Wednesday, April 09, 2014

New Hoop

We cemented a basketball hoop pole in the ground at our previous house and I was surprisingly sad to leave it behind.  I have wanted a new hoop ever since we have moved.  I even bought one about a year ago, felt buyers remorse about how expensive it was and how we didn't really NEED it and took it back the next day.  I haunted craigslist for months trying to find one and didn't find one.  I finally decided that I was being really silly and just bought one for keeps.  The kids (the older boys especially) love it and are out shooting hoops any free second they can find.  















Monday, April 07, 2014

Up In the Air and Down

I remember LOVING to swing when I was a kid.  It is sad for me that I can only do about two back and forth's before I start feeling mildly ill.  Eleanor isn't old enough to sit on the swing by herself, but she begs and begs to swing.  I swing with her on my lap as long as my stomach will tolerate and then I just have to stop.  She is usually particular and won't swing with anyone but me.  This particular afternoon she was feeling agreeable and had a great time swinging on Estella's lap.  

The Swing
by Robert Lewis Stevenson

How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
Rivers and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside--

Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown--
Up in the air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!












Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Alexander

Alexander is full of clever remarks, sweet songs, "I love you Mommy"s, and silly faces.  If you ask him how he is doing, he always replies, "Great."  One of his favorite things in the world is a "holly pop" (lolly pop).  He often blocks the doorway and the password to get through is usually "holly pop."  He doesn't like anyone to talk about how cute he is or laugh over cute things he says.  He gets very upset and feels like he is being made fun of.  I have to be really careful of when I choose to tell Jackson stories from the day in order to not offend Alexander.  He LOVES to help.  Any time I start to cook, he grabs a chair and wants to be my helper.  If there is a job, he wants to help do it.  He enjoys helping me in the garden just as much as he does cooking.  He doesn't like to go potty.  He doesn't like to wear underwear or shoes.  He loves primary, which I am so happy about because he really didn't like nursery at all.  




He still mixes up his s's if they are at the beginning of a word.  For example "spoon" is "psoon," "school" is "ksool," "small" is "msall."  That combined with this little raspy voice is so cute!






He likes to have his hair done.  He always wants it done with gel and "psikees" (spike-ees).  








He LOVES his blankies.  The original set of 4 that I was given when he was a newborn were in tatters.  They were all ripped into small squares and rectangles and were various shades of grey and brown.  He would bunch them all in a pile to sleep with.  I bought him a new set for Christmas and he took to them right away.  In fact, as soon as he opened them, he ran to his bed, got the old ones, and threw them in the trash can!  I was so surprised!  My other kids have all preferred their old blankies over any new ones I get them even if they are identical.












He loves to collect eggs from the chickens every day.  He gets very upset if anyone else brings them in.  (Yes, that is chicken poop on the bottom of his shoe).  I am getting really sick of chicken poop.  I can't decide yet if my love for the eggs outweighs my annoyance at the poop.
He also loves to get the mail for me every day.  He is starting to understand that the mailman only comes once a day and it is usually right around lunch time.  He keeps his eyes out and as soon as he sees the mail truck he is ready to go.  He won't go out, though, until the mail man has gone on to the next house.
We had a mail box casualty.  The massive bush got loaded down with snow and started pushing on the mailbox.  The wood post was pretty old and had some rotting.  It started out as just a slight lean toward the road and over about a week's time it eventually hit the cement.  We tried propping it back up in the bush to buy us some time, but it was no good.  I knew I wanted that bush out of there, so we used a basket as a mailbox for about a week until we had time to rip the bush out and install a new pole (which was kindly crafted by Jackson's dad).