in summer!

Elsie is my lover of summer. This has become quite clear as she tells me often, "I like Christmas, but I don't like wintertime because it's cold and has snow." I get such a kick out of her ability to articulate this feeling so succinctly...and frequently. Also, asks often when it will be summer. On a few lovely days this spring she asked if it was summer but Rory would always tell her, "no, these are just great days in springtime." He feels strongly that we have to have some sort of spring and not let winter melt into summer.

But on Friday night Mimi called to see how Elsie was feeling after she had two nights with a fever. And while she was checking in we got to talking about Monday and our plans for Memorial Day. At some point while I was still on the phone with Mimi, I told Elsie she'd need to bring her swim suit on Monday. Elsie asked, "Because is it summer on Monday?!!" And I told her yes. Monday was going to definitely be summer. 

Elsie went completely bananas. She started dancing around and laughing. She ran to her room and found her swimsuit and told me to "pack it for Monday!" as I continued to make plans with Mimi. Then she picked out her tank top and shorts that she would wear and brought them in my bedroom too. And she proclaimed, "I am so happy that I am laughing and I might cry! Like you cried when you had me because you were so happy!" She was positively deliriously happy. Then Ivar came in the house and I heard her yell to him, "Ivar! It's summer on Monday! And we need to bring our swim suits to Mimi's!"  He came and showed me that he picked out shorts that matched Papa's fishing boat. And then he ran to the garage and found the beach toys and put them in the jeep. 

It was Friday night and we were all packed and ready to go. For Monday. When it would be Summer.

So it officially began. We grilled burgers and hot dogs, ate watermelon and ruffles, played in the sand, went for a boat ride, Ivar taught Uncle Kyle how to use his equaler (calculator), the baby rolled around on a quilt in the shade, and I read a Real Simple magazine outside while looking at the lake. This summer is off to a good start!

a fish named Whopper

Part One: This past weekend I joined in on a group garage sale. It was awesome. We all have kids, so the night before the sale we basically bought each others' stuff. The next day my kids came with me and Elsie picked out a little kitty carrier with a stuffed kitty in it.

A few days later Ivar took the kitty out and a florescent orange slip of paper fell out that read, "Congratulations! You have won a gold fish at the Aquatic Pet Store! Come and get your fish!" Well you can imagine the excitement this stirred up in the house. A free gold fish! What good luck!

So we went as a family to pick out the newest animal to join our farm. On the way Ivar announced, "and I already know what I am going to name him. Whopper." I could not have been more proud.

We walked in and the owner scooped up the fish that was destined to be Whopper and after buying rocks, food and a fake green plant, he made a fifteen dollar sale off of a free 35 cent fish. If I were him I'd be placing those florescent orange free fish tickets all over the town.

Whopper got a nice view on our dash board and we went and got ice cream cones and took a walk around town before heading home to introduce Whopper to his new fish bowl. He's going to be well loved.

***
Part Two: I wrote that post on Wednesday night with the intent to take a picture of Whopper on Thursday morning and then publishing the post. But instead we found Whopper floating in his fish bowl Thursday morning. The kids were very matter-of-fact about it and Rory said he'd go back and get a replacement Whopper. I suggested we get two fish, thinking maybe that would be a less solitary life.

I asked Ivar if he would name the next fish Whopper Junior, and the joke was lost on him and he insisted it would just be called Whopper. Elsie was bouncing her butt on the couch while we asked her what she was going to name her fish. As she bounced she said, "ummmmmmmm. I'm going to call it Couch-a" (a quality naming strategy: Find the nearest object and add an A ending)

So now we have Whopper and Coucha. And we're proud to say they've been alive for 24 hours. We're going for 24 more.

a nice thing to do

Ivar and I went to visit the goats after lunch. I told him on the walk back to the house, "Ivar, I would like to read my book outside while the girls are napping. Maybe we could get a blanket and lay and read together."

Ivar was quiet for a moment and then said, "I just like how that idea feels. Doesn't it just feel like it would be a nice thing to do?" And I agreed. The idea and the reality both felt really, really lovely.

how to best use the freezer

This week we are eating out of the deep freezer. Rory has challenged me not to go grocery shopping until June 1st so that we eat up all that we have. It is actually a good challenge and strangely we've been eating great.

