Braids, Baseball & Bladder-trouble

We made our first attempt at braiding this week. She was awesome, sitting so still.

I found the trick was to give her rubber bands and let her "braid" mine too.

Looking in the mirror telling herself how pretty her hair is.

I put them in pig-tails, as they were sticking out crazy-like.

Our braids made their debut at an Osprey baseball game. (she loved popcorn and the mascot, Ollie, not so much the game though...)

We left the game with wet pants... ...poor Daddy's neck! Can you see she is plugging his ears? I imagine her thinking, "Maybe if he can't hear he won't know he's been peed on."

All good things must come to an end. Conditioner was a huge help in taking those little suckers out!

Leaping...

I am mailing one of the children's picture books I've written to Boyds Mills Press today.

Scary.

Thrilling.

Hand-wringing.

Laughable.

Believable.

BMP says it takes three months to get back to potential writers. That looks like mid-to-end of November.

Inside the Self-Addressed-Stamp-Enclosed envelope they send your manuscript back in if your story bombs, I put a sticky-note with my favorite quote and life-guide, "It is never too late to be what you might have been." (George Elliot) G.E. inspired me to go back to college, to get re-married, to adopt. His words fit many commencing moments in my life.

Today, I am leaping!

Estoy muy decepcionante!

Or, as you would say in English, I am very disappointed... ...in my recent putchase at Amazon Books.

Free time is a luxury for the adults in this house. My only selfish pursuit is book club. I love it. I crave it like I crave chocolate, coffee with creamer, hugs from loved ones.

This month's read is "Ana Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy. A mere 500'ish pages.

Book club is in NINE days.

I despise going to book club having not read the book.

I ordered "Ana" from Amazon many weeks ago and have yet to find a moment to crack it open.

Until today.

Clark took Sylvie-Aganoti to run errands. I had about two whole hours of me-time. I was not going to work on the house. I was not going to spend it in the kitchen cooking or cleaning.

I snuggled up in the office chaise lounge. Put on my glasses. Pulled up a blanket. Flipped the reading light on. Peeked past the cover for the very first time...

...and

...IT IS IN SPANISH.

AAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGG to Amazon Books!!!! Leo best captures my feelings writing, "Oh, why didn't I die? It would have been better!"- Book 4, Ch. 23

Does anyone have a spare copy of "Ana Karenina"?

Life Jacket!

Sylvie-Aganoti quickly accustomed to the lake rule that young ones must don a life jacket prior to leaving the lake house. She loved boat rides. She loved throwing rocks into the water. Hence, she loved her life jacket.

Yesterday, Angela and I are at the Good Food Store with my sweetie pie for lunch. S-A yells, "Life jacket Momma! Life jacket, life jacket! Liiiiiiifeeee Jaaaaaaaaaaaacketttt!" I follow her pointing finger to a man who looks as if he just exited the emergency room. He is wearing a neck collar and back brace.

Life jacket.

Cute.

Why is it

that the threat of no more computer motivated me to paint the bathroom and finish the heat register in the office? Hmmm... ...this could be very, very useful.

Cut off!

There are vacation pictures to post, but they are stuck in Clark's camera for the time-being.

I notice that I am spending time on the computer in order to avoid painting the bathroom. The sad part of this is I already have one coat on it. Ok, it has been on for two months.

I am officially cutting myself off of the computer until that room is done, done, done...

Ahhhhhh...

...we are home. We had such a nice time and it is so good to be home. Little Sylvie-Aganoti is not the best traveler. More tomorrow!

We made it!

We are here (as of midnight last night). We enjoyed the Pacific Science Center all day, complete with a picnic in the Seattle Center park. Sylvie-Aganoti loved watching the fountains, and all of the people. Olivia is having her 2nd birthday tonight--afterward we will have some Ethiopian food for dinner. Soooo excited for that!

You are staying in a bordello, like it or not!

We leave in just a few days for the Pacific Northwest. Spending a few days in Seattle with Michelle, Casey and kids... Touring the Pacific Science Center... Enjoying Ethiopian food... Ordering a cake from the famous Borraccini's Italian Bakery... Staying in a historic sea-side bordello... Taking in a Bluegrass concert... Gaping at the views from amazing Hurricane Ridge... Relaxing beside the lake in the Olympic Peninsula... Hiking various waterfalls... Frolicking in the ocean-spray...

"What?!? A bordello? You have got to be kidding me!?! In all of the reading I've done about bordellos, they are filled with ghosts. It is not safe! I WILL NOT stay there!! I can't believe you'd have us stay at a bordello!!! This is ridiculous!" These were the words of our oldest, Jake.

