The Paint Looks Great

I will try to get some pictures up (I know none of you believe me), but the paint at Adams is UP and it looks great.  The front room is called Sun Melt or something equally nonscensical, but we started out trying to match the 100 year old fireplace tile and ended up with a lovely warm butter color that matches perfectly.  The study is the only room whose color we are not totally sold on.  It’s supposed to be a luscious shade of latte but seems to have a bit of mauve.  Hmmm, will have to live with that one for a while and see.  C’s room is green with a pink ceiling, and Jones 2’s room is pink with a green ceiling.  Those two rooms are our favorites.

Weekend in the mountains

Wow, where to begin writing about this weekend?  We spent the weekend with good friends the Dyars (see link to Amelia’s blog at right) and the Smiths (see link to the world’s best photographer’s blog at right), and all five of our kids– a four year old, three two year olds, and a one year old.  The Dyars’ Amelia just turned one.  The Smiths’ Eliza and Shipley are two (Shipley is just a week older than C), and their Slaton is four.  The weather was just glorious the whole time– we could not have asked for a more perfect setting.  You would not believe how much action we all managed to pack in with these energetic kids and parents– and in Carson’s case at least, so many “firsts!”

On Friday we drove to Kelly D.’s parents’ awesome estate (it’s not just a house, folks) outside of Franklin, NC.  We spent Friday evening enjoying wine/cokes on the lovely sunporch, feeling the cool breeze through the open windows and listening to the crackling fire in the fireplace.  Saturday was action-packed, as we started the day with a hike to a beautiful nearby waterfall.  Happily Chris D. met us at the bottom of the hike with a car to drive all the kiddies back, because I think Carson would have lain down on the trail and stayed all day.  We picked blueberries and apples in the backyard, attempted to settle in for naps, and then journeyed down to the family’s own private pond stocked with big trout and a huge screened-in porch and firepit area for an outdoor dinner extravaganza.  But before tucking in to a delicious dinner, the kids (with help from the dads) went fishing!!  We called it “speed fishing,” as there must have been a gazillion fish in there and we tossed them in some food to get them started.  You should have heard the kiddies’ squeals of delight as they saw the fish reeled in and touched them before we threw them back in the pond.  Of course as soon as a kid finger would poke a fish, the fish would jump and all the kids would squeal and jump back.  

After everyone had a chance to catch a fish, Chris grilled hamburgers and hot dogs over an open fire.  They tasted so delicious.  We also made yummy s’mores– you should have seen how sticky and gooey all the kids (and adults) were.   The non-pregnant adults, which were everyone but me, partook of the Smiths’ secret recipe frozen whiskey sours.  I had a sip and they were pretty darn tasty.  We all tried to memorize the recipe so that we could replicate it!

One of the coolest things about this part of the estate, known as the Lower Meadow, was the creek and troll bridge area.  There was a beautiful winding creek over some rocks, and leading across was a “troll bridge.”  We did not see any trolls, but I think it was because the dads left a troll offering of domestic and imported beer to cool in the creek.  This gave the trolls better things to do than chase the kids off the bridge.  I didn’t get any pictures of the troll bridge or the offering, but I really hope someone did (I know Elizabeth and Kelly got some bridge shots at least). 

After dinner we scurried home to get Carson cleaned off, and then the kids went to bed and the adults enjoyed another lovely evening on the porch.  Sunday we capped off the weekend with a short hike to a lovely field, followed by a watermelon picnic by the creek.  Sadly the Joneses did not get to enjoy the watermelon picnic because Carson had a complete breakdown for reasons that remain a mystery to us.  We were sad to close such a wonderful weekend on that note.   

We really enjoyed spending time with the Dyars and the Smiths and their families.  I love watching people interact with their kids and each other because there is always so much to learn.  Chris D., for example, plays an excellent camp counselor role.  He was full of great ideas that kept the kids smiling and happy, and he clearly has great organizational skills as all our activities went off without a hitch.  Kelly D. is one of the most organized and prepared moms I know, always at the ready with a drink, a Kleenex, a snack, bug spray, you name it.  She also has keen powers of observation and a real knack for keeping things moving along, even when awakened by Amelia at all hours of the night.  Jeff and Elizabeth, what can I say– I learned so much from watching what a great job they do with their sweet trio of little ones.  They exude patience with their kids, which is not a Jones family strong suit.  They’ve taught me that when something doesn’t work for your child, you just approach it from another angle and try again.  That’s one of the skills that makes Elizabeth such an amazing photographer, for sure!  And all around seemed to be a never-ending supply of enthusiasm for life.  It’s so easy to get caught up in the stresses of life and forget about all of the fun stuff you should be outside enjoying. 

