Quirky Cutes: Procrastination Edition

I am in a bit of a frenzy trying to get out of town for a little getaway this week (NOT THAILAND) (SAD FACE) (It's Chicago and actually that deserves a big ol' happy face because I have cried enough Thailand tears and now I am ready to snuggle into a fancy hotel bed with Mark and sleep for hours and hours and then wake up and eat fancy food. So. BIG OL' HAPPY FACE) which means that I have a million lists to make and things to pack and rooms to clean and laundry to sort.

So naturally, I am blogging. Hi.

I don't even have anything legit to blog about, but.... here are some cute fun things, I guess? That are more interesting than laundry and packing?

Anneliese got a new swimsuit. I have no idea where she learned this pose.

Charlotte's obsession with shoes (OMGeeee all day every day with the syooo? syooo? I hear it in my sleep, I really do) is not limited to just her own. Nathan's new boat shoes (which he adores; he is also not one who lacks for Shoe Feelings) are fair game too.

 Her summer wardrobe also still includes this winter hat in the blazing heat, in case you were curious.

Fashion over comfort, yo.

Oh and speaking of fashion, I think Anneliese gets the award for most awkward outfit at the library. Normally I don't let her wear dress-up clothes out of the house but I was distracted that day. I honestly didn't see what she looked like til she got out of the van. (Attentive-Mom Alert!) Between that the sunglasses headband and the wet pool hair, she looked a hot mess. I mean, adorable. My kid is adorable.

Unrelated: Nathan has a new method he would like to share for getting rid of brain freeze when you're eating ice cream. Just put a napkin on your forehead! This brilliance is about to go viral on Pinterest, so be ready.

Random cuteness: where's Charlotte? Peekaboo! There she is! *giggle giggle giggle*

More random cuteness: Anneliese is a baby-wearing baby! (That is not post-pool hair. I have no explanation here.)

Even more random cuteness, with a side of Nathan photobomb that had me laughing (and cringing) all day.

Oh and speaking of photobombs, here is a Thing I like do when I'm bored: creep up behind Mark and insert my cheesing mug into his nap for a selfie photo op. Don't you wish you could be married to me too??!

(Someday, if y'all are nice, I'll do a whole post of nothing but these nap creeper pics. There are, um... several more.)

Okay I think this concludes today's portion of leaving-town-tasks procrastination. Back to the frenzy of lists.

(No wait! Here is something else! This is the first blog post I have fully written on my chromebook including cropping and uploading pics and everything! I wanted to try and see how non-clunky it is. And... non-clunky indeed.)

In Which the Culprit Is Revealed

Y'all can sit back and rest from the edge of your seats now. The anonymous sticker mail is anonymous no more.

------------------------------------------------------------

from:		Ashley Grice
to:		Erin Goettsch

I can't take it anymore. I was going to hold out until you told us your (presumably) hilarious conspiracy theory, but alas. I give in. Two things* I'd love to know:
1. Exactly HOW FRUSTRATED were you? I've been so tempted to call Nathan P** and ask, but I feared he'd tell you I was behind it.
2. Did any other envelopes arrive? Should have been 3 more.
I LOVE YOU! Thanks for playing!

From Erin: 
* I ended up answering both of those questions here. To sum up: Very, and yes.
**Y'all know she means Another Nathan, right? He actually has a legit last name, outside this blog. (Also heck yes he would have told me.)

In Which the Culprit is Revealed

Dear Erin’s Readers,

Ok. I’ll ‘fess up.

Many moons ago, Erin ranted about preschool homework (her words: "I think we've well covered how I feel about preschool homework").  This was the FIRST THING that popped into my head when “Liam” got a chain letter from “Anneliese.” (Use of quotes permitted because CLEARLY the letter was from Erin to me, and the assignment could not in any way, shape, or form have been completed by Liam AT ALL.) (Not even ONE BIT.)

So, there I was. Stuck holding a chain letter. In the same boat I found myself 20 (TWENTY!) years ago. (You know what we normally do with chain letters now? DELETE THEM FROM THE INBOX.) 

