8/16/11 - Second Honeymoon

We celebrated our 10^th year of marriage this weekend.  Hard to believe how fast time has flown!   In honor of the occasion, we went to Oregon coast for the weekend, leaving the girls in Grandma and Grandpa’s capable hands.   

We spent an afternoon in Seaside and then drove down the coast to a beautiful little Bed and Breakfast called Sandlake Country Inn.  It had a whirlpool tub and a fireplace, and they brought breakfast do your door instead of making you eat together with strangers every morning.   I definitely preferred that arrangement!  

Despite living in Oregon for four years, it was the first time David had seen the coast, and only my second time.   We did see a couple of surfers along Pacific Beach, but the water was freezing enough to require full suits, hoods and booties, even in August.   Besides the beach, we also went to see the Tillamook Air Museum, the Pioneer Museum, Cape Meares Lighthouse, the Tillamook Cheese Factory, and the county fair, which just happened to be in town the same weekend.   

They host a local annual tradition called the “Pig-n-Ford” races, which is one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen.  Racers run over to a pen, grab a pig, haul it over to their stripped-down Model T, turn the crank, get in, drive a lap, put the pig back, grab another one, and repeat for two more laps.  What’s really funny is when one of the pigs get loose and you have six to eight burly guys trying to chase it around the track.  

After a day of checking out the local sights, it was nice to come back to a warm bubble bath and cozy fireplace (man, I miss having a fireplace!), and strange not to have to worry about getting the kids fed and bathed and into bed, or having the baby wake me up at 2am.   This was the first time David and I had been away from the kids overnight since the girls were born – over six years ago.  I think I did pretty well, only calling home three times!    Of course, the inn didn’t get cell phone reception, so I HAD to check in, just in case.  ;) 

Getting Ready For School

Eva is going to be a big 1^st grader this fall.  I can hardly believe it!  I’m getting everything ready for her to start school the first week of September.  This year for History, Literature, Language Arts, Bible and Science, I decided to go with Sonlight, a literature-based curriculum that uses the Charlotte Mason approach.   I was  lucky enough to get it used from another home schooling mom for a fraction of the cost.  One of the benefits of Sonlight is that it uses more “real” books than textbooks, and very few consumables, so most of it I can keep to use again when Amanda is ready.   We’ll also be using Handwriting Without Tears and Singapore Math – our first year with a full load.  

I’ve decided to go on the 4-day schedule (Tues – Fri) so that we can go to the “Monday School” co-op as our fifth day.   Thankfully, the teacher’s manuals already include the option of a 4-day schedule, so I don’t have to rewrite it.   I plan on signing Eva and Amanda up for ballet again, and letting them join the AWANA club on Wednesday nights now that Amanda is old enough to participate.   There’s also a Saturday morning “Reading Readiness” class at the library on Saturday mornings that I’ll be taking Amanda to for a few weeks, so it promises to be a VERY busy fall!  

Maria

Last month we hosted an exchange student from the Basque country in Spain through the Summer In The USA program.   It was a last-minute decision in response to a request for a host family that was circulating on our home school co-op email list, but I’m so glad we decided to do it.  Maria was patient and sweet, and the girls immediately fell in love with her.  She had been to the states twice before and came as an intern since she was already 19 and out of high school (older than the average participants).   

The first two weeks were spent getting to know our family, then a week at Young Life camp, and then one last week with us before flying home.   We tried to pack as many new and interesting experiences as we could in such a short time.  We introduced her to oatmeal cookies, pumpkin pie, cranberries, blueberry pancakes, and other foods she hadn’t tried before, and she made us a traditional Basque Tortilla dish and a delicious pudding made from minced walnuts simmered in milk.  

We visited the Oregon Zoo, hiked to Latourell Falls and Larch Mountain, and drove to Seaside for the first time.  It reminded me of growing up in Avalon on Catalina Island, with all the souvenir shops, seafood, saltwater taffy, and tourists walking in the streets.

At the aquarium, the girls got to pick up starfish and hermit crabs, feed the sea lions, and see an octopus and stingray up close.  

We visited the library and saw the “reptile man” bring out exotic snakes, lizards, turtles, and a giant bullfrog that delighted the kids.

Katya, Megan and I took Maria and all our girls fishing at the Rainbow Trout Farm, which was a lot of fun.  Maria caught two that got away from her when they started flopping, but finished with the biggest catch of the day. 

 

Having an exchange student stay with us was a new experience, but a wonderful one for all of us, and I certainly hope to do it again.  

