The Clubhouse & Mud Kitchen

A couple of years ago The Papa and I had a conversation that went something like this:

Mama:  Let's build a fort for Benji for Christmas. We can use some of the wood we have lying around here. It'll be cheaper than buying a play structure and we can build it ourselves. It will be rustic and good for his imagination.

The Papa: OK.

As we got into the project, the conversation then went something like this.

Mama:  Wait. What are you doing? That's not what it said in the plans!

The Papa: I'm following your plan.

Mama: No you're not! That is supposed to be 54" total. See? LOOK at it!

The Papa: It wasn't clear.

Mama: How could it not be clear?!  That's what the line shows!  That's the number RIGHT THERE.

The Papa: These aren't good sketches.

Mama: They are perfectly clear! You just have a mental block when it comes to me trying to communicate with you about something you don't want to do.

The Papa: I think we should hire the Northrops to finish this for us.

Somehow The Papa and I managed to build the foundation together. And the Northrops did come complete the job. And it cost at least twice what I had hoped because we got real weatherproof siding and because I had no idea lumber was so expensive. Truly. Plus the whole paying someone else to do the labor thing.

And, P.S., they understood my blueprint just fine.

But then the little building sat. It had no curtains and no furniture in it. I thought that would make it the birthplace of imaginative ventures, but all it became was a ghost town. I thought it would transform into a castle, or a pioneer fort, or a spy hideout. It did no such thing.

So this past spring I decided to lure Sadie into it. I sewed curtains from fabric that was languishing in a pile in the loft. We rearranged the kids' playroom and brought the table and chairs out to the little building. The kids made art and taped it to the walls. We hung hooks for a handheld broom and dustpan for tidying up, and a few for hanging superheros capes, lanterns, and fake crystals. Because...fancy.

Now the house is in heavy rotation, and they all refer to it as "The Clubhouse." We are in the process of painting a sign to hang on the front, and I am pretty sure it needs a hanging pot of succulents at the entrance as well. (Then again, someone already tore down the windchime, so maybe I am a little too ambitious.)

 This brings us to The Mud Kitchen.

No matter what I do, they ALWAYS come back to digging in the planters.

So I got smart and gave them a patch all their own.

 The mud still ends up all over, but now they are not digging up newly planted vegetables.

Bee-la-la is in the busybody stage. She swiped these sunglasses from behind Benji's back.

And she decided to actually eat the mud pie. She gave it a thumbs-down.

And there ya have it!  Backyard times at our place - good dirty fun.

'Tis the Season for Birthdays

Benjamin turned 8

The transition from winter to spring is one that is jam-packed with birthdays in these here parts.

For the kids we kept things simple this year: just dessert with whichever family members could make it over.

Brent got further along in the 40-somethings

With a little more energy and money under our belts this year (as compared to the last two years), The Papa and I could actually pull off some grown-up time. I surprised him with an overnight stay on Shelter Island, where we got to eat at a nice restaurant, take in a live band, and tear up the dance floor. We spent the following day riding around on bikes and just having nothing to do. BLISS.

Sadie Lou turned 5

Oliver turned 4

For my birthday, I planned a wine tasting at the folks' cellar. Five dear friends and their husbands came over for a night of learning about the Garnacha grape, Spain, and various Spanish blends with Garnacha. While many great photos surfaced from the evening, this one makes me laugh loudest. Please enjoy the photobombs. A couple of our husbands are gremlins.

Jessica is now soundly 40-something

Catching Up: Easter Morning at the Beach

I really love the significance of certain celebrations in the Christian church. And as for Easter, when we remember Christ breaking the bind of death, it's right up there at the top. But it's really hard to do the BIG DEAL CELEBRATIONS with a child who can't handle overstimulating environments, and three others who, just because they are so young, can't handle all the hubbub either.

So this year, we decided to calm down the celebration and take it to the beach.

Instead of church at church, with a bunch of candy and visitors and craziness, we woke the kids early and put them in the car (in their jammies) for a lovely morning adventure.

On the way to the beach, we played the parts of the Jesus Storybook DVD that covered his last days and death and resurrection. We chatted (for like, 5 minutes, because that's all we're gonna get at this age) about what it means that Jesus conquered death, and we prayed a tiny prayer.

I think there is not much more peaceful than waking up and setting foot on the beach in one's jammies.

Of course they didn't stay in their jammies, we brought clothes and swimsuits, but it was a nice start.

I made a special breakfast - blueberry muffins, boiled eggs, lots of fruit and yogurt options.

And we busted out the kite that almost never gets used. The weather was perfect, and it was one of those days we'll always remember.

Catching up: Last March and April Stuff

Now that we have settled into school routines and made it through some major events this fall, I can sit down and catch y'all up.  So let's go back to March and April of this year.

Hanging out at Grandma and Grandpa's house

Hiking at Lake Hodges

(Miss Bella Roux is on my back, and I am the one with the camera, so...there's nothing of us.)

The Mama Getaway

I went on a weekend retreat in the mountains with other adoptive mamas. We meet regularly as a sort of informal support group for each other. If you add up all our kiddos, we represent international adoption (Ethiopia, India, Honduras) and local adoption (through the county, and through private, open adoption). One of the mamas was even surprised by pregnancy - and it turned out to be twins!  Altogether we have 14 kids. You can imagine how much we adored a weekend to ourselves. These are some phenomenal women who I am proud to call friends.

Wild Wonders

One of the most fun things for me (and Benjamin) is how as kids get older, they have exciting enrichment and learning opportunities outside of school. Thanks to a Groupon discount, Benji got to attend a day at this animal conservation compound during spring break. Kids got to feed some of the exotic animals which included a cheetah, a kinkajou, a tortoise, and a whole lot more. Super duper fun.

Safe Swim Day

Another awesome opportunity in the neighborhood is the annual Safe Swim Day. The kids got free swim lessons at the event and then, because it was close to Easter, they got to collect floating eggs and exchange them with the Big Bunny for a prize.

This Girl

Being that (up through the summer) she's usually on my back, we don't get as many informal photos of her. So here you go! Our sweet Itsy B - last April.