But in the deep freeze I came across a bag of rhubarb, all sliced and prepped that I clearly never used in the 365 days since I threw it in the deep freeze. I knew this because as I found this bag all prepped and ready to go I realized I had fresh rhubarb from this year waiting to be cut and used. I left that frozen bag out on the freezer in the garage thinking I'd give it to the chickens in the morning and it thawed and leaked rhubarb juice all over everything. A total mess. But then it dawned on me. We never ate that rhubarb because I never felt inspired to thaw it and make muffins. Here me out on this, because I've got a hot tip coming your way...

The workshops at Minnesota Association of Christian Home Educators (MACHE) conference are so practical and topics are so immediately applicable ranging from discipline at all ages, teaching manners, working on your marriage, motivating your children and my personal favorite this year: food preparation.

This workshop was sixty minutes of mealtime suggestions, aiming to help the mom when she finds herself in the kitchen three times a day. The workshop presenter had lots of practical tips but this was my favorite: "When ham goes on sale around Easter, be sure to go and buy three hams for such a good price. But then do not go home and throw them into your freezer. A frozen ham at 4:00 on a Tuesday is no help to you. Instead, pick a day that week that you are going to bake all three hams. Your oven will be on all day. And as each ham comes out of the oven, slice it, cube it, prepare it to be eaten and store it in family-sized servings in your freezer. This way it will be cooked and ready for you at 4:00 on a Tuesday when you decide you are going to have sliced ham and scrambled eggs or cubed ham in wild rice soup or sliced ham and potatoes au gratin..."

Doesn't that change everything?!!

It's why I never used that huge bag of frozen rhubarb. Because it would have been better to have made rhubarb muffins one day during rhubarb season and frozen those. This way, at a moments notice, I could grab a bag of muffins to eat with my sliced ham and scrambled eggs supper. So guess who has been baking muffins all morning? I doubled the recipe, made four dozen muffins, and will put them in freezer bags (this is key! it's not worth all that work for freezer burned food!) to eat later this year. Unless my family keeps eating them, which seems totally plausible at this point...

She encouraged the same sort of thinking for whole turkeys, whole chickens, pounds of hamburger. Cook it all, the slice it, shred it, cube it and freeze it in family meal-sized portions and you'll LOVE YOURSELF at 4:00 when you remember that dinnertime is coming up, like it does every 24 hours all. life. long.

honey for a child's heart

Rory and I attended the Minnesota Home Educator's conference back in April. I am eager to share a few thoughts on that weekend, as I came home with lots of ideas that could be applied to all parents, no matter how they are choosing to educate their children. But today I'm going to tell you about this book, Honey for a Child's Heart, that was mentioned over and over again in the workshops that we attended.

These paragraphs sort of sum up the author's thesis:

"That which is excellent has a certain spirit of literature present. The sensitivity of the reader says, 'This is true.' 'This is real.' And it sets in action something in the reader which profoundly affects him. It has been an experience- spiritual, imaginative, intellectual, or social. A sense of permanent worthwhileness surrounds really great literature. Laughter, pain, hunger, satisfaction, love, joy -- the ingredients of human life are found in depth and leave a residue of mental and spiritual richness in the reader. 

"If we familiarize our children with this kind of writing, then they have a ground for making comparisons. Not everything they read will be excellent, but they will know a story's possibilities. It will set their reading patterns into motion."

I found my copy at our town's book sale and got it for 50 cents, but my copy was published in 1978. Zondervan has continued to publish this book ever since, and you can get your copy here. (With a new picture on the cover, that makes you feel like reading might be fun!) If I had the means, this is a book that I'd buy by the case and hand out to each friend I know. Last week we had a playdate every morning and I kept my copy in my bag so that I could tell each friend about it.

The first half of the book sets the motivational ground work for why books are so powerful. I think we could all answer, "well duh" to that premise, but I am telling you the way she lays out the chapters was so inspiring. I have never been so excited about the great privilege of being the one who gets to present good books to my kids!

The second half of the book is her personal recommended book lists, divided by age group (preschool-3rd grade, grade four to six, teen and mature readers). It is so helpful! The lists are placed in order of complexity, so if you  have a preschooler you would start at the beginning, but you can find where your kid is in the mix. And she doesn't claim that the list is exhaustive, but does say that it would be a shame for your kids to miss out on any of these books before they leave your home. (Also, her list is not just Christian authors or Christian stories. A well written story will have the ring of truth.)

