Rocks & Hammerman

Summer in Maryland isn't complete without a trip to Hammerman. I was a little nervous to go since summertime is prime time for busloads of day camp/care kids to arrive and "borrow" all your sand toys, but we lucked out. The weather was perfect, the beach wasn't crowded, and no buses arrived. Marley and I planned to leave right before lunch but ended up staying until around 2 because the kids were all having so much fun. 

Someone is finally getting around to liking the beach

Catherine, Emma & Seth had a blast together

Elise is quite the beach baby. I love it!

We still haven't made it to a real beach yet this year, but my kids are content with Hammerman so far!

Nadara

(Grandpa Scott--I'm warning you right now: this post is all about snakes!)

Our good friends were heading out west for a long family vacation and asked if anyone would be willing to take care of their pet snake while they were gone. I thought my kids would enjoy the experience so I offered. It was an exciting day when Nadara the ball python arrived:

Seth's face is my favorite: 

like he's thrilled to have her but terrified she might turn and chomp on his leg

Seth loved Nadara, but Catherine ADORED her. No surprise from the girl who also loves all bugs:

Aaron wasn't quite as enthralled. He liked Nadara but wasn't prone to carrying her around.

He did like trying to scare her, though (despite our lectures):

Nadara had quite an adventure at our house. She enjoyed exploring our patio and kiddie pool:

She also got to try out the trampoline and terrify our neighbor girl.

I think she actually met most of our neighbors plus everyone who came to our house.

She also got stuck in our couch twice.

It was a sad day when Nadara had to go back home. We've had to go visit her once already. Seth has also written a proposal to his dad asking permission to buy a snake. It's going to be an expensive pursuit: a brand new snake plus cage, accessories and frozen rats runs about $300. We'll see if their enthusiasm continues for as long as it takes to save up that money (they currently have about $130). If nothing else, it has inspired a new love for Catherine. She checked out literally every snake book from our library, plus has sat through several documentaries about snakes. I'm impressed she still wants one after watching about cobras and black mambas...

Seth's Birthday Interview

(Possibly the fastest interview Seth has ever conducted due to the fact that I was keeping him from playing Roblox):

1. What's your favorite color? "Red. I just like it."

2. What is your favorite food? "Eggs over medium." (He just discovered this and requests it almost every morning).

3. Who is your best friend? "Gabriel Knox. Cause I met him when he was one. And he's just my friend."

4. What's your favorite movie? "Harry Potter. Sixth. I really like the inferi."

5. What's your favorite toy? (here he leaves the room and comes back with a Lego gun he made that morning) "A Lego ray gun. I'll show you its power cord."

6. What's your favorite game to play? "Roblox. It's fun." (After my skepticism): "It's fun! I'm  a nine year old boy! I can say whatever I want."

7. What's your favorite game to play on the Wii? "Super Mario Bros with Dad, Gabe & Catherine."

8. What's your favorite snack? "Chocolate chip cookies" (random: we rarely have these).

9. What's your favorite animal? (insert huge, long pause) "I gotta think! What are those things that fly in Harry Potter? (Me: "Um, dragons?") "Yeah, dragons!"

10. What do you want to be when you grow up? "A mutant. A mutant!" (After I insisted that even mutants need a career) "I'd like to be a video game tester."

11. What's your favorite song? "My favorite song is Harry Potter: Hedwig's Theme. I had to play it for my recital like two trillion billion times and now it's stuck in my head."

12. What's your favorite Primary song? "Gethsemane."

13. What's your favorite book? "Harry Potter. All of them."

He then proceeded to lunge off the couch and attack me. A very typical nine-year-old boy interview, I would imagine. 

Seth at Nine

Dear Seth Man,

I wish there were a way to force you to slow down this growing up ordeal. I honestly feel like you just turned eight last month and now you're suddenly nine?! I'm more than a little afraid of how quickly the next years are going to pass. Part of the reason we've decided to homeschool again this year is because I'm desperate to actually have time to interact with you (besides to tell you to do chores or go to bed).

You are constantly reading, listening, and asking questions. We made a question wall just for you to write down questions. Currently you want to find out more about scurvy, lockjaw, strokes, and opera. Every time you read you'll ask me about words you don't know or phrases you don't quite understand. I love it and I'm grateful you're not embarrassed to ask. I also love that you read so much that you mispronounce words because you've only read them, never heard them ("hahds" = Hades). I do the same thing occasionally.

You are also still our social guy. Today we went on a walk along a fairly busy walking/jogging path. Any time someone made eye contact you would strike up a conversation. Age is no barrier--anyone can be the recipient of a Seth interrogation (or a Seth soliloquy).

"Devices" (your laptop, the Wii, and various tablets) are your favorite form of entertainment. You could literally play all day if we'd let you (we don't). I don't mind Minecraft, but I hate Roblox. You, of course, prefer Roblox. In an attempt to channel your enthusiasm, we have you enrolled in an online Minecraft coding class. You love it. Not sure coding is going to be a real hobby, but at least the concepts will be there. Dad is also working on teaching you Python. We figure if you're going to spend that much time on electronics, you might as well learn how they work!

