Pioneer Weekend

Issa declared this morning that we had a pioneer weekend with Grandma Nancy and Papa Don, and she couldn't have been more thrilled about it! While I wouldn't exactly say we lived like pioneers, we did have a great time.

The highlight of Issa's weekend was learning to can. We made our own pickles:

 Daddy lost a finger tip in the process, but we had a blast aside from that. It is way easier than we thought, but that is largely because we had two experts to walk us through the process. Grandma brought Issa her own canning recipe book and some starter supplies, and Issa and I picked up a few more things this morning so we can try a batch on our own to use up our cucumbers. (I'm really hoping it's as easy when it's a solo operation.)

 Evan was not as excited about canning, but he did love playing trains with Papa:

 We took Grandma and Grandpa to our favorite park where Issa showed off her monkey bar skills:

 Evan was very serious about climbing:

 But for Evan (and I think the rest of us) the highlight was fishing! We went to our favorite lake, and the ranger pointed us in the direction of the perfect fishing spot for little fishermen. We were in a little cove with picnic tables and not another soul around. On the first cast, Miss Issa caught her first fish:

 She then asked to pet her first fish:

 A few minutes later, Evan held the pole while Papa reeled in this little blue gill:

 Three generations of Bower men waiting for the big one to take the bait:

 Issa did amazingly well hooking and reeling:

 We girls were a team:

 I am hypersensitive to not letting my girly girl think she can't do something because she is a girl. So, I got tough and baited our own hook. And...in a miraculous moment...I even took our last fish off the hook. I had forgotten how fun fishing is, and I am quite certain we will be headed back soon.

Besides fishing, Evan fell in love with the mud:

 And the kids had a blast wading and finding shells.

I would say it was pretty much a perfect weekend, and we are so grateful Papa Don and Grandma Nancy made the trip.

Headlines

A few random headlines from the week...

1. We signed Evan up for his first soccer team this fall! Daddy will actually play with him, and Evan can't wait. I am quite certain hilarity will ensue.

2. We have a new friend:

 This little tree frog has been hanging out on our back door at night. I think he is super cute, but he is also super loud.

3. I went to my first PTSA meeting at Issa's new school. What a difference! I was so impressed by the focus on serving the school and helping all students. It made my heart happy.

4. I discovered Issa had been conducting a science experiment:

 These were little green berries she picked at the museum. She wanted to see what would happen if you put them in a dark place for a while. The answer is a health hazard.

5. I may or may not have cried when we got the first automated phone call from Issa's new school. I may or may not be a mess.

6. Issa made me a super cool picture yesterday:

Happy Friday!

Prototyping

When you are married to an engineer, you learn pretty quickly that just because something comes one way doesn't mean it needs to stay that way. The way manufacturers send things is merely a suggestion for use. Fortunately, my engineer is very good. He is also a big believer in prototyping, trying a mock up before he makes a pretty version.

Meet this week's prototype: 

Yes...my coffee pot is up on blocks. We love this pot, but the way Cuisinart designed it you can't get  a travel mug under the pour spout. So, Brad took out the tray, but the pot up on blocks, and shifted the tray. Now a travel mug fits and the drips are still caught by the tray. Brilliant! (I am ready for the pretty version, though.)

Fairy Magic

Our library doesn't disappoint...although it occasionally gets me into trouble. They have started a new non-fiction shelf for little people that highlights books that they think would be high interest, which made my literacy professor heart sing. The kids were thrilled by the new section, and when I saw Issa pull this book I temporarily forgot where we were:

 She and I snuggled in to read about Fairy World, and only then did I notice that last word--crafts. You know where this is going.

Fortunately, this book focuses on using found material you might already have around the house, and even more fortunately, we did have the materials around the house:

 The cuff of a sock that was too small became a fairy dress for Barbie:

 All it needed was a ribbon skirt:

 (Barbie was apparently over being photographed.)

A flower crown and some leaf wings were the final touch:

 When you make Barbie a fairy, you have to make Issa a fairy.

