Riddle Me This...

I'm in fairly good shape.
I could run 6 miles without a tremendous effort.  I'd be tired, but not dead. 
I'll be 75 before Boston Qualifying at my pace, but it goes to say that my life isn't sedentary.
So...
I cannot understand why I work up such a sweat from mopping the floor.
It's a dripping off the face sort of sweat.
One that makes it look like I've just tried to BQ instead of simply keeping my kitchen floor clean.
The drywall downstairs is being sanded, so dust here is (more) prolific (than usual)  but in an effort to minimize the effects on Benjamin's respiratory system, it's a battle that must be fought.
I'm losing.
It's tiring.
Having a place to set up a sewing table is so deliciously tantalizing that I'll go with it.

We punted on our usual Wednesday fun activities.
At 5:30 Nate was already asleep.
He woke up to eat and now is just about ready for baths and bed again.
Benjamin is not too far behind him.
Poor Things.

We all went to bed late last night because we attended an Air Force Concert Band concert at the Weinberg Center here in Frederick.
We were nervous about bringing the kids, since the concert didn't start until 7:30, which is bedtime.
But we decided to try and the kids rose to the occasion.
Benjamin used his binky the entire performance (hey - he's 3)and was quiet.  The older three kids were glued to their seats and seems to really enjoy it.  
So did we.
Along with the music, it was thoroughly enjoyable to run into so many people we knew there, too.  There were at least four other families from church.
Makes us feel like we're almost Townies.
 And...it was nice to get all gussied up for the occasion.

Sugarloaf Mountain

We had to take advantage of the 80 degree weather yesterday.
So after dropping the Olders off at school, the Youngers and I went hiking in Montgomery County. 
We had not been there before and were impressed my the trails and views. 
Looking forward to getting the rest of the family there. 

It was wonderful to bask in the sun, sitting on top of the stone house, imagining what it would be like to live in a house like that with a view like this...

 

I also got to hear profound statements.
Such as, "I don't think I would ever want to sit on a crocodile.  I think he would eat my penis," and "I better hold on to my penis.  It's a long jump down!".  There was also an "Ode to my Penis" song. 
Mind boggling.
And I don't know, after almost 8 years of having boys, why it still surprises me. 

Once we were able to squelch the penis fixation, we did have a fun morning collecting leaves, looking for walking sticks and climbing rocks. 

We didn't think we had ever seen a leaf speckled like this before. 

This was two leaves that had somehow grown into one. 

"Mom!  Look at this one! It's as big as my face!"

Benjamin does adore his older brother.  Mostly.   

A nice picture taken by Benjamin.

Marching to the beat of their own drummer on the roof of the Stone House. 

Friday Night

After a day of hiking and shchool, Friday night was just too much for the Nater-tot. 
Out since 5:30.

He may be a big boy, but sometimes that baby face takes my breath away. 

Indian Summer South of the Mason Dixon Line

So we're all of 26 miles south of the Mason Dixon Line.
But those miles are key.
Because of instead of having something like THIS on November 5th...

We have kids running about the yard in their underwear having squirt gun wars.
Oh...if this was what Autumn in the South was all the time...

Oh - and THANK YOU and Happy Birthday to Uncle Matt!
Sending love from Walkersville to Baytown!

Been an interesting day today. 
Sam was chosen with 10 other kids at school because of his perfect attendance and good participation to take a limo ride  to McDonalds for Happy Meals.
To say that Caroline is green with envy is a gross understatement. 
Her eyes were shooting daggers the whole car ride home when Sam announced he was picked.
This was followed by wailing and gnashing of teeth, "I've been at the school thirteen quarters and I haven't got picked.  Sam gets everything.  It's so not fair."
After weeping with those who weep and acknowledging that, yes, in fact, it was pretty stinky that she hadn't been picked yet, she has been better. 
Caroline was channeling her energy this morning and up at 6 practicing the flute.
Benjamin woke up and found me, just as I was leaving for my run at 5:15.
He ran downstairs crying because he couldn't find his baseball helmet or his book about St Pope John Paul II.  After we found both, he climbed happily into bed with Jim and slept another hour. 
It's always interesting around here. 

Halloween

Courtesy of Nina...
Here is the Neighborhood Crew before going out for Tricks or Treat.

November!

Wow.  November already.
We made it through the 1st quarter of school, Tball and Halloween.

I won't apologize for not blogging.  I can only say that I'm doing the best I can with what I have. 
And that sleep is a very beautiful thing. 

