I Want to Ride My Bicycle

The other day my hubby said to me "We need to take Sam to the park and teach him how to ride his bike without training wheels." So last night we loaded up his bike and helmet and headed to a local park. Our plan was to work with him on a gently sloped grassy lawn so that he would have some momentum and yet, if he toppled over, he'd have a soft landing.

When we told him what our plans were, he didn't want to take his training wheels off. He fussed and complained that he didn't want to, that he couldn't ride without them. But by the time we got to the park, he'd forgotten his complaints and seemed almost excited at the prospect.

We unloaded his bike and got his helmet strapped on. He got on the bike, with Daddy instructing him how to push on the pedals. They started to go slowly, but then after only about two steps, this happened:

Sam took off on his bike and never looked back. Hubby and I stood there, slack-jawed, watching him go. We kept looking at each other increduously, and then back at Sam, like "Are we really seeing what we're seeing?!" Hubby said that after about two steps Sam said "Let go Daddy!" and off he went!

And in case you think he was simply coasting down the hill, I give you this evidence of his cycling prowess:

He quickly progressed to the basketball court where he rode and rode in circles, and discovered the beauty of slamming on the brakes and doing a little power skid (which he handled like a pro). I fear Hubby may be right - we'll be seeing him standing on his handlebars in about a week.

I was so damn proud my face hurt from smiling. I was telling everyone in the park how it was his FIRST! TIME! without training wheels, daring them to besmirch my baby's amazing accomplishment. I mean, because really, how many kids just get on a bicycle and take off? I may be a noob at parenting, but that seems pretty extraordinary to me. And if it's not? Well, it STILL is to me.

So naturally, the night ended with this:

Little Beauty

My sweet Zoë Grace.

I know I'm her momma, but just look at that face! She is such a little sweetheart and has had everyone within reach wrapped around her tiny little finger since the minute she was born. As she has grown, her personality has blossomed and it is far bigger than she is. She is a little girl who knows what she wants and isn't afraid to tell you. She has a soft little heart that is nurturing and caring and sympathetic to others' pain. She is infinitely gentle and sweet with animals, exuding a confidence and calmness that naturally draws them to her. She is so much the little girl I always dreamed of and even more than I ever imagined. She drives me to the brink of insanity with her demands and complaints and clinging and stubbornness, but then yanks me back with her hugs and giggles and imagination and innocence. She makes me want to be a better mommy, a better person and a stronger woman. I look at her and am reminded of the dreams I have for her: that she be an independent, confident, content woman; to be strong yet sensitive; to work hard and go for her dreams; to laugh and love whole-heartedly; to live fully.

I am so proud of the little person she is becoming. I love being her momma and am SO glad that God gave her to me. We're going to have so much fun together and I wouldn't trade her for the world.

~ Zoë means "life" in Greek.

Floors & More Dirt

House Building: A Preview
House Building: Part 1
House Building: Part 2

June 24th:

Small pea-gravel has been blown into the inside of the foundation. This'll be much easier on the knees of whoever needs to crawl around under the house. Which won't be me.

July 2nd:

Look! We have the beginnings of a floor! All the floor joists are on. When I drove up and saw this, I'll admit, I got a small tear in my eye. The indentations in the floor joists are the front (right) and back (left) porches. See that white stripe around the foundation? That's the waterproofing seal that I painted on, all the way around.
July 5th:
The framer & Hubby were going to work on putting the plywood down over the joists but the generator and/or air compressor quit working. But they did get all the wood moved onto the house. Also, a load of gravel was dumped in the garage to backfill it.
July 6th:

The backfilling begins! All the foundation work is done, the drain pipes are in place, so now the trench around the house can be filled in. My dad is standing on the "back porch" surveying the work.

Look! Now you can walk right up to the house without falling in a two foot hole!

And that's where we're at! Josh went out to check on things last night and said that almost all the floor is on, so I'm sure that will be finished up today. Next up - WALLS!

Busy Days

Man! The days are just speeding by! We've been so busy lately that I'm having a hard time keeping up with everything. Life always seems to speed up in the summer, and with our house-building project going too, we're extra busy (and burning gas like we own an oil field).

Thursday morning the weather turned cold and rainy. I had a full day of schlumping around the house planned when I received an email from my pal Heather, inviting various friends over to hang out in the afternoon. Well, she didn't need to ask me twice! I had a couple errands to run, then we headed over to her house. Brooke and a couple other friends, Maggie and Beka, joined us. We shooed the kids all downstairs to play, and settled ourselves in around the coffee maker and snacks. The hours flew by as we chatted and laughed, and before we knew it it was dinnertime! I tell ya, I have the best friends. What a totally indulgent afternoon it was - several hours to myself to just hang out with friends. Even though the kids were there, they're all old enough now to pretty much play and do their own thing without interrupting us, so it really felt like "me" time. Thanks Heather for opening your doors to us! What a great way to spend an afternoon...

