our houseguest

Johnny and Erin and family have been on vacation in the Outer Banks (JEALOUS), so Jackie stayed with us this past week. She's gone home to be with her real family now, but I hope she remembers us fondly. Being the giant dork I am, I decided to write the kids a little letter from Jackie every day, as if she were at summer camp. Behold my nerdiness:

Saturday, September 16

Dear Family,
Camp is fun so far but this puppy is kind of irritating! All that energy. Sigh. I haven't put him in his place yet, but I might have to. I haven't eaten any of my food today but I like the treats the humans give me. They were gone this afternoon but they're back now. These kids might be as loud as MY kids.

Love,
Jackie

P.S. Since I'm apparently going to be here for a while (ummmmmmmmmm maybe we should have talked about this first!), I decided I may as well eat.


Sunday, September 17

Camp log, day 2. The humans played some kind of popular card game, but I was unimpressed because they kept talking about "trump." I've enjoyed exploring the yard but haven't yet found any weaknesses in the border that would allow me to escape. The male two-legs took me for a walk with the children and the puppy ... who is slightly less annoying today.


Monday, September 18

Camp log, day 3. The children went to school today, leaving me with the woman and the puppy. Pluto managed to stay calm most of the day; I think we might even be friends now. The man has called me "Lucy" about 20 times, and "Jesse" once (not "Richie" tho). He doesn't know it (yet), but I actually call him "Not-Johnny."


Tuesday, September 19

Camp log, day 4. Pluto and I bonded by barking at the rain for a VERY long time. I also showed him how to kick and/or carry around his food dish to show that he wants MORE. Strangely, the humans didn't seem proud of this new trick.

P.S. Tell Lucy, Richie, and Jesse that I'm staying on the lookout and can't wait until they come back. Say hi to Marleigh and Reid for me too!


Wednesday, September 20

Camp log, day 5. The woman gave us treats because we sat so nicely when she asked ... but we would much rather eat her dinner. We are banging food dishes, but the food police are strict around here. Sheesh.


Thursday, September 21

Camp log, day 6. I have accepted Pluto fully as a part of my doggy family; witness how I even let him hang out on my bed. I don't let just anyone do that!! Today was quiet. I like going out in the yard (but I still haven't found a way to escape). In fact, I like it so much that 5 minutes after I come back in, I beg the woman to let me out again. Every. Single. Time. All. Day. Long. It's my FAVORITE!


Friday, September 22

Camp log, day 7. Action sequence! Pluto and I lay around all day and hang out together, but once the boys come home all bets are off. We love playing with each other and jumping around. Plus, let's face it: Sometimes it's just fun to put a puppy in his place. Aaaaaaaand now I'm worn out again. Back to my bed!


Saturday, September 23

Camp log, day 8. It has come to my attention that you left me here so you could go have fun at the beach. SERIOUSLY? Well, two can play at that game, humans. IT'S ON.

P.S. As we were driving there, I found the power window button and rolled the window down and stuck my head waaaaaay far out. Really freaked out the woman and the boys. Hahahahahahaha! That trick will never get old!

random pics from my phone, volume 1

i haven't put anything on the blog in a while, which is fine. i don't do much these days except work, cook, fall asleep on the couch, clean up after the kids, and tell the kids no (or so i'm told).

anyway, i thought i'd dump a bunch of random pics from my phone. enjoy.

let's start with the butterflies:  some kind of skipper, monarch, female eastern tiger swallowtail (black morph), male eastern tiger swallowtail. note on the monarch: we're on the migration path for monarchs traveling south from michigan/southern canada, so we don't see many during the summer. come early september, they're everywhere. since i don't seem able to get milkweed to grow (wtf), i'm just glad i can supply a spot for them to recharge on their voyage south.

 

 

 bumblebee. i love bumblebees. they love the zinnias and cosmos.

henry wanted to get down to pluto's level and be a puppy. pluto took him up on his offer and treated him like another puppy. thankfully, henry is all healed with no permanent damage.

i saw this and had to laugh and take a pic. a honda crv with a rim where the spare tire should be. why would you put a rim on the back of the car without a tire on it? if you had a flat, how would that help you? this makes no sense.

while visiting the parental unit a couple of weeks ago, we were looking at old (OLD!) slides. i took this pic of one, my uncle ken (barb's brother) with my cousin aaron. he was around 1 year old (this was 1975 or maybe 1976). look at those pants!

i found this gal (probably) hiding in a patch of spent daisies in the lasagna garden. interestingly, mantises on the hydrangeas are green (i find a lot of them on the hydrangeas, which are still very green), while this one was in plants that were dying back, and it had the color to match. word of advice: don't let a mantis bite you. it hurts like hell.

we're dog-sitting. j&e are in north carolina for the week (jealous) and their pit jackie is hanging with us. she's great, and as far as i'm concerned, she now belongs to us. the only problem is that pluto is still a puppy, and he wants to play. constantly. jackie is an older girl, and she just wants to hang out. this has led to some dog disagreements. however, every now and then, there is peace in the kingdom.

and finally, all hail the door frogs. seriously, hail them. now. they are your betters.

henry at eight

This guy!

I swear, our Henry gets more "Henry" by the day. His personality is so clear and defined, and his emotions are written right across his face for the whole world to see. (Tip to Henry: Start working on your poker face now, because your face is just like mine, so it's going to take a little effort.) He is a whirlwind, a dynamo, and sometimes a wrecking ball. And today, he's eight years old.

He's had what I consider to be a pretty perfect birthday, too. Last night he got to spend the night with his Yami and Papaw, and in the course of the evening, he got Loni to take him to throw rocks in the ditch, he played with Jack until the little guy was worn out, and he spent time at Bethany's house jumping on the trampoline and riding a four-wheeler, followed by a bonfire in his honor, complete with s'mores. In the morning, he opened presents (he is now equipped for any Nerf battles that may break out, anywhere, anytime), then my parents took him to the farmers market, then they had lunch at Red Lobster. Once he got home, he got more presents (including a new desk chair from Grandma and Grandpa, which he was super excited about), and there was cake, and he spent the whole afternoon playing with (and getting along with!) his brothers and his dog. What more could a boy ask for?

This year, Henry's worked really hard at not letting his temper lead him into trouble. He has spent time identifying things that set him off, and thinking up (in advance) things he can do to calm himself or redirect himself. He's come such a long way, and we're so proud of him. At school, he has barely gotten into trouble at all, which is a big change from last year and especially kindergarten. He loves reading, and is very into the idea that now he can read and understand the same books his brothers love. He fights for extra reading time every night now (and it's very hard to say no to that). He's good at math too, and very interested in science and experiments, so it remains to be seen where his interests will settle, but this super reader stage is extremely gratifying to us.

Outside of school, Henry's been focused on video games, gardening, Nerf guns, and riding his bike around the neighborhood. He still chafes at the idea of having boundaries, any boundaries, and it's hard to convince him that we aren't just authoritarians bent on crushing his freedom and his spirit. But despite our best efforts at dictatorship (ha!), Henry's boundaries get wider all the time, even if he doesn't realize it. We can only do our best to keep up with him, and we can't wait to see where he leads us.

Happy birthday, Henry! May your eighth year be the best one yet.