There are not 6 people in my life who I dislike enough that I would actually send them a chain letter. Also, Liam doesn’t play with stickers.  But, I wanted Anneliese to get her stickers! And I wanted to get back at Erin for passing along a stinking 1990’s chain letter! (WHO DOES THAT?)

Fortunately, I have friends around the country who are more than happy to send  pre-addressed, pre-stamped, stuffed and sealed envelopes from their home towns. I sent Finn his stickers (he liked them! Yay!), then I mailed ready-to-send envelopes, addressed to Anneliese from various fictional characters, to friends around the country. 

Please note: My friends are awesome and so, so helpful!

In the end, Anneliese was THRILLED! Erin was STUMPED! The chain letter stops here!*** Everyone wins!

By the way, I have a brand-new smartphone and I no longer use T9! And I use an rss feed (whatever that means) to read blogs on my phone!  Sadly, if I read those blogs on the computer, I still type the address in the browser.

I will finish this riveting story with some advice. Should you choose to imitate this prankish project, may I suggest the following improvements:

1. Use different sizes/styles of envelopes (to further confuse Erin). I was just lazy and used what I had in the desk.

2. Have 6 different kids address the envelopes, so that each one has unique kiddie handwriting (to further confuse Erin).

3. Use different brands & styles of stickers (to further confuse Erin).

You’re welcome!

Thanks for playing along in today’s mail mystery game!

Patiently awaiting my kiss on the mouth,

Ashley

***Only your wing of it, dear sister. Besides the anonymous ones, we have kiddie stickers coming from five other arms of that chain. xoxo *mwah*

And Then the Oven Caught On Fire

So I was very busy over on twitter last night (and in my text thread, even less delicately) bitching about the exhaustion of having to make food for people every few hours every day of my whole life, because I am a terrible person was inexplicably cranky for no reason:

I have had a lovely day, I really have. But I am so sick of thinking about how/when/what to feed people that I could scream.
— Erin Goettsch (@ebum1101) June 27, 2013

(An ongoing woe, not just today. "Who eats next? What will I feed them?" is a line of thinking I cannot EVER escape from and I'm OVER IT.)
— Erin Goettsch (@ebum1101) June 27, 2013

Yes, I am a full-time caregiver who is frustrated by people needing food and beverage. Yes I hear myself. I will save you the eye roll.
— Erin Goettsch (@ebum1101) June 27, 2013

And even though the twitterverse was actually sort of kind and validating (it isn't just me! everyone hates this! the never-endingness really is exhausting!), I managed to suck it up and make a dinner plan and was working on cooking it, when the oven caught on fire.

Wait wait let me say it again because I think you missed it. MY OVEN CAUGHT ON FIRE.

!!!!!

I preheated it, and then I heard a pop, and when I looked behind me the oven seemed... oddly bright. BECAUSE IT WAS ON FIRE.

I guess the heating mechanism ignited somehow. Because of grease on it? Because it is old? Because twitter bitching and karma and Jesus and something? I don't know. But it was on fire.

Oddly we never really panicked. The flames were small and totally contained in the oven, so Mark and I sort of chatted about what we should do, before we did anything. (Some of you are out there rolling your eyes at us and nodding knowingly.)

We tried turning off the oven and when it didn't die down on it own (haaa die down, in a super hot oven, we are cute), Mark busted out the fire extinguisher. Which we keep on the counter. Because amongst other adorable nerdy qualities, he puffy-heart loves safety rules. (And today I say, thank goodness.)

But even after two attempts with the fire extinguisher (yes, yes, I did take a picture on the second go), it still wouldn't quite die down, so then we did get totally nervous. Mostly about the gas line to the stove right above it. Yiiiiiikes.

Also we had cut the power to the house, and the alarm was going off, so between the noise and the dark and the sight/smell of smoke and extinguisher chemicals everywhere, we suddenly had two terrified crying children peering at us through the stair bannister.

