glass figure at the glass museum. Even more crazy were the three adults behind the camera thinking being outnumbered by children in a glass museum was a good idea.


Our week also consisted of exploring a few places we've never been. Like a six-story tree house, for example. It's hard to see in the photo, but it was awesome.


At the entrance to the tree house.


Round two: playing in another waterfall.


It has been a busy month. Through all this, we even found the time to steal a baby. Okay, we didn't steal him. Baby Oliver is on his way back home with his mom and brothers as we speak, but Ethan and I would have liked to keep him.


Actually despite the craziness, we were sad to see all the boys go. Ethan and Adelaide miss them already. With six kids under the age of six I would've expected more scuffles and crankiness, but they played so well together and really enjoyed one another.

Plus we'll miss Henry's comic relief.