I honestly feel like, after watching these two families in action, I fall a bit short.  I certainly have a lot to learn about patience, self-control, discipline, and just simply letting things go.  Happily, I have these dear friends to help show me how I can implement these traits in my life.  I especially appreciate that Kelly and Elizabeth are both moms with full-time jobs apart from raising their kids– while I know it’s equally hard to be a stay-at-home mom, Kelly and Elizabeth are great role models for me as I struggle to juggle everything and maintain some sanity.  I hope that I have carried (or will carry) my weight in these relationships and provide some example of a trait that’s worth modeling as well.   

Thanks to the Dyars for hosting such a lovely weekend (and to Kelly’s parents for letting 5 kids under 5 descend upon their home) and to all present for providing such lovely company.  I hope we did no lasting damage and that we get an invitation back!!  I will post some pictures soon, I promise.

I would be completely remiss if I did not thank my parents, whose selfless actions made the weekend possible for us.  They stayed with our pups; my dad worked on the new fence at Adams (all by himself for the most part with fence posts that had to be installed into solid rock); my mom packed an enormous amount of boxes for us.  We really needed to get away, so a super thanks to them for picthing in and giving up their weekend to help us.

We should have PAINT ON THE WALLS at Adams today.  Keep your fingers crossed that process goes smoothly!!  T-minus 4 days to the move-in, and counting!!!!!!!

Concepts

Carson appears to be getting up to speed on a number of pretty advanced concepts.  I thought I’d share a few of the more amusing ones from the last few days with all of you. 

The concept of time: Carson said last week, when asked if she wanted lasagna, one of her favorite foods, for dinner: “I don’t want lasagna.  We had lasagna last night.”  (This was true.)

The concept of storytelling: I remarked to C one morning on the way to school that traffic was all backed up on the highway.  She repeated me, and then said she wanted to tell (her classmate) Alexis’ mama that the highway was all backed up.  I didn’t mention it again– I mean, what an off the wall thing to say?  When we got to school, she saw Alexis’ mama, looked at me, and said “I  want to tell Alexis’ mama the highway was all backed up.”  She proceeded to do just that.  (Important note: it is not safe to say anything to C that you don’t want repeated.)

The concept of empathy: When I dropped and spilled an entire bowl of soup on the kitchen floor, C came running from the other room and asked, “Are you okay, mama?”  Then she helped me clean it up.

The concept of bad smells (and personal responsibility): “What smells?” is a frequent question these days, especially when the trash gets too full.   It’s usually accompanied by a wrinkled nose.  Sometimes C will even take the blame for having instigated the smell by stating, “It’s me.”

Sticky hands!

On the way home today, Carson was enjoying a delicious juicy pear.  She was also listening to her favorite CD (okay, the only one she will listen to) when began “If You’re Happy and You Know It.”  She proceeded to sing along as usual, but when directed to clap her hands– in rhythym with the song– she clapped and shouted “sticky hands!”  I laughed out loud.  (She also said that the kazoos playing during the interlude of “Do Your Ears Hang Low?” are “babies singing.”)  I posted this more for my own purposes than for its entertainment value, as for some reason it was a moment I wanted to remember.

Weekend plans

Sunday will mark our last (hopefully) open house at the house before we move out.  So, Shane and I expect to spend lots and lots of time cleaning, organizing, and getting ready.  We are really hoping that this one will amount to something so that we can stop paying two mortgages soon and pay for fun things like, you know, sandwiches with meat on them rather than just peanut butter, and non-store-brand toilet paper.  Carson is going to spend a little time at Nana and Pop-pop’s, which she will love, and if Shane and I can get all our cleaning and stuff done we may go out for a very cheap grown-up dinner too!  We were recently fondly recalling the college days when we used to roll our change and take it to Taco Bell for dinner– that was a big Sunday night out.  Too bad Shane had to witness the writing on the side of the Taco Bell meat box one day a few years ago (which he claims said, I kid you not, “Grade D Meat: Fit for Human Consumption”), as that truly ruined any chance of us ever eating a Taco Bell value meal dinner again.

Carson had a great time in school this week.  She built and painted a house, participated in a baby food tasting as part of their unit on caring for babies (she really, really did not like any of the items she tasted), and learned the difference between big and little by trying on some of my jeans.  I’ll have to try to attach the picture.  She knows all of the letters of the alphabet and can “read” them off most anything, although she’s not yet putting them together into sounds or words.  She thinks that the thunder sounds like “a big drum in the sky.”  And she continues to love birthday parties, as we celebrated with Amelia last weekend and The Wilkinsons and Reisses just a few weeks before.  She just won’t eat the cake!  Oh well, more for me, I suppose. 

Hope everyone has a great weekend!