Anyway after take three with the extinguisher, the flames were gone, and our biggest problems were the sobbing children and the layer of extinguisher foam/powder covering everything, and when I say everything I mean everything. We did a crap top of laundry, scrubbed out the cracks in the couch, washed every counter and wall and dish (of course I had left all manner of cabinets and things open, including the microwave, right now my mom is thinking CLASSIC ERIN), swept and mopped and swept and mopped, repeat times inifinity. And just when you think you have it all, you realize you have to clean out inside your toaster. Oh and mop again. And oh for the love, clean off that bottle of wine, stat.

(The kids calmed down. Nathan's Rex, who got caught in the extinguisher crossfire, emerged from the washing machine unscathed and unsmelly. But the cleaning will be in process for some time. Mark actually vacuumed out the oven a bit today. In case you didn't know that's a thing husbands do after kitchen fires. Apparently.)

The important thing is we're all safe, what could have been a disaster was very not, and Anneliese thinks Daddy is a firefighter now. Oh and also we got chinese takeout for dinner.

Loud and clear, universe. Loud and clear.

This Week's This and That

This was one of our "easy" weeks this summer, without much scheduled. The following update format is shamelessly stolen from the lovely Emily.

LOVED THIS:

The kids and I made individual pizzas for dinner one night. It was a huge adorable mess. Charlotte ate more than she prepped. Who put that baby on the counter with a bag of cheese anyway?

TORMENTED BY THAT:

The sticker club mystery mail continues. Other chain letter replies are now coming in fast too (I think we can expect like thirty or something if everyone does it) but these anonymous ones are killing me. We have now added Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and a Herd of My Little Ponies to the list, with postmarks as far away as Texas and Alaska. I CANNOT EVEN. WHAT IS GOING ON? I have a few people I suspect (I don't know that many people with enough get-go and boredom to do something like this) but every time I think I have a lead, I get confused again.

(Not that I have the whole stack of envelopes on my nightstand to ponder over clues before I sleep at night or anything. *ahem*) (Every time I talk through my theories, Mark tells me my crazy is showing.)

(I told him I should totally be a professional mytery solver! He reminded me that is already a Thing, called a detective, and pointed out I am failing my first case. Well, then... hrmph.)

SWOONED AT THIS:

Sweet Charlotte has started reading to herself in the car. I mean, not just  paging through books, but babbling along in a story voice. I can't quit it. (Nathan remains the king of the photobomb.)

SOBBED AT THAT:

So, what you think you're looking at is cutie Nathan holding his tee ball trophy, and you are. But what you don't see here is that I put the wrong time on the calendar, and we missed the last game. And awards. The photo we didn't take involves Nathan in his uniform, standing at the field with none of his teammates or coaches in sight, all long gone hours before. And crying. Next to me, also crying. MOM FAIL. I feel horrible and guilty every time I think about it. I know mistakes happen, but breaking your kid's heart over one kinda sucks like nothing else. The last game! His trembling lip! Waaaaahhhh! *sob*

But, I guess this is as good a time to show you his "official" YMCA tee ball pics. They are awkward and delightful.

First five people to speak for them can have one of these beauties for fridge mounting. It will come with a personalized note from Nathan. (Hopefully not deriding his mom for ending his season in disappointment. Okay and we're back to *sob*...)

TERRIFIED BY THIS:

There was a snake in the backyard. We don't think it was poisonous, but it was big and sort of scary and far less hesitant around us than we thought it would be. Like, slithered right up to us, and right up the swing set leg where Charlotte was standing. Yikes. I killed it with a shovel. It isn't the first snake I have killed but it was the hardest one. And the only one I ever killed in my church clothes. And I cried afterwards. Poor snakey. (Stay away from my baby though, for real.)

APPRECIATED THAT:

Y'all are such lovely people, with all your congrats messages and kind words on our anniversary last week. I don't think we knew how much of a milestone ten years really was until we told the internet, and people were so affirming. Whoa! Ten years! Sappy memories aside, that's kind of a big deal! Your emails and comments and thumbs ups and texts and high fives at church? All wonderful. You made a great weekend even better by being our friends who love and support us. Thank you so much.

Swim Lessons

One for-sure thing that we (Mark and I) wanted to do this summer was put the big kids in swim lessons. Nathan did a session last summer and it made a big difference, although it seems over the winter he un-learned the confidence he gained from it. More lessons this summer were definitely in order.

