More - More - Summer - Summer

We've been soaking in all the "summer" we can around here. It's been a bit rough on the motivation to break out the crockpot or make apple pie, but it's been so very, very worth it after the incredibly late spring we had! I couldn't say "no" when the girls begged to wear these overly-summery outfits last week. It's not often I have troubles saying "no", but I couldn't squelch this pure joy about the combination of warm weather and crunchy leaves!

In this first picture here, I think Sunny Mouse looks so much like my Grandma and her family. She has one certain expression where she does. Then, she can change and look just like my Auntie Linda and my Grandpa Don. Then, of course, there's the Grandpa Bob look that's been around since she was born! The other day, she added some of Daddy's side into the mix, too, for good measure!

This is my relaxed Miss Mouse just enjoying herself and the weather and those crunchy, wonderful leaves. She was throwing them into the air to be caught by the 50 mph wind gusts.

Sunny decided she wanted to be a doggy. Miss Mouse had been jumping rope (another of her summer accomplishments - getting started on doing so, anyway), and Sunny wanted some attention from Big Sis!

You can judge whether Sunny is a "good dog" and a "good listener" or not by their expressions! She's a "fun dog" for sure!










This week is supposed to cool off and bring us more fall-like temperatures. Bring on the apple pies and soups! Deep in the middle of winter, though, we will survive by remembering these gorgeous gifts of warm October days!

800 in 4

It wasn't until our way home that I realized what I had done.

800 miles. 4 days. 3 girls. Combined age in the car of 37.

I'm glad I didn't know how foolish I was being because we might not have started out at all.

We'd have missed one incredible journey.

When we arrived in Wisconsin at 7:30 p.m., after having left home at 10:30 a.m., we were greeted by these adorable blue eyes. He even helped his Mommy hold the door for us, motioned with his little hand, and said, "Go 'head, Wadies." My heart melted. There's something about meeting a friend's child....seeing parts of my friend, parts of her husband, living, breathing evidence of their love and devotion to each other. I feel the same way each time I get to be with long-time friends and their kiddos; after not seeing each other for four years, in which time we added three children to our friendship equation, it was both overwhelming and relieving to finally get to meet Sarah's little ones!

Miss Mouse loved on Sweet Baby as often as possible.


Miss Mouse is determined that Sweet Baby wants to be held and cuddled. I'm thinking Sweet Baby wants to chew on some magnets. But what do I know?


Miss Mouse is determined.



The sweet smile of success! A compromise was achieved between the two of them, I believe.

Sunny Mouse and Sir Gentleman are the same age, nearly exactly...within a few weeks. They're also nearly the same size. They were fairly adorable together.

I'm still not sure what he was asking her, but after our chivalrous meeting our first night (I can't remember the last time anyone called me a "lady" and meant it in a respectful, loving way!), I'm sure it was entirely appropriate and sweet.

We did stop them from running into the cornfield, though. They're adventurous...but they're still two and fairly small...compared to a corn stalk, anyway.

Miss Mouse is really taking the backyard cornfield in, mainly because we had a discussion on the way there about how corn grew taller than Daddy. She didn't believe me until she stood right by the field. I like her discerning curiosity, but, really, I was right!

As I said, Sweet Baby got loved on at every turn.

If Miss Mouse loved on Sweet Baby, then certainly Sunny Mouse needed to, as well.

When we got home, Sunny told me that, "Babies are a lot like kitties. They like to crawl around and chew on things. Yes, they're a lot like kittens."

I should mention there was a cat and dog in Wisconsin, too. Poor Condoleza the Cat was being "loved" whenever Sweet Baby was not! Miss Mouse is quite adamant that she "taught" Condoleza to shake hands and to roll over.

This trip took place in August, so we were happy to have cool, wet relief from the heat. I love that they are so close to the same size and so interested in playing together, having their own conversation even.

We mommies laughed at how you can see their ribs. Whenever they'd get ready to run into the ice cold water, they'd suck in their breath, and their little rib cages would poke out.

Any poking rib cages were not for lack of yummy food! We gorged ourselves on corn and fresh tomatoes one evening (literally, my girls grabbed the fresh garden tomatoes from the counter...after permission was granted, I think....and started eating them like apples!), and, after running out of time our second night for a s'mores campfire, Sarah lit a fire for us to have our s'mores party....at 10:00 a.m.! The mommies decided we had to work with what we had, and in the evening we had four tired, exhausted children. In the morning, we had three that were pretty excited about s'mores!

I think Miss Mouse looks so hilariously dignified eating her s'more in this picture.

Sunny was determined that we were to eat s'mores at the picnic table...which was in the hot sunshine...and was across the yard from the shade and campfire. The rest of us stayed in the shade; she sat with her back to us and munched her treat for 20 minutes. That's my little determined Mouse!

