Pics from Buckshot, Days Long Past, Fall Kitsch

Now that summer's officially over, I better hurry up and post these end-of-summer pictures (before they become hopelessly irrelevant).

These first four are from late August's Buckshot Run, at Carson Park in Eau Claire. The Buckshot is an annual charity run/walk that we started participating in last year, when Michael was in running club. Money raised goes to the Special Olympics.

Last year we were surprised to run into two of my sisters-in-law there... Jill and Kristin. I remember I was newly pregnant at that time-- I don't think we'd started telling people, yet. Anyway, I walked but didn't attempt any running, last year.

This year I had promised to run, and while I couldn't make it the whole way I did manage to alternate between jogging and walking alongside fellow new mom Shelley.

The effort was facilitated by our mothers-in-law, who were also there, pushing the baby strollers.

This year's run/walk was a bigger family event than last year's. Besides Kristin, Jill, and Jane, my sister-in-law Sally, brothers-in-law Brent and Phil, and Phil's son Jacob were also in attendance. We'd like to do it again next year... I'd like to be able to run the whole distance next time.

Another fun thing we did before the start of the new school year was go for an end-of-summer picnic with our neighbor, Makayla. We couldn't get Michael to wear a bandana, but as you can see in this photo, the rest of us did. We packed a fun, gourmet lunch of home-made bread, good cheese, watermelon slices, and chocolate brownies (along with lemonade). We toted the whole meal in our snazzy new picnic backpack, from sister Laurie (apparently we have more time for picnic-ing than her and Mark do). The backpack kit comes with it's own fancy tablecloth, napkins, wine glasses, dishes, and cutlery. It even has a cutting board and a corkscrew with attachments.

The kids packed their own "necessities" and took turns pulling each other in the red wagon, and we headed down the road. We walked past farm fields and up and down rolling hills, looking for a good shady spot. It was hot that day, but I wanted to make sure we walked far enough for it to feel like a real adventure.

Finally we found some friendly shade along the roadside, at the edge of a neighbor's field. We spread out our blanket and dined in style; even Leila had some bottle. I think a good time was had by all.

I won't claim that there wasn't any grumbling on the way back, and that the novelty of pulling the red wagon quickly wore off once we started having to pull it back UP those scenic hills. Somewhere along the way the wagon became a wearisome burden, and there was grumbling in the ranks. But such is life, and I did my Mom-job by not pulling the wagon and remaining relentlessly cheerful. I did suggest that no one ride in the wagon when it was being pulled up the hills, and that seemed to help.

A couple of weekends ago we visited Bud and Jane at their home. I received these pictures from her in the mail, after the visit. They're a little bit different than the ones I posted earlier (and a little bit better), so I thought I'd include them here. I particularly like the one of Leila, below. She's standing and isn't smiling-- but doesn't she look proud and confident?

Leila seems to be over her cold now. I'm not sure how heavy she is at age 6 months, but she can still wear some of her 3 month size clothes (the outfit she's wearing here was one of Emma's, and is in the 0-3 month size). So even though she had the largest birth weight of my three kids, she's emerging as the most petite in later babyhood.

It wasn't that long ago that Jon had another little girl to celebrate... and this time I'm not talking about Emma. What do you think of this little picture (sorry I couldn't produce it in larger format) of a much younger Jon Hurlburt with a tiny baby Susan in his desk drawer?

This and the ones below are some of the pictures that Susan has posted on her FaceBook page. I can't provide a link for you to that page, because I think you have to be a FaceBook member to see the pics (I recently joined). But anyway, I'll share some of these photos with you here.

I don't know how rare they are, but I certainly hadn't seen them before. At left is Susan with two of her "Hurlburt" cousins, Sally's daughter Lisa and Eric's daughter Brittany.

And here's Susan and David with some jack-o'lanterns... does anyone remember when Susan had this perm?

Of course, here's Susan with Grandpa Bud. He's been doing the grandpa-thing (very well) for almost 40 years now. #1 Grandpa duty: Provide Lap for Sleeping Child.

Here we have Susan with big brother Jonathan and cousin Jacob (Phil and Jill's youngest son-- you can see what he looks like now at the opening of this blog; he participated in the Buckshot).

Yup, time flies. But yesterday was all about the QUALITY of time, for Emma and me.

A while back, when Leila was sick and Emma was feeling a bit overlooked and neglected, I promised Emma that her and I would spend some alone-time together. We finally had that chance yesterday; Jon was home for the Packer game, and willing to keep an eye on Michael and Leila while Emma and I snuck off to Pleasant Valley Tree Farm.

