Lake Shmake

I wish we could hang out at the lake every day. There's something about being by the water that just makes you feel relaxed. Amazingly, even when you have to constantly watch your children (to prevent drownings, kidnappings, taking toys from children we don't know, squirting strangers with water squirters, the taking of younger siblings into much too deep water or making a break for the playground).
Maybe the relaxation comes from watching the kids have such a nice time...or from knowing that everyone did their school work and practiced their violins in order to go to the lake.
No, I think the relaxation came from the reassurance the experience provided me with that, although I'm definitely not a perfect parent, I'm not totally devoid of parenting skillz.
Unlike half of the people I was sitting next to, I didn't leave my 3-year-old in the care of total (smoking, highly pierced) strangers, while I went off to do who-knows-what. I didn't have my crying baby "sunbathing" in a two-piece. (Those weird new-borns. They just don't know how cool their mom is.) I didn't sit on the beach, yelling at my kids, instead of picking my lazy butt up and going to TALK to them when they were misbehaving.
I even brought healthy snacks! (I know, brag, brag, brag.) I did have one crappy parenting moment at the lake. I forgot to smear Jonny's back with sunscreen (his front was fine), and he has a sad, sad burn. Poor little guy.

Cozy Toezy

Cozette's toes are one of the first things we noticed about her. Since day one she has loved stretching them out and curling them up. Aren't they sweet? I think she is going to grow up to have "finger-toes" like Annika. You know...toes that are useful for picking things up..and probably also writing or feeding yourself with a fork (I think chop sticks would be tricky), with a little practice. Do you hear a bit of envy in my voice?

Wow. Those pants I bought yesterday fit even better when I'm not trying them on after a giant over-eating fest.
Today we're headed back toward normalcy. School. Violin. Cleaning. It may not sound good, but it sure feels good!
The only big difference is that Rachel has renewed my enthusiasm for gardening. I'm all excited to go out in the back yard and finish what she started yesterday! I've dreamed about that flagstone path for ages, and last year I actually bought the flagstone. Never installed it. My excuse had something to do with being pregnant and not feeling well...whine, whine, whine.

Thanks!

Thanks for coming and visiting me! James, Beth, Rachel, Allicia and all associated children drove over for a BBQ today. I love it when relatives from across the sound come to visit. It makes me feel like they live around the block. ...and they came bearing gifts of plants and food. :)
We ladies (and babies) made a trip to Goodwill. Doesn't that sound like a holiday sort of thing to do? They were having a Memorial Day sale. Green tags for 99 cents and 40% off two other colors.
As I was shopping, I couldn't help noticing that every piece of children's clothing I pulled off of the shelf was from the Gap or Old Navy. Have those stores brain-washed me or something? Now I'm only attracted to their clothing - even at thrift stores? They must have used their evil Jedi mind tricks on me. Darth Gap?

together again!

Well, we aren't ALL together again (my loving hubby is on vacation), but at least I have all of my chicks tucked under my wings again. The girls are back from camping. They returned full of stories about their many camping adventures. They saw a bear (that tried to get hit by their car), went canoing "at least thirty times!", learned a billion uses for their handkerchiefs, got a survival kit (complete with matches), and even brought home cookies to share with their little brother.

So, why did I post a picture of our absentee family member instead of all of the wonderful camping photos? Tragically, the camera was accidentally dropped into the lake - and not in a spot where it could be retrieved. Bummer. Maybe Sarah has some good ones?

In Garage Sale News: I go Sofia a wicker shelf to display part of her pokemon collection on AND a really nice double jogging stroller for $20. Lucky ducky!

...so many chairs

Oh sweet, sweet garage sales. What would we do without you? Buy stuff at real stores? That's no fun.

Mom and I had a great time scouring the neighborhood for garage sales last week, and at the very last one we went to we hit paydirt! Furniture! She bought a beautiful dresser/desk - that I have dibs on, should she ever want to part with it. I bought a rocking chair, with every intention of painting it a lovely cherry red. (Surprise!)

Well, once I got it home (Mom's home, not mine), and washed it off, I realized that I like it just the way it is. It's too nice to paint. Solid maple. And once you paint, there's no going back! (I guess you can remove paint, but it's not as fun.)

My sister Becky could see how disappointed I was and let me paint her little rocking chair as a consolation. Isn't it cute pink?! Beth and I have plans for hers next. Maybe tomorrow I'll find something I can paint for myself...in good conscience.

I have to brag...

