Various items

Beautiful May! It's one of my favorite months. It was quite hot and dry as Memorial Day approached, but Sam and I still saw irises by the lake on one of our bike rides. I should say, our only bike ride, since it had been months since we'd been out, and I was so sore the next day that I felt no urgency to go again anytime soon. Sebastian rides miles every day! Often fifteen or twenty miles without even thinking about it. I don't know how he does it! Although, it IS nice how much ground you can cover so quickly on a bike.

Now. Let us peruse the pictures I've taken lately and see if there is anything of interest.

ITEM 1: I found this note in Teddy's pants pocket when I did the laundry a few weeks ago. The great thing is, I think it was a note he wrote to himself—to remind himself "not to plaie with Ziggy today at all becues he was not plaeing the memre gam with me." But then also, quite magnanimously, allowing that he would play with Ziggy again "tommoro." And it makes sense really, to a write a note about it—because otherwise one does tend to forget to hold a grudge as long as one wishes to, and often one ends up accidentally playing with little brothers even when they don't deserve it!

It does eventually all blow over, at any rate, because practically every Sunday morning these two brothers come running in to my room as soon as they're dressed in their Sunday clothes, saying "Take a picture of how handsome we are!" I am glad to oblige.

ITEM 2: There was a total lunar eclipse in May. (This blurry picture is all I've got, sorry. You can kind of see that the moon has a bite out of it? At least you can see it doesn't look full.) It was early in the morning, and I got up to watch some of it before getting anyone else up. The little kids all wanted to be awakened, and even a couple of the big boys grudgingly said, "Okay, fine, wake me up right at totality." But just as things were getting really good—and I'd gotten up a few of the little kids—the moon moved into a bank of clouds, and sadly, it never emerged! For awhile we thought it might…the clouds seemed wispy enough at first…but then they thickened and by the time they dispersed, the moon had disappeared behind the mountains and the sun was coming up. Sad. Luckily, there will be another eclipse next year!

We did get to see the beginnings of a pretty sunrise, though!

ITEM 3: We got Sam a firepit for Father's Day, but we gave it to him early because we…couldn't help ourselves. So we got to roast some Memorial Day hot dogs and marshmallows in the backyard!

Here, Malachi is pleased with his perfectly-roasted marshmallow. It's a good one…perhaps even up to my own standards. Not of roasting, of course—as you know I never roast my own marshmallows—but of eating. Had he offered this one to me, I would have eaten it. Instead, he greedily ate it himself! Hmmph.

I must say, it was nice to have a high chair to put Gus in, so he wasn't constantly wandering around grabbing at people with his marshmallow-y hands. And we could pop him right into the bathtub after he ate. You can't do THAT when having a campfire up in the canyon!

He was slightly perturbed by the stickiness. Not perturbed enough to stop eating it, of course.

People made up all sorts of weird games of basketball while they waited for the fire to die down.

And Ziggy made…whatever this is, a podium perhaps? And gave a loud singing/yelling sort of concert, complete with cymbal-bashing. So…an excellent evening, all in all.

ITEM 4: Another night. Another outdoor meal. This time a picnic at Cove Pond. Since there's only one picture, this probably oughtn't to have been its own item (I was just teaching Malachi how when you're doing an outline you never write an "A" heading without a "B" to follow) but it's too late to change it now!

ITEM 5: The sunsets have been spectacular lately. I only wish these stormy clouds would turn into the rain we so much need, but at least they are pretty!

ITEM 6: Gus and Sebastian snuggling. I don't know who adores who more. Babies do bring out the hidden goodness in teenagers, it seems! 

Oh, and bunnies do too, I guess.

Seb even lets Gus play his drums! Actually Seb's quite good about his drums with everyone. He is giving the two older girls drum lessons…he gives them rhythm exercises, and writes down assignments for them in a little notebook, and makes sure they always wear earplugs. It's so nice and they LOVE it.

ITEM 7: The girls had a summer ballet performance, and of course the costumes were their favorite part. It wasn't a ballet with a story this time…or not much of one. But they danced to some great music like "Appalachian Spring" and their costumes seemed vaguely…shepherdess-like? Or rustic young maidens of some sort? Milkmaids? Nymphs? Anyway, they were all darling.

Ooh! What lovely spiral buns these ballerinas have…if I do say so myself. Do you know how long it takes to do buns in the hair of three little girls with long thick hair? Well…I don't, because I always underestimate it and we end up having to rush frantically out the door…but I can say it's quite awhile. 

I love to watch them dancing!

ITEM 8: Our neighbor gave us a foosball table that he wanted to clear out of his garage, and it has been SO FUN. There have been many, many tournaments, and all the children are getting so good at it that they can easily beat me (not hard) and Sam (harder). Is it good to be good at foosball? Like, is it one of those skills that will come in handy some day, or is it something you ought to be ashamed of because it shows how much time you devoted to something so trivial? Ha ha. Just a little joke. I do love hearing people laughing and groaning and yelping with glee downstairs as they play with each other.

While I was watching the foosball tournament, I noticed Gus playing so sweetly by himself. I don't get to just sit and watch him very often, and I was surprised at all the things he was doing. Like getting the baby doll in and out of the high chair, and kissing her on the head.

And setting himself a little meal of toast…and then eating it!

ITEM 9: Ziggy's latest hats. This flowerpot was an interesting choice. He wore it to our ward potluck in the park and got many admiring comments.

This fish hat is his latest favorite. He wears it to bed, of course. Sometimes he's fine with taking it off and other times it upsets him greatly. Once I had to take it off for some reason or another (a bath, maybe?) and he started SOBBING and yelling, "I'm bad without my hat! I'm bad without my hat!" ??!? Poor little man. Who knows what is going on inside that head of his. 

ITEM 10: Daisy was trying to draw herself and getting frustrated with how hard it was, so Sam showed her the method where you draw a grid on top of a photograph and then just copy each square of the grid one by one onto your drawing paper. It's amazing how much it helps!

ITEM 11: We went to Sebastian's last band concert of the year and it was SO GOOD. It had a movie theme and the conductor wore a different hat (or sometimes whole costume) for each piece. Ziggy was ENTHRALLED. There was a even a dinosaur that appeared on stage for one of the songs, and danced!! 

And of course, running wildly around in the high school commons while waiting for Seb to emerge after the concert is always quite thrilling.

ITEM 12: Which should have been way back with Item 5, now that I think of it. But this was another sunset…even more spectacular because it kept changing and getting even prettier. First we were all outside admiring it, and then we had to send the little boys to bed, but the rest of us couldn't bear to stay inside—the light was too beautiful!

Sam and our nice neighbor were out working on our shared fence…trying to improve the drainage or something. It was very companionable and heartwarming to watch them out there helping each other with wheelbarrows and borrowing each other's tools. It was just what you LIKE to see two neighbor men doing.

Gradually I became aware of an apparition at the little boy's bedroom window.

Two apparitions. You can't really blame them. To go to bed while it's still light…and everyone is having fun without you outside…it is quite a cross to bear. Not to mention the fact that Ziggy and Teddy ADORE Tyson (the aforementioned neighbor). He (Tyson) calls Ziggy "Lord Zig" which delights everyone, but especially Lord Zig himself.

It was a beautiful, beautiful evening! And I think the boys even fell asleep. Three hours later.