Any Similar Revival

So Saturday, it rained and rained, all morning long. It was cold. It was dreary. I had a lovely time shopping with my dear friend and spending too much money. When I came home, we all snuggled on the couch under blankets, drinking too many cups of tea.

And then, suddenly, the sky was blue and brilliant, the sun was SHINING, and snuggling under blankets drinking tea seemed kind of dumb.

So we went for a walk, and we took the boy’s bike, so he could get some energy out, as he likes to say.

You know that thing where you’re supposed to catch a falling leaf, and then it’s really autumn? Well, I told my guys, and we had to make a game of it, of course. A game which I lost and Daddy won. Such is the way of games in our family. Sigh.

Chad caught FOUR leaves, and I caught ZERO. Fall has REALLY begun for him, but alas, I am stuck in summer still. Apparently forever. He did soak his foot in a puddle catching one, though, which is only right and just.

It was perfect out there.

We made an exciting discovery further up the trail: an apple tree, loaded with gorgeous apples, just SITTING there, between the trail and the gold course. It was Nobody’s tree, and so it is Everyone’s. We began our plotting to get some apples. First, Chad walked around to the golf course side to see if they were any lower over there. No dice, so he came back and we considered. There was a deep ditch full of rainwater protecting the tree like a moat from our side, and it was surrounded by drunken yellow jackets sucking on the fallen apples dotting the ground.

So Chad picked up a fallen apple and chucked it up into the tree, and he hit an apple down! I had my pocket knife, so we cut out the wormy spots, and chowed down. It was DELICIOUS. Then he got another one, and we felt very rich.

Finally, to rub salt into my wounds, Chad found a lovely tree full of golden leaves, stood under it and said, hands outstretched: “Come to me, golden leaves!” (In a deep, weird voice, I might add.) AND A LEAF FELL INSTANTLY INTO HIS HANDS!

I crowned him the King of Autumn, because apparently the leaf fairies have chosen him.

Grandpa John and Grandma Debbie were in town last week, and Aiden was over the moon about spending time with them. It was a great week for seeing family and going fishing.

Watching some fishing videos. Riveting.

hahahahaa! The look on her face! Auntie is so weird!

awww, we so cute!

(stole those last two photos quite shamelessly from my cousin’s blog. Thanks Suzi)

Family dinner at Granny’s, who was about to turn 89! Happy Birthday!

And more fishing. I went this time, too. But not to fish.

Grandma B (as Aiden calls Debbie) was playing with Piper, and Aiden wanted to hang with them too.

And then, of course, Dan’s Dogs and all that ensued.

So yes, world’s longest post. Not my fault that my people are all so cute and photogenic.

I have taken five thousand pictures in the last week.

Ok. Not really five thousand.

But enough to feel some serious photo-fatigue setting in.

Therefore, I am behind.

These two shots were too cute not to post though. I was so focused on getting Piper’s funny little peek-a-boo faces that I didn’t even notice Aiden’s stank eye and the brandishing of his corn dog stick until afterwards. I love them.

A most charming bear, even if his brain IS filled with fluff.

Yesterday, we had an impromptu apple orchard outing. It was the most beautiful, cool, crisp day. The kind of day I live for. It only hit 60 degrees while we were there! It was perfect!

The sun was very bright, and I had my camera set for entirely different conditions. Didn’t realize it till later, so these are weirdish.

We bought a bushel full of Cortlands and Jonathons. I have plans for pies and personal eating. A gluten free crust experiment is chilling in the fridge, but I’m going to make a regular one too, just in case. I had a cookie made with wheat flour yesterday, and aside from making my scalp really, really itchy, it didn’t make me sick. So maybe a piece of non-GF pie would be ok. If not, then it’s a good thing that apples + peanut butter is pretty much my favorite thing in the whole world.

That’s when these pages are from.

It didn’t rain! Much.  Hurrah!

Actually, it was pretty much perfect out at Hinckley today, where we gathered with some of our dearest friends for food and splashing and taking turns being the lifeguard. The boys were brave, brash, big. The girls were pretty brave too, but somehow, they always managed to look like little flowers. Seriously, these are some of the prettiest little girls around.

They played hard, knowing somewhere deep inside that days outside like this are numbered now that September is here.

There were grown-ups at this picnic as well. Don’t be fooled by the photographer’s apparent bias.

