New Land

A couple months ago, Shannon and I made an offer on a piece of property.  It is beautiful.  It is gorgeous. It is everything I have ever dreamed about.
But buying it means we need to sell our house plus a few more steps before we can build a new house.  Frankly, I'm terrified.  Okay, that's probably a bit strong.  Slightly stressed is an understatement, so somewhere in the middle is where I'll need to settle, but I'm not sure what that middle is.  Shannon mentioned selling everything and moving to a tropical island this morning and I almost jumped at the suggestion!

We visit the property a couple times a week.  Watching the boys, and Annika too, fly over the cattle paths crisscrossing the pastures leaves every cell in me smiling.  One of the concerns the kiddos had when we talked about moving was leaving our rock forts behind.  As providence would have it, there are several rocks forts on the new property as well.  A creek completes the land with so many places to build dams and forts the kids aren't sure where to begin.

Like Shannon says, I'll need to just relax, but that is often easier said than done!  I wish the transition was immediate, but all good things come with a cost.  The end result is going to be an amazing home for our family.  I need to pray for a relaxed attitude and trust that all will fall into place.
St. Joseph, pray for us!

The Creek

Typically during a given summer we'll go to the creek, but this summer we didn't go, spending time at Grandpa's lodge pond before it sold and Grandma and Grandpa's house pond with the cousins.

The past couple weeks when the days were hot we headed to the creek after school.  The kiddos built a nice dam in the creek so they had a decent place to jump in.  The last day we went down someone had dismantled the dam.  I'm betting a green leaning individual saw all the fish trapped behind the dam and decided to release them.  When Nickles spotted this he stood there, arms crossed, saying some not-so-nice words, completely dismayed that all their hard work had been for naught.  It was a bit cooler that day too, so as Nickles sat there later, teeth chattering, he lamented, "The mans bwoke my dam, they made it cold, they made the water cold and I'm fweezin'. I don't wike dose mans."  

Atta boy.  When things go awry, find someone to blame.

That story aside, the creek is so peaceful.  Especially in the fall, my heart feels at rest there.  Jewel toned leaves bobbing by, moss waving in the flow, sparkling rocks....it all fills my heart right up to the top.

One of the awesome benefits of being down there is the lack of cell reception.  I simply check out.  It gives my soul time to rest and just be.  It's almost a mini retreat when I take along some spiritual reading.

Next summer we need to spend more time together, little creek.

Despite forbidding toys being taken to the creek, they always magically appear.

Bizarre, I say.

This water is awesome ~ and the rocks are yummy!

Doing laundry with wipees ~

Another toy ~ and they're rarely small.

Building a little "fish pool."

Black pipe made a fantastic toy to blow bubbles ~

Sketching something ~

Stacy

Annika wanted to have a girl party out at the cabin for Auntie Stacy's birthday.  It didn't work out quite like I had visualized, but it was a nice, slow evening.  And the girls had fun, which I think may have been the purpose anyway.  And Auntie Stacy is so laid back that everyone around her is relaxed!

Playing cards ~

While we waited for dinner to bake, 

Kath kept us warm with pumpkin lattes ~

Happy Birthday to one of our favorites!

This and That

One of our favorites ~ it's supposed to be read with a Cajun accent.

It always cracks me up when Shannon attempts that!

Daddy literally giving Eric a lift up to the house ~

Why we live where we do ~

He's just so darn cute ~ 

And I know that is not humble!

My four-year-old cutting the head off a salmon....with a butter knife.

I just couldn't do it, so Nickles came to the rescue.

Max discovers the bookshelf ~

Life altering....for me and Max ~

There are insects randomly discovered in containers throughout our house.

Hairy spiders clinging to jar lids, grasshoppers leaping from their prison when an unsuspecting person (me) decides to wash a container, stink bugs in baggies that have been returned to the bag drawer for later use, miscellaneous creatures frozen for the sake of.....I wouldn't really label it science.....but for the sake of something, I suppose.  

As I write this, he put a grasshopper in with a toe-biter, just to see if the toe-biter would eat it.

It did.  

Next on the menu....spider.  

At least he's emptying the containers.

  

This summer Nickles froze a grasshopper in the freezer, but kindly placed a straw down to its head so it could breathe while it was "fweezin' to def."

Awesome. 

I'm dreading the day I serve someone a glass of water with a frozen bug in it.  

Just for anyone that thinks there is no such thing as a toebiter, there is.  It's scientific name is Lethocerus americanus.  

And it kills its victims by injecting them with digestive enzymes, then sucking their insides out.  

Apparently, it is pretty painful when it bites a human.  What better bug for a little boy to have as a pet? 

Great Falls

Eric and Joshie got to spend a weekend with Joe and Amy in Great Falls a couple weeks ago.  We decided to make a field trip out of the drive up, detouring to Augusta to pick up honey, then going on to Giant Springs.  It was nothing amazing, but we did get to see the shortest river in the world and feed the awfully ugly fish in the hatchery pool.  Actually, no matter what we are doing, besides school, is amazing now that I'm thinking about it!  

Eric's First Shave

Yeah ~ can you believe it?  I sure can't!  Yesterday Eric was in diapers and today he's shaving, or so it seems.  Shannon gave instructions while I stood by trying to suppress giggles.  Shannon's advice was simply too hilarious.  As they were putting the shaving cream and razor away, Shannon said, "Well, that should be good for about six months."
 
Eric was so excited to show someone that when Kath arrived home from hunting he was bubbling over before she even made it through the door.  As per usual, she had a rather dry comment, "Your face sure looks bald."

Don't grow up too fast, Eric.  I love you!

Lather that lip up!

We were all fairly certain he would emerge from the bathroom with 

numerous pieces of tp stuck to his lip to cover up razor cuts. 

Alas, he did not, thank heavens!