Because y'all, it pains us that the kids cannot swim. Besides being a safety issue, swimming is something Mark and I both loved from a really young age, and want our kids to love it too. I even taught swim lessons for years, with good success, but now I can't teach my own children. What are we doing wrong here??  (I don't care about strokes! Dog paddle! Float! I don't care! Just be in the water not touching the wall or bottom for like, a couple seconds!) They don't want to be underwater, don't want water in their faces, barely want to let go of the wall. All while somehow... loving the pool? They do! They really do! (I don't get it either.)

ANYWAY. Swim lessons.

On the first day, Anneliese told me, I'm going to swim like Dorie! To which Nathan replied, and I'm going to swim like an Elasmosaurus! (Nutshell much, you two?)

Spoiler alert: neither of them did anything of the sort.

They both did a two-week session and made huge improvements though -- Anneliese will now gladly go underwater when she jumps in. Nathan will gladly hold the wall with his hand instead of leaning onto it with his whole upper body in a state of pure panic. (Baby steps. Baby steps.) And they both will blow bubbles with their noses and put their ears in the water.

And if nothing else, they loved it, so that's a win. They had a sweet teacher who handled the few panicky moments really well. They got to tell their favorite things every day ("My favorite animal is a elephant. Actually it's a zebra. Actually it's a monkey. Actually it's an elephant." Oh, life with Anneliese) and make train noises and play cute games. And we'll do another session next month so they can keep practicing.

Oh and Charlotte, in between bites of banana, would toddle right up to them and wave in their faces while they were with their group. Hiiiiiiii!

Summer bucket list... swim lessons... check.

Crawfish Creeper Wife

Remember that time I went to a crawfish boil at Nick and Barbara's house and I basically creeped on Marky the whole time with my phone camera?

Wait, it's not creeping if it's your husband, right?

Also, if he sees you.

This is his" please stop taking my picture you know I am not one of the children and also I can see you" face.

But he's just cute, so. Yeah.

(The crawfish was delicious. The corn on the cob covered in spices from the boil pot was even delicious-er. The sexy dad there wearing a baby is Nick's college friend Ben. These all just seem like things worth mentioning.)

(The kids were there too but I have no good photographic evidence since they weren't doing anything as cute as Mark.)

Possum Napsharing

These are the things that happen on lazy summer days when we don't have much scheduled and the big kids need to make their own fun.

They play together upstairs during naptime during alone time til 2:30, and then sometimes they are exhausted and fall asleep. Sometimes in the wrong place. Sometimes adorably.

So when I found them like this in Anneliese's armchair, I melted. And took a picture. Because duh.

And then it turns out they were playing possum.

Okay, you got me, babies. GOLD STARS FOR YOU, FUTURE THESPIANS.

Ten Years, Times Infinity

Mark and I have been married for ten years. Ten years. A whole decade. Happy anniversary, darlin.

I don't even know what to write or say about it, because I think it might come out as a big glob of tears and snot and feeeeeelings all over this keyboard. (Not my new one. Don't worry.) Basically I have been acting like a sentimental fool all week, remembering the days leading up to our wedding ten years ago. Snippets of memories. They all make me cry.

I AM A SAPPY MESS.

A DECADE.

My memories of our wedding weekend are a blur. Okay that's a lie. I remember many things, and very acutely, but none of them seem very important or appropriate or uncomplicated enough to articulate here, except this:

I remember the huge lightness and brightness I felt when we were officially married. That whatever transfer that happened from my family of origin, to my family being MARK, it kinda felt exactly how it was supposed to feel. Still does, actually.

I love him not for the grand romantic gestures (although I like those too, sweep me away!) or even the huge things like busting his ass to provide for our family, or the hours/weeks/months he has taken out of his life to sit sweating nervously on the couches of various therapists and counselors to put work into our marriage and learn how to take care of my particular brand of Crazy, all while learning about how to be Better, himself, too, or being the best dad I have ever ever known.