But she's not really my dignified one.

The mommies desperately wanted a group shot of our kiddos together. I realize this one is out-of-focus, with an exhausted-looking Miss Mouse, but the two little big kids are so sweet looking, I had to post it! Plus, Miss Mouse has her "tree" that she made from random paper she collected from Sarah.

Our next attempt at a group shot now that Sweet Baby is up from her nap. The littlest girls are apparently not impressed with this idea. Big girl is trying her best to get them together.

Sir Gentleman is tired by now; he may have been still waking up from his own nap. Or it could just be that it is bright, bright, BRIGHT out, and two mommies are attempting to take thousands of pictures! This might be the winner of all we got.

Clearly it is bright outside.

This one is decent, too, but by now there is a definite interest by Sir Gentleman in his foot.

We had such a great time visiting our sweet friends in Wisconsin. Three hundred miles, nine hours, countless stops, broken air conditioning in the vehicle, four children ages four and under ( two 2-year olds), the closest daddy 300 miles away....farthest daddy half a world away, massive amounts of corn, one cat, one dog, 40 hours, two friends, one bottle of wine, several cups of coffee.....I'm attempting a bit of humor, but really, it was an inspiring weekend and one that I can't entirely put into words.

Possibly I should have put a disclaimer on this for Grandpa Dick not to look at this one. Sunny found his bear when we traveled to Auntie Steph's (we were, at that point, visiting our third state of our trip). She didn't hurt him, but she did kiss him several times and stare sweetly into his eyes.

Auntie Steph was incredibly prepared for our visit! She even had colored bubbles! It didn't even occur to Mommy here that colored bubbles = Super Mess. Thankfully they were also super washable, so there was no harm done. But there sure was a lot of fun had!

I really don't know what she found or how it got around her head. The girls pretty much attack and latch onto their aunties when they have the chance, and I just get to enjoy the photo opportunities!

Barkley - He's a sweetie and didn't seem to mind his home being invaded. I think we even took his room!

They were wired. It was so exciting for them to get to see Auntie Steph's place, though. The last time I was there, we were three months pregnant with Miss Mouse, so it was about time the girls visited Auntie Steph's house! As with many families, I think, it's so convenient to meet at the grandparents' place, and it's so fun to do that, too. But it really was neat for them to be able to see where their aunt lives.

Auntie Steph even handled the bathing.

She's so proud and so, so squealy!

Here we are at the last step of our journey of 800 miles. It has become a tradition, apparently, for Grandpa Dick to hold sleeping Sunny at a family wedding each summer. Her first summer, he had her to sleep for Daddy's cousin Chrisy's wedding to her husband Paul; Sunny's second summer, it was Auntie Laura and Uncle Jon's wedding where she napped on Grandpa Dick; this third summer, she fell asleep in the car (thank goodness!) after the wedding, so I gave her to him for the reception. She stayed asleep with him over an hour!

At that point, we were in our fourth state, on our fourth day of travel, 500 miles into our journey, and we were exhausted but were having such a fun time! Thankfully, Grandma Kathy rode home with us on our last stretch of the trip on Sunday. I'm not sure those last three hours would have gone very well without her along. As they were, we stopped once (twice?) for an upset Sunny-tummy, and our vehicle could probably have been shown on some type of reality hording show or something.

All in all, though, it was an incredibly blessed weekend for me, and I think for all of us. To be able to make it alone with my girlies on such a long trip is something of which I'm proud...but more so something for which I'm thankful. I'm thankful we can run as a well-oiled-machine together, but I'm equally thankful that at the end of the day, at the end of the trip, no matter how long a day or how many miles the trip, we have a Daddy who is home with us. Since August I've been inspired to work harder, to work smarter, to continue being consistent in discipline and in patience, to seriously pare down my priority list, to let go of work I don't have to do so that I can focus on that which I should, and to above all honor the calling which God has issued me and to honor the calling God has given my husband.

Yep, it was definitely worth pushing through the 800 in 4.

This is the Way We Wash Our Clothes....

I don't have many words for these pictures. I don't think they need many. We were privileged enough to spend the day with Grammy and Grandpa Bob and to meet up with a dear friend at a reenactment-style event where the girls were allowed and welcomed to fully participate in the activities. There are days I have to pinch myself to be sure I'm not dreaming; these days are so good.

Perhaps starting a new fashion trend? Blending the contemporary with the definitely-traditional.