I hope you all had a restful and enjoyable Labor Day!

Chad and I began this holiday weekend together on Friday afternoon, after dropping Aiden off with friends and sweet Myles with Uncle Frank. We were dressed up pretty cute and heading down 71 to Columbus for our friend, Stratton’s, wedding rehearsal. TWO DAYS away! Woo HOO! This hardly ever happens. We’ve been friends with Stratton since college, so we were happy and excited to attend his wedding. Chad led some worship during the ceremony.

At the rehearsal:

At the dinner afterwards:

They had a juggler-friend there for entertainment. The kids went nuts.

On Saturday, we went exploring and indulged ourselves with book stores and ice cream sodas.

Window shopping:

I loved this little green number, especially that apron!

And this little suitcase? Oh my GOODNESS! If Aiden ever did “go to grandma’s,” I’d have bought this in a heartbeat! Chad and I decided that if we ever see one that says “Going to Heidi’s” or “Going to Auntie’s” we’ll buy it.

Cutie pie at lunch.

Then we got all dolled up and went to the wedding.

Ah, mirror selfies. Gotta love ‘em.

With all our chins.

Stratton and Emily: congratulations!

Our good friend, Darren, as best man, was in charge of dressing up Stratton’s car. Chad was more than happy to help.

Chad is not really going to kick him. Darren was actually looking under the car for something, and Chad took advantage of the situation.

We came home yesterday morning, picked up our boy and our dog, and tried to recover from our fun times. I was actually out of sorts all day long and fell asleep THREE times! Once in the van on the drive home, and twice during the afternoon on the couch. It made me grumpy. But today is better, and I am able to look back on our fun weekend with joy.

We are planning to participate in the Fall Hiking Spree that a nearby county puts on each year. You pick 8 hikes in the region, and at the end you earn a walking stick! We went to one of the parks the other day and picked up our forms. We also had a picnic and did two trails. Someone is finally, FINALLY, interested in the nature part of nature hikes.

At the bottom of that hill, he says to me, “Mommy, be very quiet, and we might see some fairy folk.” It would have seemed more like a fairy tale if it hadn’t been quite so muggy. My shirt was damp and my hair was sticking all over my neck, and the bugs were getting in my eyes. Other than that, it was lovely.

Then he saw this boulder and scaled it like a fly climbing a wall.

I did have to help him down.

I think this is the perfect year to start doing the Fall Hiking Spree. He is physically capable of long, rigorous hikes (seriously, he RAN for most of these 2+ miles), and he is interested in everything around him.

Also, he passed out at quiet time yesterday and actually SLEPT! What?!

It was another two-bath day! Score!

This is how we’ve been spending our mornings:

We’ve read so many chapter books this year already, and we’ve just added poetry to our morning time routine. We are working our way through A. A. Milne, and then we’re going to tackle Robert Louis Stevenson. For chapter books, we’ve done Charlotte’s Web, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, all of the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggles, Homer Price, The Enchanted Wood, The Magic Faraway Tree, and The Boxcar Children #3. Over the next few weeks I’m planning to read Little House in the Big Woods, Henry Huggins, The Borrowers, and James Herriot’s Treasury for Children.  Aiden will sit for hours and listen. He will also sit and listen to music like The Carnival of the Animals and Peter and the Wolf. Especially if we are doing one of these:

He LOVES puzzles! He does them so well and so quickly that we never have enough. We are up to 300 pieces if a parent is helping.

The other day as I was making dinner, he was playing around with his magnetic letters, and I challenged him to spell some words. It was a huge lightbulb moment for him!

I tried not to jump up and down, squealing with happiness.

And this comprised much of one of our days last week. Nothing like active construction at the end of his OWN street to enthrall a six-year-old boy!

After a huge storm on Tuesday, the dirt pile was just perfect for Aiden’s favorite thing: mud.

This episode required the hose and stripping in the back yard. It was a two-bath day, which makes it a win in anyone’s estimation.

