Wordless Wednesday

Of Birthdays and Spontaneous Forts

Wow- the end of October is already around the corner. Soon, my big Littleman is turning a great big 6 years old! I am still without a camera cable, so have no new pictures to upload. But, I remembered a bunch of pictures that I took last year, at Littleman's 5th birthday.

(The birthday boy, 5 years old)


(And the Pirate, looking sweet and shaggy.)

It was a gorgeous, perfect October afternoon.


Babyman was having a ball. He was crawling, and loved the warm sun, pinestraw, and all the attention from adoring relatives.

There were bunches of kids running about, and after awhile I noticed a certain "purpose" to their busyness. There was much discussion and collaboration. I looked over, to find an interesting sight.



They were working together to build a small fort. Framed in sticks, "thatched" with pinestraw, it was really an impressive little structure. And, it was growing.


Soon it was attracting admirers. Still, the work continued.


I was impressed with the communication, cooperation and all-around teamwork that was operating to create the fort. Mostly cousins, the kids are a wide range of ages. Everyone put aside differences and simply enjoyed working together to make a great structure and have fun. Older kids let younger kids do their part, while helping ensure that the final product would be structurally sound.

I love thinking about all the skills they were building: teamwork, cooperation, compromise, empathy, assertiveness, problem-solving, creativity, communication, motor skills, hand-eye coordination, leadership. . . Then there's the "school" topics they were covering:

Natural Sciences, Social Studies, P.E., Art, even a little basic Math and oral Language Arts.

Not to mention the pure, healthy benefits of being active outdoors, working with natural materials to create for the pure joy and accomplishment of it.



There were many wonderful artistic touches and details.








It was a perfect project, entirely conceived and executed by the children. The ideal example of the rewards of hours of free play outdoors.


It was my kind of birthday party- outside, in gorgeous weather, with room to roam in natural surroundings, and plenty of wide-open time for plain old play. I'm a slacker party planner- and I like it that way. ;) This year we'll be trying something different, though- hopefully it works out well, and hopefully I'll have my camera working again so I can take lots of pictures!

(sigh) They're growing so fast.

October Night

The air is cool and damp, a soft mist is swirling down so lightly that I don't even notice at first. It simply feels alive, stirring against my skin, the breath of a kiss hovering just out of reach. The saturated atmosphere magnifies the orange glow of the streetlights, lending an autumnal brightness to the soft night. It shines over tree branches and driveways, casting stark traceries of golden light and shadows. I pause to drink in this night. Both intimate and infinite, it stretches endlessly between the cozy pleasures of the hearth and the wild promise of a deeply magical night. The gentlest of breezes stirs. I close my eyes to lose myself in the whisper of leaves and far-off windchimes. What secrets do the branches tell, one to the other, passing wisdom over the Earth? What spell does the windsong weave? I hear a soft tap in the dry leaves behind me, then another to the side. I open my eyes to the swirl of orange light. The air has thickened with promise. Tap, pop, pip. Individual sounds collecting together in soft percussive harmony. Gentle rain. I nod slightly in acknowledgment of this moment, a mental curtsy to the wild spirit of this night. Thank you.

August Meditation

As if someone has reached out and turned the wheel of the year a notch, quite suddenly I sense the birth of Fall. Summer still blazes, but her intensity is waning and she has let her guard down a few times. A couple nights ago I opened the door to let the dogs out, and felt goosebumps prickle my skin. Goosebumps! The air was cool, so cool, sliding hesitantly through the half opened door.

I opened the windows, and cherished every breath of breeze that kissed my cheek. The night insects sent up their prayers to the moon, a hallelujah chorus of sweet summer night, but with the liveliness now came a bare hint of mortality. Like the skull in the still life painting, with beauty lurks death. In death, beauty. The partners may change, but the dance goes on. Summer curtsies, and awaits her next dance with golden anticipation.

