Four Holes

A story of four holes.

 

Tuesday was cool, damp and good.  I drove Mater truck around and wore cowgirl boots in honor of this day. 

 

Tuesday was the official perc test for our future homestead.

 

  Choosing fixtures, appliances, wood grains and windows is fun to think about, however the perc test holds the most significance.

 

We failed the test. 

 

The four holes Mike dug, saturated and filled with water yesterday didn't drain fast enough to pass the test.  No big surprise there.  It just means we'll have to pay a little more to have indoor toilets.  Totally worth it in my book. Apparently, it's pretty tough to pass a perc test in Madison county.  We're still gonna celebrate because...

 

The key is now unlocked. 

 

The key which has prevented us from breaking ground, moving dirt and pouring a foundation.  The county doesn't give building permits without an address.  The zoning committee doesn't assign address's without a completed perc test.  

 

Pass or fail...doesn't matter.

 

By the end of the week, the rain should end.  By the end of the week those holes will drain, by the end of the week we should have an address. 

 

In the meantime, Molly and I will watch the rainfall out the only window that opens in our rental and know that the sun will come out tomorrow... or the next day... or the day after that. 

Habitats

Ross brought a snake home from the country Saturday.  He's keepin' him till Tuesday when he can take him to science class.

 

See him?

 

I noticed Ross spending a lot of time in the backyard this morning.  Turns out he was creating a habitat for his snake to live in. 

Then he fed him dead worms.

 

The gesture kinda-sorta melted my heart.

 

 

Dear God,

Thank you for trusting me with a little boy who captures snakes, wears muck boots and holey jeans to church, hates coming inside for dinner and loves his cat. 

 

 I'm forever indebted.

Kites and Swings

Spring has sprung and we're soakin' it in.  Grandma and Papa Boyd gave the kids finger-kites for Easter. 

 

Didn't know there was such a thing.  

They flew well but are tricky to see in the photos. 

 

Thankful for green grass...

fresh air...

 

 space to run...

 

evergreen backdrops...

 

and those boots.

 

Meanwhile, Grandma and Papa Boyd made Maisie a swing for her birthday.  It will eventually be moved to a tree in our yard.

 

 

I'm not saying for sure, but I'm thinking Molly's gonna need one too.

 

 

 

 

Just a hunch.

 

6th Birthdays, Easter and Running

I remember Easter as a kid.  However, through the years the memories get jammed-up and I'm only left with "snap shots" of those memories.  I clearly recall green-tinted coconut on a cupcake with jelly beans plopped in the center, awkward photos with lots of shoulder pad being taken in the yard before church (I'm sure my hair was in a banana clip), finding the Golden Egg at a Long Grove Egg Hunt and winning a prize, Heather's Easter Basket being hid behind the same curtain in the dining room year after year, hunting hard-cooked eggs in the backyard on Easter Morning, my brother and cousin climbing Grandma C's tree to retrieve a chocolate Easter Bunny only to find out it didn't have either of their names on it and having to put it back. 

 

So many memories and traditions we created in honor of Jesus surviving death. 

 

Enter 2014. 

 

There is no green-tinted coconut or hidden chocolate bunnies.  The kids hunt plastic eggs, not hard-cooked, our Easter baskets aren't hidden (although I did struggle to find where I stashed them in the rental and Ross was stuck using one of my soup baskets), Ross doesn't believe in the Easter Bunny and I'm questioning if Molly even knows what the Easter Bunny is. 

 

Jesus rose from His grave on Easter so we could live.  We didn't make it to church Sunday morning to praise Him.  Yet somehow in all the smiles... the giggles... the chatter... the singing...the friendship and joy these cousins share made me sure of one thing. 

 

He came to us.

 

Papa and Sam eat pizza in the hotel room.

 

Maisie and Laura dive in to their pizza on the hotel floor.  No comment.

 

Ross, don't you dare.

She's officially 6.

Laura approved of the sticky frosting...

 

As did Maisie...

Moo...

a thumbs-up from Sam...

 

and Zach.

Maisie started smiling like this.  Must be a 6-year-old thing.

Moo and those curls.

 

Ross was moving at lightning speed during the egg hunt while Maisie moved in slow motion.

