What do you do in the summertime?

Last week I bought a slip-n-slide for $7.50.  I thought it would be super fun for my crazy kids on a hot afternoon.

Lexi found it in my room one night, and since the forecast for the next day was 92 degrees, I told the kids they could use the slip-n-slide during Kate's afternoon nap.  All day long (starting at 6:00 a.m.) they pestered me about when they could set it up.  It was a l-o-n-g day, but finally the appointed time arrived.

Turns out there was a hole in the darn slide--right out of the box!  After a few repair attempts, I finally resorted to putting a heavy bucket of ice melt on top of the hole.  It worked! Then the kids went to town.  They had a BLAST.  I'm glad I got out Garry's nice camera to document the event.

The fun lasted exactly ten minutes.

There was a slight breeze.  It was too cold.  So they wrapped up in towels and went back inside.

Awesome.

One of each

This girl had her first haircut this week.  Her bangs were growing in a V and driving me crazy, so I evened them out (much to Garry's chagrin).  She has little wispies in the back and behind her ears that curl just a bit.  We're in love.

Tooth #6, which broke through for the first time at the family reunion, keeps popping in and out.  Kate has been pretty sad, mostly because with our kids, teething goes hand in hand with diarrhea.  (TMI?) She has her first diaper rash, which is such a bummer.

Kate says the most darling "hi" to everyone she meets and sometimes offers a little wave. She opens and closes a sideways fist and occasionally cocks her head to the side.  The fist action happens at meal time, too. We usually think it's a signal for more.  Kate also smacks her lips when she wants food.  She loves summer fruit; cantaloupe, watermelon, blueberries, and strawberries are her favorites.  She is finally making progress with a sippy cup.  Not so much with the walking.

Lexi is one tired girl these days.  She is sleeping very poorly at night, despite sharing Gavin's bed.  We aren't sure what prompts all the night waking, but it's very evident that she desperately needs a nap to make up for the lack of sleep.  If we drive in the van for more than 10 minutes after 11 a.m., she zonks out.  Afternoons are especially trying with a tired three-year-old.

Lexi is really enjoying swimming lessons.  I am so pleased that she isn't afraid of the water and will participate willingly.  I laughed the other day as her teacher tried to help her do the motions of a back stroke.  Lexi was only using her left arm and leg.  It was like the other arm and leg didn't exist.  Coordination will come in time.

Nearly every day, Lexi asks when preschool starts.  I think she is more interested in wearing the new fall clothes we acquired (some purchased, some handed down from friends) than in actually attending school.  For now, she's enjoying Child Watch adventures at the YMCA and too much TV with Gavin.

This boy can't get enough of pillows and blankets.  At least once a week he puts the couch cushions and every pillow and blanket in the house into a giant pile.  Then he jumps and rolls around in the pile.  This "game" drives me crazy.  But he loves it.  Today a babysitter thought he was missing for a while.  Turns out he had hidden under my comforter and fallen asleep.

Gavin also assumes that anything he loves is loved by everyone else.  It's pretty cute to see him try to give other (bigger) people joint compressions, or play with their hair or rub their feet.  He has a pretty tender soul under all that energy.  He loves making people happy.

Gavin's clothing choices continue to be a little crazy.  I'm really trying to roll with it, but yesterday's baseball-jersey-tucked-into-basketball-shorts-with-a-belt was quite astonishing.  He's got spunk.  Who am I to give him fashion advice?  I certainly qualify for an episode of What Not to Wear.

We took the training wheels off of Gavin's bike at his request.  Garry replaced a flat tire and the broken pedals, too.  I think it would be so fun for Gavin to achieve the two-wheeler milestone this summer, but he is a bit scared now.  We'll see what happens.

Tyler started art lessons with a lady in our ward this week.  I think we are all excited about the possibilities!  Tyler has some natural ability that these lessons should nurture along. It will be fun to watch him learn and progress.  On Wednesday night he explained abstract art to us at the dinner table.