My forays into the world of baking don't always yield tasy results, so when they do, I think I'm entitled to brag about it. Yesterday I spent my "baby nap time" making a couple of strawberry-rhubarb pies, and they were de-lish! When Anthony was eating his third piece, he said, "If you use your tongue to press it against the roof of your mouth, it just melts." Another satisfied customer.

There's one pie left, so if you get to Grandma and Grandpa's fast, you just might get a piece!

Save Me!

I'll bet you didn't know that I speak duckling. I'm fluent enough to know that "Save me!" is what the ducklings are peeping every time that James gets near them.

There were only two ducklings left inside the house, and James was one of their biggest fans. I guess it's a pretty big thrill for a 3-year-old to be able to reach out and pick up a duckling whenever he wants to. Of course, he always went for the littlest one too (much to the bigger and somewhat protective duckling's chagrin).

Well, yesterday the violence escalated. Picking up the terrified duckling wasn't enough anymore. I saw the little stinker throw the smallest duckling against the wall of it's tote. Time to put the ducklings in the cage outside - for their own safety. I'm sure they'd rather be cold than tortured.

third color's a charm

I've been painting everything red lately...and was super pleased with the results until I saw my sister's blog. Her latest chair was a GORGEOUS red - the color I had originally envisioned. One phone call later, I was off to Fred Meyer for my new favorite shade. Cherry. Now I'm repainting all of my "finished" projects. You can see the progression on my mini lawn chairs. If only they were the real thing! These chairs are actually frames that Sofia and I found at Goodwill. They're destined to be Pokemon chairs for stuffed animals.

We've all been having a lovely time at Grandma and Grandpa's house. The boys enjoyed their campout. While they were gone, the rest of us enjoyed watching Rachel play with fire (let's just say there was some liberal use of lighter fluid with the grilling), and we played guitar hero while the kids ran wild in the background. It was awesome. Thanks for being so fun, ladies!

Grandma's House?

..not our Grandma, but it looks just like one of the houses in the Max and Ruby cartoon. It's a bunny Grandma's house. The kids and I found it, surrounded by tulip fields, in Mt.Vernon. All it's missing is the flagstone path to the front door...and the giant talking bunnies.

I just noticed that everyone in those pictures is smelling the baby's head! Who could blame them? Baby smell is a rare and wonderful thing. Don't we all wish we could make a smell that made people love us! :) Anthony actually complains when I wash Cozette's hair because he likes the "natural" baby smell. I'm for the Johnson & Johnson scent myself.

The New Queen

For several years now, James has been dubbed "King of the Kids". Whatever he wants, everyone is happy to give him - and we are rewarded only by his endearing smile. Well, as he has approached his 3rd birthday, he has become less and less benevolent of a ruler. Sure, it's funny when "Odie" says ouch!, but it still isn't nice to hit him!...and everyone has to learn to share toys sooner or later.

So, we think it's all for the best that Queen Cozette has arrived and drawn a little of the attention and deference away from James. There is always a line to cuddle up to Cozette, and James, far from being resentful, is usually at the front of the line!

Cozette has started smiling more often, and Sofia swears she heard her say "owl" the other day. She has started looking around more. I'm just glad she still has a bit of the newborn look left...it's fading fast!

I was sure I would feel very "finished" after Cozette arrived. Surprisingly, I don't feel that way. I mainly feel irritated with doctors who thought I was going to hemorrhage and warned me about the horrible postpartum cramping I was going to have because it was my 6th child. Goes to show what they know. I can already imagine their annoyingness if I decide to have a #7. Oh, I guess I should talk to my husband about that idea before I make too many plans?

Slow and Steady...but definitely slow!

A long, long time ago, when I was still pregnant, I (actually we, thanks for your votes!) chose out some fabric for curtains in the girl's room. Once I ordered the fabric, I realized that the huge pattern was going to make it very hard to get two matching panel out of four yards of fabric. I spent another couple months searching for a contrasting fabric to lengthen out my panels. No luck at all, until Sarah gave me Cozette's baby quilt. The binding fabric matched my curtains perfectly AND was from Joann's.
I've been ironing and sewing about a seam a day all week, and now Happy Mother's Day to me - they are finally finished!
I think they were worth the wait, since they have every color I could wish for in one fabric - with just enough red to let me bring it in as an accent color!
Now we just have to keep the bunny from chewing them to shreds in her spare time.

At this rate I just might have the house decorated by the time we move again!

