A day of mourning

Today Matt goes back to school. WAH!!!!!!!!!

We've had SUCH a lovely summer together as a family that I am seriously mourning today. I'm super thankful that Matt is a college prof; having the summers off is too good to be true!

Besides being a personal blessing and help to me around the house, Matt has engaged and invested in our kids. He has a strong and unique bond with each of them.

I've had to do some focused thinking and planning to make our transition as easy as possible. Honestly, I think I might have the hardest time transitioning. I'm so used to having Matt around to watch the kids while I prepare supper, or take a nap, or need to run to the grocery store.

So, today officially begins our fall semester. Sigh. Goodbye summer. We miss you already, Matt!

A surprisingly pleasant portrait experience

I'm exuberantly happy to report that yesterday we finally had a pleasant photo shoot experience!

Impulsively I called Sears yesterday morning and made an early afternoon appointment. I threw some things in my massive purse/diaper bag, loaded the kids in the car, and we were off!

Despite a 20 minute wait (which felt like an ETERNITY with Clive running around) the kids did a super job. The photographer was amazing! She was happy, personable, funny, and engaging. She managed to get some terrific smiles out of Chloe by getting her to say "Boogers". A word Chloe had not known previously. :) And now Clive is saying "boogers" constantly and smiling. I say that's a small price to pay for some stellar photos!

In fact, I had a terrible time deciding on one pose. I stuck to my guns though and didn't yield to the photographer's sales pitch to order more. And because of my coupon, I came away with 24 prints for $8 plus a free 10 x 13 portrait.

Looking at the poses below, which do you think I chose?

1: sitting on a rock

2: leaning on rock





















3: lying in a field of flowers
















4: standing in the flower field (looks real, doesn't it?)





















5: balloon head





















6: looking up





















7: squishing the 4





















8: steps

Summer Joy

"In summer, the song sings itself." [William Carlos Williams]



Hope you're busy enjoying the last bursts of summer!

August update

Hello, all! We've had an incredibly busy month and it's not slowing down! Hence, my recent blogging break during the month of August.

We're still coming down from the emotional high of Chloe's 4th birthday and the recent visit from my mom and gramma. See a zillion pictures of her genteel tea party birthday here.

Matt and I also celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary this week. Since my mom and gramma were in town we got to go out on a date. Woo-hoo! We crammed a movie, dinner, and putt-putt golf into our date night. And if you're wondering, Matt creamed me at golf. He's so cute when he plays putt-putt. He acts just like a pga pro lining up his putts and reading the greens. I prefer to use the whack-the-ball-without-thinking method. :) Which explains why I lost miserably.

Matt got me a super fabulous anniversary gift -- a car radio that works! Yay! We've been 3 years without a radio in the car. And let me tell you that music in the car seriously helps the kids when traveling. We're all enjoying the gift even though Clive was a bit confused at first (he kept looking around to see where it was coming from).

We're gearing up for the fall semester and getting excited (and a little scared) about the new schedule ahead.

How was your August?

FOUR

My sweet baby girl is no longer a baby! (Though in a very real sense she will ALWAYS be a baby in my eyes.)

I am in a slight sense of shock to think that my Chloe is breaching the 4 year milestone today. Obviously I admit that time marches at a constant rate but it doesn't seem so from my mommy perspective.

Watching this child grow from a screaming needy newborn into a functioning reasoning little person has been a true privilege and joy. I treasure my dear Chloe and I fully enjoy spending time with her, observing her personality blossom, and watching her develop.

I'm also super proud of my girl. She's helpful and obedient (most of the time). She can read simple words and she is an expert at imagination play. Chloe draws and sings and makes up her own poems. She's also very sweet with her little brother (again, most of the time) especially now that they're roomies. Clive waits up for her and then they "talk" until one of two things happen 1) they crash on their own or 2) Matt has to go up and give them an ultimatum. (I'm not a good bed-time ultimatum-giver so it's become Matt's job. I walk in the room and can NOT keep from smiling and giggling with them!)

Chloe is in an interesting stage right now because she's articulating her own thoughts and ideas more and more. Just tonight she said, "Tomorrow when I turn 4, will I be a mommy?" And then immediately after that she told me something unintelligible about God's rules for life. And then she started doing demi-plies while giggling. The workings of a 4 year old mind certainly are curious.