Start with a girl in swimsuit and add a ribbon skirt:

 And a flower crown and leaf wings:

 And you end up with the two happiest fairies on Earth:

I think the fairies are going to the puppet show at the library this morning to show our favorite librarian the fun.

A Movable Feast

You may remember we had a large chunk of tree fall down a couple of weeks ago, and you may remember our amazing neighbors who helped clean it up. Well...we invited them over for dinner to say thank you, but they asked if we could eat over there. They have one year old twin boys, and coming here for dinner means moving a lot of stuff. If they didn't mind us invading, it seemed like a win-win. So...we made a movable feast:

 Add burgers, hash brown casserole, and homemade ice cream and you get the idea. The pan on the far end is jello, which Issa insisted we needed. I didn't have any real jello, though, so we made juice jello with Knox. I will never buy the other stuff again. It was so good!

Issa wanted to capture some of our dishes. The relish tray she arranged:

 The watermelon she and I arranged:

 The kids dressed themselves for the party:

 Issa really dressed for the occasion! Evan, well:

He was a hot mess. I particularly love the dress sandals and gym shorts. Lovely.

We had a great time. William and Evan became fast friends. They are both tanks who love balls. Issa loved playing with Andrew, who is a great snuggler and in love with books. Brad and I had a blast, too. It was the first time the two families really got together, but I just know it won't be the last.

Dinosaurs Rock!

This was just the most perfect weekend! So perfect, in fact, I'm going to break it into several blog posts. Of course, Dinosaur Day was the highlight, so that is where we will begin...

The theme this year was "Dinosaurs Rock," and they really focused on the fossil aspect of dinosaurs. The NC Fossil Club set up all kinds of displays both showcasing and giving kids the opportunity to touch and learn about all kinds of fossils, from sharks teeth to dinosaur bones to ferns. It was amazing.

We arrived as soon as the museum opened to members in order to avoid the biggest crowds. It also meant we had the dinosaur trail to ourselves:

 Who doesn't love riding a hadrosaur?

 Daddy sort of humored me for a picture:

 Even though we walk this trail at least once a month, it's just a little more exciting on dinosaur day:

 The kids ran from one dinosaur to the next. I've finally stopped jumping when the troodon sneaks up on us:

 The end of the trail boasted the fossil pit complete with fresh dirt and Fossil Club members to help identify. When we got there, it was the four of us and four members in the pit. Talk about a treat! I cannot say enough wonderful things about this group. They are knowledgeable, but they are so kind, too. They treat a cool rock as specially as a real fossil, and they cheerfully identify the same kind of tooth many, many times. They pass along any cool finds they dig up, and they teach without making it a lecture. We were so busy digging, I didn't take a single picture, but I did want to capture our finds.

Some really cool shells:

 Shark and puffer fish teeth:

 Barnacles:

 Fish vertebrae (and shark vertebrae, not pictured):

 Issa's prize find, a whale shoulder:

 Evan's prize find, fossilized alligator poop:

 The rest of the museum was still lots of fun, and I just love these pictures:

I love the reflections. Issa is actually getting pretty good at sailing; Evan still pretty much runs the boats into the wall. And to think, this was just the beginning of the weekend...

Around the World in Five Days

At camp this week, Issa traveled around the world in five days! She has loved every moment, and the lead teacher had a phenomenal gift for awakening curiosity and following where the children lead, spending more time on things that fascinate them. I have also been impressed by the breadth of knowledge she has gained about each continent.

A week in lunch notes...

Monday:

 They did both Americas on Monday. They spent much of the day talking about animal coloring and adaptations across the two continents. They ventured inside to see the wolves of North America exhibit that is visiting, talking about how the coloring of each wolf matches where he lived. They also learned about mimicry as a survival strategy and made that real by tasting jelly bean pairs. Is it coconut or baby wipes? Lime or boogers? You get the idea. They also got to spend a lot of time with Christopher, the barn owl, learning about he copes with the heat. In a moment of irony, they made Mexican hot cocoa.