Last Saturday I took the kids school shopping.  I had planned to take each child individually, but ended up taking Zach and Tyler together and Gavin and Lexi on a separate trip.  Tyler is so good to be content with Zach's hand-me-downs, but he did get a few new things, including shoes, which were about two months overdue.  When we got home, Tyler laid out every clothing item he owned and we analyzed each for size and likeability and condition.  Some clothes landed in the donation pile, some in the trash pile, and some in the keep pile.  Tyler loves to be organized, just like his mama.

This kid is growing up.  Despite some major breaches in common sense recently, Zach sometimes shows a mature and cheerful side that I like very much.  He is so good with Kate.  He often has a good attitude about his chores.  He was very sweet on the school shopping trip when I declined nearly all of his morbid/dark/crazy/ugly shirt choices.  I like it when we can have more than a "disaster management" relationship.

Sometimes, alas, that is not possible.  Last week he and Tyler disappeared for two hours on their bikes.  They didn't tell anyone where they were going, and after 90 minutes, I was getting ready to call the police.  They came home, having played with a friend, gone to a park, and eaten lunch, all happy and totally oblivious to anything they might have done wrong.  Zach was clearly the ring leader on that escapade.  This was just a few days after the pool incident where he wouldn't get out, and the day before he pitched a huge fit when refused to leave a friend's house.  Zach is a boy who struggles with transitions, and I'm really not sure how to help him....

A few weeks ago we discovered that Zach has completed all of the requirements to earn his Webelos badge.  He has also earned enough activity badges for the Arrow of Light award!  He just needs to work with his leaders for a bit on a few other things.  Pretty exciting!

Some days I feel like I don't do anything at all, and other days are jam-packed.  In my estimation, the YMCA is saving our summer.  The kids enjoy playing there, and I am increasingly dependent on the endorphins I find in the cardio room.  I'm in week seven of my 10K training program.  I'm still only "running" 11:30 miles, but I can go 4.25 miles, which is better than I've done in about four years.  I'm pleased with the progress in my endurance.  And even though it's not showing much on the scale, the fat pants I bought in May are quite loose.  Guess I'm moving in the right direction.

I am determined to rescue our yard this summer, but sprinklers issues combined with lots of heat and little rain are all working against me.  Parts of the lawn we re-planted, like the place where we removed the front planter a couple months ago, are finally starting to grow in.  I am encouraged by that, so I've been de-thatching yellow grass and filling in bare spots with mulch and seed.  And praying for rain.  Is it stupid to be this emotionally invested in my yard?  Probably.

In the last couple weeks I've talked in church, given a Relief Society lesson, started playing the piano for the ward choir, helped in the kitchen at a friend's wedding and reception, helped another friend assemble some wedding announcements, and sewn an upholstery cover for one of the couches Garry is building.  Maybe this is why my house never clean.  [Or why I really don't am trying not to care.]  I'm glad to be back in the groove of doing things I enjoy.

Garry spends most evenings and Saturdays out in the garage with a saw screeching away. The latest part of the couch project is trim around the bottom of each section.  He also completed feet (all 14) on Saturday.  He's enjoying his man tools and the noise-canceling, mp3-compatible headphones he received for Father's Day.

This is Garry's super-busy time at work: the end of Wells Fargo's fiscal quarter.  He has big jobs to do that require long hours and late nights.  He had to work from 8:00 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. one night and was back at his desk at 9:00 a.m. the next day.  I often wonder why, when Garry's boss's boss calls him at home on the weekend for technical support, he isn't promoted to a position with more responsibility.  Or given a raise or a cookie or something.

Garry's a great dad, always getting up with crying kids in the night and making hot breakfasts the kids love and teaching Gavin to ride a two-wheeler.  I sure appreciate all he is and all he does for our family.

Pinterest: Bartle style

About a month ago, I found simple project on Pinterest that I thought Gavin and Lexi would enjoy. I've had the {cheap!} supplies for several weeks and finally broke them out today.

The idea, found here, is to drop colored vinegar into a dish with baking soda.  The vinegar fizzes in the baking soda and leaves a bright spot. The lady who posted the idea said her two-year-old was busy with this activity for an hour, and her four-year-old for two hours. Even though I didn't expect THAT level of interest from my kids, I thought it was worth a shot.

