Summer Days

We have settled into a very very lazy summer schedule. Daryl is off, and for many good reasons we have stayed close to home. I've been babysitting, too many people have been sick (4/5 of us with fifth disease, and now Laura with Lyme disease, and a couple of other nasties thrown in), gas prices encourage local activities, and we just want to be home.

Our days are filled with children, chickens, and now lots and lots of veggies.

~Laura in the family garden~

~Fresh from the garden~

~Berries foraged from our woods~

~Finally a blue egg!

~Hanging in the pool~ We were lucky enough to have it all to ourselves last night.

Not much else has been going on. Part of me is just loving it, the unstructured time. I am more relaxed than I have been in quite a while, and my children sense the change. I spent yesterday afternoon swinging with Laura, then going for a long berry picking walk. Gavin and I have developed a better friendship, and things aren't as tense as they can be between us. Our chickens are a shared love that is really strengthening our relationship. Who would have thought? 

And then there is Braeden. He is driving me batty. He is like a little tornado, racing around naked, yelling "butt crack."  All. day. long. He never stops. It is near impossible to get him to keep his clothes on, and when I do crack down on the butt crack comments, he looks at me and smiles and says "buck". He is clever enough to know that that isn't a naughty word, but we all know what he is really saying. And he has learned how to lie. "Daddy said I can" is second only to butt crack in our conversations. Sigh...

We really haven't been doing much else, but I need to get a little busier. I need some mental stimulation, and a new project to work on. I have a meeting this afternoon about the school garden, and there will be a lot of work to do after that.

I also need to do something crafty. I haven't done a thing lately, but am starting to get an itch to do something, I'm not sure what yet.

And we might have a foster child or two coming in for an undetermined amount of time. We got a call this morning about three children who are going to become homeless today, and they need emergency placement. We agreed to be available, but aren't sure how things are going to work out. It makes me sad knowing that as I am sitting here typing, the lives of three very young are being turned upside down.

I'll be back soon!

Comments

[Vallen Queen]

Butt crack is kind of fun to say, I mean just in terms of sounds. Sorry. I'll behave. But now when I say someone is buck naked I'll be thinking butt cracked naked.
I have found that boys in general think anything to do with butts, farts and penises is hysterical. It comes with the testosterone poisoning.
Tell him he can say it as much as wants in the privacy of his room. That usually works.

[Roxanne]

Ugh, I feel your pain. I'm dealing with the smart mouth of an almost 3 year old myself. I swear she wants to spend the entire summer in time-out! Your garden photos look amazing!! Glad you are enjoying your summer!

[Em]

I love the updates! Your pictures are really great too. Good luck with the mouthy little one... I wish I knew something to tell you - maybe have him sit on the 'step' or 'stool' each time he says something like that... It has worked pretty well for us with similar problems.