Some thoughts Jake's mom has about his outburst: When did the ghost phobia start? What horror movies have you been watching on the sly? When have you found the time to peruse readings about bordellos? Did you skim over the historical significance? Did you miss the part where bordellos were often a rare moment in our country's past where women had some measure of independence and control over their own finances? Wouldn't it be just a little bit fun to tell your 16-year-old peers that you stayed in a bordello this summer? And again, afraid of ghosts???

Sorry kiddo. We've already paid. You are staying in a bordello, like it or not.

Did I really have to say that out loud? Is this a bad episode of Twilight Zone?

Can you picture Clark, a trembling-Jake, and I snuggling up together during our bordello-stay? That is what it will look like friends...

Oh brother... Washington, here we come!!!

Sparkling Moment

Simon and Sylvie-Aganoti have had the toughest time adjusting to "Who is the baby in this house?". Simon has been pretty good with her; though, definitely needing some extra cuddling and reassurance from us. S-A targets Simon sometimes. I don't know if it is that he is closest to her age (a seven year spread), that he is least likely to play with her, or that they both vie for the role of the youngest. Sometimes she will walk by him and with complete unsolicitation say, in a very snotty voice, "NO Simon!". Sometimes she will go into his room and mess with his things--not playing with them, but knocking them over and mixing them around. If he's on my lap, she wants up...

...on and on and on...

So, yesterday imagine my joy and surprise when I spied them on the deck giggling and playing together. Simon was writing words in Sylvie's blocks, reading them to her, then laughing when she stirred them up. I took my camera out to capture the moment when I found this....

"I love you Mom", ahhhh, my heart melted.

The boys are coming along. We have been working on eating and sleeping issues. Smaller meals, more frequently and a solid bedtime routine (with music and a good book). It seems to be helping, as is the passage of time. The boys are doing much, much better.

Last week kept us busy. I co-directed Camp Invention and all boys participated (Jake as a teacher's assistant, Liam a volunteer, and Simon a participant). Much fun was had!

A few snaps of last week...

On the potty. Again!

The skirt we love so, so much.
Planting our Ginkgo trees. Patting down the soil. S-A LOVES to help!!! Heading in for a much-deserved break.

Tandum diaper change (Go Daddy's Go!!!).

Sweet Singing

Sylvie-Aganoti sings us a beautiful "I Love You" song, inserting different family member names... There is nothing nicer than hearing our sweet, singing girl!

Sorry for the neck cramp; I am having trouble turning this clip the right direction.

Two of our boys were witness to the accidental death of an 8-year-old girl on the 4th of July. She was electrocuted. Our kids were right there while it happened and while paramedics were unable to resuscitate her.

They are sad, confused and grieving for this little girl and her family.

One of my boys asked me if I would help him write a will because he's afraid he could die at any time. He is right, any of us could die at anytime. Though, usually kids do not spend time mulling that possibility over.

I've been having trouble staying asleep. I wake up to a pounding heart, grinding my teeth. It could have been my boys and the thought terrifies me.

We go to a trauma counselor tomorrow.

Anniversary

Today is the day I married my best friend. I love to think back on that evening. My favorite pictures of the day we became a family...

The Ceremony

The Music

The Friends

The Family

The Cake

The Begining

Can One Like Purple Too Much?

I can not express the extent to which Sylvie-Aganoti enjoys the color purple. If given a choice, she hand's-down picks purple. She loves it!

This morning after waking up in her purple bedroom...

she opts for this yogurt...

and chooses to wear this shirt.

After running a couple of errands, I head to the director's house of the summer camp I am involved in to pick up my syllabus, where she plucks....

...this purple beauty right out of the flower box!

Oops.

Yes, one can like purple too much...

Playdate

Here are some pictures of Danny and Sylvie-Aganoti enjoying themselves (and each other!).

"En da poo goin wimmin," as S-A likes to put it!

We have a toy scorpion that Sylvie plays with in the pool. When it floated near Danny, he screamed, "Ouch, ouch!", and jumped out of the pool. He was very cautious when he got back in and kept checking the grass far, far away where the scorpion was newly located.

This is an honest-to-goodness pout face! Can you believe that lip???

Lunchtime! They had left-over pizza and strawberries. Danny ate both of their pizza slices and Sylvie-Aganoti ate both of their fruit. Perfect! S-A insisted on sitting in Danny's chair with him; he kindly obliged.

You are about to see some lunchtime etiquette from toddlers. Beware: these pictures are not for those with a weak stomach...

Lastly, a wagon ride. Thanks for your efforts Danny, playing with this girl is hard work!

What a fun day. Thanks for coming over Danny!