Then she has a section called Poetry is for Pleasure and gives her picks for  how to introduce poetry to your family. I've never been captured by poetry the way many are. Which is odd, since I do love words! So I am excited to introduce poetry to my kids with hopes that I catch the spirit too...

The final section is again divided by age groups and is titled, "Helping Preschoolers Through Third Graders Grow as Christians" Then she recommends books for 4th-6th graders and again teens to mature readers.

I am so grateful for this resource book and helping me in this area of my parenting. If you have kids that are going to be home for the summer, I would think you'd want to get your hands on Honey for a Child's Heart right away. Or if you have grandkids, nieces or nephews or kids in your life, I would imagine this would be an awesome resource to refer to when picking out gifts. Happy Reading!

bug motel

I have been telling the kids that I want to get them a bug motel so that we can watch the bugs and caterpillars we find. Tonight, while the five of us were playing in the rock box, I found a tiny caterpillar and Elsie lamented that we didn't have a bug motel and Rory explained that a mason jar was the original bug motel.

So we got a jar, put some rocks in the bottom and a few sticks slanted on the sides. We put a little water in the bottom and tossed in some grass and clover. And then we put in the caterpillar. I put some press-n-seal on the top with breathing holes and it was adorable. I wish so badly I had taken a picture.

Because moments later I found Ivar very sad on the couch. He told me he was sad we had taken the caterpillar from the rock box and that his mom and dad were probably looking for him. I assured him that there were no other caterpillars in that area where I was digging and he told me I should have digged deeper. I told him that I didn't think that caterpillars actually stayed with their mom and dad for very long, that they actually like to be alone. I've only ever seen them alone.

I got busy with something else, but the next thing I saw out the window was Ivar running from the rock box and into Rory's arms. Rory held him and Ivar cried and later Rory told me to write down these exact words as they came out of Ivar. Ivar told his dad, "I dumped him back out because I felt (began to sob) in my heart (loud wail) that he wanted to be in his home." And he cried into Rory's shoulder.

A few thoughts on this. Number one, Ivar is my son. I still personify most things and have a very tender heart that has clearly been genetically passed on to my boy. Number two, I am so glad Rory got that quote word for word. It's priceless. And Number three: Good thing I didn't spend ten bucks on a bug motel!

troybacca

Heads up! Sara is in concert Sunday night (if you're reading this on Saturday night, that means tomorrow night. If you're reading this on Sunday, that means tonight!) at Grace Church in Eden Prairie. The concert is a part of the Art Music Justice Tour with Jenny and Tyler and Brandon Heath and sounds awesome.

For over a decade Troy was Sara's manager. Now he just makes funny videos dressed up in full body wookie costumes. Not really. A few years ago he started working for International Justice Mission organizing large events like banquets and concerts that raise awareness and funds for the work of IJM. IJM works all around the globe rescuing girls from trafficking and freeing slaves.. They use the laws of each country to free the victims and to prosecute the captors. It is exciting work, important work, life-changing work and the stories of the people set free are deeply moving.

If you happen to be free, you'd enjoy this concert. The show starts at 7:30. Tickets are online here. Or you can get them at the door.

while I'm thinking of it...

Today Ivar told me, "Mom! We have to read-new these books at the library today!" I loved this little word mix-up. Now that he's five I feel more of an obligation to correct his kid words to the right words...but man, it's hard to do. I love the little kid language we have around here.

On that note, I think every three-year-old deserves an audience to follow them around and hear the awesome things that come out of their mouths. I told my parents that I can hardly explain it to another. The awesomeness is wrapped up in the inflection, the word order, the choice of words...all of it. And the running narration of a day is more entertaining than any professional comedian. Elsie is constant fun and I love age three.

It's garage sale season and I am in full swing. I love this time of year so much. We have found treasures and bargains and things I never knew we needed. But for that price?!! We'll take it! Even my kids are now trained to spot a Garage Sale sign.

In an ironic twist, I'm purging my house! Go figure. But when more stuff comes in, stuff has to go out. I am so tired of clothes. Anyone else? Kids clothes are incredible. Between growing kids, the change of season, awesome hand-me-downs (Not complaining! Totally grateful!) and a daughter who changes dresses and tights and sweaters and skirts eleven times a day, I just cannot take it anymore. I am drowning in clothes. Dirty laundry, clean laundry, clothes that need to be put away, clothes left on the bathroom floor, clothes discarded in every room.

