Trick or Treat

Claire as the Rainbow Magic Fairy Trixie and Gus the puppy.

Lily the Hawaiian Dolphin Rider (where did she come up with this idea?).

Izzy the butterfly and Chris as Johnny Appleseed.

Me as tired Pippi.

Pumpkin Feast

My parents came yesterday for our annual pumpkin feast eaten by jack-o-lantern light.

Nine Months

Hanging out by his favorite spot...the dishwasher.

WRONG thing to say Mr. UPS man!

In the middle of everything this morning---simultaneous 2 year old potty accident, little man crying upstairs waking up from his morning nap, and two separate math tutoring sessions at the dining room table while I was carving pumpkins, literally up to my elbows in pumpkin guts, the phone rings.

I answer the phone precariously, trying not to cover the handset in goo, "Hi."

"Oh. Hi. Yeah. This is the UPS guy. The church is locked. Can I put this delivery in your garage?"

"Sure. I'll open it right now." I hang up the phone. Quick wash my hands. Dry my hands on my apron. Run upstairs, get a hysterical Gus. Run down two flights of stairs--yelling some math instruction to the girls on my way to the garage and assure a naked Izzy I'll be able to help her in a minute. Open the garage door. I pick a pumpkin seed out of my hair and wipe the tears from infant son's eyes with my shirt sleeve.

The UPS man scans the garage strewn with bikes, outdoor play equipment and sand toys and looks at me holding a baby.

"Do you run a day care over here? My wife and I have been looking for a place."

In Stitches

I should have taken the Christmas photo of the kids yesterday when I thought about it.

Oh My

The following are actual quotes, uttered by me, during a 20 minute phone conversation with my sister this afternoon:

(1) "Isabel! Please put your clothes back on! No going naked in our house!"

(2) "Who wiped A+D ointment all over the chair?"

(3) "Lily, don't get upset. Your pumpkin does look like an orange, but it is really cute. Isn't it? Very round."

(4) "I just gave Gus a whole apple. It keeps him busy for like 45 minutes or an hour. I just tell him not to choke. He eats the whole thing."

(5) "OH MY!!!! Claire! Take this towel. Put it on your forehead. Lay down on the kitchen floor. No! Don't look in the mirror! I am calling your dad!"

My sister says talking to me on the phone is like talking to someone with Turrets, constant spontaneous shouting and random conversations.

Claire is at Urgent Care right now with Chris. I insisted that they not put Dermabond on her wound and that she gets a plastic closure. They called in the plastic surgeon to do the stitches. I wonder if Christopher's collar warranted the special treatment.

Winners!

Or should I say "Wieners!" PW style?

I picked two winners for the Caption Contest. Gail's entry made me laugh and Cate's was really cute.

The prizes will be finished soon!

Horicon Marsh

We visited our annual fall destination today, Horican National Wildlife Refuge. I have been going almost every fall since I was a little girl. I am happy that my husband indulges my love of nostalgia. The weather was beautiful. There were not as many geese as usual, but we saw flock upon flock of Sandhill Cranes.

Here are some pictures from 2007.

Lizard Mound Park

We went to the Lizard Mound County Park yesterday before dinner. It is right down the road from our house. Wisconsin is home to hundreds of effigy mounds, and apparently there were thousands and thousands more at one time. We see them all the time when we take hikes on trails around this area. Oh look...another effigy mound. It is a shame that they are not teasured more as a valuable piece of Wisconsin's history. I'm sure that it has something to do with the fact that not much is known about the Native Americans that built them. The tribes vanished around 1300 A.D.

Native American Study

Our Native American meal included venison and the three sisters (corn--in the form of corn cakes, beans, and squash).

Learning about traditional Cherokee pottery at the Cherokee Indian Oconalufee Village in North Carolina. On a whim we decided to visit the reservation. The girls really enjoyed being able to meet a "real Indian" and the tour was informative. It was a highlight of North Carolina for them.

A picture of a mock Cherokee Tribal Council at the Village.

A model of how the Cherokee built their homes after the European settlers came.


We finished our Native American Unit on Friday and celebrated with a themed meal. It isn't my favorite part of history to study, but the girls enjoyed it. I guess that is all that matters. I would have to say the best part of our unit was being able to visit some of the people and places we read about in books. I wish I had the resources to always study history like this! Look Claire the Coliseum! Lily, there is the Great Wall of China!

The Cherokee Indian Reservation was hard to swallow for the adults. It was just so sad. Every stereotype that we hear about Native Americans was pictured in that place--"Casino Just Ahead", unkempt grounds, and a people who don't take themselves or life too seriously. Can I blame them? Yes and no. History was very, very cruel to their people, but I do believe that at some point everyone needs take responsibility for themselves, their family and community today.

Nursemaid's Elbow

My sister-in-law taught me this trick after a not-so-fun Sunday morning trip to Urgent Care with her then toddler Michaela who was diagnosed with and treated for Nursemaid's Elbow . If after you swing your child by the arm or pull them up by their arms in a hurry (a la from the pew!) and they start HYSTERICALLY SCREAMING you probably dislocated their elbow. Something about their little bones that makes this especially easy to do.

