Cookin' in the South

Our weather has officially gotten out of control. 

I am used to being hot and somewhat miserable in the summers here.  90's with humidity is just never comfortable.  And even though we've decided that you do "get used to it", all that really means is that you come to grips with the fact that you WILL be sweaty the second you step outside, but so will everyone else, so no sense in getting worked up about it.  I remember showering up to 3 times a day that first summer we were here, until I finally gave up and embraced the sticky feeling and just got on with the summer.

But this year, seriously. . . how many days do we have to be near 100?  I counted and we've been in the upper 90's or higher 25 days in the last 2 months.  That seems a little much, even for the south.

Bring on fall!  I'm even willing to rake leaves, as long as it's not 100 degrees while I'm doing it.

VBS

 I don't really remember seeing anything about Vacation Bible School until we moved to the Bible belt, but here in NC, it is a popular summer activity and this year, we finally decided to try it out. 

What's not to like about entertaining the kids for 15 hours for $25?  They both had a great time this last week.  Our church doesn't do VBS, so we sent them to the local methodist church, which does things a little differently than we're used to, but it seemed harmless enough.  Bug did come home singing (in a pretty monotone, angry sounding voice, but that's his "rock" voice), "We are soldiers, in the army of the Lord!" and I can't really imagine beach balls ever being introduced in our chapels, but it was a fun week.

I thought it was hilarious that before the final ceremony, which parents were invited to, the kids all started screaming--it really sounded like we were at a concert and the band had just taken the stage, but no. . .it was the beach balls.

Daniel Stowe "Mechanical" Gardens

We don't get very many nice days in Charlotte in the summer.  Lots of days where sitting under a fan in the airconditioned house is the only practical option, yes.  But to want to go wander around outside, not so much.  So when we saw the forecast for a couple days in the low 80's, we decided to take advantage of it and go visit a botanical garden nearby, or as the kids called it, the mechanical gardens.

 The weather ended up being perfect (I was actually chilly when I first stepped out of the car) and the flowers were gorgeous.

 I think the kids were happy to get outside and run around, too.  There hasn't been a lot of outdoor activity lately, its just been so hot, and these kids need to be active.

 (I love how water looks when you freeze it in a photo).

 I think its so funny how Bugaboo can go from so happy and sweet,

 to sulky and grumpy in a snap.  (But he's still cute.)

For the most part, we had a great time.  Even Peanut was very content in the mei tai and slept for a couple hours.  That's how he takes all his naps if we're out of the house.  And luckily, he's still pretty light, and the carrier does a great job distributing the weight, so he's pretty comfortable to wear (as long as its not too hot outside--all that fabric and snuggling really heats both of us up.)

We did a little posing:

 a lot of flower photography:

Some wildlife observations:

a little map reading (and the popularity of the map caused most of the contention we had to break up as well.):

Now if we could only order a few more days like that!

Fun at Home

I've been feeling a little sorry for the kids because we've spent a lot more time at home this summer than we normally do, but they haven't seemed to mind, or even notice.  In fact, they are usually upset when we tell them its time to go unless its something really exciting.  And this is an example of why: 

 It may look like complete chaos, but that is actually their well-planned home.  Kitchen, bedrooms, living room all in less than 300 square feet!

And all the more impressive when you see the size of their family:

Bean explained to me that she has 8 kids--she had 4 biological kids, but then she adopted 4 more.  And she was picking out homeschool books because "It costs too much to send eight kids to school."  She has stayed really busy putting babies to bed and changing diapers and feeding everyone. 

Bugaboo's take on the whole thing?  "I do not like being a dad," said in the most exasperated voice.

Craft Room Makeover

This room has been a long time in the making.  And its been a group effort.  One of the bedrooms has laminate flooring, which seemed like the perfect surface for easy clean up of paper bits, threads, spilled beads and other craft bits.  I really wanted to make a space that both the kids and I could enjoy, and we have certainly used it and enjoyed it along the way, but we were sadly lacking in storage space and the room was pretty barebones. It's at least very functional at this point, and is looking nice, too.

Before:

After:

I think I started with painting and getting/making tables for me and the kids 2 years ago. And then Uncle D. started the bookcases and bench under the window over a year ago when he was staying with us.  Daddy-o and I worked on them some this last year, but Peanut pretty much took over our lives by last October, so it was slow going.

