Messing About in Boats

"Nice? It's the only thing," said the Water Rat solemnly,
as he leant forward in his stroke.
"Believe me, my young friend,
there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing
as simply messing about in boats."

-The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame

Having just begun The Wind in the Willows as a family for the first time, we thought an outing to nearby Lake Cuyamaca might be in order - complete with a bit of messing about in boats of course.

Nathan and the boys getting set to head out. (Hooray for life vests, say I.) The boys haven't been on boats much, except for Grandpa Metzger's rafts occasionally, so it was a big event. Such a beautiful, crisp day! Fall comes to the mountains here, at least.

See? Vests are such a nice thing. Apparently Dan and Noah were feeling very nautical and pulled out all their seafaring lingo for the occasion. Dan kept chuckling and stating that he hadn't quite gotten his sea-legs yet. They were all checking out the buoys and kept asking whether they might actually be bombs. I think they were hoping so, but the disappointment gave way to the joy of raising and lowering the two cement-filled coffee-can anchors.

Sweet Peter was cautious, as always, but loved the time with Daddy.

The guys stayed out quite a while just rowing about chasing sticks and exploring.

John, Christian, and I stayed behind and did some exploring of our own. We planned to feed the ducks, but it had to be done with the little ones safe on the table top due to belligerent geese. This was their first encounter with geese too, and they were very impressed.

John, who had a lovely time chucking rocks and making splashes, and who suddenly is looking so grown up!

And here is my own littlest man - three months old, and such a good traveler. Christian admired the scenery and John's antics from Mama's arms and the stroller, and must have had a good time since he kept flashing his new little smiles.

A picnic afterwards.

And even the blessing of beautiful color in the changing oak leaves!

The joy of pretend.

Daniel

Peter, Isaac, Dan, and Noah

Isaac and Peter

Noah

John

Peter, Isaac, Christian, Dan, John, and Noah.

Dan playing Roman hockey.

Fun With Herps

Herps, NOT herpes. Big difference.

Snakes belong to the family of herpatons, did you know that? Just looked it up in Wikipedia and turns out it means "creeping animal" (creep-y animal?) in Greek. Cool, huh?

And since they, and our dear Karl-the-long-and-lovely, spend most of their time resting, you've got to be creative in your play:



Loads of fun. Just place figurine, and it's like a drama still-life.

Hey - we have boys. We're easily entertained.

But that was last night. Didn't seem to phase Karl much, but look at him this morning:

Family Quick Takes - October 2009

Trying out a new idea of occasionally journaling a brief snapshot of life around here. The days pass so quickly right now and it would be nice to have some of these details to remember later on. It's mostly for record, and keeping the Grandmas up to date, of course.

In general

It's Fall. I love this time of year. Things cool down and the house is full of fresh air since the windows can be opened at night again. Baking is fun and pumpkin pie and gingerbread finally match the season. Holidays are coming, but our schedule is still relaxed. It's a lovely time.

As always, this time of being a couple months out after a new little guy's arrival is a fun one. After eight years of adding to the family on and off, I'm really learning that there are times to dig in and just enjoy the boys and the simple things of life; early and late pregnancy for me. And then there are others, such as mid-pregnancy or between babies when a fuller, faster pace can happen. Both are great times so long as I choose to be content with the one we are currently in.

Understanding this has really changed my feelings towards the inconveniences of childbearing. Pregnancy is hard work, but it is temporary, and compared to the wonder and honor in helping God create a precious new life, it is such a small sacrifice. This principle never changes, does it?

Contentment is choosing to delight in the possible.

It's a lesson that is not easy for me, but so important.

So right now my energy is back and projects are in swing. The beloved sewing machine has come out of hibernation, and I'm finally feeling brave enough to tackle all those clutter piles ignored all through the last trimester of pregnancy. First on the list is an inventory and organizing of the boys' seasonal and outgrown clothing. It's a bear of a project, but my mind will be much calmer afterwards.

