Another Teenager

What? Shane turned 13! He can ride in the front seat of the cars, he can have a Facebook account, oh, life is grand when you are a teenager!

We celebrated both early and late because Shane was on a Boy Scout camp out on his actual birthday.  The week before he turned 13, he had a few friends out for some beach time and cake.

The actual day of his birthday, we ate an entire bucket of ice cream.  I though for sure Mark would die from a sugar overdose in the middle of the night, but I slapped some DigestZen by DoTerra on his feet and belly, and surprisingly, he lived.  Maybe there is something to that essential oil thing.

And then yesterday, August 30th, I finally found the perfect present for him: A drone!

The drone has been so much fun.  It was a perfect way to get back into a TJEd way of school today.  Shane is spending his structured learning time researching the history and uses of the drone.  This mama is happy!

Wildflowers

I've started calling Lula and Heidi my Wildflowers (instead of Wild Things or Thing 1 and Thing 2).  These two are a force to be reckoned with.  I don't know if it's their genes or their close age or gender or what, but wow.

This is what happened the other day:
Lula lined three Lincoln Logs up. Heidi kicked them over.  Lula got upset, understandably, and got in Heidi's face, but didn't actually touch her.  Heidi slapped Lula's arm.  Lula started to cry because Heidi hit her.

Lula (crying): Mom! Heidi hit me!
Me: Lula, you were in her face. I saw you!
Lula (crying stopped, glaring at Heidi): Heidi, I don't like you anymore!
Heidi stares at Lula for a second with a straight face and then bursts out with noisy fake sobs.
We all laugh.
Lula (screaming): Stop teasing me!
Heidi (screaming): Stop screaming!
We all laugh more
Lula (screaming): Stop teasing me!
Heidi (screaming): Stop screaming!
We all laugh harder.
Lula (screaming): Stop teasing me!
Heidi (screaming): Stop screaming!
We all laugh until we are crying
Lula (screaming): Stop teasing me!
Heidi (screaming): Stop screaming!
Me (tears running down my face): Oh, Lula, come here sweetie
Lula: NO! (runs to her room screaming at the top of her lungs)
Heidi runs to me instead.

One is stormy and emotional (and lazy) and the other is competitive and divisive and high-energy.  If my experience and assumptions are correct, I am in for the ride of a lifetime with these two...

(but in their defense, Lula is so creative in her play and very imaginative and Heidi is so full of life and exuberance.  They both are so loving and snuggly although one must wear teeth and groin guards while snuggling twitchy Heidi)

Daily Daniel

We are starting our slow return to the school year and this morning I had Daniel work in his Spelling U See workbook with a mechanical pencil.  After his first letter he told me he couldn't do any more because the pencil gave him a shivery feeling when it rattled on the paper.

His tan is almost as dark as my (unvacuumed) carpet

He added, "And sometimes, when I'm someplace and there is a girl next to me and her hair touches me, I get that same shivery feeling," and he shuddered.

Some of us have more Viking genes than others

 This boy of mine has progressed so much this last year and I am so happy.  I can't wait to see how he grows and changes this year.

Family Day

When you look at the calendar and see that it is the one and only day in the month of August that you don't have to drive up and down the Key Peninsula several times? You stay home.  And get stuff done.  No one can accomplish what Mark Downen can accomplish on his day off, especially now that the kids have entered the Golden Age of being helpful AND capable.

The porch is partially stained, but where is everyone?

This is what they got done: sealed the chimney bricks (Ian) and the bricks by the front door (Fiona and Daniel), started a goose shelter (Mark and Evie), stained both decks (all the kids), and gave the turkeys bands after clipping their wings (Ian, Mark, Evie).

Fiona wanted a picture of the feather on the wind. Mark was like, "What the heck are you doing?"

Lula, pretending to fly

Fiona, no fear while face to face with three Toms

Trippy Skippy, the girl who fell asleep after running her top teeth through her bottom lip

Mark has all sorts of farmy projects going on with his birds.  He has nine geese now along with 26 turkeys.  Seven turkeys are headed for freezer camp here pretty soon; they are broad breasted whites and are not meant to live very long.  The rest are heritage breeds that Mark hope will produce for us next spring.  This is why he is banding their legs, so he can keep track of which bird is doing what.

Daniel couldn't stop catching turkeys.  Mark wasn't happy.

I love this picture of Mark putting his turkey down just as Daniel is picking his up. Daniel was sent out soon after.

 After the turkeys were done and the sun was off the back porch, the kids got back to work staining.  We had a really good day today.  My job was to make applesauce.  The trees are producing like crazy.  I sauced two laundry baskets full of apples and that was just part of one tree.  Jason makes my job difficult and with the porches being stained I couldn't let him outside to play.  He sure is cranky about that tonight! 

Popcorn Season

It's that time of year again... time to go stand in front of stores and solicit money for the BSA... After all the bad things that happened to our troop this year, I called our council direct to find out the exact law/policy of individual scout accounts and what is/is not appropriate purchases for a 501-3(c) non profit.  The bottom line is our committee votes according to the scout law.  That's it.  This year my boys have to sell popcorn for 17 hours to cover their dues and summer camp.  I don't know yet how Ian is going to manage that with football practice being 9 hours a day, six days a week.

How Did We Miss This?

Check out the size of this wasp nest:

How did we not see this hanging over the goose yard?

We are hoping that we can claim it after the bees leave and before the rain and wind destroy it.

Science: Done.

You Otter Not Miss This One

Haha.

But seriously, there was an OTTER in the pond this morning.  

River otter, based on tail length.

 We have no idea what it was doing here.  We have never seen otter before.

Peeking up under the branch

Posing for one more picture before leaving.

It wasn't even scared.  It just kind swam around, curiously looking at us and then it left.  Jack tried to get in the water and swim out to it, so he had to go inside.  Kai just ran stupidly into the woods and completely missed it.