Wordless Wednesday

From November Hikes 2008

Join Us for an Autumn Hike (pics galore)

Wow, I've been neglecting my blog lately! Sorry- I'm getting all swept up in holiday activities. It's been fun, not stressful (yet)- but it means I've not found time to blog. Which is why I am only just now telling you about some hiking we enjoyed in early November.

We love hiking in the fall around here- it is usually our most beautiful weather, and it's not too hot or buggy. We loaded up with plenty of clothes for the boys, and headed first for Richard Russell Scenic Hwy. There are a number of places to hike along that route, and the views are lovely.

From November Hikes 2008

I carried Babyman, of course, and the older boys hiked. They carry their own packs with snacks and water.

From November Hikes 2008

The weather was gorgeous!

From November Hikes 2008

From November Hikes 2008

Most of the leaves had already fallen, but there was still some lovely color to be found.

From November Hikes 2008

Littleman used his compass to show us the way.

From November Hikes 2008

From November Hikes 2008

It is very important to us that the boys have frequent experience outdoors, surrounded by the natural world. We take them out in all kinds of weather, to a variety of places. We want these experiences to be embedded in their very beings; to become an integral element of WHO they are.

From November Hikes 2008

We hope they will become comfortable and proficient in natural surroundings, and perhaps will learn to love- no, to NEED- nature. We can't give them daily exposure to wild places, but we do our best to offer natural experiences in every corner of our lives. For their part, the boys have made me proud. Children seem to take to nature easily, even happily accepting tough conditions that would discourage most adults I know. These boys positively delight in exploring the outdoors, and Littleman especially is turning into an impressive hiker.

From November Hikes 2008

We start them early, getting them used to outside as much as possible from infancy. (Isn't it odd that we have to think about whether they are getting enough outside time? What an insular, indoor existence we lead.)

From November Hikes 2008

The bonus is that Billy and I get to do something we adore. We need time outdoors as much as we need food or sleep. What a blessing that we get to share it with our boys!

A UFO crashed into a tree:

From November Hikes 2008

Mountains glimpsed through the wintry woods:

From November Hikes 2008

Beautiful details like roots stretching deep into the earth:

From November Hikes 2008

I hope you have enjoyed this hike with us. As it started to get dark, we returned to the car. The next day, we planned to head to Blood Mountain for a longer, much steeper climb. I had no idea how well Littleman was to prove his mettle that day!

Wordless Wednesday

From assorted

Breezing by

First off, I'd like to announce that Babyman MIGHT be getting the right idea when it comes to sleeping at night. MIGHT. Maybe. I hope. He (and therefore I) have slept well the past two nights. Aaaaah. (I won't dwell on the fact that it's taken 10 MONTHS to get this far. . . No, I won't.) Combine that with the first handful of nice, cool days we've had this year and I am feeling quite sunny. :)

* * *

Babyman now has three teeth, and though he doesn't yet crawl in the typical, cross-crawling formation on hands and knees, he can drag himself around quite sufficiently. (It's pretty funny looking!) The other day he surprised me by using a sound effect while pretending to drive a toy car on my shirt. Just like his older brothers! And now, if you ask him if he is a doggy, he will gleefully hang his tongue out and pant like a dog. (LOL! I guess he picked that up from Gypsy and Gimli.) On the one hand I am always hoping for him to develop faster to make some things easier for me, but on the other hand I am amazed at how quickly it seems to go. Like watching paint dry while you sit inside a speeding rocketship.

* * *

I am in love with fall weather. Give me the first couple breezy, sunny cool days and my whole soul feels different. It's a remarkable (and sometimes much needed) attitude adjustment!

* * *

I'll close now because I want to ride my fall weather high (and had-enough-sleep energy level) for more productive pursuits. I'll leave you with a fun link:
http://www.theevolutionofdance.com/
Enjoy!

Scatterbrained Mini-musings

Ohhhh, I have a migrane.

The wild grapevines are starting to gild the foliage here and there, in tangles by roadsides- the first sign this year of Autumn. I welcome thee!

