Memorial Day Picnic

I managed to convince my husband to attend our church's annual Memorial Day Picnic today!  I figured it out that the last time we attended was the summer that Hugo was a baby.  That's a long time ago folks.  We didn't stay long, but there was lots of food (a yummy yellow cake with layers of pineapple and cool whip was my favorite!), great weather, plenty of willing hands to hold the babies and games. 

First there was the doughnut game for the little kids.  Hugo joined in.  His string was a little on the high side so Cesar gave him a boost up upon his knee.  It was fun to watch him try to keep his hands behind his back, he lasted mere seconds with that pose.  In the end, Hugo used his shoulder as a handy doughnut capturing tool.

Our Miss Sabine made a new friend in a little one named Benjamin.

The second game was intended for the teenagers, 

but a few of the younger folk joined in this yummy pie eating contest.

The third and final game was for the adults.  I heard it was going to be M&M's on a plate so I convinced Cesar to participate.  Told him how he'd love it!  He was afraid that there would be whip cream involved.  Whip cream on M&M's?  No way!  I told him as I dragged him by the arm back to a waiting picnic table in the pavilion.  He sat down.  Grabbed a plate.  Spied the bags of M&M's and gave me the look of, "Babe, this one is gonna be easy!"  See the first pic.  Confidence!  Then...  from over his shoulder, the out of the can style whipped topping (Cesar's worst nightmare of all time) was snaked all over his tasty M&M's.  Check out the above middle pic and the look of disappointment on his face.  I felt sorry for him.  But hold your horses folks, it got worse.  Sister Webster doubled back with her spray can in hand, for a second helping of that delicious spray cream.  Check out photo number three.  I love how Cesar raised his glasses to rub his eyes in hopes it was all a bad dream!

Gotta give it to him!  He played the good sport and dove in there with the rest of them.  A moment later though... he bailed.  He laughed and tried to hide his plate under the table.  He told me the cream nearly made him gag.

*Interesting note about my Cesar, he does not like whip cream, custard or pudding of any sort, but he eats yogurt and ice cream like they're going out of style.  Cesar has never eaten a Twinkie or a most delicious root beer float.  Ever.  And my brothers have sure tried to change that.

** Sabine blew her first raspberry today! 

Love

How sweet are they?!  I so look forward to watching these girls grow and witness all the special twin-ness happen between them.  Already, they're baby time has been very different from Hugo's.  I did know it would be different.  Just wasn't prepared for how truly different it is.   The change in Hugo progressing from only child to big brother of two little girls has been marvelous to behold.  He hasn't missed a beat.  Not one single, crazy Hugo beat!  Jumping from two people to three, was huge.  It was something which Cesar and I had craved after for such a long time, but my goodness...  Jumping from three to five is major!  Sometimes, I feel like we cheated.  It's a funny thing how infertility can mess with your brain.  Our girls are perfect.  We are so very, very blessed.  We are 5 now.

Beds

So many of our photos are taken in my bed 

that I decided to show the kids in their own beds for once. 

The first is of Sweet Sabine, fresh home from church and newly settled in her crib.

Sabine likes her yellow giraffe.  He winds up to play a soft tune

while his head bobs around in a slow circle.  She digs it. 

Second is a pic of Miss Marlo, out cold.

Happily shocked I was, to find her knocked out so quickly.

She was my inspiration to run for the camera!

Notice her Sleep Sheep in the upper left hand corner, what an awesome baby toy.

I give full credit to the Sleep Sheep for helping out little cranky pants to sleep.

She likes to look at him through drousy eyes, as she rolls on her side while sucking on her shoosha. 

Last but not least is Master Hugo tucked snug in his big boy bed.

We had already read a story and I had closed his door behind me to go check on the girls.

After my photo shots of the girls, I knocked on his door and said 

that I needed a photo of him in his bed to match the girls.

He obliged me with a smile, closed his eyes again and passed out!

Thursday

Our Thursday began slow and sleepy.  Hugo had a low grade temp and wanted to stay home from school.  The morning found us lollygagging around the house with the girls as we tried to stay cool in the morning heat.  Hugo had a friends birthday party to attend right after school and I was on the fence about if we would go or not, Hugo wasn't sick, sick.  The gift was wrapped and waiting, the girls had been dressed in their party attire, yet we waited, still unsure I was.  Then the phone rang and our decision was made...  Doot, da doot, daaaaa doooo Papa was coming home early!  With back-up on the way, we decided we would celebrate at our friend Rowan's party.  When I went in search of Hugo to tell him the good news, I found him passed out in the big chair.

After the party and a trip to Sonic, we arrived back home where Cesar announced that today was the day that the dead pine was coming down and that he was the MAN to make it happen!  "Could you please call the neighbor for help?" became my mantra for the day.  Nope.  My husband was determined to do the job alone.

I backed up the van way, way down the lane just in case the tree landed where it wasn't supposed to.  Cesar moved his truck and his new fancy pants tractor far, far away also.  Don't want anything to happen to the tractor!

See that tiny spot of blue up on the ladder?  That's Cesar.  A few hours later he was up twice as high sawing off limbs all around the trunk.  I couldn't handle it.  I had to go in the house.  Hugo was in and out.  He was very curious.  He did sense the danger of limbs crashing down, chainsaw buzzing, his only Papa stories up off the ground and decided that time indoors, in blissful denial of what was happening outdoors, with Momma was a good idea.  So in and out the door our Hugo was.

Oh.  And why did our Papa climb so high buzzing off tree limbs along the way?  He wanted to tie a rope around the upper part of the tree so that he could use his truck to finally pull it over exactly where he wanted it to land. 

Sabine and Marlo rolled around on the carpet chewing on toys happy as could be.  They are such good babies.

One of the great things about Cesar is that he is a tidy worker.  He always cleans up his work space, indoors or out.  Here he is cleaning up the lawn after the first few limbs had been felled.

Notice the growing pile of tree limbs, bonfire anyone? 

I can taste the smores already.

This is the last of the pics of the pine standing.  It is the last of the ladder growing ever higher and higher skywards.  It is the last of my husband with his shirt on.  Once he began to make the bird mouth cuts into the trunk of the tree, which was the end of the end for our pine, Hugo and I hid out in the house.  Hugo cried and cried because he wanted to be out with his Papa.  I cried and cried unto the Lord to please let my husband live and to not let our young son witness his Papa maim himself with the chainsaw before his very own young eyes.  Please, oh please Lord.

Cesar propped a normal sized house ladder against the pine's trunk, hoisted the chainsaw above his head, and began sawing his bird mouth shaped cuts.  Sawdust flew everywhere.  I sorta wish I had photographed that.  It was frightening though.  I was pretty much frozen in place as I held onto Hugo and watched out the third floor picture window.  At one point Cesar looked up at us and asked if I wanted to get some pics for the blog.  The blog!  You are thinking of the stupid blog!  I yelled at him to make the cuts into the tree lower so that it was safer and easier!  That's what he needed to be thinking about!  There he was, having so much fun and I was petrified.  Some little boys never fully grow up.  I had wondered if I should cover Hugo's eyes, just in case. 

Triumpf!

The tree landed exactly where he wanted.  He did it.  

And, oh yes.  The neighbors did come running when they heard the... indescribable (now that I think of it) sound of the pine snapping and crashing into the earth of our yard.  They were impressed but did repeat themselves many times by saying that they are only a phone call away.  Cesar thought for sure that I had called them, but I didn't.  They are just good neighbors.

The empty stump reminds me of one of my fave children's books The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.  So sad.  Cesar has plans to use the stump as a platform for a future fort for Hugo.  With all his free time...