The beginning was fairly promising.  Lexi was ecstatic as she made the chemical reaction on her own for the first time (working the dropper took practice).

But when the newness wore off (three minutes in), there was lots of fighting over droppers and colors.  Apparently six between the two of them wasn't enough.

After about half an hour, the fun factor was definitely diminishing.  But the kids (and I) stuck with it a bit longer, and then we ran to pick up Zach and Tyler at a friend's house.

When we got back, the big boys immediately started playing with the vinegar and baking soda.  That quickly turned into a huge mess.  Spoonfuls of baking soda went into cups of vinegar, producing an exciting volcano effect.  Then cups of vinegar went into dishes of baking soda.  

This was all fun and good until the kids spilled on the wood floor and left a big pink spot that I am still trying to remove two hours later.

Yep, that's how we roll.

Four little fishies

Thanks to our YMCA membership, the kids are taking swimming lessons two afternoons a week for super cheap.  Gavin and Lexi are two of three children in their class; Tyler's class has six kids; and Zach's class has three.  They all go at the same time and everyone loves it.  Heaven on a stick, if you ask me.

Plus they are all cute in the water and stuff.

Zach has a coach (as opposed to a teacher), and this coach says Zach is a "swim team candidate," whatever that means.  His 45-minute class starts with five full minutes of treading water.  

On Friday we broke with my homebody tradition and joined friends at an outdoor community pool.  It was freezing, and I was the only mom in the water most of the time, and when it was time to go home, Zach refused to get out of the pool and we made a huge scene {my favorite thing}.

I think we'll stick with the Y.  We have a better success rate there, and if Zach refuses to get out of the pool, he only has to walk a mile home.

P.S.  Does anyone actually read this blog?  Family history is great and all, but I'm getting a little lonely here.

Musical beds

There are a number of persons in this household who do not sleep as much as they ought.

Kate has the best excuse.  She only has ten months of practice, and she is dealing with razor-sharp assaults to her gum line.  I totally cut her some slack, especially because she mostly sleeps through the night...and in her OWN bed, no matter what.

Then there's Lexi.  Oh boy.  This girl says her "woom is scawy."  No amount of ambient light makes that place safe after sunset.  And, since she shares a "woom" with Kate, certain amounts of ambient light aren't very practical anyway.  I got pretty sick of an extra bedfellow kicking me in the ribs every night after 10 p.m., so recently I hit upon the idea that Gavin and Lexi should take up nocturnal cohabitation.

Turns out Gavin's room is scary too (I got tired of all the w's and quotation marks, mostly because I'm too tired in general).

The trouble with the Littles sharing Gavin's queen bed is this: when one is scared, the other is scared, and then two crying kids show up at my bedside in the middle of the night.

Mostly, however, the new arrangement is working.  This sleep-through-the-night thing is a work in progress, but I think we're moving in the right direction.

Except for last night, that is.

See, it's Garry's crazy time at work: the end of Wells Fargo's fiscal quarter.  He came home for dinner last night (which is good, because I left in a rather dramatic fashion and didn't come home for two hours, which is another story entirely) but went back to work at 8:30 p.m.  Gavin and Lexi were not content with this arrangement and extended their already-past-bedtime bedtime much longer than necessary.  Lexi came upstairs in such a dither that she peed her pants all over the floor, which started another epic trantrum, which I could only soothe with the promise of letting her sleep on Daddy's pillow until he got home.

Well.

Eventually she went to sleep so that I could go to sleep by way of TV reruns (my nightly sedative).  I zonked out.  Then around 1:00 a.m., Gavin joined the party.  He turned on all the lights and said, "Hey, Mom.  Move over."  So I did, and we all went back to sleep.

Then around 3:00 a.m., I woke with a start.  I had been dreaming something ridiculous about hiking with my kids and sending them down a slide as a shortcut to hiking down the mountain we had climbed.  Trouble was: I was too fat to fit on the slide, and they were waiting for me at the bottom with a strange lady, and I couldn't get to them, and I was completely distressed.  ACK!  So I woke up, and in my bed were two children I would have been pleased to see sleeping in their own beds, thankyouverymuch.  

