Still alive

More or less. I think this is the longest I've gone without posting since I started doing this back in January. We had a minor computer/camera issue (which turned out to not really be an issue, I was just too technologically zoned out to realize it), and then I felt a little overwhelmed by having all these pictures I had taken and too much to post, so I kept putting it off... I've also been really tired the last week or so, and then last night I realized I hadn't taken my thyroid pills for like, three weeks, which is really stupid. I just completely forgot. So, hopefully being dosed up on some synthroid will soon have me back in working order. Seriously, how dumb is it to forget to take a pill for three weeks when not taking it is guaranteed to make my life even harder than it is because eventually it catches up with me and I get crazy tired? Ack.

Anywho. Unneccessary ramble over.

I just decided I would post a bunch of photos from the last week (not neccessarily in chronological order) or so and call it good. Back on the horse.

Here, a few photos of Vivian in a dress I made (complete with blueberry yogurt pop drip on the front). Kathryn has one too, pictured later. They were super easy to make and I'll be making more later in the summer for the girls to wear at Evan and Jenni's wedding. All the little nieces will be flower girls - 10 of them!

The house decked out in its Memorial Day/July Fourth finery. See how the lawn is coming along?

The water level in the reflecting pool by the Info Center in Rumford is super low now, so you can walk out onto this sand bar, which the kids think is super awesome.

Kathryn in her sundress.

Last story time of the year at the library. They have a summer program that starts in a few weeks.

It was in the 90s on Tuesday so we went to Roxbury Pond. Perfect beach day!

Refugee from the Matrix.

Kathryn has discovered posing. It's darn hard to get a natural shot of her these days. I don't know what's going on here. It looks as though she might be having a religious experience of some sort.

Betty was so busy shoveling sand into that bucket! She was entertained for a long time!

Viv was the sand castle queen.

Cute little sandy toes (there were a lot of other sandy places, too...).

We took a walk when Nain came to visit on Monday. The kids were being rather uncooperative with the posed photo, but whatever. We got what we got.

Betty's first crack at corn on the cob. She did well for only having four teeth. I have no idea what Vivian is doing.

This is our bedroom, most mornings. Everybody ends up in the bed too early for mom and dad's taste, so we just turn on a kids' show and try to get a bit more sleep. Does that make us bad parents?

Kathryn is always putting her feet on Curtis's head. He doesn't always take it with such good humor, but the camera was on him...

Zoned out on T.V.

Like I said, Kathryn is into posing.

Teeeeveeee.....

Theological questions and GRASS!

Kathryn: "Mom, I know Heavenly Father created Jesus Christ, but who created Heavenly Father?"

Mom: "That's a good question and I don't have the answer for that."

Kathryn: (Contemplative silence.) "Mom, what's a myth?"

Oh dear.

Mom: "It's an old story that people think is true but is not."

Kathryn: "Maybe Jesus is a myth."

Mom: "Some people think so, but I don't."

More discussion follows (including "What did it look like before Heavenly Father created everything? Was it just all white?"), but man! She is still only four years old, friends! If this is what she is coming up with now, what do we have in store for us?

For those who are wondering, Curtis swears this is not his doing. He said they discussed some Greek mythology about a month ago, but this line of thinking is all her own.

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On to other news...

GRASS!!

It started coming up yesterday and we are very excited. I planted some flowers today (gladiolas, freesia, irises and a peony bush) and I hope they take, too. I'm really starting to plan out the garden scheme, and though it will take years for things to really get filled out, I'm excited for the potential.

Here, Betty is literally climbing the walls to get outside where her siblings are playing. She had been outside for hours already and I took her out after dinner, but at this moment she needed to be inside with me.

Real dinner...

...on paper plates.

I know, lame, huh?

MOTW photo essay

Or, rather, a fancy way of saying a bunch of shots of dirty dishes.

Feeling rather unmotivated in the cleaning the kitchen department.

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Skillet with last night's scrambled egg dinner remains. (Also a bit unmotivated in the food prep department...lots of meals lately of sandwiches and veggies, or crackers and cheese and grapes...they are getting good nutrition, just not very interesting nutrition.)

Broccoli water from yesterday's lunch of grilled cheese and broccoli.

From this morning's smoothies.

Bread drying out. I did put that away immediately after taking this shot. I might be lazy but I don't really want to waste all that bread.

I put the yogurt away, too.

The dishes, however are still in the sink. I chose to do an unneccessary post instead of taking care of my real life. That's just where my head is this morning.

p.s. I started washing the dishes while waiting for these photos to upload. I am well on my way to being a respectable homemaker again.

Chickies, cupcakes and playground antics

We had a super two days at my parents' house this weekend. Lots of food, fun and family togetherness. As always, we miss those in our family who live too far away to come for the weekend. :(

Kathryn was OVER THE MOON about the new baby chicks at Joey and Tami's. Cute story about the chicks: Joey and Tami thought that this particular hen had met an untimely end as they had not seen her for a week or more, and then one day she comes marching back out of the woods with eight little chickies trailing along behind her! Apparently she wanted some privacy to hatch her little family. So cute!

Anyway, Kathryn was thrilled to be so up close and personal with the chicks. I let her have the camera and she took nine zillion photos, including these.

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I love the one she took of herself patting the chicken.

She took this one too and I think it's cool.

We had about 25 people for dinner Saturday night - Mexican. Mmmm.

Then, we had cupcakes to celebrate Betty's birthday. The men were so funny about the cupcakes. Several times during the day a couple of the guys would disappear into the pantry where the cupcakes were, they'd stay in there for a few minutes then come back out trying to look all innocent while they wiped pink frosting from the corner of their mouths or discreetly throw away a cupcake wrapper. Smooth. It's a good thing I made a boatload of cupcakes.

Betty was super duper excited about her cupcake. She would take a bite and then do a little wiggle dance in her high chair because she was so thrilled. Katie's friend Jess couldn't stop laughing. It was pretty darned cute.

Iris had a t-ball game on Sunday afternoon at my old elementary school, Prescott Memorial. Jesse coaches her team.

As t-ball is apparently only interesting for the first five minutes, the kids spent the rest of the time on the playground, where Curtis got some great shots.