Last year we went there with Laurie-- except it took us nearly an hour to find the place (remember that, Lu??). This year, from our new closer proximity in Colfax (and with the aid of a Yahoo map), we found the place in 10 minutes.

Much more efficient use of quality girl time!

We had such a good time. Very kitschy and candy-corny. We held hands and hiked up the Spooky Trail, and were excited to discover the changes and improvements, compared with what they had last year. Besides the usual cast of characters (spooky scarecrows in Halloween masks, large hanging spiders and rats, "giants" made out of pillows and bales of hay) there was a big slide made out of culvert tubing and a place where you could bowl with pumpkins instead of bowling balls. Along the way there were play areas and look-out forts to discover.

There was a petting zoo, complete with a giant rabbit and beagle puppies. There was a corn maze. Of course, my favorite place there is the gift shop, though I behaved myself and just came away with a few sale items.

We had seasonal treats, of course... hot apple cider and caramel apples. We went on a hay ride, and besides rows of trees and grazing cows, we saw a deer jump out of the woods.

Emma seemed to revel in my undivided attention, and I gave it to her... I know the day is coming when she will no longer want that much attention from me. Someday pitilessly (is that a word?) soon she will find my attention... annoying.

My clothing choices will become, in her opinion, hopelessly 1980's and mildly embarassing (I think we're already reaching that point).

It will become apparent that I'm holding her back, and that I'm a lot more strict than the other moms, with my restrictive and seemingly pointless rules.

My voice in the background, telling her to get off the phone while she trying to conclude her hour-long conversation with a friend she talks to every day, will grate on her ears and intrude on her space.

But meanwhile... she loves me!

Sweet September

Here's Leila in some crazy-leg striped pants, wondering, "Mom, why do you dress me like this?"

Answer: "Because I can. Wa-ha-ha-ha!"

Leila still has her cold, but it's more of a nuisance than a true ailment now. Lots of nose-wiping, and if I don't keep her nose clean enough, Daddy starts looking for the q-tips (scary-- hide, Leila!).

Friday morning, as soon as the kids left for school, Leila and I headed for Eau Claire and the big children's consignment sale we go to twice a year. I was able to buy a baby swing, bibs, a boppy (a crescent-shaped pillow that can be used for breast-feeding or to help a baby sit up), some baby "board" books, a play mat, and clothes for all three kids.

When I came home from the sale I found a package in the mail, for Leila-- fun! It's always exciting to see something in the mailbox other than bills and junk. This was a big envelope filled with tissue paper and something soft, from Great Aunt Pat.

Pat is one of Grandma Jane's sisters (I mentioned her recently in an earlier blog). Anyway, she knit Leila this gorgeous hat, sending along a photocopy of the magazine cover that the pattern came from. Along with it was a note explaining that Grandma Jane had knit the same hat for Jon's sister Ann when Ann was a baby. Pat borrowed the pattern from Jane to knit a modern incarnation of the hat for Leila.

Isn't it remarkable that the original pattern and magazine has remained in use all these years, carefully preserved? What a contrast with today's throw-away culture, where things are cheaply made and discarded just as fast, so we can buy more cheap stuff (we even get tax rebates from the government, in hopes that we do our patriotic duty and buy more stuff).

Anyway, the knitted bonnet is BEAUTIFUL. Leila (and the other kids, as well) will have a treasury of home-made and precious items from family members. I will try to pin things with a note explaining who the maker was and keep a picture of her wearing or using the items along with them, before putting them into storage. Meanwhile, we'll use and appreciate these wonderful hand-crafted items we receive. We have quilts, afghans, sweaters, clothing and dolls hand-made by family members. What a precious legacy.

Speaking of gifts, someone had given us the above photo magnet, and I finally got around to inserting the photos and getting it displayed. It seems like this has become a recurrent theme for me lately, as I age and change (and observe the passage of time in the faces of our children and parents): "Family faces are magic mirrors where we see the past, present & future." I really get what that means, now. And I don't think it's depressing; I think it's wonderful, though a little sad when you consider the generations that came before us (and are no longer here) and the ones we'll never meet.

Mom and Dad came over Saturday, for lunch and a visit. This time there were no unpleasant surprises (you may recall our flat tire syndrome of the previous week). Dad was able to relax and even nap some.