Tuesday:

Tuesday the kids ventures to Asia, focusing on the spice trade, India, and Chinese contributions to science. They learned about the significance of fans in Asian cultures, and they learned how to use a compass to complete a scavenger hunt. Issa learned that ginger is very strong--even candied.

Wednesday:

Wednesday took the kids to Africa. They went on a grass hunt around the museum to learn about the different grasses in Africa. They also met a hissing cockroach, a giant centipede, and several snakes. Issa loved the snakes! They also dabbled in a bit of Egyptian mythology, and Issa told her own tale of how Granddaddy killed an African crocodile. She (and he) is now a celebrity.

Thursday:

 Europe in a day! They focused on Russia, Greece, and Scotland to show the breadth of culture in the continent. They made nesting dolls, tzatziki, and tapestries. They also created their own highland games, complete with a pool noodle log toss. They played in the misty moors (the mist exhibit) and took the train. It was almost too much fun for one day.

Friday:

 The notes sums it up! They are focusing on the impact of being an island nation on Australia and learning about reefs and Oceania today. They are also meeting some aquatic friends!

Yesterday, Issa made thank yous for her teachers, and this morning she very happily passed them out.

Tomorrow is an annual Bower family holiday: Dinosaur Day at the museum. Have I mentioned we love this place?

Cruel Trick

I really try to keep the blog positive and to not whine here. But, I also want to keep this place honest, and I'm hoping that if I write it, I might remember it next summer...

I am tired. Bone weary, mind numbingly, tired. As I was planning the summer, I planned my course around Issa's camp schedule, aligning major assignments (and the grading that follows) with the weeks she was in camps. Dumbest. Decision. Ever.

I envisioned camp weeks of days with uninterrupted grading time. Quiet weeks of the house to myself when I could curl up and grade for hours on end. I was delusional.

Camp weeks mean an hour round trip, twice a day, to drop off Issa. They mean packing and unpacking backpacks and lunches every day, and although Issa does her backpack on her own, we've already had the lunch discussion. It means a very tired kiddo in the afternoons who needs a little extra cuddling and some time on Google finding out more about what she talked about at camp. That is a great thing, but I'm tired. I don't really care how often owls need to get their feet wet to stay cool and why that helps more than anything else. By the time you add up all the time I spend on camp "stuff" I think I actually lose time this week.

But...I still have to grade, and my laundry is breeding when I'm not looking, and my family still insists that they need to eat every day, and this is the only week when I can schedule meetings and appointments that I don't want to take Issa to. I'm up later every night just trying to survive. The end result: I'm tired.

And now...time to move the laundry and start grading before I run the car to get a new light and get Issa at camp. Bring on the coffee...

How?

How?

How does one little boy get this much sucker on his face? It is a mystery. Then again, most of how he gets this dirty is a mystery.

In related news, Evan is learning to wash himself in the bath. Last night he announced, "Tummy, tail, tush, done!"

I heard Brad say, "What about arms, legs, chest, feet, you know, most of your body?"

"It's not really dirty, Dad. I'm good."

Yeah...no. Daddy intervened, but we are a little perplexed how tummy made the dirty list. I am afraid...very afraid.

On Lunches

I'm still living on the sun, so we've been taking it easy, which means I don't have any great tales to tell. I do have a lunch to pack this week, though. Issa is at camp, which means she needs lunch--a lunch that has become the bane of my existence.

I dread packing Issa's lunch. It's a negotiation, and I always imagine the slightly horrified look on her teachers' faces when she opens that box. I imagine they wonder about this mother who let this lunch appear and question whether I know how to prepare a meal that actually goes together. I really do, but I live with Issa, who is not picky except when it comes to normal things children eat. Other people's children will eat soft bread, and they happily pack sandwiches and roll on. I am not so lucky.

Lunch yesterday: strawberry banana yogurt, hummus, red pepper strips, and pretzels. In my world, that doesn't so much go together. The hummus and peppers--sure. Throw in the yogurt, though, and it gets a little iffy.

