Super Fast Update

It has been another busy week, but I won't go into too many details . . . we have two more crazy weeks coming up, so I thought I should try to stay on track :) Picking up after Memorial Day--we spent five? hours at a friends' house where the kids rode a dune buggy past the cornfields, watched Peter Rabbit (which I said they wouldn't have time to finish because we needed to leave and check on the chickens, but then I kept talking with my friend G for another two hours . . . :), we had lunch, we were given a bunch of classic books in excellent condition, and the kids pretty much wanted to move in and spend the summer with their buds. When we finally ejected and returned to the homestead manor, all the animals were fine (yay!), so I'll continue from there.

1. The babies have gone to the rehabber--we tried leaving the door open to their kennel, but they were too little and too scared to move an inch. We called animal control and they picked the twins up in a little kitten carrier and took them to the humane society. Our neighbor checked when she went to volunteer and said they've already been taken to the rehab center. We were ridiculously sad to see them go!



2. Farmer Graysen harvested the first of our crops--radishes, so spicy! We spent a few hours today getting the chicken coop leveled out (the birds dug giant holes for their dust baths), weeding the big garden, watering the ancillary gardens, planting more seeds where seeds didn't come up the first time, clipping trees, Gabby learned to use the weed eater, and we moved a bunch of stuff into the shed (including the babies' kennel, whaaa!)



3. The kids' guitar instructor is giving lessons and working on some recording projects at a legit studio. Although the drive is too far for every lesson, he invited us to check out the space he's investing his time and talent in--complete with grand tour to meet his brother and another guy (startled from the quiet of his office space by a parade of children toting guitar cases :). Mr. P suggested that if the kids were able to choose a song that they could all play a part on, and rehearse it really well, that we could do some actual recording . . . they could cut an LP (or however they say it in the music industry :) Buck even got to try a pedal steel--it's like two guitar necks mounted to a piano base that sounds like electricity conducting through a steel drum, super complicated!




4. No pictures, but this morning the girls and I were called in to help fill a couple spots in the Sunday school teaching rotation. Gabby was across the hall with the four-year-old group, while Caelan and I worked with the K-5th graders. Of the three of us there to run the 9 a.m. class, Caelan was the most experienced in the room (she'd been in there once, the other two of us--zero). I ended up leading after being assured they rarely had more than 14 kids (we had 20). It was loud and crazy, but parts of it were fun (skit time!) We made rainbows; I love rainbows! Noah is a Bible hero because he obeyed (and yes, he messed up, but he messed up after God used him to help save humanity :) Buck and the boys met us for second service, where the youth pastor pulled Buck and me off the bench to serve communion. Of all the things I've done in church service in my life, I've never done that! We (ironically? :) served the gluten-free option. Quite a busy morning at the little church!

5. Conglomeration: Buck's car was shaking again, so he dropped it off to get the sway bar fixed (part of something had fallen off and was missing entirely?!) but it was under warranty since this is the second time he's brought it back to have it done properly. The needing to drive two cars thing did give us the opportunity to sneak in a quick meal for a mini-date (I can't call it a date night . . . because it was 4:30 in the afternoon :). Buck and the boys went to the off-week youth group event, which was basketball with the big boys. Buck came home with scratched arms and a scraped knee, but said he enjoyed getting some non-walking 25-miles-on-cement exercise (of course his back then told him angrily this was a bad idea, this renewing of his basketball skills). In the meantime, Caelan drove us to and from the grocery store, where we had just a dashing good time shopping for the week's food supply. Mix in some karate (with a job offer for Caelan; W-forms and everything!), a ton of time with the neighbors (with a job offer for me--but mine doesn't start for a year :), a solid round of sunburn and suddenly my super fast update is no longer a super fast read.

Tomorrow we gear up for more car repairs/recalls (air bags and seatbelts are our friends), more karate, more baseball, surgery, a doctor's appointment, youth group, VBS prep and meetings, art and sign language on a special night, oh right, and we have to move a piano. Hello, summer!