Cabin John Park

Today was a BEAUTIFUL day, warm temperatures, low humidity, and perfect for a day at the park.  Nash, Harley, and I went to a place called Cabin John Regional Park in Maryland.  It is a shady place (shady trees, not shady scary )with lots of picnic areas, play equipment for all ages, and this adorable little train that you can ride through the woods for $1.75. We even saw a giant beaver in the woods, which for some reason only made me excited.

 Of course, Harley thinks that she is as big as her brother and tries her best to keep up.  She actually did pretty good climbing the equipment, sliding down, and brushing herself off when she fell.  She had a routine when she would fall into the wood chips. She would hop up, brush off her belly, brush her hands together a few times,  then pat her butt twice before playing again-perhaps a little OCD but cute nonetheless.

  Since Harley was born Nash has always been a fabulous big brother.  He has loved Harley from day one and I don't think he has ever felt a moment of jealousy.  I love how kind and gentle he is with her. I hope that he always looks out for his baby sister.  She adores Nash as well and it is so much fun to watch them interact.  With Atley getting out of school next week I am sure Harley's playtime with big brother will be trumped by Nash's playtime with Atley.  That fact made watching them play today all the more sweet.

Pool Progress

Having a swimming pool where we live is sometimes more of a curse than a blessing.  With the harsh winters and the multitude of foliage and critters, the up-keep is a little bit ridiculous.  So much that we didn't even open the pool last summer.  After being closed for 2 years we (actually Scott) has been working night and day to get the pool up and running for what is already proving to be a really hot summer.

When we first uncovered the pool, back in May, the water was literally black and a whopping 49 degrees.  Shortly, after this picture was taken my pool boy, Atley,  fell head first into the murky water.  Scott later pulled out at least 15 bags of leaves, worms and drowned rodent carcasses.

While the family has been working on the pool Harley has spent much of her time zipped up in the net of our trampoline. CREEPY, huh?

 

When the trap of the trampoline proves to be too much, she has been known to take a break by lying on the patio bricks.

When we initially uncovered the pool, the funnest part for the boys was scooping out all of the frog eggs. They carefully placed the eggs in their water table and filled it up with pool water.  It didn't take long until we had at least 200 tadpoles.  Unfortunately, we also have some carnivorous chipmunks in our yard. We kept catching them in the water capturing and eating the tadpoles with their chubby little hands. We did our best to keep the chipmunks away but on one hot day, the shallow water essentially boiled what was left of our would-be frogs.

After about 2 weeks of faithful service, the water turned a lighter shade of green and the boys were prepared to go in.  Well, at least Nash was prepared to float around on the top with Atley's encouragement.  The water temperature had risen to 63 degrees, which sent the boys attempts at swimming quickly back inside or into the hot tub to warm up.

After nearly a month of work, the water is still a little bit cloudy, but clean. Trust me, there are enough chemicals in this pool to kill a herd of elephants.  The water temperature has risen to 75 degrees. And while I have not yet jumped in, the boys and Harley are starting to enjoy the pool.

Atley is our resident jumper who avoids the deep end like the plague.

Nash likes to snorkel and capture any stray frogs.

 Harley swims for recreation and often prefers to skinny dip!

In other back yard news, Nash and I, with the help of our trusty rock remover Atley, finally got the garden planted.  I am happy to report that we now have tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, beans, and zucchini sprouting up outside.  I am always amazed to see things begin to grow.  It is like a tiny miracle.

Reading Rodeo

Yesterday, Atley and the whole family participated in "Reading Rodeo" at his school.  First, the kids create book reports on paper bag vests. There is a big barbecue and games such as, stick horse races, sack races, horse shoes, bean bag toss, etc.  Then the kids all go in and square dance, followed by a trip to the classroom to look at the student's inquiry project.  As Atley's room mom I was one of the 5 mom's in charge and let me say it is a huge relief to have it finally over. Only one more big party before the end of the year. Can't wait!! We are so proud of Atley, and the progress that he has made in 1st grade. He goes to a school where expectations are high and he has thrived there.  He has an amazing teacher and we are so grateful for her and all that she has done this year.  We can't believe that next year he will be a big 2nd grader.

 All the kids at Atley's school call Nash mini-Atley.  They may look a little alike, but they couldn't be more different.

 Harley consumed an amazingly large quantity of watermelon while watching the festivities from her backpack.

 Atley with his adorable dance partner!

In the end the dancing was just too much for Nash to take and he fell asleep on the gym floor.

Goodbye!

