Finding Summer Part IV

My favorite date night activity is going on a walk. Simple, cheap, and easily accessible. It was on one of these lovely walks that Phil and I came upon a little garter snake in the road. It looked dead, but when we nudged it, it turned and snapped at us. Feisty little thing. When we first moved here Phil killed a blow snake not realizing its gopher eating potential and has felt bad ever since, so he went to great lengths to get this little garter snake out of the road away from deadly tires. It was quite a process, and a little funny.

A little while later it had started to get dark and we were just about home when we heard that sound that automatically invokes fear before you even consciously know what your afraid of. Phil had just about stepped on a big ol' rattlesnake. Good thing it wasn't as feisty as that garter snake or I would have been taking Phil to the hospital that night. Instead it just slithered off in the grass.

Phil got over his sorrow for killing the blow snake and took off running to get his shot gun...leaving me alone in the dark watching a riled up rattler. Now, I suppose a shovel would have done the job, but Phil has always been an all or nothing kind of guy, and by the time we were done, (one shot mind you) the rattlesnake was in 3 different wiggly pieces.  Austin had come out once he realized there were snakes and weapons involved and it's a good thing because he was the only one brave enough to reach out and get the rattle.

Finding Summer Part III

Austin has had an interesting summer. Right at the beginning he made some bad choices resulting in a broken window....and this is not his first broken window. In all fairness it really humbled the kid, he felt horrible and was more than a little nervous about what his dad would do when he got home. So we sat down and wrote out a schedule of work he could do to pay for a new one. I gave him several options, but weeding the garden was his top choice, so that's what he did. Every day. Even when everyone else was playing in the pool, or chasing around with friends he pulled weeds.

Honestly, I thought it was something I would have to fight him over, but it seems his sorrow was real, and for the most part he worked hard and willingly. I liked going out with him to get a few weeds of my own, and of course, I loved the time spent with him. He's a funny guy, so honest, and (shh, don't tell I told) screams like a girl when attacked by a baby toad.

One evening he started talking about the amount of money he had earned and it started to connect some dots for him. I've always had a list of jobs for the kids to do if they want to earn extra money, but they've never really taken advantage of it. It's hard to imagine a few dollars here and there adding up to anything substantial. But this time he could see that it does, and a whole world of possibilities opened up for him.

Now that the window is payed for, Austin still goes out and weeds or digs trees out of our field (elm trees are the only thing that grows in our field when we can't water). I'm proud of him and a little nervous he might break the bank. I might need to follow the example of my mil and establish a mission account....

Child: "Mom, can I have the money I earned?"
Mom:  "It's in your mission account"

Finding Summer Part II

This summer Soni and Bingham have been best friends. They play for hours in their own little world and really look out for each other. They make picnics for each other, build whole colonies for their polly pockets and trains, and take turns playing their made up games. For me it has been one of the highlights of the summer. I love it when my kids realize their best friends are each other.



Finding Summer Part I

Nothing like finally downloading your pictures onto your computer and finding months worth of fun times forgotten. School starts this week and we'll all be on to new and different things, so over the next couple of days will be my last ditch effort to catch up on celebrate summer.

Eve loves sleeping out on the tramp, but this year she had bad timing. The first time she asked was the first time it rained all summer....and then it contunied to rain every evening for the next two weeks. Finally we had a dry night so we slept out, just the two of us. In the middle of the night Bingham comes wandering out in the dark to find us. (Phil is not on top of his game in the middle of the night, so when Bingham came to find me Phil told him I was outside then rolled over and went back to sleep....YIKES) Next came Austin and some extra sleeping bags. The boys were a little chatty about the stars so Eve went back inside to sleep. Bingham woke up early, went and got my camera to snap a picture of me sleeping in (and by in, I mean out).

Pride will getcha every time

My house is old and my walls are ugly. I know. Still, I expect my kids to know that black sharpie pictures on the wall are a no, no.

So when I came upon this one...

not just a quick scribble, but an intricate drawing that must have taken a while, not to mention a little forethought, I was appalled.

It's amazing how fast a momma who doesn't usually yell can gather her kids when all of a sudden she does.

Immediately there was a volley of blame and denial. Soni said no way was it her, because she is a much better drawer than that. Eve said she was sure it was Austin.  Austin said that he was pretty sure it was Bingham (that was my guess too). Eve (who looks for every opportunity to get Austin in trouble) said it couldn't have been Bingham because it was too high on the wall for Bingham to have reached.

Then we heard a small voice coming from underneath the blankets on the bed.

It said, "The Bingham can reach that high if he stands on his very tippy toes."

Guilty.