But! I finally put all of our winter gear away! Snow pants, boots, mittens, hats and scarves have all been boxed up until next fall. I keep the winter coats out because I've fallen for that that one before. The second you put the coats away it drops to 30. Every time.

Rory and I watched Gattaca the other night and I really, really liked it. It's so seldom that we stumble upon a thoughtful, clean, entertaining movie that I feel like I should tell you about it. So I did. If you have Amazon Prime you can watch it for free at that link above.

Also, the night we watched Gattaca, Rory brought home our first watermelon of the season. I told him it was the most romantic thing he could have done. Added bonus was that the watermelon was good!

In other news, we adore our goats. Currently the baby is still named Precious and the mama goat is still nameless. Ivar wants to call it Olivia. He has no idea where he came up with that name...we don't have an Olivia in our family/friends/life. I can't quite get myself to call her Olivia, so I keep calling her Mama. But that's what I'm called. Rory seems to be leaning towards Olivia. A goat named Olivia? I'm on the fence on this one. Please weigh in.

Another random thought: I have been weeding this spring and I love it. You can read that sentence again. It's baffling to me too. But I read this blog post at The Rabbit Room, and the writer talked about how he loves to weed. He can't walk past a weed without picking it. The point of his piece was that it is okay to leave the weeds. But I heard the opposite. Ha! While reading it I sort of realized that weeds are the untidy thing in nature. And since I like to keep things tidy, this sort of flipped a switch in me. I have been out when I can, weeding the blueberries mostly. And it is hard to weed with a baby. But there is a really good, addictive feeling you get when you weed right after it has rained, and that weed pulls up nicely with a root attached.

Which brings me to my next point: I am getting old. My sudden appreciation of weeding is evidence of this. As is the fact that I was looking for a radio station recently and found Sting singing Roxanne on the oldies station. The Oldies Station! Kool 108 was playing Sting. And then Queen was next and suddenly I found myself all they way home having sung along to all the songs. Aging is a sneaky, creepy little thing.

I guess that's what's on my mind tonight: Olivia, Read-Newing books, Gattaca, Garage Sales, Weeds, Watermelons and Roxanne. There's always a lot going on in this brain of mine...

our first week with the goats

We are so attached to these goats already. And I know they are farm animals and not pets, but honestly, how do you tell your head and your heart not to get attached? It just happens. And we are all attached.

Our first week went smoothly except for the ten minutes that did not go smoothly at all. And those ten minutes are what I want to write about now.

We got our goats to help us with our grove maintenance. We want them to feast in our grove. We want to be able to walk through our woods again. We want to have an Oak Savannah again, and our goats are our plan. Which means we might have been a little eager to get them out and into the grove first thing. Thankfully Rory had spent the morning building a fence from the barn to the cabin. And thankfully the previous owners had goats back in the day so that there is a fence surrounding the grove, though we have cut openings in it for various projects and parts are down due to branches or trees that have fallen down. 

Rory wanted to get the goats to the smaller pen he had created out of electric fence, and had made leashes for the goats to walk them there. Well. Goats aren't super big into being walked. Or dragged. Or pulled. And at some point the knots came undone and Rory calmly stood with two concerned goats, not sure what this strange man wanted them to do next. The big kids and I were sitting in lawn chairs on the other side of the electric fence waiting to watch the show. Hattie was thankfully napping. (Hattie is awesome like that.) 

So Rory picked up the baby goat, knowing the mama would follow. He got the baby in the electric fenced area, but the mama circled on his wrong side, panicked because she was separated from her baby and charged the electric fence. 

And that was right about when we knew we were in deep, deep trouble. 

The Mama was zapped by that fence, by two lines, and bucked up and went bananas. At this point in the story I need you to add in your own audio track of two goats bleating their hearts out, a human-like noisy cry, incessant, and worried, "maaaaaaaaaaa! maaaaaaaaaaa!" I grabbed the kids and got them safely in the barn while Ivar sobbed, "Oh no! We lost our goats already! We'll never have goats again!" Rory spoke fast, "get me another rope." And all the while the two goats were running pell mell around our grove. 

