The Eensy-Weensy Spider

The other night I was going outside after dark to dump our kitchen scraps in the compost pile and I nearly ran into THIS:

I just saw the spider kind of floating in the air because the web wasn't visible from where I was standing. The next day, after school, it was still there, and that's when I took the pictures. The kids were fascinated.

To give you an idea of the magnitude of this web, it's in the photo below, to the left of the post--you just can't see it in that light. It stretched from the floor of the deck up to the roof. The actual web part was down low, but there were several strands of web that connected it up to the roof. Amazing--and a bit creepy.

A view from the porch:

And from the side:

Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooal!

Soccer season is upon us. Both girls are playing this season, after taking a break last year to pursue other activities.

Maggie is having a great time, despite being the only girl on her 6-player team. They play 3-on-3 games where no one really keeps score. At this point in her career, it's about having fun and beginning to learn some fundamentals. Really, though, her team, the Gliders (or alternately Aqua Gliders--Aqua Glide is their sponsor) is pretty much dominating the competition. mwa-ha-ha

Here's Maggie's cheering section at her first game. (We were nearly late because Adah was making her "Go Maggie !!!!!!" sign.)

We don't have any good action shots of Adah's soccer season thus far. Her team, the Blue Barbies (she swears the boys voted for that name; "I think they were just trying to be mean," she said)--who I call the BB's or Blue B's--play other 1st and 2nd graders in 5-on-5 matches.

Adah is a little less vigorous on the field than her sister and isn't sure she wants a future in soccer. We'll see, I suppose. For now, she's having fun on the field with the other BB's.

A Visit

We got a visit from Damon's parents, aka Grandma and Grandpa, in early September. They were en route to their own "Amazing Race" trip through Canada via trains, ferries, and the occasional taxi.

We were happy to relax with them on the front porch and to play Bananagrams at the kitchen table (after the kids were in bed).

Joanna (aka Grandma) and I also had our own harvest festival with basil, tomato, and zucchini. She picked, plucked, washed, and whirred our basil plants into several jars of delicious pesto sauce.

She also sliced cherry tomatoes and dehydrated them for her own supply of "sun"-dried tomatoes. (I've since made another batch for myself). I grated zucchini for bread and cakes and also made some fabulous sweet potato muffins. We filled the freezer, only eating some of our creations that weekend. I was just trying to get through all the produce piling up in my garden, pantry, and fridge before it spoiled and having some extra hands in the kitchen (Grandma) and with the kids (Grandpa) made it all possible. Thanks, guys!

And come again!

Super Siblings

This post is mostly about just showing off some cute pictures of the big kids with their baby sister, and also to tell about how good Adah and Maggie, and even Gunnar, have been with Holly these last 3 months.

The girls have especially been a big help to me this summer. They run and grab burp cloths or pick up fallen pacifiers. They get things for Gunnar when I'm feeding Holly and can't get it myself. They both are extremely adept at holding her, and remain remarkably calm even when Holly is freaking out on their laps. (Sometimes that happens when I've just gotta do something--like change Gunnar's diaper or get something out of the oven--before I can sit down and feed her.) They just love being big sisters, and I love watching them at it.

Gunnar loves his baby sister, too. Lately he has taken to getting in her face--which is frustrating--and saying things like, "Yes you are; yes you are," or "goochee-goo"--which is cute (and strange, since I don't think we say those things to her; we're not sure where he learned it).

Here's Holly joining in on Gunnar's bedtime story:

Adah was just taking some time to quietly read The Friend to herself and without being asked put Holly on her lap to help keep her happy.

I'm glad my big girls are back in school, but I will miss all the help that they give me with their baby sister, and I think Gunnar even misses them being around. Still, I think it gives Gunnar a chance to step up as the big kid. Already he's been able to be the one running for burp cloths and pacifiers.

First Day of School! First Day of School!

We now have TWO kiddos in full-time school! Adah is now in second grade. Maggie is in kindergarten; she goes all day.

Here they are, so grown up, getting ready to head off to school on September 1. It was a drizzly day, hence the raincoats.

Maggie's teacher is Mrs. Denny.

Here they are after a great first day.

Here's Adah, in her cute first-day-of-school outfit, just outside her classroom before school started. I guess second grade is much more serious--no cute decorations outside of her room.

Our Prodigy

She does ROLL OVER--doing so a full month and a half sooner than any of her other siblings. I was seriously not ready for this kind of mobility yet. Just no crawling yet, okay Holly?

Holly Berry

I pretty much figure that most people reading the blog these days really just want to see photos of Holly. At least, that's who I get asked about the most. I'm a person of order, so I had to do some catch-up with our other summer activities before I could just post pictures of the baby. Now that I'm nearly caught up, here you go:

When she was still a tiny baby (not quite 7 weeks old) on the 4th of July:

Asleep in her swing on July 7, her legs looking pretty long in this photo.

She is a tall one.

She's grown a lot in a short time:

Ha ha! It's just Gunnar!

Smiley girl getting ready for bed (July 21, nearly 2 months old):

Sitting with Daddy on August 10 (about 2 1/2 months old):

A Sunday afternoon snooze on August 15:

And now, the most recent shots of our smiling growing girl (September 3, 3 months plus one week):

And look . . . she has started grabbing at toys. She has really discovered her hands and is constantly stuffing her fingers and knuckles into her little mouth.