Not just those big things, but because he always refills the ice cube trays in the freezer. And makes better break and bake chocolate chip cookies than anyone else (it sounds simple but there's actually a science to it and his are the. best.) And hangs up the towels I leave draped anywhere and everywhere except where he wants them. And lets me sit quietly and read while he watches his dorky nature shows and only very rarely afterwards asks that eye-rolling impossible question what's your book about? And because he always pours my drink when dinner is ready. And knows where we keep the vacuum cleaner, since I can never remember (read: he does the vacuuming). And rigs up long cords plugged into extra bases so neither of us has to be without a phone charge, in any room, no matter the dearth of outlets. And because he scratches my back til I fall asleep at night. Every night. Y'all! Every night!

And because for two people who have often been accused of being opposites (he's quiet, I'm loud? I think that's where it ends actually) it turns out we love a lot of the same things like our favorite nerd symphonies, and cheesy japanese steakhouses, and HGTV, and being in the water, and superhero movies, and sleeping with one foot out of the blanket, and watching real world and road rules cast members fight it out on reality tv even though we should be about two decades past caring but we just can't quit it. And how being in a place where neither one of us speaks the language actually feels kind of great in a hey-we're-far-away-and-together kind of way. And that we both love public transportation even though other people have tried to explain to us that it's not a Thing People Love but they are wrong because we love it. When I think of all the subways and buses we have ridden on all over the world together, it makes me grin all stupid. True story.

I won't pretend the past decade played out exactly like we thought it might, but on the most fundamental levels, it is indeed just what we were hoping. (Is it okay to admit that? To say it out loud? Did I just jinx it by telling the internet?) Like, all those things we promised each other -- the love, in sickness, in health, in plenty, in want -- we have them. We do them. This is what we wanted!

And it's kind of cute that we thought we wanted it then (children! we were such children! aaaaahhhhhh!) but on some level we must have known, while actually not having any idea at all, that it could be beautiful.

I love you, Marky. Ten years, times thirty two, times infinity.

Sometimes I Can't Even Believe She's Real

Ten years ago I was still days from being married, and now suddenly after what feels like only a week (and also an eternity) I am a wife of a decade and a mom of over half that.

Including to this perfect third baby, with the shiniest eyes and gentlest sweet disposition, who I never knew I could want or love so much.

Your daily Charlotte

And that just seems worth noting today.

Chain Letters and Daniel Tiger and Other Mail Weirdness

Anneliese received three anonymously-mailed envelopes full of stickers today.

Which isn't as random as it seems, because I, like a sucker (*side eye Merritt*) jumped into what was billed as a "sticker club" but is actually a chain letter for toddlers. I know, I know. I KNOW.

But it seemed cute and it seemed easy and the way Anneliese's face lit up just from getting that chain letter kind of made me want to see her get more letters... with stickers! So, I did it. (To those of you who already know about this because you got mail from Anneliese requesting that you also join the pyramid scheme of stickers, I say I'M SORRY and also YOU'RE WELCOME.)

So we sent some stickers to our assigned child, and we forwarded on the letter to six more people, and crossed our fingers Anneliese would get some stickers in the mail. (Knowing it was okay if she didn't because, true story, she got to put the stamps on the envelopes and thought that is what "sticker club" meant, and was perfectly happy with just that. Oh, three. Sometimes you are a delightful age after all.)

Aside: You should know that my sister texted immediately after she opened the one I sent her, saying 1995 called and wants its chain letter back or I will have bad luck for ten years. Yes, my sister. Who LIVES in 1995. Who texts with T9. Who isn't mourning the loss of Google Reader with the rest of us right now because she has never used any kind of rss feeds, she doesn't even make BOOKMARKS for all the blogs she reads, she just, I guess, remembers them (?) and types them straight in the browser LIKE SOME KIND OF ANIMAL.  Okay so maybe she doesn't live in 1995 (right now Ashley of 1995 is all, what's a blog? I have middle school homework to do now kthx) but maybe 2005. Ahem. Love you, Ashley. And I'm sorry you never got any pencils back from those chain letters you sent.

Uhmmm ANYWAY I sent a chain letter and then today Anneliese got three envelopes full of stickers and that shouldn't seem weird, but there is evidence for weird. Stick with me:

1.) I forwarded those letters exactly ten days ago. Ten. So someone got it, sent it to THEIR next people, and THOSE people sent stickers to us, very very very quickly. Not one but TWO people are freaking ON IT. Like, almost impossibly so.