Happy Birthday to BOO

Yesterday we celebrated Booboo's 3rd birthday. I still can't get him to say that he's three, and whenever I try to show him a present or card (yes, even his Thomas shirt), his only response is to hit it and say, "NO BIRTHDAY!" Can you guess why we haven't potty trained yet?
James did like a few things about his birthday.
1st - We went to a McDonald's with a play area for lunch - a big treat, seeing how our trips to the park have become significantly less frequent since Cozette showed up.
2nd - He LOVED the glazed lemon cake I made (an easy and not at all fancy family favorite). James ate three pieces.
3rd - He thinks his new big wheel is great. Boo even helped Daddy put it together. (Mommy is very happy that she didn't have to put it together.)
Happy Birthday, you cute little stinker!

In other news, I'm sad to report the death of a long-ill member of the family...our trampoline. We will all morn it's passing. At least Tony was able to give it a proper burial at the dump. Farewell, Trampolampa!

The Sewing Sanctuary

Yes, unfortunately the first picture is of my sewing area - just a small portion of the craziness that is my room.
The beautiful desk belongs to Sofia. It's part of my attempt to lure her away from my own sewing machine. Now that it's in a tidy, attractive setting, I'm hoping that she'll be drawn to her own cute little machine.
This corner of her room has been a huge collaboration. Grandma Tunnell repainted and stained the old desk (and made the pin cushion), Grandpa drilled holes for the new knobs, the Kangs painted this cute thread rack for Sofi's birthday, the Hetricks sent us the origami ages ago (so happy I finally found a cute way to display them), and I repainted an old frame for the new print I bought on Etsy. So many loving friends!
Maybe I'll start sewing in Sofia's room?

Just Ducky!

One of the joys of having grandparents is that they let you do all sorts of things that your parents never would: eat cake for breakfast, go days without changing your clothes (given - there was camping involved), buy a box full of ducklings... Thank goodness for Grandmas and Grandpas!

Before we left my Mom and Dad's house, Dad and I took all of the kids to get this year's ducklings at the feed store. (I could actually use a duck to eat some of my slugs, but I'm pretty sure my neighborhood has a restriction against poultry.) The older kids had fun grabbing the aptly named "runner ducks" for Grandpa, and James and Britton just enjoyed looking at all of the chicks, goslings, and ducklings. For the record - baby turkeys are surprisingly cute.

While Grandpa was paying for the poultry, I got drawn into a conversation with a very pregnant woman sitting on a bench nearby. She asked about the baby and (the usual) whether or not all of the children belonged to me. One of them actually didn't this time (my little niece, Britton)! Once she had figured out that I had six children, I asked how many children this baby would make for her...eleven. Yea! I love meeting people who have more children than me for a change, because then I know they aren't thinking I'm totally crazy for having such a big family. Although, if they spend enough time with me, they might find other reasons for thinking I'm nuts! :)

Tromping Thru the Tulips 2

On Friday, we woke up to the beautiful sunshine and decided that it was much too nice outside to sit around doing school work. Field trip time! Where could we go that would keep us out in the lovely warm sun? I decided to take my cue from Sarah and make the trek to the tulip fields...but not the ones in Oregon. The kids each packed an overnight bag and we headed over to Mt. Vernon.

When we made a nursing/diaper-changing pit stop at Grandma and Grandpa's house, the children scattered. Between the new hammock, lots of fun cousins, and the tree house, everyone found something fun to do. The tulip fields were long forgotten. I eventually mustered to energy to herd the hooligans to the car. We are going to the tulip fields - whether you want to or not!

Once we got there, they were all amazed by the huge fields of colorful blooms. Cozette got her first ride in the sling, and Anthony had fun racing up and down the paths, pushing the stroller at top speeds. Jonathan and Anthony kicked up massive amounts of dirt into billowing clouds (which does wonderful things to your feet when you're wearing flip-flops). Annika and I each bought a bouquet of tulips as we were leaving. Mission accomplished. After five (although not consecutive) years of living in Washington, I've finally made it to the tulip fields! Every April, it seems like we're either moving or having a baby, but this year we didn't let it stop us!

Sorry, Sarah!

I finally added a link to my lovely sister's photography site - really the least I could do when she drove up here to take Cozette's pictures for me. If you click on Smiling Eyes Photography, you can see a few more of the cute photos she took. The bad news is that I can't seem to get the button to look as nice as it did when it was sent to me. :( Sorry, Sarah. If you have any advice on fixing that, I'm all ears.