On my side of the room, Before:

After:

I still need a few more specific storage things, like something for all my scrapbook paper, but it will be a work in progress as I decide what I want.  The bookcases are so convienent and can hold a lot of stuff.  And the empty desktop is calling my name--I may actually start working on some things again.  Its been a pretty dry year, craft-wise.

The kids side, Before:

After

Their table needs to be repainted and finished with polyurathane to (hopefully) make it easier to clean the surface, and we need some chairs for the table Daddy-o built them a couple years ago--they've been sharing a small bench that is too tall for the table, and not long enough for two people to comfortably sit at.  I also need to do something for their paper storage as well--I'm thinking maybe something hung on the wall.  But they are really excited to have so many of their art supplies easily accessible.

The closet corner, Before:

After:

My sewing machine will normally be on the shelf over there, but its been in heavy use with all the projects my mom was trying to help me finish before she left.

The window area was one of the things she helped with:

I've had the fabric for a long time, but she finally made it into a cushion for the bench and a window valence.  I think this is the perfect little nook for the kids to curl up and read.

Thanks, Rara, Uncle D, and Daddy-o, for helping me to make this room what I wanted!

2 Months Old

2 month check up--24 1/8th in. (90%), 10 lbs. 3 oz.(20%)--tall and skinny, like all our babies.

Peanut is talking a TON.  He's been cooing at us for a couple weeks, and last week, at church, he talked and smiled at me for almost an hour.  I think it was the first chance he'd had where everyone around him was quiet, so he could actually be heard.  It's pretty cute to watch how much effort he puts into making each sound.  He takes the whole thing very seriously and seems really proud of himself as he makes a new sound.

Sleep hasn't been going so well at night lately (although he did give us one almost 6 hour stretch over the July 4th weekend, but I think that was due to us completely wearing him out), but his doctor thinks he has silent reflux, so maybe once we get that sorted out, he'll be more comfortable and not want to eat every 3 hours or more at night.

We love having this little guy in our family.  Rara and Uncle D. have been visiting for the last three weeks, and Rara has been loving her snuggle time (and in spite of the look in the picture, Peanut has been loving it most of the time, too.) 

Blessing Day

 We blessed Peanut at church June 26th.  And I guess its 3rd child syndrome--we didn't have time to take a picture before church, and then I completely forgot after church until people had already changed out of their clothes.  So I made sure we got pictures of our family the next week.  I think these are the first of all 5 of us!

 And let me tell you, it wasn't easy.  We started out like this.

And of course, as soon as we got Bug happy, Peanut was beyond done with the whole procedure.  I have a feeling we've got a few years of these types of family photos coming our way.

America, The Beautiful

 Saturday night, we met up with friends for the annual Independence Day symphony and fireworks show.  We love this tradition and are so glad to have friends to share it with.

It ended up being a beautiful evening, altough still a little warm and sticky, especially for our dry, dessert dwelling guests.

A little pre-show game of Hangman.

Lots of fun for all the kids.

Nothing better than glow sticks!

Maybe a little too much fun and excitement for some of them.

Watching the show from Daddy-o's legs.

 Then, on Monday, we went up to the outdoor mall where they have a bike parade for the kids each year.  Honestly, it wasn't really worth it this year--big crowds, hot, muggy weather, tired kids and a new baby just don't make for the greatest outing.

 But Bugaboo did have fun riding his big bike.  Two years ago, he made the loop on a tricycle, which was a lot more work.

 Peanut was unimpressed by the whole thing.

 He actually spent most of the morning sleeping in the sling.  Bean probably could have used a good nap, too, judging by the bike parade, but she did perk up and enjoy the waterfight the firefighters do each year.

 Bug was pretty enthralled, too.  He kept wandering out into the middle of the area--notice that most of the kids are staying back at a safe distance while he just stands there, staring at the firefighters.

 They loved getting cooled off a little.

And finally, we ended the day with friends coming over for a cookout (I've had to get used to the terminology here in the south--BBQ has to be pork, not burgers and hotdogs).  The kids had a great time, even though it was too hot to head outside for any of the backyard fun we'd hoped to have.

Finally got the two little guys to smile

 And last of all, Daddy-o's peach pie with homemade ice cream courtesy of Uncle D.  Dessert is always my favorite part of a holiday.

Happy 4th!!!