2.) They came in three matching envelopes -- same size, same type, same creative kiddie-return address system (from Thomas the Train, Daniel Tiger, and the Easter Bunny), but postmarked from THREE DIFFERENT CITIES (Atlanta, New York,. Indianapolis). (Basically I'm a private investigator right now, you should go ahead and hire me for all your Obvious Detail needs.)

Okay that was only two things and didn't need to be numbered. (But I'm leaving it, I have no regrets, yolo or whatever.) Kinda weird though, yes? Yet, they're stickers, so it has to be related to the chain letter sticker club right? For it to be pure coincidence seems Highly Unlikely.

So anyway, I don't know who you are or if you're reading this, somewhere out there, I need to give someone a kiss on the mouth because my daughter got mail from Daniel Tiger AND SHE THINKS IT IS REALLY FROM DANIEL TIGER.

So, thank you, whoever you are. *mouthkiss*

Things that are New

Somehow I got very behind and it seems the easiest way to catch up is just to say hey! here are some things that are new!

--- First and most importantly, I have a new computer! Well, a new computer-ish thing. It is a Chromebook and apparently they have existed for some time and I have even seen their commercials but somehow without noticing them or without noticing that it could be something for me. But it is! It's basically a computer that is mostly for internetting. (Um, hello. Me!) Think of it as a cheaper-than-a-tablet, with a real keyboard and usb ports to plug in various accoutrements.

I could sing its praises all the livelong day but I will use it for another month before I give any Official Opinions. In the meantime, just know I am thrilled to have a second computer. (Mark and I were the only people in America still sharing a computer at home. I am sure of it.) And now that Nathan is learning to email, the demand on computer sharing around here is just too high.

Also it has a lowercase keyboard, which is a really small thing that makes me really happy for some reason. Pretty!

--- Nathan lost his glasses for close to three weeks and then Anneliese found them in the back of the van where I had looked a hundred times, because that's how our life is?

--- Mark has a broke ass shoulder. This is kind of old news but I haven't gotten all bloggity about it because we didn't know what was happening and, you know, medical stuff. Not always for sharing. The short version is he threw a softball too hard (yes, another church softball injury) and landed in the ER and then after x-rays and MRI's and seeing an orthopedic shoulder specialist several times, he either has an avulsion fracture (where a piece of the bone is completely chipped off) (sounds bad, but apparently less painful and problematic than other kinds of breaks) or a chunk of calcium buildup has chipped off, and if it's the latter, then what the eff did he do to his shoulder to build up that much calcium, etc etc etc. (I don't understand it all. If you couldn't guess.)  So he has physical therapy twice a week for the next six weeks, to attempt to strengthen surrounding muscles to pull the bad joint back into place and avoid surgery (or something). Fingers crossed. Oh! And his knees have been messed up for years too, so since we're already at our deductible they're working on how to slide his kneecaps back into place better as well. Yay! (?)

--- I took Nathan and three of his friends (triplets!) to Monkey Joe's. Besides one smashed face and a bloody tooth that I prayed was that loose before our outing, it was a lovely easy afternoon with his sweet friends. (Not as violent as it sounds.)

--- My mom came to visit and took Nathan to a special exhibit at our science museum (his beloved "Dinosaur Museum") and somehow they came home with not only a stuffed dinosaur that roars but a bumper sticker! Which Nathan is hell-bent on using as a bumper sticker! On the van! I dreaded the day they would start begging to sticker up our cars but I never dreamed it would involve an acrocanthosaurus.

(Good news Marmie, your new acro bumper sticker is in the mail! Nathan is very excited to see it ON YOUR CAR next month! You're welcome!)

--- People have been knocking on my door too much recently. Yes, this is worth mentioning because I soooooo haaaaaaaate it. HATE IT. Someone knocked before 8am last week. I ignored it and they came back half an hour later. I ignored it again and then when I tried to leave home an hour after that, there was a backhoe in my driveway.