We had a seasonal lunch of squash soup, home-made bread, and blackberry pie on the big "new" table off our patio (this time we used the two leaves, and found there's plenty of room for the fully-opened table in that spot).

There was beautiful weather here this weekend, and we were outside as much as possible. Mom and Dad got out and walked on our trail, and after they left we had a bonfire. We got rid of some scrap wood around the yard and let the kids roast marshmallows. Leila enjoyed the fire from her perch in the new baby swing.

Yesterday afternoon Michael and Emma attended a birthday party in Eau Claire-- their first time going to "Action City". The birthday boy's parents provided the transportation, so Jon and I kicked back with Leila for awhile-- him with football, me with a crossword puzzle. Then Jon mowed the lawn and I washed the outside windows.

I used newspaper to wipe the windows off, rather than a rag-- a little trick I picked up from Jon's sister Ann. It does the job without leaving any fibers on the windows. I used a ladder for most of the windows, but even so these windows were much easier to wash than the ones at our Eau Claire house. Leila supervised me from below, in her stroller.

Tonight there's a "family fun" night at the kids' school, and we all plan on going. Jon's home the next couple of days to (hopefully) finish that big lawn job he's been working on in his "spare" time (before the effort leads to his early demise). He also hopes to get to the doctor and have his knee looked at.

Anyway, enjoy what's left of September! Here's a parting shot of the fall decor on our mantle...

and of my miniature family carving a jack-o'lantern in the dollhouse kitchen.

Would you say the effect is spooky, creepy, or really, really strange?

Wa-ha-ha-ha!

Tough Times for Leila

It's hard to tell by the smile on her face, but Leila's been sick these past few days. She's better now, though still not 100%. She must have caught the "back to school" cold that Michael and Emma brought home with them earlier this week.

Last night was rough... the first time I've seen her truly fussy. She was tired but couldn't rest. She wanted me to hold her, but seemed uncomfortable no matter what position I tried. She had a low-grade fever, as well as a runny nose and cough. She wasn't interested in her bottle. I was worried and hoped it wouldn't get much worse.

But she fell asleep eventually, and the sleep seemed to restore her. She awoke in the night a few times, to eat, and by morning was way better; still sniffly, but back to her old smiley self.

This weekend Jon and I introduced her to rice cereal. We made a big deal out of it, and she did seem interested, at first. But the reaction has been tepid ever since. She may not be ready... or she may not be crazy about rice cereal. She's still a few weeks shy of that six-month mark (almost six months old... can you believe it?), when they recommend you first introduce cereal, so has some time to grow into it.

Last week Jon's sister Ann came over (very early) to watch Leila while I went to the dentist. After the appointment Ann and I visited awhile, then made an excursion to Colfax; there's a little store called "The Country Shoppe" I hadn't been to yet, so I persuaded her to do a little investigatory shopping with me.

It was a really nice little shop, with all kinds of folksy home decor. The exciting part was discovering a back room of stuff marked 75% off-- and some of it was BABY STUFF (I'm still excited when I think about it). For $30 (Ann spent $15 that day, and I went back the next day and "invested" another $15) we got loads of cute baby stuff, including this clock with moving pendulum. I also got toys, window and wall hangings, and a toy box.

The shop featured an adjoining cafe. We lunched there and were surprised at the tasty sandwiches we encountered. They're served on home-made Italian flat bread and are absolutely delectable.

All in all, it was a very fun outing, despite the fact that my mouth was still partially numb from the dentist's office.

Here's some of the cute toys I got for Leila. As you can see, she NEEDED these things. Did she have a musical blue and white cow?? Or a fuzzy yellow duck?? How about a set of smiley-face bugs? No, she did NOT.


Sunday we went over to Bud and Jane's for a visit.
Jane let Leila try on a hat that she's knitting... isn't it adorable? When I first saw it I was instantly reminded of the "Lolly Pop Gang" (or were they the "Lilly Guild Girls"?)-- those little munchkin girls on the Wizard of Oz wearing flower petal hats. On second inspection, I think this photo shows Leila's resemblance to my sister Laurie, when Laurie was a little girl. Does anybody else see the resemblance?

One fun thing at Jon's parents' house is their child-size easy chair. Here's Michael stretching out next to Grandpa Bud. Where's his newspaper?

Before Leila got really sick I was able to unpack some boxes of fall decor, and do a little seasonal decorating around the new house. I'll share a few little scenes for those of you who don't make it over for a visit in the next month or two...