Lunch today: strawberry banana yogurt, ham, pretzels, a cucumber, and a clementine. Yes...plain ham in a tupperware. Yes...a whole baby cucumber just thrown in the box. I would happily cut it--like normal people do--but Issa likes to eat them like a banana.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring.

I am grateful that she makes healthy choices, but just once I would love to slap a sandwich in there and feel a little more normal. A mama can dream.

The Highlights

This was a crazy busy weekend of nothing. So...a list seems appropriate.

1. Issa and I went on a date Friday afternoon! We picked up her lunch box and backpack for the year (which she will not let me photograph until the first day of school) and saw Brave. Awesome movie--a must see for moms and daughters. There were a couple scary parts, but she can't wait to see it again.
2. The neighbor's fish survived the weekend! This should not be news, but we were fish sitting and he is having swim bladder issues. I was nervous.
3. We spent most of Saturday cleaning up the rest of the tree. Thank goodness for good neighbors who not only don't get upset that there is part of a tree in their yard but also help clean it up.
4. After church, we went to the grocery to get necessary supplies for sundaes. When you are still living on the surface of the sun, it's a necessity.
5. Issa and Evan spent the rest of the afternoon playing with the neighbor girls. I love that these kids are growing up together.
6. We also had a meaningful conversation with the neighbor girls about burying the lead. They came running to our door announcing Issa was hurt and I needed to come. I started sprinting imaging broken bones or gushing blood. By the time I hit the driveway, the next mom was yelling, "It's just some scraped knees!" They were some nasty scrapes, but they did not require me sprinting.
7. The neighbor girls ended up staying for dinner at our house. Why not? It confirmed Brad and my decision that two is the perfect number. By the time we sat down, someone's drink was empty or they needed more pizza. I finally just ate in the kitchen.
8. After so much fun, this is what we were left with:

 A different angle:

Have I mentioned Evan is a bit of a storm? Yikes. We got it all cleaned up by bedtime, and now we're ready for a whole new week! Happy Monday everyone!

Just Call Me Shera...or Paula Bunyan

Before I write about yesterday, I feel as though I should explain why I didn't post yesterday. I had nothing to say. We had a lovely Fourth of July that was akin to any normal Saturday--except I made the grown ups watch fireworks on TV. We spent some time in the pool, and we had some friends over for a picnic. The neighborhood parade was cancelled because it's roughly the temperature of the sun here, and the kids were falling asleep on the floor well before any fireworks could be viewed. I opted not to bore you with these details yesterday. (Although, I apparently decided to bore you today. So sorry. I could delete all this, but I'm too far in...and now I'm rambling.) Onward.

Saturday night, we had some pretty impressive storms roll through. Brad and I thought we heard a crash, but a quick survey in the dark didn't reveal anything. The major structures were fine and the fence was still standing. We rolled on. Sunday, Issa announced there was a tree in our backyard. Since she is prone to the dramatic, we rolled on. Tuesday, I realized, for once, Issa was not being dramatic:

 A big chunk of tree had fallen near our little pond and into our neighbor's yard:

 Yesterday, Issa and I decided to tackle our side. (Daddy and the neighbor had already talked about tackling his side this weekend. He caught the biggest pieces--like requires a chainsaw pieces.) Since Brad's knee is still bugging him (he's actually going to an orthopedic clinic today), Issa and I decided to tackle the little stuff on our side. There was a lot of little stuff, though, and I spent a lot of time negotiating broken limbs out of bushes and other trees, pulling and twisting as to not have anything come crashing down on my head. At one point, I was struggling with a branch that was about seven feet long, and Issa said we should wait for Daddy. At this point, it was the principle of the thing. That branch was coming out.

"Mommy, are you trying to prove to me that girls can do anything boys can do?"

"No, well I wasn't. Now I am. Because they can. Really, I just want to get this branch out."

