My Boys

 Our shortest guy has turn 6 months old. He's a pretty amazing guy. He's picked up some new tricks lately. Like hair pulling. And almost sitting up by himself. He's so close. Eating a bit of solid foods here and there. Playing peek-a-boo and being delighted when his big brother comes close enough to play.

 

The Big Kid is a great help with Baby when he wants to be. And his favorite thing is to make the baby laugh. He gets all proud of himself and it makes me smile. And he doesn't want Baby to see him when he's crying, thinking Baby will blame him for whatever is wrong. That's kind of annoying at times, but logic is logic I guess. He's a great big brother.

I am loving these two boys. And their sister. I just wish that Baby would sleep a bit more.

Yosemite

On our way home from an Epic Road Trip this summer we stopped in Yosemite National Park to hike and camp and play. It was end of June timeframe and we didn't think we could get a place to camp, but we did. It was on the East side at about 8500 feet in elevation. Most attractions are the the West side of the Park and the drive can take up to an hour each way. We were up for an adventure though and decided to camp there in  bear country. Everywhere in that park is Bear country.

We hiked and played and waded in the rivers. We saw waterfalls and wildlife (not bears) and amazing views of huge rocks. We watched climbers doing death defying feats and saw a mama duck teaching her little ones how to scavenge and snatch food from pic-nickers. We had a lot of fun, but we also just about froze our self into Popsicles. The first morning we woke up it was below freezing and the next two mornings weren't much better. It took a while to get to the warm side of the mountains. We had tons of s'mores and used every last bit of the hot chocolate we had packed. The kids slept in the same sleeping bag  with the other one and two blankets over them and the baby snuggled himself between mom and dad and stayed perfectly warm with his cute hat our friend Pam knitted for him.

Our surprise for the trip was having to buy new tires while in the park. Something about a rock and some damage that had to be fixed right away. Not a typical vacation expense, but I was glad we were able to cover it and get our family home safely. You should have seen us with 3 kids and a soft top car top carrier on top of our VW Passat. Good thing Justin can pack a sea bag well. It translates well to car packing too. We were sardines in there. And it was especially fun on the way home when the drivers side door decided it wouldn't shut all the way any more and we had to strap it closed with the roof bag straps and then climb out the back doors. Oh what an adventure.

The kids took lots of walks and collected rocks that didn't actually come home with us. One night Meg needed to make a potty run in the middle of the night. In a campground with no power at all in the dead of a cold night with no glasses, we headed out. We got lost coming back because I couldn't see. She was patient with me for a while, until she got really cold. Then she started calling for Dad. After that when she woke up she asked him for help first. Smart girl. Or smart Mom, depending on who you ask. I am so glad we were able to go and I hope at least the big kids remember it for some time to come.

Summer Sun

We have been doing a lot of hanging out in the Summer sunshine. While I miss my rainy home state I can't say that I don't love the sunshine we have around here. Kids have been happy with the pool time we have been able to have lately. Thankfully we have good friends with great pools.

Swim lessons start Monday for Meg. She's committed to finally getting her whole face in the water. We will see. She's taken level 2 lessons the past two years and will again this time. If she can get her face in the water she passes to level 3. Wish us luck.

After this fun afternoon in the pool I had to drag her out. For real. Then she screamed the entire way home that she wasn't done and wanted to go back. Then she moved on to screaming that she didn't like me for making her do other things she didn't want to do. The yelling and screaming escalated for a long time. I was looking up airfare for unaccompanied minors to Grandma's house. I miss having Grandma's close. Or sisters. And then I looked up parenting groups. In the end she stayed in her room yelling all night to no one, but she didn't stop. Around 9:30 she fell asleep. Thankfully. Any ideas for me?

As an aside... a trip down memory lane. I remember being young, probably between 6-8 years old when my Aunt Lan pulled up her super cool station wagon in front of our house one day. She went to the back and pulled out a sheet that had some clothes or something wrapped up in it then opened the door and pulled out her oldest son who was also screaming bloody murder. She put them both on the lawn and got back in her car and left. I watched from the window upstairs. She didn't come to the door, didn't say hi, she just left. He stayed with us for about 2 weeks. Turned out that he had sawed off the legs of the kitchen table. He was safer with us. Some days I long to live near my sisters where my kids could maybe have a safe haven once in a while. Sometimes a change of scenery is all it takes to change an attitude.

Baby laughs

Love those baby laughs. He's hysterical. What did we do for entertainment before kids?

Tomatoes

Now I know why my mother always canned late at night.
The demands of the day didn't allow it.
The baby needs changed and nursed and changed again.
The children need tending.
There are meals to be made, dishes to be done and errands that don't run themselves.
A Husband who may or may not be home at a resonable hour to lend helping hands.
The laundry pile grows and grows and
The phone rings again and again.
The baby need attention again and the dishes washed up once more.
The jars must be found and cleaned,
Counter space prepared and things in order.
And the heat! Nothing is ever ready to be put up in the middle of winter when your house needs heating up.
I wondered today how my grandmother and her mother's did it,
For whom preserving the summer garden was an absolute necessity.
Tomatoes wait for no woman.
Today I miss my mother and grandmothers deeply.
Canning is a multi-generational sport.