Moving Gavin to the couch upstairs wasn't hard.  He stirred during the transfer but didn't complain overmuch. But Lexi, even though she weighs half and is therefore vastly easier to heft, is the lightest.sleeper.ever, and she woke up and wailed when I attempted to put her in her own bed (which is on the other side of my bedroom wall).  Her screams woke up Kate.  So, if you're counting, that makes four of us awake at 3:00 a.m.

And Garry was still at work.  Which makes five. 

I would like to take this moment to thank Zach and Tyler, ages 10 and 8, for learning the important life lesson that sleep is valuable and their mother really appreciates it.

Lexi spent the night on Garry's pillow.  I watched another episode of Monk and conked out around 4:00. Garry came home and crashed just after 4:30.

And kids started getting up just after 6:00.

Are you tired yet?

The state of things

Well, we've reached the midpoint of summer break.  Six weeks down, six to go.  A few bits of Bartle summer randomness follow.

Lexi got her first professional haircut today.  She required my presence in the salon chair. The "after" looks remarkably like the "before," but the ends are lots more even and healthy, and most of her wispies are tamed/blended.  I'm thrilled.

We thought today might be the day that Gavin learned to ride a bike on two wheels.  He was super excited and got a promising start!  Then I decided to pump up his tires, which were amazingly flat.  That ended up being a complicated and ultimately disappointing process.  The back tire's inner tube popped just as we were getting ready to ride.  It made a crazy-loud noise, scared us half to death, and foiled our plans for big accomplishments. So we went inside.

Also on the bike theme, some friends gave Lexi her own "big girl" bike.  She's in love...and, surprisingly, can work the pedals.  I had no idea.

Contrary to years past, we are really struggling to establish a summer routine.  Zach and Tyler are much less willing to cooperate with basic daily chores, piano practice, and simple academic exercises.  My nemesis, The Television, is most certainly to blame for this development, but I am sure that sister evils named Radio and PS3 have had a hand in the mutiny.  The boys aren't too thrilled with the current electronics ban.  I totally love it.

We enjoyed a lovely Fourth of July with friends.  We started with an official unofficial ward pancake breakfast and kids bike parade and then enjoyed a few hours at Black Forest Regional Park.  While the big boys wandered into secret hide-outs and played games with their buddies, the Littles romped on the playground and the adults sat and talked.  Kate was darling the whole time, and even took a nap in the stroller.

The Waldo Canyon fire is 90% contained.  There has been so much community support for the brave and hard-working firefighters.  I love this city.

Garry is making progress on our new sectional for the basement.  He has finished the base and back of the love seat.  I have constructed part of the upholstery for the love seat, but we are waiting for some batting to come in the mail in order to assemble the rest of this piece.

This is the base of the couch.  Once the couch resembles the love seat in structure, I will make another slipcover to go on the back section.  Garry will make a corner piece to connect the couch and love seat, and make feet for the whole thing (14 in all).  It's a work in progress.

Construction progress has been delayed by things like a leaking shower faucet (fix: 3 hours, $40, and two trips to Lowes); a flat tire on the van (fix: 3 hours, $280, and a trip to Costco); lawn maintenance (fix: a zillion dollars and a zillion hours, with no reward in sight); sprinkler maintenance (ditto); and life.  I am very glad that Garry is so handy, but man, stuff is expensive.

Kate has a favorite toy.

Gavin has taken charge of his own fashion.  He is very keen on crazy spiked hair (with hair spray, please), tucked-in shirts, belts, and socks with sandals.  Every day.

Our house is always really messy, punctuated with special surprises like melted Otter Pops on my computer desk.

Next Sunday I am teaching Relief Society (topic: Doing Our Part to Share the Gospel) and speaking in Sacrament Meeting (topic: "anxiously engaged in a good cause").  I also have a new calling.  Any guesses?

