Public apology

After an hour of stacking wood with two eight-year-olds who are excited about the start of school tomorrow, can I just offer a public apology to everyone I knew as a child?

I am sorry for all the times I kept talking and would not be quiet. Even when you begged.

That is all.

(Dad and Kristi, you can stop laughing now.)

Summer recap

The big kids start back to school tomorrow. Once again, I come to the end of the summer and wish we had played more at the river and eaten more s'mores.

So what did we do?

EM grew, mostly. My official position is that he is not yet as tall as I am. But just between you and me, I'll admit that an objective observer might not agree. He requested a lazy summer with lots of time playing with Sammy in the woods, and that's what he got.

NB spent a lot of time playing with LW. He is great at amusing LW, and LW loves playing with him. Unfortunately, they mostly love to play run and chase games. And they both have their volume switch set permanently on Loud.

IM read all the Warriors books she could get her hands on. Multiple times. And she started Oliver! rehearsals.

But LW has changed the most. He is now completely out of diapers, although his pull-ups do not always stay dry and clean. He has given up (OK, Michael would say he has been robbed of) his naptime and bedtime bottles. And we even took the railing off his bed this week. Don't worry, he still has those kissable chubby cheeks.

A limit by any other name

Today the kids and I went to the medium-size library. (I have cards at four libraries in an attempt to keep these kids in reading material.) I went prepared with a list of fiction and non-fiction books that tied into our history reading, and LW was surprisingly good, so I actually had time to find them.

EM, IM, and NB each selected books. LW selected books. I took one look at LW's books and selected some to read to him that I could stand to read more than once. Then EM saw me pulling the history tie-ins and decided to scout out some of his old favorites for NB and IM.

As we staggered to the counter, I realized we had more books than we had checked out at once from this library before.

"Is there a book limit?" I asked the two women behind the counter.
They looked at me a little oddly. "No, there isn't a limit."
Sighing with relief, I piled all the books onto the counter. The woman behind the desk blinked. "This will exceed the 30 book maximum the system can put on one card."

And that differs from a limit how?

Fortunately, I have three kids over the age of six who all now have library cards.

Les Miserables

My progress though my reading list has slowed to a crawl. I've hit Les Miserables.

It's long; 1463 pages to be exact. And dense. Victor Hugo apparently never met a detail he didn't like. Jean Valjean, the main character, doesn't enter the book until page 59. The first 58 pages are devoted to the character and backstory of the Bishop of Digne. Granted, the bishop's forgiveness of Valjean's theft of silver transforms Valjean and launches the main conflict of the book, but I don't think Hugo needed 58 pages of backstory to make that encounter believable.

Or maybe I've just been corrupted by the speed of modern life and entertainment and am unable to enjoy books that are more slowly paced.

In any case, I'm enjoying the book and yet I find it easy to put off reading it. My other reading project is Paul's epistles, and I've come to consider that my light reading.

From the mouth of babes

The other night, when all the kids were in their beds and Michael and I were watching TV, LW came downstairs and announced, "Mommy! I don't like your attitude!"

Today, on the way to the post office, LW was singing along to the vacation Bible school CD.
Lyrics on the CD: I will believe with all my heart. And I will believe with all my soul.
LW's version: I will believe with all my heart. And I will believe with all my shoulders.

CSA Week 9

Today we got:

• one bunch fennel
• four squash
• two tomatoes (I could have chosen tomatillos instead)
• one bunch savory (I could have chosen parsley instead)
• two green peppers
• three cucumbers
• one bunch celery
• one pound ground beef
• one beef roast

What the kids are saying

The Vacation Bible School teacher asked the kids how they felt when their mom or dad did something nice for them. (The answer the teacher was looking for was "I feel loved.") IM waved her hand wildly: "Surprised!"

LW, upon being told by NB that he was a baby: "No, I a big kid! I watch Youtube."

CSA Week 7

I am very happy with today's loot:

• 1 pound of broccoli or cauliflower (I chose broccoli)
• 1 bunch parsley
• 4 tomatoes! (I chose two yellow ones and two Black Prince)
• 3 pickling cucumbers
• 1 slicing cucumber
• 1 bunch kale
• 5 summer squash (after eying the koosa again, I chose a mix of yellow, zucchini and pattypan)
• 1 bunch savory
• 1/2 pound green beans
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 very fresh chicken (it was clucking at noon)

Michael's parents are here visiting and generously made space in their small luggage allotment for tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and apricots fresh from their garden. I love summer!