Door County, WI: Fish Creek {3}

I love the names of these small towns right by Green Bay.  We stayed in Egg Harbor where there are so many shops selling locally grown apples, plums and other yummies. I brought home some pumpkin butter and apricot jam and lots of fresh fruit. At one of the shops, they enjoyed apple cider popsicles and several turns around a huge apple on little dirt bikes.  There were also a plentitude of antique shops. I had to restrain myself from entering though... I figured that one mamma with four boys under six and plenty of delicate items might cause unnecessary angst for all involved. 

We also made the quick drive to the next town, Fish Creek.  We enjoyed some frozen custard by the marina, let Nathaniel take lots of pictures, sat and watched ducks for a good long while, and walked around a quaint 'spring through fall' town.  Of course, I stopped at the local coffee and chocolate shop where I was told that most everyone leaves the town after the first of November.  I can just imagine how cold, gray, and windy it must be in the winter.  But approaching the end of the summer, it was perfection.

Door County, WI: The Beach {2}

Truth be told, the mister and I would rather be at the top of a cool mountain than sitting on a hot beach.  Yes, it's beautiful and it's fun to play in the water and the sand... but it's also hot.  Not so on this trip, and I just might have changed my mind about the beach.  The weather was lovely... sunny but not terribly hot with just the right amount of wind and occasional cloud cover to make me want to come to the beach repeatedly. 

The children were delighted.  They made sand castles that seemed to have a decidedly mexican flair (think sombrero).  But, hey they were without any tools, and they were so pleased with their creations.  The water was a bit cool but with the sun, it was pleasant.  They ran in and out, playing, splashing, and thoroughly enjoying themselves.  They collected rocks, dug their fingers into the moist, thick sand and got as wet and sandy as they possibly could. 

Door County, WI: Nature Walk {1}

A few weeks ago, we travelled several hours away from home leaving behind the routine, chores, and school workbooks to tag along with the mister at a conference.   After all the packing and loading up and running in and out of the house for that one last thing, we drove off, and I think took a collective deep breath.  Sometimes, being away from the usual is just what's needed.  We took walks, drew, read, sat on the sofa, cooked simple meals, went to the beach, and caught up with the mr. as much as we could.

{There are so many pictures, I think I'll have post them separately.}

I have been wanting to get the boys started on a nature journal for school... so on the first morning, we went on a nature walk around the lodge armed with a camera and a bag to collect treasures.  With four boys, trust me, there are lots of treasures.  We walked, we explored, we rested, and Jude found a friend.  He named him "Jumpy" and we spent a lot of time with said cricket.  Nathaniel would plead to let the cricket get back to his family, Jude would concede, and then filled with regret, he and Ethan would run off to search for Jumpy again.  Of course, the littlest one is the best impersonator and so just like his brothers, Ezra went in search of his own critters.  He found some ants that he wanted to befriend, but he couldn't quite keep up with them.  Good for the ants, I'm thinking. 

Nathaniel has been really interested in taking photos and it's always fascinating to see things from his perspective. 

  

settling into summer break

We are about three weeks into summer vacation.  The first week was very exciting with our roadtrip to Maryland and back.  The last couple weeks have been much quieter as we settle into a comfortable routine of play, creativity, exploration, and even rest.  The days do seem calmer without the need to rush off to school and back.  I wonder how that could be since the littles were only in preschool and kindergarten.  I am also excited about the possibilities that could mean as we start our homeschool journey in the fall.

Here is a glimpse into one of our days this week.

These big brothers take their role in life seriously (unless of course they're "learning about animals" by watching wildkratts when every dvd, blanket, and board game could be pulled out around their feet and they wouldn't have a clue how it happened).  They even like to call themselves "achachi" the Malayalee respectful word for big brother.  As for Ezra, he loves being part of the pack and delights in his brothers' attention, and as a mamma, I love that.  So much so, that sometimes it's even worth forgoing the usual "get down off the table" and "don't make a mess."

Wouldn't you know that we've jumped back down into the 60's after being near 100 degrees for a few days.  Other than the difficulty of figuring out which clothes to keep out, I'm not complaining.  When the sun is out, these are perfect temperatures to be out playing in the dirt.  So, with little helper in tow, I went out to plant a few more veggies and check on our seedlings. 

I don't think I will ever tire of seeing how buried seeds sprout into new life.  Reminds me of this verse always, "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels--a plentiful harvest of new lives."


little feet in the dirt

 

gardener in training

The boys and I refilled our tiny sandpit.  We found an old brush and funnel at a yard sale for 10 cents each.  They've had so much fun playing out there.  It was definitely worth the little investment.

notice the critters that have come out to play.  they keep asking for a real pet (especially jude). 



oh, it's a smiley face!  and i thought i was called over to see some sort of interesting sand castle design.

And to wind down the day, we tasted our first home-made popsicles.  They had each picked out flavors the night before.  Nathaniel had a layered one with strawberry banana and blueberry-almond.  Jude decided on strawberry banana for himself and Ezra.  Ethan, he came up with pear and peach - something to do with matching his green holder.  I could do a little personality analysis just based on this activity. I think we will be making more of these.  I might even have to try these fudgesicles.