When I kick you off electronics, you're a voracious reader. You still prefer comics (Dilbert is your current favorite for some reason) but you'll happily read whatever you find laying around. I'm always impressed with your comprehension, especially when I'm trying to read aloud while Elise and Aaron are fighting.

Your best friends are still Gabe and Jack, but you'll happily play with just about anyone. You spent an entire Hammerman trip hanging out with a four-year-old girl you met. You always want your friends to come here so you can play electronics together. I usually make you play outside or in the basement first.

I love that you still make an effort to give me hugs several times a day. You haven't reached the "I'm too cool/tough/old for Mom" stage yet and I hope you never will. I love my Seth hugs.

You still wake up almost every morning right at 7 am since you know you can play on your laptop until breakfast (after you "read and feed": read your scriptures and feed your fish).

You are quite cooperative about getting your school and chores done. You don't love it, but it's not a constant battle of wills like with Catherine. You are, however, quite good at magically getting Catherine to do things for you or to "help" you with your chores.

You still spend quite a lot of time making up games for you & Catherine to play. They're almost all in "video game in real life" format, with levels and weaponry that improves with each round. And you still always win.

You love getting to stay up later than the other kids, and you especially love getting to stay up extra late to play Wii with Dad. One night you asked me to play, too. I quit after you both yelled at me several times for getting in your way during Mario Bros.

You make up your own soundtrack while you play. Right now I can hear you humming to yourself in between explosion sounds and dialogue while you play Legos in your room.

We love you, Seth Blood. Thank you for being so happy, so easygoing, so willing to do the right thing. Feel free to take a little longer before turning ten!

Seth Turns 9

Normally my kids' birthday cereal choice is dictated by whatever happens to be at Aldi the day I take them shopping. Not Seth's. He knew exactly what he wanted (and I must say that is was probably the best junk cereal I've ever had).

All he wanted for his birthday was to play electronics with no time limits.

And apparently no shirts:

He didn't get to lounge around shirtless all day: he had a swim meet that evening.

We celebrated by bringing Aldi Cup Cakes to share with friends:

A few days later we had his requested birthday party. I was a little bit nervous about how his party was going to go down. Seth is a very social guy and invited everyone he talked to. I anticipated a smaller party but ended up with seven boys and one Catherine. Doesn't sound too bad, but a few of his friends have some sensory or behavioral triggers that I was worried would explode in a powder keg of little boy meltdowns. Thankfully all went smoothly and the boys enjoyed an evening of chaotic, screaming Nerf wars and Minecraft. Perfect little boy party!

Gabe came over early and helped make the toppers for the cupcakes

Minecraft-themed cupcakes

Enjoying being sang to

Someone else enjoyed the leftover ice cream and cupcakes the boys left on the table.

A massive Minecraft game.

Alex, Jack, Jack, Seth, Khan, Catherine, Gabe & Benjamin

Thanks to swim meets and other awesome stuff Seth got to extend the birthday fun until Sunday when he finally got to open his gifts from family. As always, he was quite a spoiled young man:

Happy ninth, Seth Man! Stop getting so big!

July Fun

One time we stopped at Wendy's before a swim meet. I got the kids Frosties and got myself a Dr. Pepper. Guess which one Elise claimed as her own? Caffeinated toddlers are the best! 

Aaron likes to find the absolute messiest way to consume a Frosty.

Catherine was very proud of this MagnaTile tower she build (with a little help from Daddy):

Free Slurpee day is always a hit:

Once again, Elise stole my drink:

We celebrated Luke's birthday by trying to blow out his candles for him:

Then we enjoyed playing in their awesome woods:

Aaron, Paul, Catherine & Elise on a log.

You can't tell, but there's a small cliff right in front of them.

Perfect place to sit.

We had a Relief Society activity at Rocks State Park. 

This may be the only RS activity I attend all year.

Aaron & Elise enjoyed our new tube:

Catherine was great at giving rides:

There is nothing like a Lohr's apple cider slushie on a miserable, humid summer day:

Catherine is officially at the "take a picture of me doing this, Mom!" stage:

Elise thinks she is very big and now refuses the baby swings:

Childhood rite of passage: the fingerpaint disaster

We are loving summer so far!

Independence Day

Celebratory Fourth of July pigtails!

Catherine's red (pink) white and blue outfit creation

Aaron is also patriotic.

Seth (not pictured) was not going to wear red, white and blue 

but eventually gave in to sibling pressure.