At the same time our neighbor's dogs started barking, adding to the chaos. I kept waiting for the goats to head to the neighbors or for the dogs to come to us, but they never did. Rory got the goats to head towards the cabin and they came right up to the fence he had just erected that morning, where I stood on the other side. And then they turned towards the back side of the barn and my heart sunk. They were heading for the opening that was blocked only by electric fence...something they clearly had no regard for. One good run and they'd be in our field where they'd really be free. 

So they ran around the barn on the back side and I took off to catch them before they made it to the open field. And as I ran I thought, "Sweet Jesus! Make me bold so I can jump on that goat!" 

That was for real my plan. I was going to jump on the mama and go for a ride. I knew she had to be caught or we'd be chasing goats for the rest of our lives. Also noteworthy is that I only call Jesus 'Sweet' in moments of serious peril. I have a short list when my mouth has said Sweet Jesus! And every time it has been completely reverent, with all sincerity asking Sweet Jesus for some Sweet Supernatural help. Like right away. I said it when I watched Rory drop from the roof in front of the kitchen window when he was cleaning out the gutters and came upon a wasp nest. And I said it when our old barn came down. And now I said it again while gearing up to jump on a goat.

I came around the corner of the barn and watched in horror as they ran right towards me. I got myself ready but at the very last second, they turned right into their pen. Praise Sweet Jesus! Rory was on the other corner and I climbed through the electric fence (which must have been grounded and not on...we think the mama goat broke the circuit, lucky me, because I was just going to "run through it real quick" so I could get the door closed behind them. Ha!) 

We closed the door and stood in the pen with our two goats. I got the kids and went back in the house and then I got the giggles and laughed about it all night long. I told Rory the Good Shepherd could not have taught us more lessons in a shorter amount of time. It was actually quite the productive educational experience and there are about 14 mistakes that we will never make again. 

So we've spent the last few days building up trust with our goats again, and thankfully they seem to be rather forgiving.  The electric fence is now right next to the physical wire fence, their first open space is right outside the door to their pen so they can walk in and out as they please, they have been given actual dog collars and next up we will be mending the fence around the entire grove.

Truthfully, if you omit those ten minutes of intense goat school, it has been going great and we are glad to have mammals in our barn. The past few days they have been fed each morning and evening, but other than that, they're pretty low-key. And good thing because Rory's honey bees come tomorrow morning. Wouldn't want to sit still around here...

the magical forest

Before my parents left on Mother's Day I told them they should stop by the county park right by our house to see the wild flowers. I had a feeling they would be in full bloom because the ditches by our house are stunning this week. As they left I gave them directions how to get there. But while I waved goodbye I said to Rory, "actually, that's what I want to do...I want to go to Stair Step Forest too."

So we packed the kids up and drove half a mile to our favorite, magical place. We parked our car close to my parent's car and took the many steps down into the forest valley and then took the trail assuming we'd meet up with them on their trek back at any turn. But my parents hiked an impressively long hike, and therefore we did too. The funny part was how excited we all were to surprise them, even though we had just spent the whole day together!

My mom was taking pictures of every kind of wild flower, eager to look them all up when she got home. The forest floor was covered in white and purple flowers, but Mom was finding even more that we had been walking right past. We walked a little further with them and for our first time made it out to the river! We were so proud of our kids for making the trek and were rewarded by a stunning view and celebrated by throwing rocks into the water.

The day was so lovely. There were no bugs in the forest, something we were all keenly aware of because we know they are coming. It was a lovely hike on a lovely day with my lovely family. And Hattie and I were quite impressive in our trail hiking agility.

a happy mother's day

I've got to admit I don't always love Mother's Day. It's sort of like my problem with adult birthdays: a whole lot of expectations...and that never really works out well in the end. So this year I made a special decision to just go with the flow (let go of the expectations!) and relax and enjoy my kids. Which is probably what the day was supposed to be in the first place, but you know how social media has hijacked our happiness based on what the Jones' are up to...

And in the end, our day was magical simply because I was so relaxed and enjoyed the glorious day. My folks came for a picnic lunch with fried chicken and strawberry shortcake and I got out the new kite I recently bought. We hung out with the goats, tried out the new swing, ate ice cream cones, picked lilacs and tulips and ended with a hike through StairStep Forrest. And later, Rory and I ate Ben and Jerry's in bed while watching Waiting for Guffman. That was the perfect ending to a lovely day. 