I'm hoping the same monitoring device is not on the computer chair that is on the toilet seat. 
You see, every time I sit down on the toilet, it alarms the kids to come in screaming, pounding the tar out of each other or bleeding. 
So far...3 minutes minutes blogging without an interruption...that far surpasses any toilet time that has been had in the past 10 years...
;)

The time change is wonderful. 
The past two nights the kids have been in bed by 7:30. 
I was in bed last night at 8:06. 
Glorious, indeed.
People have been waking up in good moods, even.
On Monday morning, coming in from my run, I was greeted by the sounds of Caroline practicing flute at 6:15. 
This morning, after running, I was greeted by 3 and 5 year old zombies that proceeded to bite me and suck my blood.  They were confused, but happy - so I can't complain.   

To celebrate this gorgeous weather, the kids are outside. 
We are finishing off our basement and adding a bathroom, so they took the huge box that the shower came in and made a fort for toads they are finding.  

Hold on...
...7 minutes...Benjamin came in asking for a piece of cheese.  But he wasn't crying or bleeding - so that's something. 

I have no pictures of Halloween of all 4 kids.
Nina and Pops were down for the weekend and Pops got all the pics on his camera before we went out trick or treating. 
I was able to get a shot of "Dr Jones" before the pre-school costume parade, though.
Nate loved his costume and has worn either a bow tie or a fedora each day since.  

All the kids loved their costumes. 
We sure could use some pictures for the blog, though (hint, hint Pops)...
We ran into a little boy named Maverick who wants Sam's costume "when he grows up". 
Luckily Mav is only 1...so Sam will have plenty of time to enjoy being a pilot. 

We had a day of Blessed White Space on Saturday when Nina and Pops were here, so we dragged them up to Harpers Ferry. 
Pops and Nina got all the pictures of that, too...but they did send us a few.
Just don't be surprised if you see them on a Christmas card. 
To be totally up front - yep, there is candy in Ben's hand. And I'm totally giving Nate a wedgie to get him to stay in one spot. 
Bribery and coercion are the only ways to go while trying to take family pictures.  

We were busily preparing for Nina & Pops' arrival last week.
Since there has been construction in the basement, there is a thin thick layer of dust everywhere that I have been unsuccessfully trying to fight.
Normally, it wouldn't be a big deal, but the dust seems to trigger reactive airway symptoms in Ben - so getting it under control has been a priority. 
Kind of tough because they've been working right next to the furnace and it works very well sucking up the dust and distributing it throughout the house. 
But we did have time and clean space enough to make some apple crisp...

And finish a second set of pajamas for Caroline...

And have some impromptu dress up sessions and dance parties...

There was also a day that Benjamin declared he was done using diapers. 
He did great all morning in underwear, going pee on the toilet every hour or so.
Until...
I was making some butternut squash soup and was up to my elbows in squash innards when I realized I hadn't heard from Benjamin in a while. 
Then I hear screaming.
So I scraped the vegetable entrails off my arms and hightailed it upstairs to find Benjamin.
And I found him standing on the carpet in the middle of his room.
In a pile of poop.
With poo footprints leading from him to his closet, his pile of diapers and his wet wipes. 
Dumbstruck, I extricated Ben, cleaned him up and then steam cleaned the rug at nap time, cursing sometimes not so silently at the previous owners who laid down white carpet and fantasizing about the hardwood floors I left behind in Worcester. 
I didn't take any pictures that day. 
But...hardwood floors have moved up higher on the priority list. 

Then there was also the day I made apple-pie-oatmeal in the crockpot for dinner.
It was so good.
Ben, Jim, Caroline and I were eating it.  Sam doesn't eat much of anything, which wasn't a surprise.
Nate expected to like it.
He took a big bit and started making funny faces.
He as gotten in the habit of trying to spit out food he doesn't like, usually on the napkin of the person sitting next to him. 
In an attempt to dissuade him from doing this, I insisted that Nate swallow the oatmeal, even if he didn't like it.  After about 3 minutes of Nate making pretend gaggy-faces and me getting angry, Nate won the stand off.
The kid threw up.
All over his plate.
Didn't take pictures of that, either.
In his defense, I remember doing the same thing when my parents tried to force me to eat salad as a kid.
In my defense, it's friggin' apple-pie-oatmeal.  Who the heck doesn't like that?!?!

In other news...
We survived another season of TBall.
Seriously, this was the best group of kids and parents that I have ever worked with.
I wish I could bottle them all up and have them every year.
ALL the kids hit off live pitching the last game.
NO ONE had to use a tee.
They even made 5 put outs on defense.  Some at bases other than first!
It was great. 
(pictures courtesy of Pops)...

That all being said, I've had MORE than my fair share of time to blog today.
Time to call the Urchins in and eat dinner.