At The Table

A look around our school table:

aka Grandma's kitchen table,

also known as not a very safe place for a baby in a Bumbo

unless putting him on the floor in a Bumbo means that an almost 3 year old Joey and almost 18 month old Tikvah have access to him

then the table's probably safer

who am I kidding:  no place is safe.

Not with these two lurking about.  See her eyeing him hungrily?

We do keep one ladybug on the roster.  Normally we don't like bugs, but she's so cute, we make an exception.

One silly platypus does her work

with a very particular porcupine sitting nearby.

And approximately four minutes later not one of them could be found at the table, except Tikvah who was actually sitting on the table eating marker tips and coloring on her clothes.

A Portrait

A Portrait of a bear  

named CAP

by a four year old Aliyah.

Dive on In

Dive on in guys.

Make a big splash.

Do it again.

This fine weather's sure not to last.

Baby Talk

Isaiah, at just over two months old:

My husband doesn't like it when I get mushy over pictures of our babies, 

especially on the blog.

He strongly dislikes it when I write things like:

"This kid is so cute, I could just eat him up."

and

"Isn't it sweet when he pokes his little tongue out like that?"

and

"He makes me want to melt into a puddle of mushy goo with those big eyes."

and "Maybe we should have just one more."

He really dislikes the last one.  

It's how he got a two month old, plus five others, in the first place.

Allow me to take this opportunity to say:  Don't be alarmed.  We do NOT have another child on the way.  But I did say that maybe we should consider another this week.  And then I promptly changed my mind.

And The Day After That Too

With the Boxcar Children party behind us, we had only to celebrate on the day of Xandra's actual birthday.  We began the day, at her request, with chocolate chip waffles.

Greatly enjoyed by all.

She sported her birthday crown (made by Xandra) much of the day.

At lunch time, we opened presents

from Grandma DeShon,

Ms. Carol (a porcupine that opens up)

and mommy and daddy.

Birthday dinner request was macaroni and cheese and hotdogs.

She sported her new nightgown, new necklace (from Ava!), new umbrella and new purse all throughout the meal,

and much of the next day,

and the next day, and the day after that, too...

Just Like The Boxcar Children

Once outside, the kids discovered a boxcar of their very own.

The boxcar was there, but just like the Boxcar children, it was empty.

While Uncle Ryan started the fire,

with lots of supervision from the other men (he can't be trusted),

the kids searched out the woods,

for hidden things to fill their boxcar.

In time, they found plates, dishes, baskets, tablecloths, towels, and everything they needed.

They enjoyed dinner inside

the boxcar on their new found dishes

and, just like the Boxcar Children, washed their dishes after dinner was complete.

Our last activity of the evening was picking cherries (pink marshmallows) from the trees in Grandfather's, errrr I mean, Grandpa Tim's Orchard.

Then the kids ran and played and enjoyed a warm North Dakota evening,

much like the Boxcar Children would have, my imagination tells me.