We are still hoping for a move back to Sacramento within the next year. Nathan enjoys engineering with Cal-Trans, but our hearts would prefer to raise the boys closer to family. It seems that God is allowing us to wait for the time being though since Cal-Trans initiated a hiring-freeze six months ago and until it is lifted, a transfer is not possible. We are very grateful that Nathan's work is in a field he likes and appears to be fairly secure. So we are practicing patience.

In the meantime, we are so blessed where we are in the Imperial Valley. We attend a wonderful church that has become a second family. The local homeschool group is active and planning park days, parties, and field trips. We now have an Old Navy AND a Michaels within fifteen minutes of home. In the same state, no less! And with the cooler weather and now that Christian has arrived, we're looking forward to bike rides, day trips, and hikes in the local desert and San Diego. God has been so good to us.


... And here it is lunchtime and not a word about the boys. Maybe "quick" is not the best title. I'll do better next time, but shoot, guys. How do you keep updates on eight people brief?

You know, I'm just not buying them any more.

At least not until we have someone to mother the poor dollies.

This is what greeted me by the dress up box the other day. The boys aren't being macabre, they just play with dolls a little ... differently. Apparently it's way cooler to use the babies as puzzles than as offspring.

Oh dear.

I think I'm gonna quit trying the gender-neutral toy thing here and save the dolls for a daughter. Or niece. Or granddaughter. Point is, the boys couldn't love their real baby more, but they just don't see the point of the plastic ones.

Fall Color

Did you know there are Fall "Color Watch" websites? I didn't, though what a blessing! Got to love the internet.

Growing up, Fall never seemed official until the call from my Mom's parents to report that the Grass Valley, CA Maples were turning fiery red and orange. As weather cooled they would keep us posted until the big trees reached their peak of color, and then Mom would load all four of us up and drive to the mountains for a visit. And that was the beginning of Fall for me: a beautiful afternoon of tea, the smell of a wood fire in the old stove, and Papa and Nana's little house on the hill with it's wall of windows all lit up with God's seasonal watercolor.

It's too far to drive to the Sierras this year, but it's where my heart is. And I'm thinking a drive up to our own foothills here in Julian again to see what God is doing with the trees there may be in order.

Have a blessed Fall!


Websites keeping an eye on Fall Color:

Fall Color in California - Looks like there might even be some beauty down here in Southern CA.
California State Parks with Fall Color - wouldn't Yosemite be lovely this time of year?
Total Escape - a detailed listing of areas in CA with color and activities to do in each place.


Photograph of bright red maple leaves by Sean Dreilinger.

Picture study over lunch.

The windmill at Wijk bij Duurstede, c. 1670

I had no idea art study could be this easy. We're following along with Ambleside's 2001-2002 art schedule and just put a new picture in the frame by Jacob Isaacksz. van Ruisdael . As I've shared before, we look at it for a few minutes over lunch and then it stays on a table by the front door for about two weeks. After that first day of looking at a new painting I have the boys narrate it back to me as best they can to stick it into their memories more firmly. Little guys get to look at the picture while describing, but Dan and Noah turn it around and go from memory. It's gotten to be a favorite part of school lately, and even the little guys enjoy getting into their descriptions:


Two year old Peter:

"I see water. And boats. And sky."

Five year old Noah:

"There is a windmill, but it is not going. A man is standing up high on it. There are houses and trees by it. There is also water, with boats sailing. It is really cloudy."

Seven year old Dan:

"This picture is of a windmill by the water. The sky is dark with clouds that make me think it might be about to rain. The water is in the bottom side of the picture and is greyish with choppy waves. There are five boats, one with a sail missing. Along the edge of the water is a wooden fence thing, and there are rushes also. Three girls are walking by the water. Behind them there is a house I think, and maybe other houses. There is also a cathedral and a funny gate in a wall. The windmill is big and round. There are little windows in it and four props that spin. There are trees all around the bottom. It is a nice picture. I like it."

(Don't you love the way families have people at different developmental levels?)

It's that easy. And it's such a kick to be out at Michaels and have the three year old recognize a Van Gogh in the prints.