Toad Road

 

The moment that Anders was born, our friend Cathy was there, snapping photo's as he emerged from his water birth.  The day Jakob was born she too, held the camera as he arrived. 
She's a very important friend to all of us.  In fact, when the kids find out they will be spending time with her, they usually shout some form of "CATHY!  We LOVE Cathy."  I know we all feel the same way- but as grown-ups, Anna and I don't shout like they do, we usually just smile.  There is something truly soothing as a parent to be around someone who loves and cares for your kids as much as we do.  We can talk to her about our children in a way that we can with no one else.  She sees them, loves them, and enjoys the long rambling we sometimes do when we discuss the latest developmental stage they are in.  She also is a great problem solver for us when we have questions and concerns about them- and we trust her implicitly. 

There is a picture of the four of us posing in front of her road sign in the collage above...with a nifty wooden arrow that points to her home.  Cathy lives in a rural part of our state, in a beautiful house, at the end of a long dirt road, and at the top of a hill.  There is a giant rolling field, a view of the mountains, and a pond at the bottom of the hill.  It's really stunning.  We like it in every single season.  We've gone swimming (and captured many a leach from her pond- but this should be another post!), hiking, caving, kayaking, sledding, slept out in tents, slept in on futons, had dinners, breakfasts, lunches, etc.  Just today we got to watch two horses arrive, feed them carrots, and watch as they were unloaded from their trailers and moved to their stalls.  All of this totally fun to the children. The kids also like to steer the car up her long driveway...each child getting a turn on the way up or the way down.  It's thrilling to them because her driveway is long and has some twists and turns in it.  Anna has them sit on her lap and let's them steer the whole drive.  I think they'll remember this training when they are getting their learner's permits. 

When we visit lately we make it a family overnight.  Last night it was cold, rainy, and we all hunkered down together and watched a movie in front of the fire. Then we fell asleep only to be woken up in the middle of the night to Anders having an allergic coughing fit - followed by all three adults struck by insomnia.   The three of us spent hours then  in hushed conversation, catching up on things since our last connection talking about everything going on in our lives - especially our families.  Our friend Cathy really is an  important part of this life with boys.
It's an amazing friendship for all of us on Toad Road.
  

Is that a Buffalo in the Bed?

This morning Anna woke up early.  I was still asleep in bed.  She was in the shower when Kuba came in and told her he wanted to go into our bed, but was too scared.  He needed her to go with him.  So he waited quietly in the bathroom until Anna was finished.  Then Anna took his hand and they walked to the bedroom together.  She told him he could always turn on a light if he was afraid of the dark. He incredulously responded that he wasn't afraid of the dark, but he was afraid of the buffalo in the bed.  As they walked closer to the bed he clutched Anna's hand really tightly -very frightened, hesitant to move any closer.  They saw me (a shape under the blanket) with just a piece of  hair sticking out from under the covers.  Kuba said this looked just like the horn of a buffalo - so he was sure it was a buffalo in the bed.  Anna woke me up just so he could see it was actually me, his mom and that he could climb in safely.   He did, and he cuddled next to the "buffalo" for the next twenty minutes.

This is why we have so much fun all the time.
The imagination of our youngest child is vivid.  

Outside

There is something I miss terribly about the return to school - it's being outside. I do believe that we spent nearly every waking hour outside almost all summer. The return to ceilings, indoor lighting and the lack of big blue sky is tough for all of us, especially me. Anna has been doing a really good job of getting the boys outside after school and we've been doing some good roaming on the weekends, but not enough for me. This photo is from a hike Anna and Mor Mor took with the boys to the Audubon. I love this photo because Anders is gazing so deeply at the camera and Kuba is there, but his face is hidden. It's interesting as a composition - and if it were black and white I think it would remind me of a Sally Mann photo. 

Asleep in the Chariot II

First MAJOR Hike

We took a really long hike today.  A very steep, very rocky, very exhausting hike today to the top of a mountain.  It was our first difficult hike.  It was the first time that Kuba hiked the whole thing.  It took three hours to get up and then ninety minutes to get back down.  Of course we had a great lunch and stayed at the top for quite some time. Both Anders and Kuba were amazing.  They love hiking and being on a trail.  Even this crazy hard trail was fun for them.  I on the other hand am simply exhausted from the climb.  

So Long Scaredy Cat

 

We lost one of our chickens last night to a pesky, thoughtless, hungry predator.

It was our fault. Anna and I took the boys to the fair and we didn't come home until nearly 11 pm. Way too late if you have chickens to shut into the coop. When we got home I went straight to the barn to close the coop and discovered Scaredy Cat's feathers all over the barn. Emily, one of the smaller brown chickens was perched high up in the room, and the other two were freaked out in the coop. UGH. This is the second chicken we lost to a predator. 

Scaredy cat was our biggest hen and was the top of the pecking order.  She essentially ruled the roost...and was ruthless to Emily, the chicken at the bottom of the pecking order.  I think her absense might make the others a bit less anxious now that she's not around to peck them all the time.  Oh, the trauma and tragedy of having chickens.

So long Scaredy Cat.  We will certainly miss you- though I am not so sure Emily will.