The kids started swimming lessons.  Unlike last year, when Gavin pitched a giant fit and refused to participate, this year he is thrilled to have lessons.  [Insert enormous sigh of relief.]  Zach and Tyler are in the two highest levels of lessons.  Zach swam 14 laps at his first lesson and has a coach rather than a teacher.  I think it's going to be great.  Because the YMCA daycare is closed during lesson time, Kate and I chill in the hall.

One of my Mesa friends posted some sweet Nike basketball shoes on Facebook the other day and said she wanted to get rid of them.  So, for $30, she mailed both pairs to me, and Zach is outfitted with footwear for the school year.  He is ecstatic that they are purple, his favorite color.  Thanks, Sara!  [Note: they are a men's size 11, and are only a little bit big.]

That's all for now.  Over and out.

July letters

Dear Kate,

I'm sure I'd cry too if [insert whatever malady is currently vexing you], but don't you have any compassion on my poor nerves?

Love,

Frazzled/Selfish Mama 

...

Dear poor-excuse-for-a-sprinkler-system,

Do you have any idea how much back-breaking labor (not to mention cold, hard cash) Garry and I have invested in the health and welfare of our lawn this year?  I suppose it was naive to assume we could rescue the yard in one summer after a couple of years of neglect,  but I am seriously annoyed that your lack of functionality is wrecking my vision for beautiful grass.

With contempt,

Dashed Hopes

...

Dear treadmill under the fan,

We had a pretty great date this morning.  Although I was initially disappointed that all the elliptical machines were busy when I arrived at the YMCA,  I'm glad I got over myself and broke out Week Six of the 10k training program.  I feel more like myself when I'm running jogging than at any other time.

See you tomorrow,

The lady with the worst ID photo on the planet 

...

Dear Gavin,

I'm sorry I was completely useless when you were stuck on the Lego Batman video game.  You needed help getting your motorcycle between the trucks, and I couldn't do it.  I'm sure this took me down a few notches in your book, but the fact that I'm letting my four-year-old play video games at all makes me ashamed to show my face in parenting circles everywhere.  So I guess we're even.

Signed--

Old-fashioned mother (and proud of it) 

...

Dear ward members,

What does a family of seven have to do to sit in the chapel on Sunday?  I think arriving 20 minutes early ought to secure us a seat in heaven, not to mention a pew near the front, but apparently being present 40 minutes early is necessary.  I give up. We'll be sitting in the hard chairs from now on.

Good thing the church is still true way back in the gym.

Sister B. 

...

Dear dishwasher,

I've been thinking that I need to buy just a few more bottles for Kate.  It seems I have to wash one by hand a bit too often because I don't run you often enough.  Then I realized that if I made dinner every day, I would run you every day, and my problem would be solved.

I think I'm buying more bottles.

Lady McLazyton

...

Dear cranky grandma at the grocery store,

You haven't yelled at me for a while.  I wonder why.  Oh, yeah.  I never take my kids anywhere.  Ever.

Yours Truly,

Brilliant 

...

Dear army of babysitters,

Thank you for helping me avoid cranky grandmothers everywhere.  And thank you for sometimes doing my dishes.  And you're welcome for the wad of cash in your college funds. (At least I hope that's where my/your money is going.)

Gratefully,

The writer of many checks

...

Dear America,

Happy birthday!  You're the best!  Forgive me if I don't light a candle in your honor tomorrow.  I think I'll have a Popsicle instead.  It's a safer choice.

A freedom lover

...

Dear Colorado firefighters,

You are amazing and heroic and wonderful and awesome.  I'm so impressed that you've reached 80% containment two weeks ahead of schedule.  Enjoy the rain!

A Briargate cheerleader

...

Dear readers,

A local friend reminded me today that in the wake of a crisis like the Waldo Canyon fire, people who aren't directly affected tend to go back to their ordinary lives and forget the devastation that lingers for the victims.  If you are interested in helping ease the burdens of those who have lost their homes to the fire [note: 350 homes burned to the ground], please let me know.  I've got some ideas.

Love,

Me