Babyman slept soundly last night from about 9:30 pm till about 3:30 am. 6 hours! A record. He then slept on, till about 7 am. I am very pleased- it's a sign, I hope, of better nights to come. A light at the end of the tunnel. A knot at the end of my rope. And so on, and so forth. Too bad I stayed up late. DOH!

My new favorite drink at Starbucks is a tall soy chai latte, no water. Yum.

Littleman's favorite phrase right now seems to be "You don't underSTAND me!" (~rolling eyes~) The kid is 4 for heaven's sake!

Sweetcheeks had a fun birthday. (Thank you all, who came out!) He's 3! I think he had a blast, and really felt special. I was glad to see that. It's tough, being the middle kid.

Babyman LOVES to wave these days. Smile and wave, smile and wave. Politics? Hollywood? He laughs a lot, loves to hang upside down and is trying to figure out the whole crawling thing. He likes cheerios and can really pack away some baby food. (I think it's all stored in his fat little knee rolls.) Still nursing, too. He loves music and singing, and will "sing" along with a CD or "sing" himself to sleep. He loves books and no paper is safe in his reach. He's still quite demanding, but will play by himself for short stretches now.

Thanks to a Wendy's kids meal prize, the boys have discovered the joy of books on CD. (So something good came out of that trip, besides convenience!) We have been listening to Magic Tree House books on CD just as fast as we can check them out from the library. It's been great!!



On that note, I've completely run out of steam. Besides, my head feels like it is imploding and I'm a little nauseous. I'm going to go to bed and pray for a repeat sleep performance from Babyman tonight. Is there a Native American dance, like a rain dance, to encourage babies to sleep at night?

Oh, CRAP.
Did I jinx it?
Babyman wakes.
Dammit. And a whole host of other expletives.
Ah, well. Off I go.

still pregnant, and fall outings

October 15, 2007 - Monday

still pregnant, and fall outings Current mood: pleased Well. By now I've had three instances where I was concerned enough about my contractions to pull out a clock and start timing them. So far, no problems. But, geez. I keep telling babyman just to make it through the rest of this month, as he has a bit more growing to do. . . 34 weeks is definitely still too early for my comfort! Less than 3 weeks now, and I'll be happy to have this baby should he wish to make his appearance. Obviously, I am continuing to try and take it easy. I've had some help several days, and that's been great. It's so good for the boys too, because that way they can get out more and do fun things. I even got to go along for a couple fun little trips- yesterday, I joined Billy and some friends of ours to take the boys out to Burt's Pumpkin Farm near Amicalola. We went last year and it was really nice, so thought we'd go back for our pumpkins thus year. But, holy crowds, batman! The place was astonishingly packed. It was like being at the mall at Christmas time. Unfortunately, it was not the experience we adults had been looking forward to- but we got some nice pumpkins, and the boys definitely enjoyed themselves. We all liked the hayride again this year, too. However, I think we might try a different place next year. This morning's little outing was more successful- a homeschooling group I am involved with organized a little field trip to a small working farm in Loganville. It's called Bay Creek Acres, and the kids had a really good time. (Grandma met us at the house and rode out with us, so I'd have help with the boys. Don't want to overdo it!) We met and petted the dairy goats, saw the chickens, and marvelled at the turkeys. (LOUD!) Then we got to watch a milking demonstration, and several children got to try it out! (Littleman was less than enthusiastic about that idea, LOL. He stayed on the sidelines). Afterwards we all trooped inside for a little taste of fresh goat milk. (Delicious! Much better, I'm afraid, than the stuff I buy for the boys at the grocery store). Back outside, they petted a soft baby chick. Finally, Littleman and Sweetcheeks played on the big mulch pile with some of the other kids. It was really nice of the farmer to give us the tour, and I was impressed with their farm. I'm SO glad one of the moms in our group took it upon herself to organize this outing! I might call about getting a turkey there for Thanksgiving dinner. It's so nice to know where your meat comes from, and to know the animals were treated well and that the meat is fresh. Too bad I can't buy goat's milk there! (Illegal in GA to sell unpasteurized milk for human consumption). Here's the farm: http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M16585 Incidentally, that is an excellent site. I don't know if I've mentioned it in my blog before, but it's a wonderful way to locate nearby farms, farmers' markets, produce co-ops, etc. http://www.localharvest.org/ Maybe you'd like to create your own farm field trip! I think Sweetcheeks enjoyed the farm more than Littleman. Littleman said he didn't have a favorite part of the farm visit, because there was no playground there. (huh?) Though when asked which animal he liked best, he did choose the baby chick. He said it was soft. "I LIKE babies!" he said. Mr. Sweetcheeks said his favorite thing was "play" (I'm assuming on the mulch pile), and he also mimed milking. When I asked if he meant when the lady milked the goat and the milk went into the bucket, he grinned and said, "yeah!" He also told me he liked the "sheep" (must mean the goats), and "chicken runned away" (one turkey hen was out of the enclosure, and Griffin chased it gleefully until I made him stop). He keeps coming up with other things he remembers that he says he liked, so I think it made an impression on him. He REALLY liked drinking the milk! :) Now all is peaceful, and I am glad to be sitting on my bed. The boys really started to get on my nerves this evening, so it was nice to get them to sleep. I can hear cricketts outside, the neighbor's dog, the click of the keyboard and Electra over there kneading "biscuits" in the blanket as she purrs. Every once in awhile a cool whiff of breeze touches me from the open windows. Ahh, nice. I will fold some laundry, refill the humidifier (Sweetcheeks has a cold, which he has passed on to Littleman and, I think, me) and go to sleep. Sweetcheeks has Montessori tomorrow morning. Good night!