Two proud American sisters

Much to Jon's dismay, we attended the local parade. The only reason he was at all inclined to go was because our friend Bekah was marching with her high school band. We arrived just in time to watch her go past. Jon was all for immediately heading back to the car, but we found the Knoxes and stayed with them for a little longer. Elise was happy to commandeer one of their chairs:

Aaron was a little nervous about noisy things and especially nervous about the zombies (there was a float advertising for a haunted corn maze that was trailed by a small pack of zombies) but overall he enjoyed the whole thing much more than I anticipated:

Not sure how easy it is to enjoy a parade with a Gabe on your head, but Seth seemed to:

(please note that Catherine actually let me do her hair with red, white & blue ponytails)

Jon didn't let us stay for the entire parade, but the kids were okay since we went home and did our (very lame) fireworks. We started off with the poppers:

But then Elise pulled out the big guns:

She was slightly terrified of the sparklers:

As was Aaron:

Seth & Catherine are old pros by now:

 

For the first year ever, I decided to take the big kids to watch the real firework show. It started at 9:30 pm, which is WAY past all our bedtimes, but we did it anyway. We managed to score a seat on the sidewalk right across the street from the launch site. 

After some waiting (I may have erroneously thought it started at 9 pm), they were both thrilled by the show. They especially liked the "fizzy" explosions and the loud exploding bursts. It was a pretty good show, especially the finale. We were all very impressed. 

I was sure at least Catherine would fall asleep on the drive home but I underestimated the level of crazy these two can reach after 10 pm. Despite a much longer than usual drive thanks to detours around firework crowds, they were both totally awake and obnoxious when we arrived home. But I think sometimes it's worth the late nights to make those memories. 

A Little Bit of Jon

Jon has spent the last many, many years working for CBRN at AMSAA (yes, I grilled him about acronyms last night and yes, I'm probably still getting them wrong). They're the ones who had him on the Dugway project, which I am perfectly happy to see wrapped up. But apparently there's a group called AMCAG that gets to demand people occasionally and Jon was demanded. So sometime in September or October (it keeps getting shifted) he'll be changing over. He's not thrilled to be leaving the Dugway project since he's basically the only one who knows what's going on, but what can you do? He also wasn't thrilled about the new job at first but perked up a bit after hearing about some potential for interesting projects. No idea how long this "rotation" will last at AMCAG. I told him I don't care as long as it doesn't end up with us moving to Huntsville. 

I've already whined about seminary, which takes up most of his time when he's not at work. But what about those rare, precious hours when he's not working or working on seminary?  Usually the answer to that question is "Elise. All the time." If Elise is awake and Jon is home, she's typically in his arms. 

Mario Kart expert challenge level: the toddler on lap

Jon has always been a dedicated home teacher. He faithfully visits every month and is happy to help with needs. As proof of his willingness, here's Jon with dogs:

Those who know about Jon's hatred of fur and drool will appreciate the depth of his service here. The kids, however, were thrilled to walk the dogs while the family vacationed. Hope they enjoyed it because this is as close as they're ever going to get to owning a dog. 

I'm grateful Jon has the summer off from seminary. For the first time in a long time he's had time to play on his computer. He's also helping the kids master Super Mario Brothers and has been teaching Seth Python (a computer coding language). I know that once seminary starts up we're likely to lose any free time, so I'm enjoying it while it lasts. 

I'm so grateful for everything Jon does for our family. I honestly don't know how he manages to do it all and still be able to help with maintaining some basic levels of cleanliness (for the house and the children). I do like to whine about not having him around, but I know he's setting a great example of service for our kids.

Garden Grow

Our first "real" garden has been a lot of fun. Aaron especially enjoys hunting down squash and cucumbers for me. Catherine loves joining me in the evenings when I go pick (I can't pick during the day because the cucumbers are constantly swarming with bees). I really enjoy my one-on-one Catherine time, even if she is just trying to stall before bedtime. 

Aaron's squash

Guess they weren't kidding about squash...

I expected lots of squash and zucchini. I'd heard they were quite prolific and was looking forward to filling my freezer. But no one told me about cucumbers! Jon went out one day and picked over 30 pounds of cucumbers. I only planted two mounds, but apparently this has been an excellent year for cucumbers. We can't give them away fast enough! As of August we're estimating we've picked over 100 lbs of cucumbers so far. 

Another day, another haul:

The garden as it really started to take off:

The garden a month later:

Things I've learned so far:

-two cucumber mounds, two pumpkin mounds, one butternut squash mound and four squash plants don't fit in one smallish garden.

-Fungicide needs to be sprayed early and often here in Maryland. We lost several tomato plants, plus the cucumbers, squash and pumpkins all got powdery mildew and won't survive much longer.

-Bermuda grass is Satan's grass.

-Zucchini can grow from "a little too small" to "giant baseball bat" overnight.

-The deer will eat anything that grows outside the fence. Thankfully they haven't tried to jump inside. We've also successfully kept all rabbits out with our awesome fencing skills. 

-Gardens can survive with fairly minimal care (except for fungicide). I was really dedicated about weeding and feeding at the beginning, but once the plants got big enough I just gave up. And they're all fine!

I'm excited to try again next year with my newfound knowledge.