Yea! It's Summer!

No one (except Dad) had to be anywhere before 8am this morning, for that matter not even by noon! Summer is here and we all slept late. Parker gave us a freshly mown lawn about 10am and everyone was either barefoot or as you can see in Henry's case, stripped down to nothing. Neil enjoyed a wagon of clean water and was not the least bit bothered by how cold it was. Water, mud, and an outside shower was a continuous cycle this morning. Just great.

I even got a little weeding done in the garden and am hopeful that if these beautiful little green tomatoes can survive Henry (maybe after biting into a green one and spitting it out, they'll be safe) and the squirrels, we'll have ripe red ones soon. Willie even seemed to be smiling about the start of Summer 2009, licking up the remains of Henry's popsicle and just hanging out and being one of the boys.

Memorial Day Madness

Another nutty weekend with Evans boys. Henry thought one of the fresh green muscadine vines on the back porch looked like a promising swing and I reminded him that it wouldn't hold his weight and he would undoubtedly hurt himself. "That's OK," he says, "I'm tough." Later in the day he falls in the parking lot across the street and skins one knee and the palm of one hand so slightly that the abrasions are barely visible. He runs screaming into the yard ahead of Mom, sounding as though he had just suffered a compound fracture or perhaps cracked a couple of ribs. Not just a little whimpering cry, but an inconsolable howling that went on for minutes. I'm tempted to remind him that it's OK, you're tough.

Meanwhile Neil the water lover has discovered his own personal, mobile pool. We had left the wagon out in the rain so that it had several inches of water in it. Neil loves this wagon anyway and goes to it when nothing else in the yard will do. Imagine his delight when he finds that his favorite toy is full of his favorite element. He splashes around in it for a while, sort of stirring the water, then decides what the heck and climbs in. Now he has the satisfaction of pulling the wagon to different locations around the yard as the sun or his whims lead him, thus enjoying diverse views from his pool. We normally dump the water out after a rain, but I think we may have to rethink this and just change it periodically.

And Parker God bless him has been studying for final exams. What perverse bureaucratic mind arranged for 7th graders to take final exams the two days after a holiday weekend? I've been encouraging him to finish strong, to finish like Mine That Bird, his response being "Yeh, finish like a castrated horse." Despite this apparent lack of appreciation for the beauty of thoroughbred racing, I'm sure he'll do fine.

Playdough concoctions

It started as normal playdough play with cutting, making shapes, rolling out shapes, etc..., then Henry gets a big soup pot out and puts small pieces of blue playdough in it. I leave the kitchen for a few minutes and return to see Henry pouring Ovaltine into the big pot. I retrieve the Ovaltine container and chalk what got poured in up to lost. He begins to stir with a big wooden spoon singing a little song "chocolate, chocolate" (with a Spanish accent). Something I think he may have heard on a Dora the Explorer show. I relax and begin to just watch in amusement. He is thrilled with the concoction which begins to resemble clumping cat litter - well sort of, you know what I mean. I have to put the brakes on this when he beings to taste the "chocolate" he has made.

Side note: I made granola this morning which always makes a little bit of a mess in the oven. Did you know that playdough is just great for cleaning up those messy little pieces of granola?

Fun and more fun...

Up until now, I could pretty much count on at least one of of these boys not being a dare devil. Henry wanted to help with the dusting today and got a bit carried away and began to work on the light fixture (not that it didn't need some attention). Neil soon joined him buffing the table in his sock feet. The above scene is what I found when I peaked into the dining room while mopping the kitchen. What could I do but grab the camera and then give my lecture on how unsafe standing on tables can be. (Evelyn, this leads me to believe the dusting idea won't go over here!) No wonder I'm finding a few more gray hairs.

Bright Side of the Road

So wonderful to spend the rainy weekend watching movies, emptying every toy container, staking tomato plants in the pouring rain, hitting some wiffle balls in the parking lot, watching the Sox, and then, with a culmination of the day's activities running wildly around the house dodging balled socks being thrown. And for the finale--Neil and Henry blowing on my belly with Neil just doubled over laughing.

Then, today, a wild Saturday morning with everyone eating different breakfasts at different times and dancing to Van Morrison's "Bright Side of the Road" (well, Parker was trying to sleep). What a fitting song for it all. "From the dark end of the street to the bright side of the road...and time seems to go by so fast in the twinkling of an eye." Such a fabulous song. I am so aware of the changes of the last 3 years and how far we have all come.

I've been blogging in my head all weekend and I'm sure have lost the majority of it. Only now is there a peaceful (peace filled) moment with the the wee boys sleeping and the big ones gone to see Star Trek. I've had a great bath and am ready to go again.

Baseball

I am really enjoying watching Parker follow baseball; he is developing a love of the game that could serve as the foundation of a life-long passion. He has a good understanding of how the game works and a terrific memory for particulars about individual players and even what happened in specific games. He is a faithful follower of his Sox, watching the games when he can, checking the box scores every morning if he missed the game the night before, and offering trenchant commentary for the benefit of the rest of us.

If anything he tends to be a bit too emotionally involved, and I'm trying to encourage him to think not just in terms of the final score but to enjoy the game itself, to exult in a victory but shrug off the defeats. Admittedly this is not always easy, and I too feel the heartbreak of a 5-4 loss in the 12th when we had the bases loaded, one out and Pedroia at the plate. He strikes out and Papi steps up to tap a little grounder out in front of him for out three, allowing the Angels to score the winning run in the bottom of the inning. Yes, that hurts, but what matters is that these guys were all playing terrific baseball, and I want Parker to learn that enjoying the game is the point, not just the final outcome. It's sort of a metaphor for life isn't it?

In any case, he is loving the game and it is a joy to see.

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Ward, Johnnie and Johnnie's sister Sistah, ever faithful friends that they are, kept all three boys last night so that Irene and I could go on a date. It is rare that we have more than a few minutes to talk without interruption, and it was the most wonderful treat to sit down for a meal, actually attend to one another, then go for a quiet ride, just the two of us. Just delightful. I had been concerned about leaving the boys with them for so long, fearing the worst when we returned - all of the caregivers lying exhausted on the floor, the house in shambles, and the boys climbing the curtains and hanging from the chandelier. In fact, no one looked too bad, we didn't see any signs of destruction, and the report was that the boys (one in particular though we won't name any names) were quite well behaved. Now, if only this were the case at home. We are so grateful for the steadfast love and generosity these folks have shown us.

Mom and Neil and I had a few minutes together this morning to thank Mom for her hard work and motherly devotion. Henry woke up and gave Mom a happy Mother's Day hug, Parker helped his brothers sign Mom's card, and now we're all taking Mom to church to thank God for her (and pray for her health and strength).