"Well...as long as you aren't being stubborn."

Nice. My daughter has mastered sarcasm. But...we got it out:

 There is still a lot of work to be done across the fence, but we were pretty impressed with ourselves.

And in a different storm front, Evan was on the verge of evil all night last night. Too much excitement from Fourth of July parties coupled with a late night and a nap interrupted by storms left us with a puddle of mess. I sent him upstairs to pull himself together at one point, and he came back downstairs with fireman boots:

We thought they were snow boots, but we were clearly mistaken. We also thought they were a bit ridiculous when you are living on the surface of the sun, but we were clearly mistaken again.

Gotta love these kids.

A Moment

I don't get many quiet moments with this guy:

 Unless he's asleep, he tends to be in motion. Yesterday, though, he decided he was finished swimming before the girls were, so he climbed up on the deck and sat with me. He chatted, but we spent most of the time quietly watching butterflies:

 They float back and forth between our two butterfly bushes. It is so beautiful and so peaceful. It was a great momene. Even Evan realized it was special and tried to take a few pictures:

It might just be my favorite portrait.

If You Take a Mom to the Optometrist

A la If You Give a Mouse a Cookie:

If you take a mom to the optometrist, she will realize she can't see even with her contacts. The tech will ask her to read line 11, and she will not be able to see until line nine. Mom will know it is going to be a long day.

If the optometrist raises her prescription two steps in each eye, he will insist on dilating her pupils to be sure everything is okay.

If the optometrist dilates her pupils, it means her small children will be at the office nearly two hours, which will cause them to be crazy.

If the children are crazy, Mom will be even more stubborn and insist they follow their predetermined agenda and go grocery shopping. Only once she is there will she will realize she cannot see her list.

If she cannot see her list, Mom will hold the list twelve miles from her face, squint, and try to muddle through.

If she tries to muddle through, she will think she is a champion who just finished the impossible.

If she thinks she is a champion, she will survive an afternoon of two small children (plus or minus some neighbor kids at various times) and still make dinner. She will make tacos to be her son's hero.

If she is feeling particularly smug, she will start the meat. Only after the meat is browned will she start assembling toppings.

When she starts assembling tacos, she will realize she forgot to get cheese at the store, and the only cheese she has is sliced cheese. So she will juliane the cheese slices for tacos.

If she has to juliane cheese, she will make a squinty face, which I am sure strains her eyes.

If she strains her eyes, she will have to go back to the optometrist, and she will know it is going to be a long day.

Best. Date. Ever.

Brad and I spent most of the weekend celebrating our anniversary.

Friday night, we both got all dressed up and headed out for a nice dinner. To commemerate our honeymoon in Kennebunkport, we had lobster and enjoyed a very adult dinner. It was lovely.

Yesterday, though, we had the best date ever. A friend took the kids after lunch and kicked us out until after bedtime. We talked about museums or parks, but it's hot and Brad's knee is still bothering him. So...we opted for the other extreme. We started with lunch at the local dive bar--emphasis on dive, but the food is great! We had local pints (just like we did at a microbrewery on our honeymoon), and we shared garlic fries. I had peel and eat shrimp in Old Bay, and Brad had some disaster of a burger that had a fried egg, tatertots, and maple sauce on it. He loved every bite.

We then headed toward the mall, and settled into Barnes and Noble, where we each bought a just for fun book, an iced coffee, snuggled into some cozy chairs, and read silently for almost an hour. It's not that we don't love each other's company, but we both love bookstores and reading...especially reading when there are no interruptions or things that should be done. It was lovely.

We then went and watched Moonrise Kingdom, which is an excellent movie. We crossed the sidewalk for cheesecake and cocktails, and then headed back to the theater to watch Snow White and the Huntsmen, another great film. We had popcorn for dinner, and we were very happy. The last movie we saw together was The Queen, a year and a half ago. Seeing two in one day was almost too much.

It's funny how our ideal date has shifted over the past ten years and two kids, but I wouldn't change a moment.