My goodness, what a long post!  I suppose these summer days also gives me more time for blogging.

home for the weekend

You wouldn't know seeing them running about during the day, but our boys have been fighting off a cold and horrible cough for the past week.  The worst of it is at night when it feels like I take turns comforting children throughout the night.  The twins are both on their "sick beds" which are blankets spread out on the floor.  For some reason, this is kind of a treat especially when the blankets migrate into mommy and daddy's room. 

So, we've stayed home this weekend even keeping the younger three home from church today.   Despite the coughs, we've had a good and productive weekend.  Saturday was spent outdoors with lots of weeding for me.  The big garden bed is finally clear after removing about five bags of stuff.  The boys stayed busy painting the swingset and deck.  Today we stayed indoors more as we tried to force rest on the little people.

 hard-working boys.



aren't they funny with their footwear?  i can even say now with some proof that it runs in the family (bottom right).  

{but really adult boots were worn for protection while spray cleaning the deck.  MD friends, yes, he did use the beloved deck wash}



not a bad place for a nap.  it would be better in a hammock, don't you think?

 a cool, refreshing break... yeah for the first watermelon of the season!

the beginnings of a quiet sunday morning.

 and another nap.  this time in his highchair.  and yes, he stayed in his pj's all day.

he's awake and helping mommy finish up a quilt.  more on that later

{beck, is that the sort of crochet dish scrubbie you use?  this is the first one i made that is now a play pincuhion for ezra}

every time i spread out the quilt, he would come and lay down on it or in this case just rest his head on the fabric.  i suppose we can now say that it's "kid-tested"

a whole lot of flowers from the mister brought home after he and nathaniel went to church.  just because.  now, isn't that nice?

and one flower pot (or old ash bucket) planted.  more tomorrow.

wow, that's one picture-filled post.  hope you had a good weekend too!

warmer days?

Well, today we got up to 96 degrees up here in Rochester.  As is becoming a sort of custom, the kids and I got loaded up in the car to run some errands and let mommy stop at some yard sales.  It is a bit of an addiction, I admit.  Thankfully, the littles are quite amenable and have found ways to keep themselves amused.

On the way home, I looked back to find Jude shirtless because it was "sooo hot."  These temperature jumps make it hard for little (and not so little) bodies to adjust.

So, I decided to put out some water play... The boys had fun despite the water still being chilly.   The neighbor boys came out to play.  Jude and Ethan rolled down a hill.  And when they were done in our yard, they hopped the fence to the neighbor's and used their hose to create a water slide.   Carefree, childhood days.  Does it make you nostalgic?  

Ezra does love the water, but the cold direct spray was a bit much, so I set him up his own little area to splash away.

And then I realized.  Oops, what about dinner?  This is a common occurence during the summers around here.  Am I alone?  I had thought about making some fish since we've had so much chicken and so on.  Well, some cod, calimari, scallops, tomatoes, portabellos, capers, spinach, and spaghetti later... we had our meal. 

It stretched the boys a bit, but I'm all for that.  I think overall, they got what they needed and we had an enjoyable home-made, nutritious meal.  I'm trying to encourage myself to do this more in lieu of calling the mister and asking him to pick something up.  Now, if only I had written down how I made it.

brrr...

Perhaps you've heard that we are experiencing a deep freeze out here in MN.  It sure feels that way to me.  We've been snow covered since before Christmas, and I have to say that I'm snow and cold weary.  Don't get me wrong, I do love snow, but well it is possible to have "too much of a good thing."

six yr old attains new heights at driveway entrance; mom wonders how much higher she can go

When you get to a certain point, there is just no where to put the snow.  I suppose this is why I see this sort of thing:


If you look carefully (2nd truck on left) , you will see that they are collecting the snow off the roads and blowing it into dumptrucks.  Once the dumptrucks are full of snow, they are driven off to some mysterious location with their load of white stuff.  I remember when I saw this for the first time last year, I laughed so hard that we ended up in a place where dump trucks carry snow not mud. 

When we lived in PA, we used to say that Buffalo, NY is where all the snow goes to die.  I say differently now.

So, what do we do with all this snow?  Make the most of it, I guess...  Children do that so well.  I'm sure there's a life lesson there.

In addition to the buckets of snow, we have also had some really low temperatures -- like where we hope to hit zero. 

I thought this was so bad, I took a picture.

Until the next morning.

This has all left me wondering how it was possible for pioneers of old (think Ingalls family) to have survived a MN winter in a log cabin with far fewer clothes, I'm sure, and no blown heat.

And yet, if you look close there is beauty all around.  And the knowledge that winter can't last forever.  Spring, color and life are around the corner... even though the corner may be a bit farther away than I would like. 

vibrant color:  amaryllis

I didn't mean to, but as I'm writing, I can't help but apply that to our lives.  It brings me to the verse (Ps. 30:5), "...Even though weeping may endure for a night, joy comes in the morning."  Think on it, friends.  God's at work even though we may not see it.  Hope always.  Dawn will break.

signs of life:  burning bush