 

 

 

 

The girls took a lap around a pond behind Laura's house.

They had to cool down with ice cubes afterwards.

Moo didn't want to be left out. 

She needed ice too.

Maisie's 6th Birthday

 

Check out Maisie's 6th Birthday Slideshow by clicking the link below.

 

Maisie's 6th Birthday

Music Program

Tuesday night was the kindergarten music program.  Maisie was the cute one in the middle. 

I can't decide what I liked best. 

The adorable pigtails...

Those clip-on earrings she insisted on wearing...

Or that smile.

While They Sleep

While they sleep, I listen to the Strawberry Shortcake "Silly Dreamer" song for the gazillionth time this week.  I think of the laundry that needs to be put the dryer, the  head of lettuce which needs chopped, the crusty graham cracker smears in the bathroom sink, the sandwiches I still need to make for Ross' lunch this week, the turd Molly left floating in the toilet bowl (it was a big one), the spilled popcorn crumbs in the van and the Lego's and Barbies scattered throughout the house like an Easter egg hunt.  It's endless. 

 

But then I stopped myself. 

 

It will be here tomorrow, next week, and next year.  The Lego's and Barbie's do not grow up.  The van is what it is.  The laundry will eventually be rotated and I can chop the lettuce when we need it.  I've decided to leave the graham cracker smears in the sink as they will eventually be mixed with toothpaste smears by the end of today. 

 

I chose to notice my girls instead. 

 

Maisie spent Saturday night at a slumber party and Molly missed her terribly.  I'm pretty sure the feeling was mutual.

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again.  There's just nothin' like a sister.

 

Of all the incredible mom's in this world, how amazing that God chose me for them.

Barbie Day

Click the below link for the video.

Molly Car

Rainbow Dash

Each time Mike Ross made his pinewood derby car for the big race, Mike was able to influence him into a design fairly easily.  The amount of U-tube videos watched on derby cars at our home is incredible.  Really.  You have no idea the intensity of this sport as far as 'scout dads' go. 

 

Enter Mike.  He's got a 'thing' for cars.  He's got a degree in mechanical science.  He obsesses over details.  He analyzes how to make fast cars.  He's smart, he's detailed and he's got a passion for it.  If it weren't a block of wood, I'd be jealous.

 

Luckily for Mike, I delivered a son nearly 9 years ago.  That son would join Boy Scouts and Mike's Pinewood Derby days would begin. 

 

However, turns out Girls Scouts have a Pinewood Derby as well.  Who knew?  Turns out I'd deliver a daughter 6 years ago and she'd also join scouts.  Go figure. 

Maisie decorates her Pinewood Derby car to look like "Rainbow Dash" from My Little Pony.

 

Maisie's car.  Note the center has been carved out for maximum speed...

 

and the exquisite artwork that resembles "Rainbow Dash" so accurately.  

Okay, fine.  That part was me.

 

Ironically, the Girl Scouts have an "Outlaw Division" for people to race Derby Cars even if they're not a Girl Scout.  Ross entered his car.  He won 2nd place.  As did his sister in the Daisy Scout Division.

 

Maisie also won 3rd place overall against all other age groups.  We had a pretty proud Daddy at our house.  However, U-tube videos on how to WIN pinewood derbys are in full-force at our house these days.

 

Mashed Potato Head

I know I promised Pine Wood Derby results and photos, but I haven't had a chance to post them quite yet.  We've been dealing with Kratt showing up at our old house and not wanting to come back, x-rays to make sure I didn't break my foot after falling down steps, brown water coming out of the faucets from a water main break in town, watching the peacocks at the historical center and endless games of hide-and-seek in the hedge maze at the City Park (I'm always 'it'). 

 

Therefore, I'm leaving you with this photo for today.  Molly stuck q-tips in her ears, looked at her reflection in the mirror and exclaimed, "I look like mashed potatoes!"

 

Warmer Weather

We spent the weekend prepping for the Girl Scout Pinewood Derby Race (more on this soon).  Mike spent Saturday raking leaves for what was probably the first time in God knows how long.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed it will help with the cat pee smell by the front bushes.   

 

Ross spent the afternoon and Grandma and Papas house, which meant we got to spend time with our girls in the back yard.  The photos will tell the rest of the story.