Grasshoppers

This week has flown by and no, we do not have a new front porch yet. It actually looks very much like the last picture. Yeah. Here's what we have been up to:

1) Work and work.

2) Mr. T and Miss E finished up their summer camps last week and Miss E is in a bugs summer camp this week. It's through the Tualatin River Keepers and it's out at a nature preserve. Every day they have been doing a different type of bug. Of all the camps the kids  have done, this is my favorite. The instructors are excellent, the location is excellent and they have a lot of wonderful activities for the kids to do. Mr. T will definitely be signed up for it next year and Miss E will be old enough to do the canoing camp there next summer.

3) Mr. T, all of a sudden, wants to WRITE and READ and COUNT things! It's so exciting. I have tried with him before but he hasn't been interested and then all of a sudden he is. It reminds me again that if you surround kids with the tools they need to learn and follow their lead, they will learn on their own schedule. (And good job Mr. T timing this just about perfectly for the start of kindergarten in the fall!)

4) Each day we have picked up Miss E,  Mr. T and I get to the camp early and look through their spotting scope at the visitors center. So far we have seen a great blue heron, a nutria, an egret and some ducks. They have a chalkboard to write what you saw that day on and he has been writing the names of each thing we see.

5) Mr. T went berry picking with my mom, sister and I one morning. The Boysenberries were fat and juicy.

6) I am currently getting ready to have my niece and nephew stay with us from Friday afternoon to Sunday night. And Peter's working a 48 Saturday and Sunday. Which means me+4 kids all by myself for two whole days. I think I can handle it.

7) My husband temporarily lost his mind and took Miss E to a movie in the park last night until 10. Which means she will be up late 3 nights in a row. That is the kiss of death for a 6 year old. They can do one night until 10 but by Sunday, well, let's just say I wasn't happy about his decision.

8) Overall, things have been chugging along pretty nicely. I always have a hard time this time of year enjoying the last month of summer because of all the back to school stuff. The school supplies and the e-mails and the soccer schedule and gymnastics sign up and my life schedule.....it all starts to feel really busy and I have to really remind myself that it's the start of August and we have an entire lazy, gorgeous month of summer left that will be wasted if I spend it stressing about the fall.

9) I have no idea what to cook in hot weather. I am much much more of a fall/winter cook. The salad thing is killing me, partially because my kids don't eat a lot of vegetables and the husband doesn't like seafood.

10) Last but not least, we took Mr. T to his doctor's appointment. I have been a bit worried about his size, he is just now fitting into size 4 pants and he just turned 5. When he was born he was huge for his age but each year he is shrinking on the growth chart. Last year at his doctor's appointment he was in the 36th percentile, down from the 50th the year before, this year he was in the 25th percentile. His height and weight are the same so that's not a concern but the doctor mentioned she's hoping to see a growth spurt soon. Me too. Sometimes I worry that with his chronic constipation something is not right in his digestive track or he's choosing not to eat because of it. We'll keep an eye on it.

11) OK, one more. Things with the kids have been great. I know I write about Miss E when she is being difficult but this week things have been great. Over the last few months of watching her I have learned a few things including behavior triggers, ways to talk to her and ways to get her to understand what's happening and it's working! The other day she was hungry and tired at the store and started stomping around whining and throwing a tantrum and with a few reminders from me - no bribes or threats - she pulled herself out of it. Before, a behavior turn-around like that was kind of unheard of.

Wow, that got really long. Maybe I should do this more often so it's not as wordy....

I also feel like I need to put a little apology here to the person who found my blog by google searching "topless girls Oregon Country Fair". Sorry dude. I'm guessing this was pretty disappointing for you.