From the archives

I figured out how to get photos from here to there, from that file to this, zipped and unzipped.  So ... without further ado ... photos of Talmage's Virginia trip, courtesy of Aunt Heather.

 Parley and Talmage arrive.  They flew together from Utah to Richmond via Detroit.

Ready for a little bit of ....

 Fishin'.   T's first time. Rick showed him the ropes.

The fish was ...

"this" big.

I mean, "THIS big"!

Yep ... the essence of fishin'. ...
"I caught eleven fish all together.  They were perch and catfish."

A little paddle boarding.  "It was a little hard, but I liked it anyway."

Heather let them pick out their favorite cereals for breakfast.  Yes ... I see I taught Talmage well ... Corn Flakes, Shredded Wheat ...

Sleeping in.

This was the day after going to an amusement park.  They're watching something on the big screen.  All sunburned and living it up-urned.

The first thing Talmage said to me when he walked off the plane was, "Mom!  I caught some fish!!!!"
He had a wonderful time and was quickly making plans to go back.  Who wouldn't?

Kings of the Mountain

One Saturday morning Karren, Natalie and I headed out at the crack of dawn to see what we could see on Kings Mountain.   It was a beautiful day; Mt. Hood was visible from the summit.

The night before we'd attended a RS photography class that included tips about helping your subjects look their best.  See if you can guess which techniques I'm practicing above.  Note:  I had to leave before they covered "headgear".

Here, we demonstrate "getting low."

"Getting high." Heh heh.

Along those lines, we found our twins up there.

The trail was icy in places.  We biffed it multiple times.  Hilarity ensued.

Grandson of Pre-eminent Cub Scout Leaders

Talmage's depiction of the story problem cracks me up.

Friday mornings.

I run this little scheme once a week.  A select clientele drop off their kids for a nominal fee.  And since kids are here, anyway, it's also a good chance to help out others who may appreciate childcare.  So some of those kids pictured above contribute to my funny money, while others are helping me from becoming Satan's own*.

*(inspired by Zippy, by Haven Kimmel, a book full of delightful phrases like "Satan's own")

Harvest Invitational 2014

Gym Meet number two was a super mommy-daughter date.  It was in Roseburg, three hours south. 

(gymnastics is not for the faint-hearted). 

Anticipating the date, I had "first date" butterflies and wondered what we'd talk about the entire time.  Sydney, on the other hand, could hardly contain her enthusiasm. 

 She told me, repeatedly, how thrilled she was to spend time alone with me.  The feeling was mutual, really.  So, I'm getting into it, right?  I'm going to "make it count."  

We hit the highway and I start chatting with her all natural-like, about the excellent concert Briton and I had been to the night before.  "They were amazing, Sydney.  You would have loved it.  The cellist was, like, ..."  She cuts me off mid-sentence.  

Syd: Mom, I have a question.

Me: Yeah?

Syd: I thought we were supposed to be on a mommy-daughter date.

Me:  Yeah ... we are.

Sydney:  Then why are you talking about your date with dad?

After that I let her take the lead.

Syd gets a kick out of standing on the podium.  There is ample opportunity since it is mainly her own team that competes at level two (there was one girl from another team).

The meet ended at 9:30 p.m.  Those girls have stamina.  But I think Syd was done, here.

What's wrong with this picture?

Hint:  This was taken at approximately 1 p.m. on a weekday.
Hint:  (this will make the answer obvious) -- School was cancelled because of the weather.

So, right!  Where's the "snow" for the Snow Day?  All the "icy" conditions that prevented school functioning, didn't prevent these boys from having a good time outside.  Which is what is right about that picture.  Talmage is in shorts, actually, and Davy resented the fact that his mom insisted he wear jeans that day.  It was 39 degrees, after all.  I asked Talmage what they were doing outside and he nonchalantly explained how they were pretending to climb Mt. Everest and the empty chicken coop was base camp.  The girls stayed inside and played dress ups and "Who wants to marry me?"

(above photo was taken the next day; but they were playing the same game).

Below is overheard dialogue, typed in real time:

Sonya:  The reason two moms have a baby is because they steal it.

Talmage: [indignantly] No!

Sonya:  That's what my mom told me.

Davy:  Well, sometimes parents and teachers can be wrong.

