a childs mind

A child's mind thinks "if I can't see them they can't see me".
A child's mind does not think that there may be slime and germs in the dogs water bucket. A child's mind thinks "i am hot, i will cool myself with this wet water".









A child's mind is a beautiful thing.

to be grateful

I cannot recall the inspiration for circle time although I remember the excitement of the first night we began this family ritual. Now each night, I light a candle on the floor of the boys bedroom. They gather and circle around it's warm light. We sit for a moment and reflect on our day. Then one by one we share what we are grateful for that day. When we have finished we blow out the candle and it is re-lit for the next. We have so much to be grateful for and here is a short list of the things I can recall that my sons were grateful for at this nights "circle time"

"that i get to play baseball"
"that Tucker gets to play baseball"
"that Daddy gets to be here for circle time"
"that we have a good strong house"
"that we have cozy warm beds to sleep in"
"that daddy has a good job and makes money for us"
"that we get to do circle time"
"that we got to see nanna and poppa today"
"that Nanna and Poppa like their new house"

Flowers from Rollin

Rollin hurried up to me with a handful of flowers. It was really very sweet but I happened to be in the middle of helping Thadeus get our chicken coop and his truck un-stuck from the mud. So I asked Rollin to set them on the picnic table. I forgot about them and they had not even crossed my mind again until the following afternoon when I saw them in a jar with water on top of the piano. Sweet, sweet Rollin.

easy afternoon at the park

Well Trained

Koda is sort of like my furry side kick. Rollin and I have lovingly nick-named her Koda Coyote because of her appearance. I often call her my fury ball of sunshine because she is always happy. Every morning when I let her out of her crate and feed and water her she is so excited she bounces around constantly checking in with me. She doesn't even begin to eat her breakfast until I walk out of the room. She follows me around through out the day while I do chores and tend to the children and sometimes she rests her head on my feet while I am washing dishes or sitting down to eat. A couple of months or so ago Thadeus and I noticed that when Koda began to bug the boys the would shout "call Koda" and of course we would call her to alleviate their frustration. Usually offering her a pat on the head when she came or maybe a small food treat if it was handy. The interesting part was that she picked up on their command. Now when the boys shout "call Koda" we don't actually have to call her she she retreats from them and comes to find one of us. This evening I was cleaning up the kitchen and Fynn called from the other room, "Mommy" I took my time and as I turned the corner I caught a glimpse of Kodas' rear end heading into the room where he was. She almost always follows me when I go to them if they call, but now she was ahead of me. She looked so proud when I walked in and she was already there checking on Fynn for me.

bedtime grooming

Tucker was combing his wet hair across his head and I was joking about it being a "comb over". The boys were all confused so I began to explain what a "comb over" was. Tucker was shocked to learn that a mans hair can fall out! He said "I thought they just shaved their heads"! I had a good laugh and Tucker appreciates his hair a little more now.

Fynn was also brushing his hair, and his teeth at the same time. He asked "mommy how do I look" then as he continued, he lifted the wrong hand and brushed a gob of toothpaste right through his hair.

Fynn Loves Rock 'n' Roll

Juxe box baby

Fynn wants a new song

T break dance practice

fire power

This past week while I was enjoying the rarity of a lengthy phone conversation with my one and only sister the boys got into a bit of mischief. I had sent them off a couple of times, telling them that i wouldn't be much longer and so I was satisfied when the were playing together at the other end of the house nicely. Then I heard the vacuum cleaner come on just for a moment and then shut back off. Then two little hands shut the doors from the living room where I was to the hall way where they were. The vacuum cleaner came on again for longer this time, and yes I could still hear it even though the doors were shut. So I went to investigate. As I walked into the hallway I could smell smoke (just a little) and I then saw the boys trying to vacuum up a dark spot on the floor. I asked what it was and reached down to touch it. All at once realizing that they were trying to vacuum up the spot where they had some how burnt the carpet! So lets back up a moment. I admit that I had a lighter in my nightstand drawer. I also have candles that I light every single night before I go to bed either to read or write by or just to get ready for bed. So lighter in the drawer and candles and paper and books on top. The boys found the lighter and Tucker and Rollin took turns trying to light the candles. When they finally got them lit, they took turns moving the paper through the flame. Then finally Rollin held a piece of paper and tucker lit it with a lighter and when his fingers got hot he dropped it. When he dropped it the boys tried to blow it out and then threw it in the bathroom trash. Wow So the Douglas boys fire hazard education has begun, or maybe just intensified!


On a similar subject, I was doing school work with Tucker and Rollin had already finished so he was entertaining himself. He was sitting beside me and I knew he was cutting paper but didn't pay any attention as I was focused on Tucker. All of a sudden there was a startling POP! SIZZLE and a puff of smoke! Rollin was so excited and asked if we had seen it. We told him no, so he demonstrated again. He had found a strand of pops for a toy pop gun and learned that if he cut right thought the center of them they go off! It was very entertaining to watch because he was a little nervous but some were duds so there was kind of a jack in the box effect.


Now last but certainly not least. Last year a friend and neighbor stopped by to say hi and while he was here he showed the boys the fascinating skill of starting a fire with a magnifying glass. I was a little worried but they never offered to try it again so I had really forgotten all about it. Then yesterday with the weather warming up and the sun shining brightly I was so excited when Tucker asked if I could get him the magnifying glass. I though to myself how wonderful it is that tucker wants to explore nature and see the wonders of our beautiful back yard up close. Then He said "I'm gonna try to burn a leaf"! Turns out he's a natural.


So I am not sure what to make of all this fascination with fire. I think it is normal and we never totally out grow it but how do I keep them all safe for now?

Marshall

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We call him Marshall because he is suppose to keep peace among the hens, but recently he has elected himself mayor of our humble two acres. He has tested the water with all of us. I think he is learning not to mess with the two legged ones who feed him. But my sweet Koda is getting bullied! I think she may see him as a play mate but I assure you Marshall is not playing. I had her tethered to our clothesline pole so she wouldn't chase the hens while they had run of the yard. The boys were concerned that Koda could still get them. She has in the past chased them down and caught them but luckily not injured any. However I assured them that non of the chickens would come anywhere near koda. So we were all surprised when Marshall came rushing at her. He stayed and taunted her for a while and it actually did resemble two dogs playing together. Marshall of course was the Alpha. They went on and on in circles and back and forth for a while until Marshall had gotten his fill. Then he rejoined the flock.

L & R

Rollin had socks on his feet all day, so when he took them off to get in the bath tonight I was surprised to see that he had labeled them! In green marker, L for Left and R for Right and not only did he label the tops, he labeled the bottoms of his feet too! He is also sporting a pirate ship tattoo on his forearm right now and various stamps that he gave himself. He has been practicing head stands and hand stands and I was impressed today to see him in a full hand stand for a at least 5 seconds! He also does sort of a angular walking hand stand. It doesn't last very long but still fun to watch.