Happy 4th birthday, my snuggle bunny. I love you dearly and I am thrilled with how God has grown you thus far!

Summer treats

One of our favorite summer treats is watermelon ice. I'm too much of a cheapskate to buy popsicles plus I hate the fact that they're just sugar and water.

SO, our summer alternative is watermelon ice. It's super easy to whip up and a great way to use up every last bit of a monster watermelon. Our small family usually can only eat 1/2 a ripe watermelon in a few days. Instead of throwing away the 1/2 that gets overripe and mushy, I chop it into chunks and throw it in the freezer on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper. After the chunks have frozen (1-2 days), I transfer them to a gallon sized freezer bag.

As you can see, Clive heartily enjoys watermelon ice. :)

Check out the recipe below and make your own batch for instant summer refreshment!

What special summer time treats do you make to beat the heat?

:: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Fruit Ices

1/2 cup each, sugar and water
2 Tbs. lemon juice
Fruit of your choice (see options below)

1. If you're not using bagged frozen fruit, freeze chopped fresh fruit on a plastic cutting board or a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.
2. In a small saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil, then boil until sugar is dissolved. Let cool; stir in lemon juice. Place frozen fruit in food processor and puree while slowly adding sugar syrup.
3. Transfer to container or ice-pop molds and freeze or eat soft.

Fruit:
5 cups strawberries (or 20 oz. frozen bag)
3 cups sliced peaches (or 10 oz. frozen bag)
2 cups blueberries (or 16 oz. frozen bag) plus 1 banana
4 cups diced watermelon
1 cored fresh pineapple
4 cups seedless green grapes
4 cups diced cantaloupe
4 cups diced honeydew

A smile for your Friday

What a ham my little boy is! He'll stop anything to say "Cheese" and give me a big grin.

In this instance Clive was "fixing" my bike. Please ignore the unidentified substance around his mouth. I'm fairly certain that's not dirt. :)

A very happy Friday to you all!

Scavengers, we

Ever since my mom shared the thrill of thrifting and clearance shopping with me as a girl, I've had the insatiable desire to seek out cheap items and to reconfigure old items for new purposes. There is a beauty and an inherent problem-solving nature in repurposing. Like a calculus problem with complicated variables and imposed limits.

During these warm summer months, I've found that I'm not just a cheap-skate. I'm also a scavenger. And my extended family is just as vulture-like as I am!

Since my in-laws and tia have been here visiting we've scored a table, an attachable child bike seat, and a plastic toy lawn mower all for free! Someone's trash has become our treasure. :) Our best find was a few years back when we scored a little tykes desk for free. And then this summer we sold it for $7. Score!

Of course, it's awesome to get stuff gratis but there are a few drawbacks to our scavenging tendencies.

For one, it's hard for me to say no to "free". My mom-in-law and tia have the repurposing vision and see a use for EVERY piece of junk lying on the roadside. I'm a bit more discriminating and I have a difficult time turning them down. They grew up in poverty in Mexico so I feel like a spoiled gringa when I say no to their finds.

Alas, there is the problem of space. We have a small old home and storage space is extremely limited. I really dislike clutter but I find it super hard to pass up good/free deals so we keep accumulating. Argh!

Do you scavenge? If so, what was your best snag?

Life in fast forward

August? How CAN it be August already? This weekend when we started Chloe's calendar afresh for the new month it struck me that our remaining summer weeks are waning.

As I get older it seems that time goes by more quickly than ever before. Do you find that true?

Our summer has been packed full of activities. For the last 2+ weeks we've had my in-laws here visiting. Tia Becky joined the crowded house this past Friday. We are thoroughly enjoying living, cooking, and laughing together in our small home. It feels like we're a multigenerational family from years past as we function cooperatively to keep the household running. I'm certainly going to miss their help around here!

For us the month of August holds a smattering of playdates, visits, and activities including Chloe's momentous 4th birthday. Agh! How can my baby be turning FOUR? Again, I note the passage of time in fast forward mode.

How is August shaping up for you and your family? During our unscheduled August days I hope to squeeze out as much summer as possible! Wading pools, bike rides, and grilling galore!