ecfe

We went to an ECFE picnic tonight. It was a lot of fun. There were water baloons for the kids. We loved it. Our whole family got into the action... imagine that! Nora especially loved throwing things that exploded! Every time something exploded, she'd shout "sweet!"
Rick took Ava to ECFE this year (Early Childhood/Family Education). There are age specific classes. Rick was the only dad in the class, but - as usual - he got along famously with everyone. It was strange to go to a picnic and be the only woman who hadn't taken her child to this class. All of the "unknown spouses" were husbands ... and me. We had a great time. The food was wonderful - lots of great salads. The conversation was actually NOT centered around our children. These gals were very hip and current and artistic and... interesting. I wish the ECFE classes that I had taken Via and Noni to were this much fun.
(The gal who hosted had a rockin' house. I'd like to host sometime, but the pressure to have a fabulous house might overwhelm me. We'll see how I feel tomorrow.)
Got to go help Rick put the kids to bed.
Good night.

goldfish

I love goldfish.
That 'little snack that smiles back' has saved my sanity on so many occasions. I think that I might purchase stock in this company.
I should at least include them in my evening prayers:
"Dear God, please protect the humble little cracker that brings my rowdy children to a zen-like state while waiting for the cashier at the bank.
Please allow that little orange guy to remain crispy long enough for me to bathe in solitude for 5 more minutes.
Protect the fingers of the person who stamps that little smile on the fishy cracker's face so Yaya - when she is blessed with the smiling fish visage - will sing the commercial jingle instead of pulling my skirt to the floor in the grocery checkout line.
Oh, and bless the genius who thought of making cheese-flavored fish-shaped crackers in the first place. Bless the genius and the whole entire family-of-the-genius, now and forever, amen."
I really love goldfish.

I love my garden. I love this crazy, ridiculously tall poppy that has emerged - forgotten - from under a hosta. It's amazing what a plant will do to get noticed.
It's equally amazing what children will do to get noticed. Tonight, Ava literally tumbled - head over heals - through the house in her sparkly, pink shoes... and nothing else. She is that poppy - 'though not forgotten - struggling to be noticed in a house of loud sisters. As Ava twirled circles across the floor, everyone stopped what we were doing and clapped like crazy for our poppy, Ava. She stopped tumbling, looked a little surprised that her antics had indeed caught our attention, threw her sweet little hands up into the air and shouted "tada!" What a fabulous little poppy she is.

It's raining! It's raining. Finally. It's raining - a hard, determined downpour of thick heavy drops.
Oh, simple rain, I dance in you. I celebrate you with primordial whoops and hollars. I splash in your puddles. I bath in your droplets. I sing as the thirsty earthworm swims in your lazy rivlets! Hooray!

What's the big hairy deal, you ask? It's simple: I am not genetically prepared for this crazy heat and humidity! It's been 95+ degrees here in St. Paul, MN for the last several days - raspberry sherbet quickly slips from the bonds of cake cones, the panting black dog is eating ice cubes out of the holiday beer cooler, the precious, rationed water from the sprinkler seems to hang unnaturally in the thick, humid air for several moments before languidly trickling to the earth - reluctantly sacrificing itself on a mission of mercy for the crispy brown grass.

But for now, all of that is forgotten because it is raining!
The garden will grow, the children will sleep at night, the dog will stop eating ice from the cooler and I may actually hug my husband. Maybe.

good bye

This weekend, my very nice friend Heidi married a nice Norwegian man named Morton. They are moving to Norway today. The wedding was lovely. They make a very nice couple. Everyone smiled and was happy. Heidi's new family is lovely and kind. She will be very happy.
I think.
I also think it is going to be very hard for Heidi and her sister, Greta, to be so far apart. How do you say 'good bye' to someone you have spent your whole life with? They have traveled together and lived together and worked together... for a long time they joked that they were the 'spinster sisters.' Now, Heidi is part of a Nice Norwegian Couple and Greta is living in her half of a lovely Victorian duplex. Alone.
Olivia and Nora are very worried that Greta will be sad. We will work hard to cheer her up if she feels lonely.

grandparents

Only grandparents can love with a sort of controlled yet reckless abandon! Ava adores my dad. Everything is about Papa - she saves her left-overs for Papa. She gets an extra piece of candy for Papa. She says, "That was funny. Papa would like that." Instead of saying prayers at night, Ava talks to Papa. It's a good thing that Papa feels the same way about Ava!

up north

What a fantastic slice of Americana we have participated in.
We laughed loudly around smoky bonfires on the beach at dusk.
We stuffed ourselves with cheep hot dogs roasted on open fires.
We indulged in too many gooey 'smores until our bellies hurt.
We endured small town fireworks from within a cloud of mosquitoes.
We frantically clung to fast bouncing inner-tubes behind slow moving speed-boats.
We cautiously made new friends-for-life.
We stayed up as late as we could and slept as long as they'd let us.
Then, we reluctantly returned to the asphalt of the city, road-weary and life-refreshed. Our skin - a crispy shade of pink.
I can't wait to do it again!