Anyways, to correct this:

(1) With one hand, hold your child's arm bent against their chest, with their little hand up towards their face and their elbow pointing to their toes

(2) With your other hand, rotate in their hand in a circular motion until you feel or hear their ligament pop back into place

It is not a difficult technique, but sometimes tricky, especially with a thrashing, pained little person.

I accidentally dislocated Isabel's elbow last night. :( She started screaming. I immediately did this maneuver and she started laughing. Piercing pain to no pain instantly might be funny. Maybe? Only to Izzy. She is a special person.




**Please, please, please use your head. If it wasn't a gentle motion in which your child's elbow became injured, or if there is blood, or whatever else, your child might NOT have a dislocated elbow but something else more serious. Take loving care of your kids and take them to the doctor immediately!

Ouch

Besides my bed, I missed two things on vacation, my big red pot and my kitchen knives. Christopher assured me that I would not need my cast iron soup pot on vacation so I didn't bring it to North Carolina (I did try!), but my knives were not around to be stowed in my bags. I sent them away to be sharpened. They needed it! They were so dull.

They're back and they're SHARP. Man! I have cut my fingers 6 six times already. My left hand is especially hurting. I am missing the fingernail on my index finger (I sliced it right off) and I have a deep cut down the middle (hence the gauze in the above photo). I have assorted nicks on the other appendages. Must. Slow. Down. While. Chopping.

Caption Contest

Please leave your entry in the comments section. I will provide a prize to the winner. Contest ends in one week (20 Oct 2009).

St. John's 125th

Chris and Pr. Steeh

In the lofty pulpit.

We arrived home yesterday after a long weekend in Michigan to celebrate St. John Lutheran Church's 125th anniversary. My husband was asked to preach, which is a great honor. St. John's pulled out all the stops (literally)--the music during the service was great!

All of my husband's family was able to stay with my in-laws and we were all together for a couple nights. There were 20 of us around the dinner table on Saturday night! The cousins had a great time playing during the day and the grown ups had a great time chatting late into the evening.

John C. Campbell Folk School

We went to the John C. Campbell Folk School's Fall Festival while we were in North Carolina. It was one of everyone's favorite things about our North Carolina trip. Local artisans were invited to sell handmade pottery, scarves, wooden bowls, stained glass, soap, wooden toys, etc. on the school's property. My mom bought me a beautiful scarf. Chris brought himself a handmade broom for his sauna.

There were also 2 stages for live bluegrass music and dance performances. This particular stage was amazingly beautiful. The backdrop was the mountains. It was difficult to get a good picture, but just trust me that it was gorgeous. Claire was mesmerized by the cloggers. I could totally picture her in a clogging dress and shoes dancing her heart out to Appalachian hits!

This is a picture of the other stage. Not as pretty, but the music was quite good.

We all shared a pulled pork dinner for lunch. The pig they were cooking was HUGE! It made our hog look really tiny!

We arrived in the early morning and by 1:30pm the kids were pooped. I think that Chris and I could have stayed all day under the pavilion listening to the various performers. The bluegrass was authentic!

Pulling Up

It seems much too soon, but Gus has been pulling himself up on whatever is close by. He isn't quite crawling, but is VERY close to getting the hang of it!

MIA

Missing somewhere in North Carolina:

(1) Pink, fleece jacket. Size 7-8.

(1) Pair of flip-flop sandals. Purple. Size 11-12.

(6) Six pacifiers! Mam brand. Boy colors.

If found, consider yourself an expert hunter of lost things. Please return.

North Carolina Pictures

Wisconsin has scrubby little maples and oaks for undergrowth. North Carolina has enormous rhododendron bushes everywhere! Springtime must smell beautiful! The variety of flora in the mountains was amazing. I noticed this moss that grew on the trees. It was long and ferny. I didn't have my camera with me. It was just so different than what I am used to seeing.

The fauna was different too. I heard many bird songs that I didn't recognize. We also saw some disturbingly large spiders. I can't say that I miss those in the north!

Gus was so good on our trip, despite being a frustrated in his car seat at times. His frustration was completely understandable, the adults were frustrated too. We did so much driving! Google Maps needs to adjust the drive time estimates to account for mountain driving. 20 miles took AT LEAST 30 to 45 minutes.

There were little creeks and waterfalls coming down the sides of the mountains at every turn. By the end of the trip the girls, who were at one point really excited to see waterfalls, were saying "Oh look. Another waterfall."
Chris and my Dad made the girls "boats" out of scrap pieces of wood. They plunged their boats down all the different creeks and waterfalls around the cottage property.

The moon rising over the mountains. Our cottage was tucked up into one of the valleys (hollers?), but we took this picture on the main road in town before turning to drive home.
Hot Boiled Peanuts were the snack of choice at every roadside stop. We bought some to share. GROSS!! They taste like hot, salty, mushy beans. Why are they a southern favorite?

The Vacation House

We were fortunate to find a rental home in North Carolina at the last minute. It was so nice to have a full kitchen, 4 bedrooms, and a washer and dryer. The home was nicely appointed, clean and very comfortable. We also had a big fire pit outside for s'mores and two miniature donkeys to pet and feed. The British proprietor kept saying "Sorry about the donkeys. They're being naughty." It didn't sink in until I heard the girls saying "Mom! The donkeys are playing piggy-back!".