Cabin Fever Abated

Mama needed some fresh air after all the sickness and rainy days that kept members of The P-Pod housebound (excepting The Papa, who seems to think it's fun to ride 60 miles in the rain with the stomach bug).

So we snagged cousin Judah and headed to the nearby mountains.

Being that the one-hour winding ride into the hills caused poor Jude to lose his lunch, we decided that a refill would be the only way to start our journey.

After dining at the playground (at a county park near Julian), we set off on our hike.

The loop was actually a one-mile route, but we probably added another mile with all the walking we did from the car to the playground back to the car and to the trailhead. Not bad for these boys with short legs.

Sadie rode in the baby backpack, which is why there are no more photos of her.

What, you thought she could hike up this hill?

We spotted a deer...actually there were three hiding in the brush.

They ran off as the noisy ones approached.

At the top of the hill we rested on the fortuitously positioned bench.

Somewhere along the way, Benjamin lost his hat. That boy has a knack for losing his hat.

And after the hike, we drove into the nearby mountain town for a treat from a bakery.  And I forgot to bring my camera inside.

Apple pie is what the town is known for...but the boys wanted a frosted cookie. They were cuter (and smaller!).

The Good Reverend also accompanied us.  It was lovely. And the kids went to bed early tonight. Amen.

I'm getting dizzy!

This is the face of last week's Sick Girl. Doesn't look sick, does she? Truth be told, she seems to be more miserable with her renewed teething experience than when she threw up in her bed three times in one night.

Anyway...right now Healthy Girl is in this jumpy swing (which she has probably outgrown at this point) spinning herself around and giggling. She spins and spins until she is so dizzy she can't hold her head up, and then as she is letting her mind catch up with her body, she laughs and laughs.

Silly girl.

Quick update - we are, mostly, feeling better, but we are definitely moving more slowly than usual.

The Papa nursed us this week, only to find himself quite sick on Friday night. Still, he got up around 3:00 in the morning and raced in a 12-hour mountain bike race on Saturday, placing 5th in his category for riding 60 miles. In the rain. Living on water, Gatorade, and Goo. Beast or fool?  I'll let you decide.  Motivated, at the very least.

I have loads of writing and editing to do this week. Both magazines that I work with are on a quarterly/seasonal publishing schedule, so when the work comes in, it is a little busy around here.

I do need to get Sadie's 11-month update posted. 11 months! Can you believe it?! No. I can't.

There are a few stories to be told, which I am going to note here so I don't forget. These involve scurvy (in Africa), naming continents (including Africa), and dress-up (like superheroes in Africa), as well as Mama's latest involvements (NOT in Africa).

We be Illin'

Some vile stomach bug has set up camp in our tummies this week. Poor Sadie Lou got the worst of it Monday night. Benjamin and I have been dealing with it the last 24 hours or so. We've done about eight loads of laundry due to...you don't want to know.

So far The Papa has eluded its grasp, despite his handling of multiple bile-laced bedsheets last night. But he has a bike race on Saturday, so that is probably when he will get taken out by this microscopic mischief maker.

Oh, that photo? That's actually not a sick face. That's a healthy one. I hope we'll be back to those shenanigans in no time.

The Need for Cleaning Up

No longer can we leave art supplies out indefinitely.

There is a little girl who is making sure of that.

Can you guess who?

The Birthday Party

Mama decided to keep things simple this year. We went for a party at the park, old school style.

We used some vintage curtains and burlap for table covers - stuff that has been in the sewing closet for a while. (Yes, there is another party in the distance. In fact, there were at least SIX kid birthday parties at the park that day!)

We gave away books as party favors - nice books (some new, some retro) purchased from the thrift store and wiped down with a Clorox wipe.  Cupcakes were served.

Coloring pages printed off the internet were available for kiddos needing a break from the playground.  Yarn and scissors were available for a mask-making activity.

Cans from our pear and diced tomato purchases held napkins. Applesauce and mason jars contained salt water taffy. As we hosted this after lunch, we just provided some light snacks - pretzels and lemonade.  (Benjamin calls them "preNtzles.")

The rangers opened up the one-room museum on site and let the kids look at the taxidermied critters and pottery. They tried to teach us about the Native American history in the area, but pre-schoolers do not have the attention span for all that.

We did get to pet some pelts. Coyotes and skunks are surprisingly soft.

The skunk was a popular pelt.

Ah, my favorite part: the sack race. Here is our beautiful display of thrifted pillowcases especially for this affair.

Eli attempted to hold back the competitors.

Unsuccessfully, I might add. (Look at Benjamin's face!)

So much shouting; so much laughter... (name that tune)

Hannah appears to be in the lead.

But she wasn't - Max and his tall self came in first. Hannah was not so enthusiastic about his victory. But we were feeling so simple, we did not even pass out any prizes! Ha!

Here is the Warrior Princess herself. Someone gave her a tiara. (Don't get used to it, sweetheart.)

Cupcake time!

Singing "Happy Birthday" to the boy. He's working up to the big blow-out.

And here are some more scenes from around the party:

Sweet Zoe and her stylish mama

Sign of a good time: dirty feet!

Soon and Sadie with Papa napping in the background.

Auntie Bek assisting with present opening.

Reading that Uncle Amal and Cousin Judah are going to take him fishing at Lake Dixon for his birthday present.

WAY into the unwrapping of presents.

Auntie Rosie somehow hanging on to Sadie.

Benjamin and Braden

And then there's THIS guy. This guy drove with his parents for three hours to be with us. THIS guy, and his parents, are part of the reason we pursued open adoption in the first place. His mama was my roommate our freshman year of college, and she has remained in my life for 20 years now. She and her husband and this beautiful openness have provided a model for our adoptive relationships.  It seems fitting to be celebrating birthdays and special moments with them.

Four Years!

I can hardly believe it. This boy has been a part of our lives for FOUR YEARS. Four blessed years, I might add. I thank God every day for this guy - this Kid Sunshine, this Benjamin Bug, this Storyteller Extraordinaire.

This is the first of a few birthday posts I will add. For now, let us remember what he has looked like over the years as we say, "Happy Birthday, Benjamin!"

Overheard

As he is in the bathroom going potty, this is what I hear:

"I'm just trying to be like the Africa guys. I took off my shirt to be like the Africa guys. Yeah. I took off my shirt because it was wet, and now I'm like the Africa guys."

**This combines two of his latest obsessions - his friends, the Africa guys, and his extreme sensitivity to the least amount of wetness on his clothing. He merely gets a sleeve damp while washing his hands and suddenly he simply canNOT wear the shirt any more. Yet another excuse to remove his clothing.

At the Playground

Yesterday I realized that Sadie has never been to play at the park. I mean, she has been to the park in the baby backpack, before she was able to swing or crawl around...but I had not taken her to play now that she's old enough. How sad, I thought. How lame. I must get my girl to the park.

So today we went. And I put out a call on Facebook to see if any of our friends or cousins would be available...and they were! What a lovely visit it was.

Mmmm...picnic lunch of oatmeal mixed with pureed peas.

Starting off with lunch - a PBJ sandwich and some Greek yogurt.

Sadie Lou LOVED the swing!

Little Girl was laughing uncontrollably...until I pulled out the camera.

Big Brother had fun pushing Sadie on the swing.

cousins Jona, Nitaya, Felicity and Benjamin on the seesaw (Auntie Florence and Eli in the background)

"pumping" on the big boy swing

cousins Felicity and Nitaya