Rainbow bird was a tricky bird to fly. We did a little repair on the string, but I think a windier day would have been helpful. But it wasn't for a lack of effort! I was about to give up for the day, but my folks wouldn't have it. So they tried to launch the kite for a while and watching my mom throw the kite in the air and my dad running through our lawn was awesome.

The day left me feeling so grateful for my family, and so blessed by my parents and the way they love me and my family. And happy that I get to experience the same love for my kids that my mom has for me.

I'll save the pics from StairStep Forrest for tomorrow...it's such an enchanted place!

we got goats!

Wednesday we loaded up the family and drove two miles away and came home with two adorable goats. The woman who sold them to us was awesome. She's a high school math teacher by day and a farmer by night, grew up in the suburbs of Georgia, married a Minnesota farmer and has figured it out ever since. She was so supportive, so encouraging and loved her animals so much. We made another friend and I'm so grateful.

We got a mama goat and her baby, a female. My sister-in-law Lisa thought we should name them Lilac and Tulip because those flowers are in full bloom on our farm this week, and I loved that idea and calling them Lila and Tulla. But Rory couldn't remember those names and kept saying, "what did you name them? Lyza and Minnelli? Flora and Fauna?" Rory makes me laugh.

Ivar didn't like Lila and Tulla either, so he decided the little white goat should be called Precious. And Rory is still coming up with the Mama's name.

Animals are so fun. We went to bed last night and Rory commented that it just feels so good to have some animals in that barn. And Ivar has been by Rory's side the entire time. Early this morning Ivar asked, "Dad, am I your first farm hand?" And Ivar found a place in the electric fence that needed to be looked at because the baby could burrow under the wire. Everyone was quite proud of Ivar for spotting the weak part of the fence!

Today the boys are mending the wire fence that runs around our property from the previous owners. That way if a goat escapes the electric fence, we'll have a second fence to catch them. Worst case scenario would be an escaped goat! A double fence feels like a good precaution.

They are very sweet in temperament so far, more scared than aggressive. So we've spent lots of time sitting by their pen, talking nicely, hand feeding them their hay and cracked corn. It's a real life petting zoo, right here in our barn and it's really, really fun.

a sweet memory

On Sunday I sat in our church service with all three kids. Rory was out for most of the service talking with a friend, so I held Elsie on my hip and Ivar stood on the chair next to me wanting me to hold his hand. Then he went to kids church but Elsie decided to stay. I took Hattie out of her car seat and before I could put her on my lap, Elsie had climbed on my lap so that I had both girls on me, Elsie proudly "holding" Hattie. We stayed seated and sang songs and clapped our hands and I felt blissfully happy.

Then the Lord brought a sweet memory to my mind. When I was little I lived for Sunday mornings so that I could go to church to see all of my favorite babies and toddlers. I had some serious favorites: Christine, Jonathan, Sarah and Joel, and topping the list was Naomi. Those last three were the kids in the other pastor's family and I love, love, loved them. Naomi in particular was basically my best friend from her birth until age five or so when they moved away. And I must have been nine or ten when she was born. (Her mom was also my piano teacher, and Naomi was my greatest reason for sticking it out during those years.)

Anyway, God reminded me of this season of life and how every Sunday I would watch the mom's with little babies all throughout the church service. I even followed a mom I didn't know very well out of the service once, when her baby was crying, and offered to hold it for her! She declined, but I was so earnest. I remember dreaming about having my own baby or even just that my brother or sister would have one that I could hold during the service. I just wanted a baby in my hands.

So this past Sunday, while I sat in church with my own redhead on my lap, with my baby stacked on top, my heart completely burst open. I felt so grateful and happy. And  I worshiped the Lord with so much gladness.

There is no season I can imagine that is more fulfilled than this one. I am tired. My patience is tried each day. But this joy and gladness for these little lives in my care cannot be topped. I have waited for this season for a long, long time and I am so glad it is here.

kindergarten boosters

Our new ecfe classroom has this pool of balls. Ivar got in it and I had to take a picture because this was his favorite place when he was a baby at ecfe. Remember these pictures?

Yesterday we took Hattie in for her six month shots. While we were there we started talking about Ivar's kindergarten booster shots and decided on the spot to get them over with. You can imagine how surprised Ivar was at this turn of events. He thought he was just going along to play with the toys in the lobby.