The end is in sight

September 29, 2007 - Saturday

The end is in sight Current mood: hungry Barely more than a month to go, and baby will be fine if I should go into labor. No prescribed bedrest yet, hooray! I'm knocking on wood- next weekend marks the point where I went into preterm labor with Mr. Sweetcheeks. Tomorrow is a date I'm feeling a bit superstitious about: both my boys were born on the 30th of their month, and if this baby were to try to repeat the trend with a new month then tomorrow would be the day. So, I am hoping to really take it easy tomorrow. :) But anyhow, I am glad to have made it this far without going into labor- since I've gone into labor earlier each time, I really expected to be on bedrest by now! So this is great. Just a little over a month. (Watch babyman go past his due date, LOL!) * * * I am ordering pizza for dinner tonight, and feeling guilty. But dammit, it sounds good and I really don't feel like fixing anything. And the boys like it. I swear I'll fix those veggies I bought before they go bad. . . * * * Today's the first day I opened the windows in the bedrooms and left them open all day. The house smells so much more fresh, and I love how cool it is outside. I love fall! I just wish I felt up to being more active. I'm sooo tired- not sleepy mostly, but really really tired. And I truly don't want to go into labor early. Even though everything was fine last time because they stopped my labor and I carried to term, a week's hospital stay in a month of bedrest was no fun at all. It was hard enough finding 24/7 help when there was only one child to look after- now there are two. And besides, it would be nice to avoid the medical interventions that were necessary to stop my labor last time. If I never, ever encounter Breathine (a medication) again, it will be too soon. The point of that being, that I really start to feel it when I try to do too much- I'm already having some noticeable contractions. Trying to keep up with the boys outdoors is really too much by myself. So, we are all a little limited these days. At least Sweetcheeks gets to go to the playground at school, and both boys get to do things occasionally with other family members. Plus I do manage to get them out from time to time. Just a little more than a month. . . * * * Time to end my mindless ramble, as I need to feed the boys (and myself!)

