odds and ends

Life has a way of getting busier and busier! We've been so busy doing lately that I have not really had the time to write about any of it. I'm afraid the busy-ness precludes me being able to write any sort of reflective, thoughtful post for now, but I wanted to post a few pictures to give you a peek into what life is like for us right now.

First of all, the kids. Because that's how everything goes around here.

Eden officially rolled over today! There have been a couple of times I put her on her stomach to return and find her on her back, but I thought they were probably just flukes. However, this time she rolled over right in front of me and when I put her back on her belly, she kept making the movements trying to do it again. Smart girl.

I have a son who is really trying to do everything I do and in general is growing up fast! He is transitioning out of his high-chair. He's leaving the baby sippy cups behind and is using the sippies that can actually spill. He is learning to wield a fork. We moved him into a regular bed and he LOVES being able to sleep there. The transition has been completely uneventful, except for me trying to adjust to my little boy stomping through the house to find me some mornings, saying, as though he's all grown-up, "Hi!" As grown-up as he can seem, his version of how to sleep in a regular bed is quite different from a grown-up's. He insists sideways is better than vertical. This was one day he just took it too far....



This is another way Israel tried to be like his mommy. Headbands make him so happy! (Don't worry, we don't let him leave the house like this, though I am posting the picture for the general public to see. Hypocritical? Maybe.)


If it wasn't already obvious from the head-band shot, Israel is in need of a haircut! But it's just so much fun...!Not to be out-done, Eden would like to show you her crazy bath-time hair. Her hair is naturally curly; it just doesn't like to dry that way yet.


Secondly, some of what we've been up to around the house. The weather is warm, and that means LOTS of kids around our house. We truly enjoy being able to supply the kids and teens around with hours of fun at our basketball hoop. We are meeting some pretty great new kids from down the street as well. Some of the kids, though, have no idea whatsoever how they are supposed to behave and, while this will only be helped by spending time with some adults who will show them how, I really don't want to be the teacher every time I step out by back door to play with Israel. So we've been trying to tackle some outdoor projects, which include a privacy fence and a short rock wall for a raised-bed garden.

When Pat's mom, Terri, was here a few weekends ago, his brother, Bob, also came to help for an afternoon and got the ball rolling by tearing out the yucky old chain-link fence and putting in some of the posts for the new privacy fence we bought with our tax return. (Thank you, George W.!) It was a busy day and Terri did a great job of helping entertain Israel and three of his cousins with her homemade play-dough. I think a good time was had by all and I'm sure we all slept well that night!

before...

The work begins. Pat and Bob took the fence....


I took on the lawn, as usual.

Grandma took on the kids!
(Not really sure which of us had the more difficult job!)

our progress as of this weekend...three weeks later!

...and we're still plugging away for about an hour each evening!

It takes a lot of work to do this sort of backyard make-over. And it is taking us a long time. But we have a good deal of help, really. Our neighbor Steve comes over every time he sees Pat working on the fence to help out. His expertise is invaluable; we don't know what we're doing! Israel can be a handful as he both does and does not want to "help" us in what we're doing. Add to this that we are still without fencing in places, and he can just run out of the yard if he is so inclined. This makes concentrating on a project not only difficult, but dangerous. Oftentimes, though, an older kid will come and play with Israel a few feet away while we work, which is so helpful. And every time I pull out the lawnmower, I have 2-3 kids begging me to let them help. So I mow until it's time for Eden to eat and then hand over the (very novel) mower. It's an old-style rotating blade mower that can be difficult to push through the grass at times, but thus far, the kids have all done a great job and thank me for the experience! Does it get better than that!?

It's nice to be forming more relationships with more kids in the neighborhood. Knowing them makes the swarm around my house not nearly as overwhelming as it was when we first moved here. (That, and now they know I will not give them a popsicle every day....) We like our life here and wouldn't be anywhere else.