He was very brave and got two shots that hurt quite a bit. He cried until the doctor said, "you won't need another shot for another eight years." I said, "Ivar! You haven't even been alive for eight years!" And then he stopped crying and his whole face turned into a giant smile at this very good news.

I told him about when I got my kindergarten booster shots. I don't remember getting the actual shots, but I know I got one in each leg, because when we got home I made my best friend and next door neighbor, Jennifer, push me around in the stroller all night. I remember this vividly...that she pushed me in circles around our garage and I pretended I needed to pick something up and put it in another part of the garage.

I think I was pretty bossy to Jennifer, but I also know that I could make her laugh really hard with funny jokes and barbie story lines (our favorite was when Barbie's hair caught on fire at her beach party because her hair was so full of hairspray and she got too close to the grill with the hot dogs. She would go berzerk with her head on fire, running around to all the beach party goers, her head aflame, asking if anyone had butter to put on her head. Then she stuck her head in the butter to help with her obvious burns and everyone would be grossed out because her head had been in the butter at her beach party.) Jennifer liked to laugh and I liked to make her laugh. We laughed a lot.

Anyway, that was a funny story to tell Ivar after he got his booster shots and made me laugh again as I retold each part. And it was good to have a funny thing to think about because he woke up in the middle of the night with a fever from the shots and then got sick up in his top bunk so that I had quite the mess to clean up. That was when I got really glad it will be another eight years before he needs his next shots...

more grovesisms

+On Monday morning the kids asked for the plan for the day. I told them, "I want to make your room fun again! How can we have any fun in this room when it looks like this?" And somehow the kids bought into this idea of making their room fun again...

+When Elsie comes inside after playing in her crocs and tights she'll say, "Ah! My tights are socking wet!"

+Ivar and Elsie have this series of moves on the back of the couch that they like to do. They lay on their backs and slide down the couch until there legs flop to the side. They laugh and laugh and call it their "Okie Pokie Exercises."

+Anytime a shirt needs to be put right I'll hear, "Mom! Get this outside out!"

+I hear the kids talk about "Far Town" all the time. From what I could piece together, it is a place at Mimi and Papa's. So at Easter I asked them to show me Far Town and they led me to a teeny part of the basement that has become a magical place for them. I still don't quite understand what happens in Far Town, but I believe they have found their own Narnia. I love that so much.

+In this house we call the fly swatter the fly swiper. And when a paper is wadded up it is crampled.

+We have been bird watching again this spring. We had hundreds of Junco's in our trees for a few days. Before I knew what they were called I told the kids we should come up with a name like Adam got to name the animals. They are dark grey with a white underside. Ivar came up with Night and Elsie came up with Moon for the undersides so we call them Night Moons. Isn't that poetic?!! Way better than the Junco.

+The kids begged to eat their lunch on this little part of the counter. They loved it and it made for a very special and silly lunch.

yellow flowers

This little girl is constant entertainment. She is fun and awesome. She is shy in a crowd, and constant chatter at home. She ran around all morning picking dandelions this day, all by herself, making bouquets "like Madi's wedding!" That wedding may have been six months ago, but I swear she still remembers every single second.

I was an adult before I learned that dandelions are considered weeds. My mom celebrated a bouquet of dandelions the same as if she had received a dozen roses. She had special tiny vases for our little spring bundles. But Elsie's bundles were so big I was able to use the milk jars to display her sunny bouquets. Happy Spring! Dandelions make it official!

family dinner

On Monday morning I got a text from my mom asking if I wanted to come for dinner because Aunt Annie and Aunt Louie would be at her house. I texted back a quick Yes! And she said that's she'd see if my cousin Kathy wanted to come so our babies could finally meet.

Then my mom asked Uncle Don if he wanted to come to see the babies, and he picked up Uncle Carl on the way (who, upon arrival, noticed my expired plates and changed my license plates on the spot!)

Well now we had a real party on our hands. So even my sister came after a full day of work and kindergarten round up!

 Everyone got to hold a baby for as longs as they wanted.

Mom got a few peony transplants from Aunt Annie's farm that Uncle Carl planted for her. 

What joy! I love family time so much and last night was a precious, unexpected, wonderful treat. All because my mom woke up and started inviting people to her house for dinner...