Life's a Beach

We went back.  We just can't ignore low tides and spring weather.  This time, M and IJ rode their bikes down and I met them with the rest of the kids and van.  M and IJ have been doing a lot of bike riding together lately; they are loving their special time together.

E decided she was going to go swimming on this trip to the beach.  She got pretty wet, but didn't actually swim.

D was given the D Family Two-year-old Intelligence Test.  All you do is hand the two year old a sand dollar and ask them if they want a cookie.  M has been administering this test since A was the two year old.

D was the first kid to take several bites (all spit out) and cry when his cookie got broken.  The "cookie" you see in the pictures is his second cookie.

A Nose Story

A few minutes ago I heard F cry, "[D] just put a spider leg in his nose!!!"

F is a very inventive little girl, so I wasn't sure if I should believe her.  I looked at D and he was looking a little strange and wrinkling his nose.  He looked like something weird was in his nose.  I asked back and forth between the two of them, "Did you put something in your nose? Did you see him put something in his nose? Is there something in your nose?"  No good answer.  I looked and I could see...something that looked like a big, fat, spider body!!!

A few nights ago, my dearest, sweetest husband saved my life by killing a big, fat spider that had been living behind my dresser, right by the night light (we see a lot of these).  I'm convinced that this spider has a whole network of tunnels behind all the furniture in my bedroom because one night it was by my lamp...all the way on the opposite side of the room (at least I hope there was only one)!  Sometimes that spider would be sitting in the dark, waiting for an unshod toe to flip on the night light switch.  It managed to escape many nights, because the moment I would scream and run to get my hero, the spider would return to its scary lair...until M smacked him and killed him dead...with my hairbrush.  "It was the perfect tool for the job," he said as he put the unwashed brush back in my basket.

Not a picture of D's nose: Wikipedia image

I saw the big, fat spider body shape in my baby's nose and started to panic.  Was it alive? Was it biting him? Oh my goodness, what should I do?  It wasn't like I'd never dealt with foreign objects lodged in noses.  IJ stuffed a crayon piece in his nose at this age.  E used a pea, also at this age.  S has a special story all his own and he was not two years old.  In fact, it was four years ago yesterday that it happened.  (And on a side note, IJ said "Happy bead birthday to you!" to S)  ...So, trying to NOT panic, I tried to reach the object I could see in D's nose.  It scooted up a little further, therefor proving that it was an alive spider.

Luckily the scooting activated D's sneezing reflex, so all I had to do was wait with my hand outstretched.  I received his gift...which was...a petrified banana string wrapped in a ball and not a spider at all.  I was yuckily relieved.

S would like to close this post with a joke he made up: Why was the spider always online? He was checking his website.

Easter

I lost the plastic/candy battle again this year...but at least we went to church!  It was fun watching M toss eggs throughout the pasture while the kids had their backs to the windows.  Only D caught the Egg Hider in the act.  The Pirate followed close on his heels, sniffing each egg with interest.  I had fun imagining him slurping up each egg as it landed.

Ready to Hunt

F Finds an Egg

D figures out the game fast enough. "Egga!"

S found the most eggs, but shared with his sibs.

IJ found the basket of goodies, but the magic is over for him.

D doesn't want plastic...until he discovers candy!

The magic has yet to begin for this one...and IJ can help him learn.

E's Lucky Egg (the Irish flag)

F has a new dress just like E's, only hers is purple.   I knit the top and sewed the skirt to the bottom.  I don't think I will ever sew a gathered piece of fabric to a knit anything ever again!  But I did have fun.  The fabric is too thin to wear without something underneath, so I found that lacy petticoat in the dress-up box this morning.  It looks so cute peeping out over her rubber boots!

E's Easter Dress!

Here are links to 2009, 2010, and 2011.  This is our first Easter without Grandad.  Even before we moved here we spent many Easters with him.  He was the one that inspired (is that the right word?) us to eat all sorts of yummy things and go overboard with buying food.  This year we are keeping our menu simple: ham, potatoes, and salad.  And a shrimp tray.  And pop.  And coconut cream pie...but only one.  And ice cream.  And we had melon and strawberries for breakfast (with a side of candy), but if we would have had more time we would have added Eggs Benedict.  The only reason we don't have a cheese and sausage tray is because I didn't want to buy a "bad" selection and M didn't want to stop at the store on the way home from church.  We hear the first year after a loved one passes is the hardest.  And it was this time of year that Grandad started declining.  I catch myself thinking, "It was this time last year when Grandad went to the hospital for the first time..." or "Last year I bought him lamb, but he couldn't eat it and I had to eventually throw it away."  (sniff, sniff)

Anyway, did we find all our eggs?  We'll never know...because no one counted them!

The Beach

The low tides have hit along with perfect weather, so we headed to the beach yesterday...

The low tides and good weather will be sticking around for a few more days, so I'm thinking we'll get a few more uses out of our Discover Pass! 

Big Backyard

Oh boy are we happy!  Our backyard is so big...and flat!  Here are some pictures of...nothing!

Looking North toward the Cherry Tree

Between the house and chicken coops

The area between the house and coops used to have a little hill that was covered in old tree stumps.  Now a truck can drive through and access the back yard...you know, just in case we ever need to have a septic system installed.

View from the driveway

M inspecting his kingdom

M didn't even take his work jacket off before he was off exploring the new yard.  He immediately replanted one of the fruit trees that he moved before the bulldozer got here yesterday.  As soon as he had his coffee this morning, he was out planting grass seed.  The boys have been very helpful raking and picking up big rocks.  We still have a lot of work to do though...

Ground Breaking Ceremony....Again?

Now check out this dog:

Never Trust a Smiling Dog

He is so proud of himself because he figured out how to climb the cherry tree...when there is a cat in its branches.  He climbed the tree four times, but never reached the cat.

A Good Day

Goodbye trenches in the backyard!  Goodbye ugly stumps between the house and chicken yard!

Something Missing

I remember I put on my socks,
I remember I put on my shoes.

I remember I put on my tie
That was painted
In beautiful purples and blues.

I remember I put on my coat,
To look perfectly grand at the dance,
Yet I feel there is something
I may have forgot— 

What is it? What is it? …

~Shel Silverstein