Oh and three men standing in a giant hole in my front yard. Mark and I knew nothing of any of this ahead of time. (Something to do with the house demolition across the street? Gas line work? WHO KNOWS.)  Anyway I guess the knocking guy at least had a reason that affected me. (They moved the backhoe. It was no problem really. I hated the knocking more than the construction.)

But later that day, a lady from the ACLU knocked and asked me to sign some petitions for her. (I only answered because ignoring door knocks earlier had bitten me in the ass with a backhoe.) I almost couldn't form words. Whatever you're for, lady, I'm now against, because you came to my house uninvited to get it. At night. And the dog barked and woke two sleeping children. Seriously does this kind of solicitation work on anyone???

Don't come to my house uninvited and ASK ME FOR SOMETHING. How is this still not only legal but acceptable in our society? I have vented about this before, yes? It is so rude I can't even fathom how normal people seem to find it. If you come over, it should only be because 1- you're delivering something, 2- you're invited, 3- you're a neighbor with a normal neighborly question or neighborly thing that neighbors do, or 4- you're close enough to our family to come in without invitation, which means you just let yourself in, no knocking required. Pro tip: if you see someone cut the wires to their doorbell, it probably doesn't mean they want you to KNOCK INSTEAD, take the hint.

Okay I will go retreat to my new life as a hermit in the woods now.

And not even mention the girl who came by three times within an hour last week (during a blackout!) even when she saw us and heard us inside and knew we were home but not answering, and then when I finally opened the door only to ask her (super nicely, I really was, I promise) to take us off her list since we weren't interested, she launched into her spiel anyway and I could have yanked her backpack off through her nostrils OH LOOK AT THAT I MENTIONED IT.

(Yes, I recognize this might be more my issue than society's. I still hate it.) (Now, deep breaths and moving on.)

--- We took Anneliese to the dentist for her first real cleaning (she has had a million checkups and x-rays for her janky tooth, which is coming back down just fine btw) and she was nervous but did great and it was such a non-ordeal that I had to remind myself for all the times she tries my patience and tests the limits, in some ways my brave little middlest extrovert is the easiest kid of all.

Although I make no explanation for what she or Hattie are wearing. (Fancy dress, rain boots, PJs? Okay.)

And now you're caught up on the new things.

Summer Bucket List

Okay, as promised, we have made a summer bucket list. I am trying to be the kind of mom (for the summer anyway, let's not be crazy) who just says yes to the random requests the kids make for what to do this summer. We all thought of things we want to do over the last week or so, and this is what we have so far:

KIDS' SUMMER BUCKET LIST 2013

1.) Eat hot dogs in the back of a pickup truck.
2.) Throw water balloons onto the side of the guest house.
3.) Make surprise crayons.
4.) Go to that place where everyone gets to choose their own restaurant.
5.) Take swim lessons.
6.) Take dance lessons.
7.) Go on lunch dates.
8.) Go to the beach for the day.
9.) Read 99 books.
10.) Make a cake that looks like dirt with worms on it.
11.) Go downtown and go up in that big tower again.
12.) Camp in the backyard with Daddy.
13.) Go to lego camp.
14.) Go to the zoo and ask Charlotte what her favorite animal is.
15.) Have a dinosaur pool party.
16.) Dance in the car.
17.) Have sleepovers in Mommy's room.
18.) Do a picnic at the airport.

Anything else we should add to our list for our Kiddie Summer o' Fun?*

*I just said that in my very best Joey and Janice's day! of! fun! voice, which seems like something I should admit. #friends

Just Another Afternoon

This is the kind of excitement you get around here now that school is out for the summer. We sit around in the bonus room after Alone Time and play look at each other bicker "play."

Charlotte comes up to us a thousand times a day (actual reported figure) and says syoooo? syooooo? because she either wants them on or wants them off and then five minutes one minute forty seconds later has changed her mind about it.

Good thing she's cute.

Nathan climbs in my lap because he is very touchy and likes to be draped all over people who might or might not want to be all draped up on in any given moment.

Good thing he's cute too.

