Is it Opposite Day

"Be in before dark," I hollered to the older boys as they went outside.

"Excuse me, Mom," Nicholas said, "I'm working on something very important. So, would you please keep quiet?"

Then I look down at the baby and he has his finger to his lips, "Shhhhhhh."

Famous Faces

Do you know these guys?

I took Nicholas to the library and he checked out a stack of drawing books, as usual. This time, he picked up more than just Ed Emberly. He decided to try his skill at "Draw Fifty Famous Faces." He is, after all, in kindergarten now. These three are my favorites. Can you guess them? And, no, none of them is Lady Gaga. Grandma, uncles, godmother, if there's one you want, just name him and we'll send him to you.

Denial

Out on a family walk with Hazel...

Me to husband: You look really good with a dog.

Him: No, I don't.

Hazel

Meet Hazel. She's a Siberian Husky pup and she's ours for the weekend. Friends of ours asked Simeon to watch her for them. The boys are loving it. I'll have more pictures, I'm sure.

Faces of Concentration

"A boy's will is the wind's will and the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts."
--Longfellow

Sneek Peek

..at a mirror frame I'm refinishing. My neighbor pulled it out of a dumpster behind an auction house in Florida and gave it to me after fixing the breaks on it. Now the easy part is mine. I sanded and refinished the outside and am gluing and clamping the inside veneer before fitting it with a new mirror.

Buying Time

Homeschooling with a toddler in the house.

Visitor

A screen is down on our porch so this little guy flew in and couldn't find his way out. Simeon caught him and set him free.

Watermelon

...from the garden.

Ale'x House

Alex has a "house" he's bulit in the woods. It's mostly logs leaning on logs, a few stone walls and odd "treasures" he's found around the neighborhood and woods. He's very proud of his "house" and so it was worth the trek I made to see it.

Cape of Good Hope

History time line entry by Alex.

Be Prepared

Micah is covered in spaghetti and sauce and he's chasing Simeon all around the house. Simeon is laughing but also concerned because he's waiting for his ride and he knows he has to keep his boy scout uniform clean. Micah senses that Simeon is running from him in earnest and it makes him chase him all the more. Everyone is laughing.

Entomological Etymology

Alex: Mom, there's a hummingbird hawk moth in the garden and I see how it gets its name. It has the wings of hummingbird, the body and antennae of a moth, and the coloring of a...um...crow.

Sweet

I loved this Google history of a first time Dad.

Why I Can't Skip My Coffee

This morning's questions before school began...

Nicholas: Mom, why aren't there any fish that eat flowers?

Alex: Mom, if a bird landed on an electrical wire in a place where the plastic covering had worn off, would all of its feathers come out or would it just catch on fire?

Good Morning

Butterfly on our Sunflower

Mom, Will You Take a Picture of me in this Tree?

I can do that, Nicholas.

Mamoth Sunflower

Woods