Miss Mouse spent a large chunk of her afternoon washing clothes by hand. The most modern thing was the glass washboard, for which I was thankful. She and my friend had to chase down dirty laundry in the pie-baking area to keep her dirty laundry pile well-supplied. The ladies making pie over Dutch ovens in a fire pit were more than happy to supply the needed soiled aprons and dish clothes. I spent most of the afternoon marvelling at the inter-generational activity that went on so naturally. There was no separate area for children, save the hourly games that were played; the little boys chased frogs; some little girls helped. Other little girls smacked each other's faces, and their aunts working by their sides, with flour from pie crust and added finishing touches of cherry juice.

She's serious about her job.

Evidence of a hard day's work

I love thinking about a day where this was an astoundingly advanced technological breakthrough. I'm thankful to have come home to a central air conditioned home, but I'm thankful, too, for the opportunity to show our Mice what a community working together looks like, how life and work really were back in the "good ol' days", and for the chance for them to be enveloped into a group of people of all ages working together.

Swingin'

Adding to the long list of accomplishments of the summer, Miss Mouse learned to "pump" herself in the swing earlier this season. With her long legs, it came sort of easily, and she's got a lot of power behind her pumping.

She perhaps gets a bit higher than I'm comfortable with....a bit faster than I'd like...

But she loves how her hair flies in the breeze...sometimes the breeze her own swinging has created....


She's practiced at our house...at the park...pretty much where she sees a swing...

And I have no idea where my baby went.....But I sure love the bright, intense, thoughtful, energetic, hard-working little girl Miss Mouse is becoming. I thought these milestones might be bittersweet, steps away from needing me as much, but instead they are such wonderful steps towards becoming who she is as a girl, someday as a young woman....Every day, honestly every day, I am thankful and honored to be part of her life. What a privilege is parenthood! What an incredible privilege to watch and be part of these milestones!

A "Sunny" Day

With so much focus lately on the most recent accomplishments of Miss Mouse, I thought it was time for some focus on Sunny Mouse. Miss Mouse needed some 'down time' today prior to getting ready for our outdoor play, so Sunny and I enjoyed some camera time while Big Sister got ready to come outside....without hurrying.

Sunny loves sticks. This is her "big, big stick"; thankfully she's a good listener because she REALLY wants this one to come in the house with her. Instead she dutifully lays it outside the front door before we head in. I have a picture of Miss Mouse holding a pumpkin while wearing the same jacket this time of year two years ago.

This pretty flower was not planted in our yard by me. Then again, neither was the corn that we have growing amidst the hostas. Both are welcome. This happy fellow is cheerier than his corn counterparts, though.

My sweet Sunny playing in the mud. How she got big enough to look like a little girl, I have no idea. I must have blinked at some point.

This is the sweet girl I hang onto when I do toddler-battle with the whining habit she's attempting get rid of. This is who she really is, and what a privilege it is to be the one chosen to shape her and help her grow and develop.

What you can't really tell is that she's got most of her body laying in the strawberry bed and is intent on something. She must have found a ripe one in the middle of the bed.

I laughed and laughed at this expression! She didn't say a word this time, actually, just gave me this look of "what are you DOING? And why aren't you HELPING me? There's a RIPE one here!". There were actually three, bright, red little jewels. She's got a good eye!

Mouse-isms

We've had some sweet Mouse-isms around here lately.

1. The other day, Sunny woke up asking for her blanket. Daddy couldn't find it; Mommy was on a run. Miss Mouse apparently leaned over and offered Sunny one of her very special blankies since Sunny's "must be in the dryer". Sunny soundly rejected the offer, earning herself a discussion about how to be polite when a sister is offering assistance, and Miss Mouse earned much praise for her ability to share and give, even something dear to her heart.

2. Tonight as we were cuddling before bed, Miss Mouse smiled at me and said, "I'm so glad you're my mama. I really wanted a mommy named Mama." How I hope she never changes that thought. As often as I wanted to push boundaries with my parents (not big stuff - i.e., wanting to see PG-13 movies prior to age 13 or R movies before age 17...didn't really happen; wanting to drive to the 'big city' with friends at age 15, 16, 17...didn't happen; wanting certain brands of clothes...didn't happen), I never wanted them to be people they weren't; I was always proud to have them around, even at my high school events; I would have loved for my Mom to be able to have chaperoned more trips than they were financially able to have her chaperone; I've always been so glad to have been my parents' daughter, my sister's sister, my grandparents' granddaughter, my uncles' and aunts' niece, my in-law's in-law,....And I hope that Mr. T and I have that type of relationship with these Mice as they grow.

3. This one came from Sunny. She was attempting to break into her older sister's diatribe the other day and was not getting very far. Finally I heard her shout, "I am TWYING to be youw fwend!!!" I intervened at that point, and we all had yet another conversation about how to converse. I was pretty proud of my smallest one to have been able to put her emotions and thoughts together enough to pull out a phrase like that, though, when she was so very irritated and frustrated!