old times, and harbringers of the season

August 28, 2007 - Tuesday

old times, and harbringers of the season Current mood: nostalgic Wow, it's rather like old times here! (Except I am pregnant, typing on a laptop connected wirelessly to the internet, I drive a minivan, am waiting for my 3 1/2 year old to wake up and I don't actually live here anymore. . . yeah. . .) But it really is a deja vu experience. I'm at the studio, hanging out in the control room while Billy works, listening while I quietly do my own thing here on the couch. (Used to be reading a book or knitting, these days I check my email and blog. . . hmm. . .) I've done a fair bit of the "carseat shuffle" today: I installed Littleman's seat in the van, swapped cars with Billy, swapped back, removed Littleman's seat from the van, removed Sweetcheeks' seat and installed it in my Mom's car, and soon I should put Littleman's seat back into the van. All this is due to a series of appointments, and fun activities for the boys. Anyhow Littleman has been here at the studio today, and he finally fell asleep for a much-needed nap just before I arrived to pick him up. Sweetcheeks is staying the night with my Mom, so I am free to veg out here on the studio couch until Littleman finally wakes up. It's pretty nice, actually. (Not to mention I am not wearing myself out doing dishes or laundry right now!) I get to see my husband. :) And I get to talk to adults. Cool. * * * Lately I have begun hearing the geese, again. Almost as soon as the rain started showing up and the 100 degree+ temperatures calmed down a bit, I started hearing them outside in the evenings. Sunday evening I saw a big, beautiful V-formation of honking geese sail across the sky. Then today, on my way to the studio from my prenatal appointment I stopped at Starbucks- and discovered that the pumpkin spice latte has returned. Geese, pumpkin spice lattes, and temps in the 80s. . . sure signs that Fall is right around the corner. Rejoice!

Fall Fun!

Sunday, October 30, 2005

Fall Fun! Current mood: good Today is littleman's birthday! He is now officially 2. We are looking forward to having a bunch of friends and kids out to the house today. I'm sure it will be chaotic, but fun. I'm tired (had to get up a bunch for baby and even a few times for Simon) but I'm in a good mood. We had such fun last night- took the boys to a farm for a corn maze, spooky hayride and other stuff. Littleman had a BLAST. I think we all enjoyed it. We saw cows, a kitty and bunnies, wandered in the corn maze, toasted hot dogs at the bonfire, rode the starlit "spooky" hayride and generally had fun. Littleman will happily tell you all about it- I've heard him independantly say "cows", "corn maze", "hiding" (what we did in the maze), "stick" (what he played with in the maze), "fire" and "hot dog", "running", "house" (there was a great log cabin there), "tractor" and "riding", "witch", "skeleton" and "people" (which are all things we saw on the spooky hayride). I guess that about tells you the whole story! ;) It was so nice being out in the country, feeling the bite in the air and smelling sweet woodsmoke, green grass, dry leaves and corn. Cows were lowing (picturesque black and white jerseys, no less), kids were shouting and you could hear their feet pound the wooden porch as they ran in and out of the house. Every once in awhile the big tractor would start up and move off, taking another group of people around the farm for a hayride. Walking through the corn maze many of these sounds seemed far away, and your ears were full of the sound of the dry cornstalks rustling in a cool breeze. The setting sun poured liquid gold over the fields, and it dripped onto the tops of the stalks. Later as more people started to show up, you'd hear the shouts of the boys throwing a football, an occasional screech as amps were being set up for a live singer, kids shouting to find each other in the maze. The smell of toasting hot dogs and marshmallows started to linger in the woodsmoke, and the air was getting decidedly chilly. The hayride was sweet fun, sitting on the haybales, rocking gently against each other as the tractor bumped along. Sitting cozily all together (baby in a carrier on my chest) under a soft blanket, we admired the heavens, twinkling with all the stars we never see close to home. We even saw the milky way, and a shooting star to wish on. Moving into the trees we admired the "spooky" handiwork of the local kids- ghosts, skeletons and bloody victims loomed at us in the tractor headlights. Later live spooks added to the ambiance. It was a perfect ending to our fall farm visit.