November 5, 2011

Roasting marshmallows!

Highlights from today: (Click here for pictures)

• Everyone woke up in a different spot than they went to sleep in-I guess it happens when 7 people are sleeping in one room.  We think that Graham was already in our bed when Keaton woke up.  Keaton's slight whimpering (we jumped up to get her bottle tonight since we didn't want to wake up the crew) woke Campbell up.  Campbell was up, talking and singing while I was hiding in the closet trying to feed Keaton and get her to sleep.  I even stretched out in there for a few minutes.  Anyway, before long, Anderson was in bed with me and Robby was in his spot.  Then Graham joined Robby and soon decided he would rather be in Campbell's pack n play.  Robby got both of them out and Campbell climbed in bed with me and Anderson.  She did think that Anderson was the baby and kept asking "baby? baby?" while feeling his face.  This caused Anderson to stir.  Soon the boys and Robby went upstairs (the boys to play and Robby to doze in a bunk bed).  Reagan then joined me in bed for awhile until it was well past wake up time.
• Before too long laundry had been done, bathrooms cleaned, house vacuumed, clothes on and breakfast served.  And the biggest accomplishment was picking up the toy room.  Whew, they can dump every toy out and then they all just set in there and play quietly (sometimes but it does happen).  But it takes forever to find where every little thing goes.
• We went outside before lunch and the kids worked diligently on gathering lots and lots of acorns.  A guy from Robby's work said that deer would eat acorns right now.  And since the oak tree above our patio spits them out by the dozen, they scooped them up for a while and then the dirt pile started calling their names.
• Robby asked Grannymom and Grandpa over for lunch and after lunch, they ended up outside helping in the yard.  Probably the last time they fall for the old "come over for lunch" trick!  So on the agenda outside today was cleaning the ditch, burning the burn pile, picking up rocks, picking up sticks and the highlight for the boys...cutting down a tree.
• Before we had even made it outside this morning, Graham asked if we were going to cut down a tree and Robby couldn't disappoint him (last dead tree except for one that is too large).  We (me and the kids) were way far back watching the action, Grannymom was raking leaves a bit too close to the tree (she trusts Robby more than the rest of us), Grandpa kept scooting back and eventually watched from behind another tree and Robby has a unique tree cutting posture-holding the chainsaw far, far away from his body.  His upper half was busy sawing the tree while the lower half of his body was preparing to run away quickly.
• Next up was the kids doing something they have never done before-they rode their bikes on the street.  They actually all rode further than they have ever rode before.  Pretty exciting and at the end of the road were horses-we heard them neigh (a first for Anderson) and even saw one potty (crazy exciting to the boys).
• Grannymom and Grandpa left and we had supper inside and then it was smore time.  They really seemed to enjoy it and Reagan could have sat out there longer just looking at the fire.  Campbell sat down on a log near the fire and put her hands to her face and then moved back.  Must have been too hot for her.  She moved back and next we noticed we didn't have enough chocolate.  Later we realized that is where Campbell had been.  Anderson and Reagan enjoyed telling ghost stories before we all went in.  Graham was terrified of the ghost stories though--or maybe he was terrified of the dog he saw across the street (inside a fence).
• Inside for showers, pictures and bed.  Good, good day.