Shame

Remember that post a couple of weeks ago about all the stuff we're planning to do outside?  Slowly and surely we're getting stuff done, but with Jonathan's schedule and my busyness with the kids, it's going a little slower than we'd like.  And a lot slower than our neighbors would like, apparently.

Last week, a note was left in our mailbox.  It was not signed, and was written in pen on a paper towel.  I wish I had kept it or taken a picture of it.  Basically it said something like this:  "Please trim your weeds and take care of the debris (actually, it said debree) on your driveway.  The neighborhood is disappointed in your lack of care for your property, and it is lowering OUR property values."  After reading the note, I felt a combination of embarrassment, shame, and anger.

I wish I could talk to this neighbor.  I wish I could explain to them that 1) my husband has worked 12 days in a row without a day off.  2) our weed-eater is broken.  3) the "debree" in our driveway was from the branches I'd cut off the pine tree last week.  unless they're referring to our woodpile?  4) we can't afford to hire a landscaping company to do our work.  I guess I should be glad that people (at least one of them) in our neighborhood really care about the neighborhood.  And I'm not sure what better way there would have been for them to approach us.  It has certainly made me more conscious of what others think about the exterior of the home.

Today I mowed the lawn.  Each time someone drove past, I wondered if it was the anonymous neighbor.  And I wondered if he was smugly satisfied to see me out there.  Now I have to go clean the spark plug in the weed-eater.

Edit:  I feel the need to add, after reading this again, that I don't think our yard looks bad.  Yes, there are areas that need work.  Like the stump that needs grinding.  And a few weeds here and there.  But it's certainly not overgrown, and we just painted our shutters!  With all the work we've put into this house, and our general upkeep, the note was unwarranted.

Here Comes Summer!

At 11:40 this morning, Ethan will officially be a second grader!  And our summer will begin!  It's funny that today happens to be one of the coldest days we've had in recent weeks, though I checked the 10-day forecast and there's definitely summer weather coming.  In fact, on Monday, Memorial Day, we're predicted to hit 87!  And I say, bring it on!  I LOVE summer.  I'm so thrilled that today is the last day for a good chunk of time that my alarm will go off at 6:53.  I'm excited to think about doing fun things with the kids, like the library, parks, the zoo, and picnics.  I'm looking forward to camping and spending time with family at summer cottages.  The kids are excited about summer too.  At lunch yesterday, Ethan (who had a half day of school) said, "There are only three things I don't like about summer: mosquitoes, taking more naps, and picking up." 

Our summer is starting with a weekend visit from friends.  Orsi and Zoli are coming tonight and staying for a long weekend.  I met Orsi years ago when she was an exchange student, living with my parents (I no longer was).  Since then she got married, and she and Zoli left Hungary and moved to Wauseon, Ohio, where Orsi is working.  They are considered part of the family now.  So we are going to show them around Indianapolis.  And of course, what better weekend to be here than Memorial Day Weekend, AKA Race Weekend?!  No, we don't have tickets to see the Indianapolis 500.  But we will go to the 500 Festival Parade, which is a GREAT parade.  We're also thinking about the zoo, going for a bike ride, and on Monday, taking them to their first live baseball game (Indianapolis Indians).  Jonathan will take Monday off, and as he will have worked 12 days in a row (!!!) after today, he's definitely ready for some days off.  We all are. 

What are YOU doing this weekend?

Batta, Batta, Batta, Swing!

Ethan is playing his first year of organized baseball.  Last year he played baseball at school during the month of June, but it was more of a skills clinic than a league.  Jonathan is coaching Ethan's team this year, which is made up of current 1st and 2nd graders, which puts Ethan on the younger end of the age spectrum.  He's also on the lower end of the skills spectrum.  But that's okay.  He's having fun.  They've had four games.  They won their first three, and lost this past Saturday pretty badly.  (Ethan says they lost by one.  I know better.)  I remembered to take the camera along on Saturday and got a few shots. 

Is he #1 because it was alphabetical, or because he's the coach's kid?

Jonathan's immediate reaction when he saw this one? 

 

Notice Caleb and Anelise, unsupervised, in the background?

Playin' the field.

Kicked Out

When I'm in bed and I get too warm, I kick my leg out from under the covers.  Jonathan thinks that's silly, but it's just enough to cool me off without getting too cold.  Everyone hates taking off a cover only to have to put it back on 5 minutes later, right?  Kicking out a leg is the perfect solution.  Apparently Anelise agrees.  When I went to check on her last night, she had partially unzipped her sleepsack, and one leg was out.  I knew to get a picture I'd have to get it before she woke up this morning.  She was quite accomodating, since she's still sleeping at 9:45!! 

Yeah, not a great photo, but I didn't want to wake her up.  Apparently she was one tired little lady! 

Next up: baseball!