Friday, hubby went out to the property to do a few things while I put the finishing touches on my 4th of July grub. In the afternoon, we headed out to Whitey's house for a BBQ. Another enjoyable afternoon ensued, where we consumed way too much food, a few beverages, and took alot of pictures. When it got dark, we brought out the fireworks and started the show. The kids all got to have sparklers and take turns helping light some fireworks. I think I prefer doing fireworks at home with friends than going to a big show, where you have to battle crowds, parking and traffic. It was really fun and the kids got to participate. Next year, we'll be able to host the party - I'm already looking forward to it!

Today I awoke with a bit of a headache and general icky feeling. Hmmm. Maybe one who is used to drinking 1-2 beers a night should rethink having a cocktail following by 4 beers. Needless to say, I got off to a slow start this morning. But after a couple cups of coffee, some Excedrin and some cinnamon toast, I was about good as new. The kids and I packed up and headed out to the house where Josh was already working. I finished putting the waterproofing sealer on the foundation, as tomorrow they will be backfilling it. The rest of the day we spent at home, relaxing and puttering around the house. I managed to do all the laundry, clean both the kids' rooms, wash the sofa cushion covers, and vaccum.

I have some pictures to post but for now, my bed is calling my name. Tomorrow will probably be just as busy and 5:30am comes awfully early, which seems to be the time when Zoë wakes up and starts calling me, or else wanders into our room and crawls into bed with us. Why can't that girl sleep IN?!

Entertain me, please

I'm stealing this idea from Bethany actually because I think it's fun! Kind of reminds me of those "Getting to know you" emails that fly around the internets. And yes, if you send me one you can count on me to fill it in and return it.

Anyway, here are seven fill-in-the-blank questions. Just copy and paste the list into the comment box, fill in the blanks, and I'll answer 'em! Just keep it relatively clean - I've got family members that happen by occasionally!

1. What do you think of _____________?

2. When did you last ____________?

3. __________ or ___________ and why?

4. What did you ______________?

5. What’s your favorite ______________?

6. How would you ______________?

7. Who would you most like to ________?

And remember to come back and check out everyone's questions and my responses in the comment section.

Wordless Wednesday

It's Wordless Wednesday!

Last week when I was at work, Josh took the kids out to our property to check on the progress of the house. He packed some dinner and the kids had a picnic in the sunshine atop one of the floor supports.

Ah, their first meal in our new home.

Of course, I think they're technically in a closet.

Summer Sweetness

It seems like forever since I've had a day off, when in fact it's only been three days. But with all this sunshiney warmness we've been having, being stuck in an chilly hospital WORKING, seemed to stretch on for an e t e r n i t y. So now, I'm faced with six days of no work and I just can't decide what to do first with all my free time. I think I may actually be able to venture out in the sunshine today - my shins are now only slightly pink, instead of the swollen angry, glowing red things they were all weekend. God bless aloe vera. I think if I slather my legs with the kids' 50 spf sunscreen and try to stay in the shade, that I can avoid having them re-ignite and send me into spontaneous combustion.

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I failed to mention that I went to pick some strawberries on Sunday morning with my mother-in-law and the kids at a local farm. Our county if chock full of berry farms of all varieties: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, etc. and the blackberries grow like weeds everywhere. We are abundantly berry-blessed. It was gorgeous and HOT on Sunday (which my legs didn't like one bit) but being out there in that enormous berry patch was heaven to me. The berries were huge and so sweet and juicy. AND SO PRETTY. If you've never picked strawberries right off the plant, you've never truly tasted a good strawberry. There's something about pulling it right off and popping it into your mouth, with all it's sun-warmed goodness, that just can't be beat. It totally takes me back to my childhood.

I grew up in Eastern Washington and we picked ALOT of fruit. Partly because it was available and so accessible, and partly because it was so CHEAP. My parents stretched their dollars to amazing lengths in those days and this was just one way. But as a kid, it wasn't about saving money. It was the adventure of finding the biggest strawberry out in the patch and trying so hard to save it to take home but failing miserably because you just couldn't resist eating it right then. I did my fair share of picking too, but probably every third or fourth berry went into ME instead of the bucket. I remember the farm workers commenting, upon seeing me emerge from the field with my face covered in sticky strawberry juice, that they probably should weigh ME instead of my bucket. So Sunday morning, being out there in the hot dusty strawberry patch was like going back in time. I still oooh'ed and aaah'ed over the beautiful red fruit, exclaiming each time I found "a big one". I still couldn't resist tasting the ones that were perfectly red and ripe.

The kids had a great time too. I instructed them both on how to gently look under the leaves of the plants, how to pick only the red ones and then gently place them in the bucket to prevent bruising. They were both great little pickers and quickly picked up the hunt for the perfect strawberries. And you know what? When we walked out of that strawberry patch, do you know what the farm workers said to my daughter?

"We probably should weigh YOU!"

Ah, the circle of life.