Argument ensues about age and it's relative influence on intelligence.

Sonya [to me]:  How old is Davy?

Me:  9.

Davy:  I'm 91 million.

Sonya [coming to terms with Davy's opinion about adults, asks Sydney]:  Is that true?

Sydney [in her "no duh" voice]:  He's just nine, Sonya.

Clara:  Who wants to marry me?

Muddy at the Maze

Note: Whoever wrote that last post must have had a little too much Halloween candy.  The establishment apologizes for grammatical errors and typos, as the post was obviously written while under the influence.

 The corn maze outfitters were fresh out of canoes (and clues); so the older kids braved the piranhas and signage-less waterways while navigating the maze by foot.

Who does the artwork -- specifically, the arms? Is what I want to know.

The kids had a fun time playing on Hay Mountain and running around a mini hay maze; these features assured that Clara, who would have nothing to do with the mud, also had some good laughs:

 

Clara found this retired cow, Clover.  The other kids chose the more rambunctious cows going out to pasture -- a splurge well-worth it, because of the driver and the mud:

This guy took bizzin' cows to new levels:  donuts, catching air on bumps (lots of bumps).  And then he did a second pass through the fields because everyone was begging for more.   'Twas not your typical tractor ride.

Satisfied customers.

p.s. maybe everyone else already knows this tip -- but we found out all pumpkins and gourds are FREE the day after Halloween (at this place) -- as many as you want.  They've made for some seasonal table decor.  Something I'm really big on (wink).

Halloween. Here you are.

Something weird with the camera download -- but I bet you can still tell what's going on.  Kind of makes this shot ....oh, I don't know ... spooooooooooooooky?

This year the pumpkin disemboweling and carving seemed to go easier.  More of the kids were into it.

Super into it.

Or not.

Sydney went as Olaf.

Talmage is Marshmallow, who is the ice monster in Frozen.  Clara was Elsa.   I priced out making the costume and/or cajoling Aunt Heather to do it.  Turned out it was much cheaper to buy it.  Miles went as the Lion in the movie.  Sven, I think his name was. So you can see, the kids were very devoted to  carrying the theme.

There's nothing a little hot glue gun can't handle: ice monsters, Olaf heads. ... The liked their costumes, despite a few oversights.  For example -- Elsa's crown.  I didn't even realize I had forgotten it until I found on top of the fridge this past week.  "To keep it safe until Halloween," I wisely cautioned.  I didn't think of makeup for Milo's face until Briton mentioned it Night Of.   I don't have any eyeliner, so his whiskers came from scraping mascara across his face.  But  I had thought ahead and ordered huge, over-sized sunglasses for Olaf (to evoke the Summertime clip).  But that didn't make a difference, in this case.  Yep.  They were on top of the fridge, too.  Out of sight. Out of mind.  If only that trick worked for candy.

Ooooooooooo.

See if you can guess who made which one.  Hint:  one is a visitor from someone else's pumpkin patch.

So the kids come back with their loot, and Miles is:
a) completely exhausted
b)  having a tizzy
c) passed out from sugar overload
d) hoarding his candy

If you picked "D" you would be correct.  He had a little stash  on the floor and if anyone came near him, he flung his body on top to protect it from wanton thievery.

No need for thievery.  These kids had so much candy they didn't know what to do with it.

Except eat it.

The adults hung out in the other room, eating scones ("Look, mom, we have a tradition!"); while the kids had at it with their loot.

That night, before bed, Talmage moans .... "I don't feel too good."

Whereupon, I offered to buy all his candy for five bucks.

He only too gladly accepted.

Get 'em when they're down, I say.

Sydney didn't feel too hot, either.  So she also sold all her candy.  From her new venture.


Not for the weak-of-heart:

Talmage ended up pretty sick.  He threw up around 12:30 -- vomit all over him, the bed, the bedrails, the carpet.  With a strangely familiar chocolate overtone.   He threw up again two more times, as the night wore on.  The other kids, on the other hand,  fared much better.


Answers to jack-o-lantern quiz:

First photo, L to R:  Briton, Isaac, Clara
Second Photo, L to R:  Talmage, Robin
Third Photo:  Sydney
Not pictured:  Milo's pumpkin was a very tiny one that held an orange matchbox car with a skeleton Lego guy inside.