It is with mixed emotions that I bid a final farewell to my breast pump.  We have been intimately acquainted for quite some time now.  I have used you for all three children, a total of  34 months, averaging 6 pumpings per day (12 at the beginning, 3 at the end), at approximately 10 minutes each pumping session, which equals 61,800 minutes with you attached to me.  Let me quantify this even more, that is a total of almost 43 days.  Yes, one might call us close, very close.  One might also say that this is way too much information. But, we know what a big step this is for us.  The freedom that we now feel as we part ways. This is an event that must be documented. Together we not only fed my children but also the children of strangers in an obscure  African village when we donated our liquid gold. I know you are sad, but since the doc deemed my baby factory condemned, I will never have a use for you again.  You have served me well, but truthfully I am not sad to see you go.  I am only crying because it means my little baby is getting bigger. We have accomplished what we set out to accomplish. We remember well the day more than 7 years ago when that crazy La Leche League lady told us that we couldn't do it.  No one could pump for a year, she said.  Well, she was wrong. We pumped until the milk ran dry. To her we say, "Take that SUCKA!!!"

Goodbye, Medela may you put someone else's breasts to good use.

Mt. Vernon

Here the highlight of the school year for all first grader's is the annual field trip to Mt. Vernon.  The parent's are required to attend, although we are not allowed to ride the fancy chartered bus with our children.  Atley and I don't get many days together without the siblings so it was really fun spending some time alone. When the day was over Atley actually wanted to ride home with me instead of on the cool bus, which totally made my day.

 Atley and I pretending to be George & Martha on the front porch of Mt. Vernon.  Check out our view of the Potomac.

At Washington's tomb.

Lunch at the Mt. Vernon Inn.

A lamb got out while we were visiting and ran straight to an alfalfa field. We couldn't find any one to put it back in it's pin, so Atley cornered it for me and I pulled out the country girl skills, captured the lamb, and dropped him over the fence back in his pin.  People looked at us like we were crazy.  One lady even said, "Oh, why did you put him back?  He was getting all the food he could eat in that field."  I just smiled because I felt stupid explaining how a sheep can bloat and die if it eats too much alfalfa. I guess I was a little bit embarrassed about my vast knowledge of sheep nutrition.  

Air Show

 The Air Show at Andrew's Air Force Base has become a yearly tradition at our house. It usually falls around Atley's birthday which luckily takes care of his party. There is nothing either of the boys love more than airplanes, so even though it is hot, crowded, and a bit of a security nightmare, we endure for the sake of the children. The highlight is always the Air Force Thunderbirds. Even though there is a running debate between Atley and Nash about which is better the Thunderbirds or the Navy Blue Angels. This year was Harley's first trip to the show. We were certain she would be terrified of the deafening sounds of the jets, but apparently life with Atley & Nash has numbed her senses because when the other children would be crying in fear, Harley would laugh.

Book Review: Kiss of a Stranger

"Reading gives us somewhere to go when we have to stay where we are."

Mason Cooley

I love that quote. It states exactly why I have always been a reader.  I love to travel!  I love the escape. Reading allows me to stop thinking while still thinking. Does that make sense?  

BUT, I have always wished that books were rated like movies. I cannot count how many books  I have bought after hearing rave reviews, only to be forced, by a guilty conscience, to stop reading before I finished. I hate that!  It isn't that I am a prude but reading is an investment of time, which is valuable. I don't want to invest time reading something that makes me a worse person than who I was before I began a book. For example, I fought ferociously with the parents who opposed Harry Potter at my first teaching position. On the other hand I fully supported the parents who fought equally hard in opposing The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.  Some books are worth reading even if the subject matter is hard to swallow, but some are just perverse for the sake of being perverse.  I have led book clubs where women were offended by the use of the "N" word by Mark Twain, even though the usage was historically accurate. I thought it was funny when these same women would then suggest a totally provocative Harlequin-type novel as an alternative.  This is why I thought I would occasional post a book review on my blog. I will let you know whether it is Church Book Club material or something you should donate for restroom reading at the local strip club. Trust me,  I am no literature major. I read mostly for pleasure with the hope that I learn something while being entertained. 

I finished Kiss of a Stranger this week and if you are a sucker for romance, you will love this book.  Sarah Eden is an LDS author so the "wooing" is tasteful without being too corny, which is sometimes the case with religious authors.  This book is definitely church book club material.  The author writes of the regency period and while she isn't Jane Austen, her characters have the same likable quality. The book reminded me of Pride & Prejudice VS. My Fair Lady.