September & Uncle Bobby

It's September now, and you can feel a change in the air. It's quieter, with the kids back in school. And it's cooler, though we haven't had our first frost yet. There are still flowers in bloom, but the ones that remain are past their prime and overgrown. Some of the maples and sumac around our house have started blushing shades of red.

We have had a bumper crop of blackberries (still do). The blackberries were green for so long that we thought maybe the spot they were growing in was too shady, and that they would never ripen. But now every weekend (this was the 4th weekend in a row!), Jon goes out with an ice cream pail and comes back with it filled to the top, with ripe berries. Whatever we don't eat fresh I've made into pies, though I think I'll try jelly with this last batch.

The little row of corn Jon planted in the spring didn't live long enough to produce cobs for us... its stalks were trampled and chewed apart by a marauder (probably a racoon). However, nothing's been bothering our tomatoes, and they've been ripening in waves-- several a day, with lots of green ones left to mature. Our intention was to make salsa, but so far the peppers haven't cooperated.

But, we're new here... we'll figure out how things grow, eventually. Next year we'd like to try a real garden, with a fence around it.

We didn't make it to the big farmer's market in Eau Claire this summer. And we haven't been to any orchards yet. But we've enjoyed lots of local produce, thanks to friends and family. We've had all the tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, green beans, melons and zucchini that we needed, thanks to the successful gardens of others.

Our best crop has been the sweet peas: and by that I mean our darling little Leila. She continues to grow like a (very cute) weed. Still smiley, but now belly-laughing when the other kids (particularly Emma) make silly faces and act like monkeys around her. Sunday night, while Jon was playing with her, she started copying him while he stuck his tongue out and blew a raspberry. He would do it; she would do it-- and everybody would laugh. She was very well-pleased with herself.

She coos and talks; she picks things up and puts them in her mouth. She bats at the toys we dangle in front of her. She likes to sit on the floor, with help, though is still pretty top-heavy. She likes to stand up while holding onto our ottoman (with Emma's support from behind).

We decided that next weekend, when Jon's home again, we'll let her try cereal, for the first time. With that in mind, I went through her things the other day and found four bibs (including a cute cow-print one from Laurie), so that's a good start.

Ever since we moved out here, Emma has been trying to convince me that a pet frog or toad would be a good idea. I've consistently told her that the frogs and toads would not appreciate this. That they would rather be free, and that they would very likely not last long in one of her containers, no matter how lovingly she tended it.

Well, last Friday the school officially sanctioned her quest: she brought home a note requesting that she (along with the other second-graders) find a frog or toad, put it in a bucket with some grass and insects, and bring it to school for the day. They are having their annual frog & toad race today.

So much for toad liberty. Emma and Daddy wasted no time finding her a champion jumper. She's just thrilled, as you can imagine. I'm not sure how fast he will be, but I have no doubt that all of the frogs and toads the second-graders acquire will do their best to jump away (very earnestly) from the giant hands of their adoring human fans.

Yesterday afternoon Mom and brother Bob stopped by. Bob had suggested that Mom come stay with him for a few days, so she could check out the big antique mall in Columbus. They decided to visit us on the way down. So Mom and Bob were here when the kids came home from school (with a big Uncle Bobby lurking behind the door to "surprise them" as they came in). Things are always spontaneous with Bob, so they ended up staying the night, as well (Grandma slept in Emma's bed; Uncle Bob made do on the couch).

We had a nice visit with them. The last time Bob saw Leila was Mom and Dad's anniversary cruise in June, so she's changed quite a bit since then. She had lots of smiles for Uncle Bob, and liked his beard very much.

Bob has a long-standing relationship with Michael and Emma; we travelled with him when they were little, all the way to Arkansas, once. He was endlessly patient with them. So the one-on-one time with Uncle Bob last night was pretty neat. Anyone who knows Bob knows that he is a big overgrown child, after all (in the best sense of the word). He wrestled with Emma and took Michael on in chess and Stratego (he was amazed at how cut-throat Michael is in board games).

Michael and Bob watched the Packer-Viking game together, though Uncle Bob was dismayed to learn that Michael now considers himself a Viking fan. We think this is mostly due to contrariness on Michael's part (what other possible reason could there be??), but Bob said Michael's feelings seemed to be getting involved, too... at the end of the game, when the Vikings lost, Michael shed a few tears, and he asked Bob several times if he thought the Vikings could make it to the play-offs (is this painful to read, Don?).

To close, here's a side-by-side view of my finished stained glass panels, which I hope to assemble into a light box some time in the next few weeks.