Yesterday, we had a lovely outing with my cousins Mike & Suzi, my Granny Annie, and my brother and sweet niece. We met at Indigo Lake down by the Cuyahoga Valley National Park for a picnic and some fishing. We mostly did the picnic part, though Aiden and Mike tried really hard to catch some fish. It was just too hot and the little ones in the very clear shallows weren’t fooled by the lures. Still, Aiden had a really good time and was surprisingly patient and focused. I think I see more fishing in our future, especially if his fishing Grandpa ever visits us again. Seeing Jonathan and Piper was so much fun for me—I love seeing my little brother being such a wonderful daddy. And Piper is my favorite girl ever. I love her so much, my heart clenches a bit when I see her.

(She is so PINK!)

(Don’t worry-he was well supervised by these tracks.)

I was there too!

Love these two. Those glasses crack me up.

The best part about these photos is that Chad is casting with Aiden’s Sponge Bob toy fishing pole. The fish actually followed the plastic pink fish on the end of this line, but they never took a nibble. It is surprisingly fun to play with.

Aiden with my very tall cousin Mike. All my cousins on this side are tall. Everyone is tall, except for me. I am the sport.

Cousins, who are both still short.

Ok, remember those tracks I was letting my kid play on? Well, just to make this outing absolutely AWESOME, a train came by! The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad runs right through here, and on summer weekends, you can catch a ride with your bike back to the parking lot. Seems like cheating, but people do it. Aiden was so thrilled, I can’t even tell you. And Piper thought it was pretty cool too. Whistles and waving and lots of happy people.

Well, if you’ve made it this far into this super-long post, I thank you.

Can you believe only one more week in August?

I have no good excuse except maybe photo fatigue, but I’m back in this space again. August has been a blur of school in the morning and a million neighbor kids riding bikes around my house in the afternoon. These are not uncommon sights around here:

Aiden suddenly has a tribe of little boys who love to dig in the dirt pile with him and wreak havoc on our grass with their tires. And we won’t even mention the rain barrel. Nope, we won’t.

We did a super fun thing last Sunday, involving a boat, a rope, and speed. These lovely people invited us out on their boat in Malvern.

These three are all in each others’ fan clubs.

Aiden was so happy. So, so happy.

And then he got to ride the tube!

Apparently mommy was slowing him down. He wanted to ride solo. And go “super fast!”

His teeth chattered the whole time we were on the water, and he shivered his way through insisting we go faster. And he caught some kind of sniffly cold. But he’s hooked now. A tubing life is the life for him! He has also informed us that next time, he’s trying the skis.

Oh dear.

Well, another Shark Week has come and gone. I have been less and less impressed over the years by Discovery Channel’s portrayal of my second favorite beastie, and while this year had some super lame flops (Megalodon mockumentary, anyone?), there is still nothing like seeing a great white shark soar out of the water. Going to South Africa and seeing it in person is the ONLY thing on my bucket list. I think this makes me very weird, but there it is. I am very weird. There were a few really good shows this year, like “Aliens from the Deep,” all about deep sea sharks. I love me some great whites, but it is refreshing to see something that is NOT dedicated to these toothy creatures. Some of those deep sea sharks are really creepy! (That sleeper shark freaks me out. Of course, nothing is worse than the Greenland Shark. Something about that guy makes me hide my face.)

This week in school, we’ve read about sharks and made shark crafts every day. We’ve also watched a shark show every day (carefully pre-screened of course. Nothing with horrible bloody shark attack reenactments. If they want people to stop fearing and start loving, they really ought to stop it with the shark attack episodes!) He LOVES them, and he also sits very, very close to me. Last night was our shark (nerd) week finale, and we went to our friends’ house for a *cough* Shark Week Party.

Ok, here it is, for all of you to see. My true nerdiness coming out. I made us matching t-shirts, and then I made everyone wear them to the party.

These people were jealous though. They want their own cool shirts.

Emma made our sign. I particularly like the top right corner.

And here is my budding shark nerd, with a silly project he made.

Will I watch Shark Week next year? Yes, I will, despite the lame shows about extinct sharks, giant mechanical reproductions of extinct sharks, and flops like “Voodoo Sharks,” which had the potential to be a really good show but devolved into a strange redneck reality show.

I’m curious about Shark Fest on NatGeo, a channel we, unfortunately, do not get. Anyone see that? I’ve heard it is much more science-based, less sensation/reality/shark attack focused. I see some online streaming in my future.

Well fellow shark lovers (and not), thanks for indulging me with this post.

Sharks forever!

Mud fight in the dirt pile, on Daddy’s watch, while I was at Jazzercise.

Awesome.