Amanda Turns 4

Amanda had a “princess” party to celebrate her 4^th birthday with all her little friends.   I made a gluten-free cake with a tiny Rapunzel in the window of a castle, and regular sheet cake with a pink princess crown on it.  The weather was warm enough to break out the slip-n-slide and wading pool, and let Amanda open her presents out on the lawn in her bathing suit. 

The following weekend we drove down to Grandma and Grandpa’s house to catch a visit with the Asaph, Jirah, Haddie and Boaz before they drove home to Montana.   We had a big combined birthday party for all the cousins, as has become our summer tradition. 

 

Eva and Amanda loved getting to feed the sheep and hunt for eggs in the hen house, and watch deer come to graze in the backyard at dusk.    

Independence Day

We took the girls to the July 4^th parade in Corbett again this year, setting up blankets and camp chairs on the roadside with friends from church.  It’s become one of our favorite annual tradition, with the kids waving flags and everyone decked out in red, white and blue.  Even Maria donned an American flag t-shirt from Old Navy for the occasion.

     

One of the Dads wrote the word “candy” with sidewalk chalk in the middle of the street, so parade participants would know this was a good spot to toss a handful out the window (as if the squealing kids on the roadside weren’t notice enough).   Eva and Amanda were eager to dash out and grab the treats at every opportunity, but Bethany found the sweet projectiles rather intimidating and cried at the first car that sent a handful in our direction. 

Dave wasn’t able to join us for the parade because he had to work, but when he got home we enjoyed a BBQ and waited for the sky to darken so we could set off fireworks.   Eva and Amanda covered their ears while enjoying the show from camp chairs on the front lawn, but Bethany was distressed by the noise so I took her inside to watch from the bedroom window.  She snuggled on my lap and kept pointing out the window at the glittering display. 

 

Picnic

Whenever the weather turns warm it beckons everyone outside, and we waste no opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors.   Last month week several families from Little Church gathered at a friend’s camp site for a potluck and hike to the local swimming hole. 

 

It was still too chilly for bathing suits, but that didn’t stop the kids from wading in as far as they dared.  Amanda announced a few minutes after we arrived that she had to use the bathroom.  The nearest restroom was a 10 minute hike back to the park, and the only other alternative was an excursion in the bushes, when I remembered I still had a pair of training pants in the diaper bag.  She gladly put them on, concentrated for a moment, then took them off and coolly handed them back to me, saying, “OK, I’m done.” Ah, the moments of motherhood that nobody ever tells you about.  

Cats & Birds

We came home from an outing the other day to discover that Hunter had finally proved her name, greeting us at the front door with a dead bird.  It was her first kill (that we know of), and she was very proud of her prize.  Eva and Amanda were both disturbed and fascinated. 

“Why did Hunter kill the bird?”  Eva wanted to know.  “That’s naughty!”  

“That’s how God made cats, honey.  They hunt to feed their kittens.  Hunter doesn’t have any kittens so she’s sharing with us.  She doesn’t know we don’t eat birds.”  

That made her laugh.  “Hunter, you silly!  People don’t eat birds!”  

Amanda looked concerned.  “Is the bird going to die?” 

“She’s already dead, sweetie.  She’s not hurting anymore.” 

Relieved, Amanda turned to the bird and said soothingly, “It’s OK, bird.  It’s OK.” 

“Don’t touch.  Daddy’s going to bury it in the backyard, OK?”

Amanda ran to the door and yelled, “Daddy, hurry up and bury the bird before it dies!”

I guess the whole death concept is still kind of fuzzy.  But that’s OK.  Reality dawns soon enough for all of us.

 

Shower Terror

I’ve been trying to train Eva to use the shower to rinse the conditioner out of her hair at the end of her bath, but she’s still afraid of the water streaming near her face.   I can get her to slowly back up into the spray long enough to rinse the back of her head, but not the top or sides.  It’s a work in progress. 

A couple of nights ago I put Amanda and Bethany in the bathtub as it was filling up and then stepped out to quickly throw Bethany’s diaper in the diaper pail.  Three seconds was all it took before I heard wailing and Eva ran into the doorway, hands clutched to her mouth with a look of horror as she yelled, “The shower!  The shower!”  

I ran back to find Amanda and Bethany clinging to the side of the tub, shrieking in terror as warm water sprayed down their backs.  Amanda had pulled the lever that turned on the spray - and apparently, her worst nightmare.  As I rushed to shut it off she grabbed my arm and Bethany stretched out her hands as if to implore, “Save me!”   It was like a little toddler house of horrors.  They calmed down after I wiped their faces with a dry towel and assured them they were fine, but I think it’s safe to say Amanda won’t be going near that lever again anytime soon.