Philippians 2:2

That was the verse Caleb had to memorize for his school program.  This was the end of the year program and kindergarten graduation.  Jonathan and I kept looking at each other with laughter during the graduation part of it.  They took everything so seriously.  The 5 graduates (not Caleb, he was in preschool) wore robes, processed to the front to Pomp and Circumstance, were handed "diplomas" and posed with their teacher for pictures.  And the icing on the cake was at the end, when they sang "Friends are Friends Forever."  I called my brother, Jon, to tell him about it.  His response was, "so, they're not only trying to make it like a highschool graduation, but they're making it a highschool graduation from 1992!" 

We were also again disappointed with the director, when she said she hoped Mother Nature would cooperate for the outdoor picnic that's happening today.  Mother Nature???  It's a Christian school!  She sent an email this week too, asking us to "keep our fingers crossed" about the weather.  I would have said something, but she's leaving the position for a different job, and we won't be back at this school anyway.

But Caleb did great.  We enjoyed watching him singing with his class, doing all the motions.  And we were so proud of him when it was his turn to speak into the microphone!

Growing Girl

Anelise had her 18 month check up yesterday.  Yes, we were a month late.  She had been really cranky for the last week or so, which made me glad to take her in and not be charged for an extra visit.  There is fluid in one ear, but the doctor said it was hard to tell if something was just starting, or if it was clearing up.  Based on the fever she'd had last Wednesday and the unbearable screaming she did most of the weekend, I think she's through the worst of it.  The doctor gave me a prescription, but only wants me to fill it if it seems like she's getting worse.  And she's not, thankfully. 

Anelise weighs 25 pounds and is 33 inches.  That puts her between 50th and 75th percentile for both.  I talked to my sister, Julie, yesterday and learned that Anelise's cousin Sofia, a week older than Anelise, is almost identical in size.  I can't wait to have the cousins together at the summer cottage in August!

Anelise also needed one vaccination.  Boo.  But she did so well!  She was happily sitting on my lap, curious when they rubbed her leg with the sterilization stuff, and didn't even fuss when she saw the needle. Once it went in, of course, she screamed, but with much less gusto than in the past.  And she settled down very quickly.  And other than possibly flu shots, she's all done with vaccinations for several years!

The Boy Who Wouldn't Stop Reading the Bible

Once upon a time, there was a sweet 5 year old boy who had taught himself to read.  His dad was skeptical that he was actually reading, claiming that he had just memorized all of the books he was "reading."  His mom was skeptical at first, but soon realized he was reading books that he didn't know well enough to have memorized.  His Sunday School teacher, week after week, told his parents what a good reader he was, and that, in fact, while other kids were playing, he wanted to keep reading the Bible.  While cleaning up his room, he discovered a kids' picture Bible that hadn't been used in several years.  He decided to start at the beginning.  And hasn't stopped.

                                               (Look, Mom, a picture!) 

Bloodsuckers

Last night we had a bonfire outside with the V-Lugt family.  Our time was very enjoyable, as always, and the kids very much enjoyed their marshmallows.  But I was surprised at how many (huge) mosquitoes were out, feasting on our tasty (apparently?) bodies.  They were bad enough to send us inside earlier than we otherwise might have.

This morning in the Indy Star, there is an article titled "Mosquitoes are back with a vengeance."  I'm not sure what they're upset about, but it's true, they're back.  The article said that because of the unusually wet spring we had, plus the very warm temps this week, they're here weeks earlier than usual.  And they're worse right now than they've been in over 30 years!  It makes me less excited about heading out to Ethan's baseball game.  The good news is that they don't carry West Nile, apparently.  I still would rather not have them around.

In other news, the shutters have been scraped, washed, and primed.  If the rain holds off today, they may get painted!

Outdoor plans

This year is a "work outside" year.  We have big plans for the back yard that I'm very excited about.  First, we're taking a year off of gardening.  We still have some rhubarb, and Caleb brought home a cucumber plant from school that we'll plant, but besides that, we're taking a furlough.  And we're moving the garden.  We've already pulled out the fence, so the next steps are removing the frame, moving dirt, and planting grass.  We'll also remove the raised "walkway" from the deck to the back yard.  And we're going to cut down the pine tree that is right next to the deck.  In the end, my flower garden will be extended, and we'll have a nice wide step directly from the deck to the yard.  I think it will look so nice!   I'm hoping to build a small raised garden next to the fence along the driveway.  Since we cut down the crabapple last fall, that area gets plenty of sun.  And that's where the rhubarb currently is, struggling to grow in our clayey soil.

On the driveway side of the house, we plan to clear out the area that currently has lava rock and "decorative rock".  We don't really think it's so decorative.  In fact, I may work on that today.  Ultimately, I'd like to just mulch around the trees that are there.  And maybe transplant some hostas there in the fall. 