Anneliese snuggles with her animals. Well, she snuggles with whatever animals are nearby, and then Nathan comes and demands that she snuggle with HER animals, but he might take a picture of her first. (He is getting sort of ept with the "real" camera.)

And then he abandons his animals on the couch in the other room where Bowden is all, cool these are probably mine anyway, I was before all you other creatures, if you recall.

You know you want in on this thrilling summer afternoon action at my house.

Awkward Sibling Pic, v8.0

Awkward siblings, Costco edition:

At least we have ONE child who will smile compliantly on demand when we whip out a camera.

(Someday someone remind me to frame all these and put them on display on our staircase or something.)

Church Doodles by Nathan

Usually Nathan sits with Mark in the congregation during worship on Sundays. But (since he is now too old for the nursery rooms) on weekends when Mark is working, he comes and sits with me in the choir (!)... it made me super nervous at first but has now become a (usually) sweet and easy church pattern for us. He stays pretty quiet, he can watch from behind the organ console, which he loves, and he stands up and holds my hand when we sing our anthem.

And he doodles.

They have worship kits at our church for kids, with books and a bulletin and some markers and stickers and pipe cleaners and a small stuffed toy and coloring pages. But all Nathan has eyes for is the clipboard with blank paper and a few markers.

So that he can draw Mark masterpieces like this T-Rex singing from a hymnal. Because what, that doesn't happen at your church?

(Not a hymnal, he corrected me. Just a regular blue book. Which is oddly like the hymnal-of-his-own he requested for the first time in this same service. Including music notes. Hmmm.)

Oh and he also doodled something for Another Nathan which included the word Allalyoua so if we can all just spell it that way from now on, that'd be great kthx.

Sweet Summer Bliss

I am going to tempt The Internet Powers by admitting this, but y'all? My summer is going exactly as easily as I was hoping. The kids have been awesome. We are not on each other's nerves. Well, only a tiny bit. A regular amount.

I don't really know that we have been less busy, exactly. We are doing a lot! Making plans! Hanging out! But we just have more time to do it all. I don't feel rushed. I haven't felt rushed in days. We eat when it works, and go out when it works, and it doesn't matter, because hey we can also sleep whenever; the next thing on our "agenda" probably doesn't have an early fixed start time anyway. Eh. It'll be fine.

In related news, I don't even know who I am anymore.

She took us for donuts? For no reason? Just eat, don't ask questions, eat, eat!!

In the first week of summer break, we have gone for frozen yogurt (more than once), had a donut date (noticing a healthy theme here?), played at a splash pad at a city pool, been to the library, played on the swings out back, and played at a bunch of bounce houses set up at our gym for Memorial Saturday (is that a thing now?) and if  you think your summer is going well already, you should see Charlotte timidly bounce for the first time and then smile as she realizes it's pretty awesome:


(If you can't see the embedded video, click here to watch it on YouTube.)

There. NOW you are having a good summer. You're welcome.

Oh and here are the other two climbing, lest you think I am playing favorites. (Some days I do. Get over it.)

Our own pool at home is open for swimming too, and I am not ashamed to say I have texted a few selfies out back while I'm lazing or floating during naptime. Wish you were here! (I'm not obnoxious at all.)

One day this week I was standing chest-deep by the edge of the pool reading during naptime (which in our house we call Alone Time), and I looked up and saw these two swimsuit-clad kids talking something about "can we come down now?" like they didn't already put on their swimsuits and get towels and actually come down.

Um, it is 1:40. No. You have hours yet to be quiet upstairs.

Except... I kinda wanted to play with them. So we did. During alone time. Alone time! I KNOW.

And they were adorable.

And very soon, Anneliese was the skinnydip version of adorable, because in classic Anneliese fashion, she had to pee and then couldn't get her swimsuit back on (the handles are too hard, mommy!) (the handles! oh, the cute.) so she just got back in without because hey, this is why we have a pool in our backyard, right?

And this is super sappy and cheesy so just brace yourself, but sitting watching the big kids splash and laugh together in the pool, with the most beautiful third baby ever in my lap, Mark coming home from work and wrapping them in towels and kissing us... I just felt like... whoa, I dreamed of this. This is literally a dream come true.

And I feel so freaking happy.