TWENTY-SEVEN

My beautiful black sunflowers matured to this deep velvety burgundy. I still love them so much. 

2019 week twenty-seven 

My favorite feathery pests. 

Buddy has become very interested in building elaborate city scapes lately. Summertime has been so good for us for long hours of deep imaginative play. 

V built this duplo sculpture. Then she told me, "I could grow up to be a person who makes sculptures. Maybe I'll make sculptures just for kids! Maybe I'll make sculptures that look like the kids and give it to them! They'll love that!"

V got her makeup out and gave Theo police man eyebrows and a mustache. He was so thrilled. 

The night before the 4th we made a big fire in the backyard and let the kids stay up outside until it was dark. We didn't have any marshmallows so the kids improvised with watermelon on sticks. 

Our wood was very dry and the fire got out of hand a few times. 

This is a poor photo of a very fun experience. Once it was dark, Matt taped flashlights onto the front of the kids power wheels car and let them drive around the yard with their "headlights." V kept squealing that it was the greatest day of her life. 

In our Independence day finery at the local children's parade and festival. When Papa is one of the face painters at the events, the kids get to be the first in line. 

Ever since V learned how to ride her bike without training wheels, she has been looking forward to the Fourth of July parade. The kids decorated their bikes in the morning and were so happy. V got ahead of us and had a few adventures of her own ("I fell in the dirt! And a man tried to help me!") but was so good and waited for us at the end. 

After popcorn and hotdogs and lemonade they wanted to go on every bounce house and go say hi to the firefighters. 

After we had some friends over for our big traditional rib dinner, I put Theo to bed while Matt cleaned up and popped V on the bike to go watch fireworks for the first time in her life. She could hardly believe it was real. She kept squealing that in fact today was the best day of her life. She was so so tired by the end, but was so thrilled by the fireworks. Riding our bike was such a good decision. We zipped past all the people who had to walk a mile to their cars. 

My son is so clever. He made this two-part trailer one morning.

If you'll notice, the first duplo trailer is upside down. I tried to correct him but he showed me why it had to be upside down.

He had had to attach a screw to the bottom of his car transporter trailer and he inserted the screw into the underside cavity of the duplo trailer so it would be sturdily connected. I was so impressed with his ingenuity. My wonderful clever boy. 

Quotes

Theodore

Sometimes I hear conversations that Theo and Vera have while they play and imagine in what scenario they would be appropriate for adults to say

T- Look. I have a new baby sister.
V- Oh! That's actually my baby. Thank you for finding her.
T- Oh. You're welcome.

Veronica

V- We woke up early to make Fourth of July Day presents for you! Now, where are our presents from you?

One night Matt went in to say goodnight to V and she was crying and saying how cold her feet were. He gave her her slippers, told her it was summer and her feet weren't really that cold, closed her closet door and said goodnight. We went in again before we went to bed just to check on everyone. Her closet door was open. Matt rolled his eyes and said she probably got out of her bed to get some socks as well. Two hours later I'm woken up by V crying in her bed. I go check on her and she's sweating and moaning that her feet are hot and uncomfortable. I start to help her take off her slippers and there are a pair of socks underneath. Then another pair. And another. By pair three I'm laughing. Four. Five. At pair six, I'm so hysterical I'm almost hooting and everyone is awake again. Six pairs of socks under her slippers. 


And now a long family video of the kids attacking/being attacked by Matthew.