And finally, we need to paint the shutters.  Last year my brother came down for a few days and painted the storage sheds and our exterior trim.  But the shutters were lower on the painting priority list and didn't get done.  And boy, do they need painting.  So I have spent this morning scraping.  We have 8 shutters, and I have now scraped the bottom 2/3 of each one.  Anelise wasn't too happy out there though, so I'll hopefully get the scraping finished during her nap.  I've also called a friend who has a pressure washer, to see if we could borrow it for the day; I'm waiting for a return call. 

Jonathan has tomorrow off, so we'll see how many of our tasks might get completed!

Compromise

Anyone who has been to our house more than once will know that we struggle to keep the play room cleaned up.  I will often ask the boys to pick up, but it gets so messy that they get overwhelmed, and it is such a battle.  Lately I've been asking them to pick up 10 things, or 20, or 30, every hour or so.  But when there are 200 crayons lying askew on the floor, picking up 10 things at a time doesn't make much of a dent.

I'm trying a new tactic this week. 

This morning at breakfast, I announced to the boys that we were going to make a deal.  I would pick up the entire play room, ALL BY MYSELF, if they would pick up their room, all by themselves.  It sounds like a pretty good deal, don't you think?  There's one small caveat.  The boys are not allowed to be in the newly cleaned up playroom UNTIL their room is completely cleaned up.  And, as many of you know, our computer is in the playroom.  Lego.com is in the playroom.  Curious George online is in the playroom.  I'm hopeful that the incentive to use the computer again will be enough to get the boys' room picked up.  And if not, I'm going to have a refreshingly clean playroom for days on end!!!

13.1

This morning, my amazing husband was up at 5:45 and out the door at 6:00 to head downtown to run the 500 Festival Mini-Marathon!  The kids and I (minus Ethan, who is at the Awana campout) headed down around 8:30 to catch the end of Jonathan's run.  We waited just before mile 13, and were able to catch about 20 seconds of Jonathan's 2+ hour run.  We are so proud of him!  He said it felt good, and he's looking forward to running it again next year.  Way to go, Babe!

For those that may not know, the Mini is a half-marathon: 13.1 miles.  The Indianapolis 500 Festival Mini Marathon is the largest half-marathon in the WORLD!  Jonathan was running with approximately 35,000 other runners.  The temperature seemed perfect for running, and the rain held off for most of the run.  Jonathan said it rained during his last 4 miles or so, but it was just sprinkling.  We were able to meet Jonathan in Military Park after the race.  Great job, Jonathan!

Edit:  Jonathan's official time was 2:06:59.  His pace was 9:41 per mile.  :)

Almost Done

What a day I've had!  Nothing has gone wrong, but it has been FULL!  Here it is in a nutshell:

6:53 - Alarm goes off, hit snooze once.
7:02 - Get Ethan up, dressed, practice spelling words, breakfast, make lunch.
7:30 - Ethan gets picked up, Elliana Freeman gets dropped off.  I'd agreed to watch her for the day.
7:40 - Shower, get dressed, dry hair, get Anelise dressed, feed Anelise (Jonathan did this)
8:45 - Leave the house.
9:10 - Arrive at church, set up table centerpieces, distribute attendance sheets
9:30 - Bible Study
11:15 - Pick up Anelise and Elliana from their classes, get them settled with lunch (being watched by a friend), meet with Women of Faith director about possibly filling Evangelism/Discipleship role.
11:30 - Meet with Children's Ministry director (I'm doing registration for VBS) - kids still lunching
12:15 - Leave church.
12:30 - Accompany two students at a violin lesson.  I'm accompanying their recital on Saturday.
1:15 - Leave lesson.
1:30 - Arrive home, eat lunch.
1:50 - Leave to pick up Caleb.
2:15 - Home.  BREATHE!
2:30 - Make phone calls, check email, explore VBS website.
3:30 - Ethan gets dropped off from school, Elliana gets picked up.
4:30 - Practice books of the New Testament with Ethan, verses with Caleb.
5:00 - Make dinner.
5:30 - Eat.
6:00 - Leave the house (without Ethan's vest, couldn't find it), come back to the house because we forgot Caleb's book, leave again.
6:32 - Arrive at church for Awanas, two minutes late.  Drop off the boys.  Leave.
6:50 - Arrive at Kroger.  Grocery shopping.  Only 15 items or so.
7:20 - Home.  Give Anelise a bath, put pajamas on, brush teeth, put Anelise to bed.
7:40 - Return phone calls.
8:20 - Start this post.
8:35 - Jonathan home with the boys.
SOON - kids in bed, RELAX!

Tomorrow should be a much more relaxing day.  I'm meeting with the Children's Ministry Director again tomorrow morning, and Ethan and Jonathan have baseball in the evening.  The rest of the day is free.  Ahhh.