For our special memorial day dinner we ate what we were told to. My dad said to serve ribs, corn on the cob, grapes and Hawaiian punch, because the boys like all of those things. Mike cooked some in the oven and some on the bbq, and Cody said the ones from the bbq were as tough as tires. I took Jacob's stitches out and he didn't take it as well as I thought he would. There was much crying. Cody is growing his hair out and modeled for these pictures. He said he wants it really long, which means we will see how far I can go until I can't stand it and cut it off. The weather was weird, it rained for most of the day, but we went walking on the greenbelt anyway, and the sun came out for the evening. It was actually kind of neat. We were talking about rocky mountain oysters, and I told the boys what they actually were. Mike said he would try them, and Cody says, "Yuck, would you want to eat my testicles?!"

Jacob the Photographer

Jacob took my camera this morning and decided to go out and document some of the world. Some of his pictures are quite good. Some are funny. I don't know what made him do this, but I thought it was pretty cool. I'm glad my camera made it back o.k too. I might have him do this all the time. Here are a few of my favorites.

Nature Table

I thought I would show you our nature table. Every Waldorf home (and lots of homes that are not Waldorf) have one. It is used to show what is going on in nature outside. You can get very technical and do it properly, which is that each week represents a kingdom in nature. Week one: mineral, week two: plant, week three: animal, week four: human. I don't do that though. I just tell the kids that we are decorating the nature table for spring, and we decide what will go on it. This is one of the reasons why I love Waldorf. They make even everyday things beautiful. The nature table is so beautiful to look at, no matter what time of year it is. The boys love finding things to go on it, and Cody often brings in fresh plants or wild flowers for it.

Waldorf also has a color for every day of the week. Today is red. We have gnomes and mushrooms to decorate our dinner table for this. Jacob usually does this. We also have an activity for each day as well. It is for Jacob's kindergarten, but everyone does the activity. Today is drawing day.

Weekend Fun

I never knew pipe cleaners could be made into such cool stuff. I think that there are pipe cleaners in every room of the house, so maybe not so cool. The boys made homemade fishing poles. Cody found a worm and everything. He said if he catches a fish he wants me to make it for lunch in a sandwich. Yum. There are fish in the pond, I think they are big goldfish. Scotty can't sit still for long, so I think he is scaring the fish away. It was a cool idea though.

Missing The Green

I really wish we could just get in my car and drive home to California right now and stay as long as we wanted. It is green here right now, but it is high desert green, which sucks compared to what I was used to. I miss the redwood trees and the thick, lush green. Jacob's stitches look good, and he has been going to his coach pitch games just fine. As well as jumping on the trampoline. Our garden is getting going slowly as we wait for it to warm up. So far we have lettuce, mammoth sunflowers, carrots, strawberries and I have tomatoes in the house. Someone left a baby pygmy goat at the shelter last night, so I took him home. Boy, is he cute. He has little horns and he tries to butt the dogs, which is cute because they all want to eat him. He will not be a permanent resident here, but the boys love him. We are calling him Billy. (So original, I know.) This is the awesome bear claw necklace for Cody's birthday. It is really nice.

Homemade Crayon Holder

I told Mike that I thought it would be a good project for Jacob and him to make a homemade crayon holder for his special beeswax crayons. I found the idea for this from an online Waldorf magazine I read. Jacob used the saw to cut out the shape he picked and then sanded it. I think it turned out great. I think when the other two boys are old enough they can each make one for their crayons too. Plus anything they make themselves just seems more special than something you buy. It is pretty to look at too.

Recently at the animal shelter all the kennels were full and they had no choice but to pick a few dogs to be put down. Needless to say, I felt sick all night long after finding out what was to happen. I decided that I needed to pick one dog to take home. At least I could help somewhat. I decided to take an ancient, deaf black lab, since he wouldn't be too much trouble. The dog that I am most in love with and really want to take is a jumper and I just can't handle that. Too many things could go wrong since we don't have good enough fencing to keep him in. It breaks my heart just to think about him. This black lab may be extremely old, but he is happy and likes to roll in the grass and be scratched behind his ears. (His eyes roll back in his head when Mike scratches him.) I don't think he is capable of running, he kind of just hobbles about. Cody named him Moon Papa. I do have to get up during the night to let him go potty since he is a tad incontinent. At least he can retire in luxury. I doubt he was ever a house dog. By the way, what kind of a person doesn't come to claim their 20 year old deaf dog that doesn't walk that great and obviously can't defend himself? What is wrong with people? What a jerk. At least we have him now. He has become my shadow and Mike says that when I leave he paces about looking for me. You should see him pathetically try to chase a chicken. He does this once in a while when he's feeling spry. It's hilarious. He "runs" after it and then gives up after about 10 feet. It's almost like slow motion.

Stitches

We rushed Jacob to the emergency room this afternoon after he came in from outside screaming and showing us his bloody leg with a 2 1/2 inch long gash on his knee. It was a pretty scary gash, and really deep, since you could see the fatty tissue inside. He now has 20 stitches. You should have heard him scream as he received 4 shots to numb the area. I don't want to say the words "drama king" but I don't have to since the doctor said it for me.


On a better note, this is the Waldorf elf boy I bought Cody for his birthday. A girl from Germany made him. Cody will love it. Jacob already has a special friend, and Cody has been wanting his own. A little elf boy is just his style. He even has wings. I will post a picture of the bear claw necklace when it arrives.

Tomatoes For Breakfast

Today the weather is perfect, like yesterday was. The boys sat on the porch and had tomatoes and cantaloupe for breakfast. Then Cody comes in for another tomato and says "Mama hogsqueal, can I please have another bird heart?" Yes, that is what he said. The tomatoes (bird hearts) were on the counter so I told him yes, he could have another. To top off the weirdness, they are all talking to each other nicely, and one could even say lovingly. Like Cody on the way outside said "I'll meet you outside little brother, sweetie." (Talking to Scotty) I don't really know what is going on. I still can't help but notice how roma tomatoes do look like bird hearts. Just a tad gruesome...but they are boys, so I think this is normal.

Bad Mama Day

I'm having a bad mama day. The boys have been fighting and whining since this morning and I hate this stupid, backwards, psycho religious hillbilly town. Even the thrift stores suck, so that has to be a sign. I have no friends here and I can't wait to get out of here. I am going to go visit Eugene, Oregon this summer and hopefully I will love it. I still can't believe I have been here 3 years! Oh, how horrible it has been. Anyway, Denise is having her baby in October so I will be going home for that, and I am also coming for Christmas! I just have to hang in there a little longer. Cody is turning 5 on June 2nd, so I am trying to get ready for that. I made him a card, which is almost finished, and for his present I bought him a really cool book on Norse Gods and Giants. He will love it. My dad bought him a really cool replica bear claw necklace too. He told me he wants a vanilla cake shaped like a bull shark, so I better figure something out. Mike and I have started doing wet on wet watercolor painting at night when the kids go to sleep to get in some practice. In Waldorf schools this is a big part of the curriculum. It is also really fun. Especially when you listen to Irish Jigs while doing it.

Here we go...

So I have a few blogs that I already read and I thought I would try doing one too. Like I don't have enough going already. It probably doesn't help that I am a very private person to boot, but I am sure this will please Jilli immensely. This is the reading area the boys created this morning. They also listen to records here too. I have new books from the library which they always enjoy since I pick them out in secret. They will spend all morning going through them.