Chainsaw Time

Our Labor Day weekend began with yard work.  Cesar chopped up the fallen tree and in the process decided to cut/hack/wack and chainsaw a path through the wild rose hedge to the neighbors.  It was a big job.  Hugo and his little pal Sevren have been running the long way around the yard to play with each other.  I'm a tad nervous that the girls have a new escape hatch out of the safety of our yard, but we'll see how it goes.  Next summer we are putting up a fence for sure, Miss Trouble and Troublette will be running major circles around me I'll bet.  Please pray for me.

While Cesar worked, the rest of us played, and we played for most of the day in our jammies!  But as the day progressed, and it was time for me to start dinner, the girls were all up in my hair being whiny and slap hitting each other (Marlo is Queen of Slap Hitting and Sabine is a Biter.  Lovely times, lovely times.)  Outside I went to plead with Cesar for back up.  He said he needed to finish his work cleaning up the tree mess.  I wanted to cry, I was burnt out.  And then my sweet husband offered that if I would let him finish his job, and give him time to shower, he'd take us all out to eat at Mrs Lucy's.  Done deal and it was yummy in my tummy and just the change of pace I needed.

Eating out with the girls is an experience.  Both girls need highchairs, of course.  But one of those highchairs must have a working buckle lock or we might as well just order take out and call the evening quitsville because Sabine is a Houdini wanna be and will be out of her highchair in mere seconds and off and running.  Tonight Hugo and Sabine were angels and Marlo was twisted.  In the end, she settled and all worked out.  I even finished my steak.

We went swimming at the pool for the last time this season.  So sad.  Summer is way too short!  Hugo really was a fish this summer.  It has been great fun watching his progress in the water.  I'm thinking for next summer to sign up for back to back half hour lessons.  Maybe even a brief stint of swimming lessons at the Y this winter for a refresher.  Maybe even a trip to sunny southern Spain where I've heard that a certain family we know well has obtained a house with a pool and guest quarters a block up from the beach.  I hope the sheets will be settled and clean possibly sometime this coming January/February??!

Green Beans for Dinner

Hugo helped me pick green beans tonight.  He has loved giving me reports on our little garden.  He turns over the leaves and looks for cucumbers and daily tracts the size of our one watermelon and two cabbages.  Hopefully next year we'll find a sunnier patch to plant in and he'll still be anxious to help.

Got Milk?

Before heading to the pool this morning, the kids and I stopped at Subway for sandwiches and drinks.  I don't know what it is about eating tuna fish made by someone other than myself, but I sure do find it tasty, so I got a 6" tuna while Hugo and the girls split a ham & cheese.  The idea of Subway stuck in my head as I began to pack our lunch cooler.  I had filled up the girls sippy cups with ice and water and reached for my trusty Ragu jar (I swear I am not suddenly pushing product placement here on the blog) to fill it also with ice and water to be chilly chill later on.  Think I sound a bit odd with my homemade thermos/water bottle?  Well, it works awesome!  I can stuff tons of ice in my Ragu wide mouthed glass jar, we aren't supposed to have glass containers at the pool, I live real dangerous.  As I reached for my Ragu jar I discovered it to have vanished.  I remembered putting it on the lower shelf of the lazy susan, underneath the breakfast cereal, but it wasn't there...  Cesar!  Cesar did it!  I didn't even have to call and bug him to find out.  I knew with every fiber of my being that my husband Cesar was the culprit, that he had thrown out my beloved jar thinking it to be trash.  It's glass!  It's reusable!  What was I going to drink my icy water from at the pool?  Subway it was.

Hugo's face is white not from drinking milk, but from downing a vanilla ice cream cone.  He asked if I knew why we had tongues.  When I replied no, he told me that, "We have tongues to clean our faces."

Sabine disappeared on me in the yard.  I noticed the front door had been left open and hoped she had drifted indoors.  Upon entering the foyer I called out her name, "Sabine, are you in here?"  Nothing.  Then I had a spark of motherly inspiration and called out, "Sabine, want a cookie?"  Instantly I heard, "No." followed by a scrambling sound and then running feet exiting from Hugo's room.  These days, the word no covers all the bases.

Since returning home from vacation I've been bitten by the must make bug and I've been knitting, knitting, and knitting.  I've missed it.

Blogging is King

I'm back.  Why so long away?  I have no good answer.  We've been back from Wisconsin for over a month now, I just haven't blogged.  Just haven't.

My mother did stay for an extra weeks visit after she helped me drive the children home.
It was super, super hot weather wise.
We had two solid weeks of swim classes for Master Hugo.
The girls have been busy bees, two - or should I say, four steps - ahead of me at all times!
We've missed Papa during this busy, busy work summer of his.  A lot.

I suppose I'll back date some posts to fill in the gap.  But know this, I am back. 

Sounds of Home

The girls were playing happily with Carly in the sandbox when my Dad began to mow the lawn.  Marlo jumped up looking toward the sound she knew so well, and began waving and waving as she called out, "Papa, Papa, Papa!"  Both girls were surprised and bewildered to see my Father ride past them on the mower.  Sounds of home.

My sister Millie is giving me mini lessons on using my new camera, today I shot in "m".  It was exciting!  And hard.