Rah Rah Rah!

For those who can't get enough of Critique (the most recent issue is especially good), may I recommend their website:  ransomfellowship.org.  They have back issues of movie, book, and music reviews as well as articles galore.  I really wish I'd had their current featured article when I was writing my thesis (discussing the notion of "spirituality" in the contemporary context).  We are about to launch a monthly movie/book discussion group here in Jackson and I plan to draw heavily from this site.  I love this stuff!!! - Emily

Our Summer Thus Far

or, subtitle: Postcard from , a really, really long post.

To begin, this has been the "summeriest" summer I've had in years. The last two summers were spent moving, and the boys were little enough that the goal was to keep them out of the sun. So this year I feel like we're having an all-American kid summer. Here, some glimpses of our fun.

Jackson discovering tadpoles:

Jacob and Jackson first in the wading pool:
and then in the little fountains that shoot from the ground,:
which Harry was not thrilled with (it just scared him) so he stuck to the baby pools.
The same day; my friend Katharine barely making it into the picture:

One day we went to a show in a local park, saw clowns, the Austin Symphony Orchestra, and Joe McDermott:

I took the next picture to demonstrate Matthew's new ploy to get Jackson to eat most anything. Tell him he's a ferocious dinosaur, and he'll gobble up cheese and peach houses (shown), platefuls of broccoli (forest of trees), and beans (boulders):

Our constant companions, Vienna, Jacob, and Grace. Notice the difference in J's haircut in the picture above and below. A few weeks ago I sheared Jackson, Harry, and Matthew with our clippers, all the same haircut, because it's the only one I know. :)

All spring and continuing this summer Jackson has spent hours digging for bugs. Here's one of his finds:

Every day while Harry naps, Jackson has a quiet time in his room, where he listens to music and books on tape and usually creates something with tinker toys (thanks, Clint!). Here he's demonstrating the spinning of some form of a helicopter (I forgot what he called it):

And another day's creation, with him making a funny face for the camera:

I took the next photo for my mom, who sent this shirt for Harry. Here's our little model on the way to church. When I put these dress shoes on he looked at them with great satisfaction and stomped around staring at them for awhile. He is constantly asking for a hat and sunglasses. He brought me this hat to put on him to complete the outfit. Yes, this is the same conductor's hat Jackson wore when he won best dressed cowboy :)

And I include this one to show off his haircut, which I'm now calling "the Ruthie do"

Four-child pileup while playing slip n' slide in the "backyard". Charlie on bottom, then Claire-Ellen, then Jackson, then Harry. All in the mud. We headed to the bath immediately after.

Following, a different afternoon water session. This is the conversation you're witnessing; Boy in Red: "I'm washing my shoes in the sprinkler." Jackson: "Me too, except mine are crocs" (a fact he's endlessly proud of, as if they aren't shoes; they're beyond shoes, they're crocs.), Boy in Red: "Mine are too!", Jackson, "Hey! Yeah! Yours are crocs too! Wow! You have crocs too. Mama! He has crocs too!" As if every child in TX this summer isn't wearing crocs. :)

Today we (some other mothers and myself in the complex) combined ingredients to make homemade ice cream:

An ice cream ball (you combine all ingredients w/ the rock salt and agitate it; we made it into a game for the kids). Harry in orange on left and Jackson in the blue hat on right. He has his collared shirt on backwards and kept it that way all afternoon. Notice it also in the photo above:

And finally, this past week Jackson has had swim lessons (they continue next week). Here, learning to float on his back w/ his teacher, "Miss Sam":
I include the next picture to show how huge he is compared to other kids his age (one of these kids is older than him, the other two barely younger). While they swim Harry and I splash in the water too.
Yay for summertime fun! Yay for you making it to the end of this post!

Report on Memphis Golf Tourney

A brief review of our recent trip to Memphis to see the Regenolds and to play in the member/guest tournament and Bill's (Regenold) club: Winddyke. When we left I had all coverage arranged including making sure no med-on-call patient would show up at National Park Hospital because my coverage there would get ticked. The only thing I forgot was to actually arrange for that coverage, ticked or not. I tried to call the usual help, but it was Friday and he is off Friday and Saturday (7th Day Adventist) and was unreachable. I took a logistic approach when I realized that the only patient who ever goes to National Park is Bertie Johnson and I had just put her in a nursing home, so I let it go but carried my cell phone.

The preliminaries disposed with, we headed EAST and:
1. Noticed an alarming deterioration in the outhouses serving the houses between the East and West bound traffic.
2. On arriving Bill and I went to putt and chip to get ready for the next day's competition, and I lost a brand new ball on the chipping green.
3. We were in my first golf cart wreck.
4. I turned my own keys into lost and found.
5. The only birdie I made didn't count.
6. The Regenolds took us out for our anniversary and we had the best spinach salads we have ever had, in the last 2 years, in a restaurant, when I wasn't paying for it.
7. I got a new wedge for having the audacity to show up.
8 I ran over my golf ball driving around in the mud looking for it.
9. we put all our extra stuff (balls and shorts we got, extra clubs, etc) in the car so no one would walk off with them--and then left the car door open. Not unlocked, not the window down, the door open.
10. just before I teed off on the third hole Sunday the phone rang. Bertie John was at National Park.
11. Sarah and I would get in bed and night and re-watch half of Master and Commander with Russel Crowe.
12. After a sprint back to Hot Springs before anyone figured out I was not in town, I went to National Park and Sarah went to clean the office. I had NOT figured out I had turned my house key into Lost and Found.
13. Arriving home well after sundown, I spent a frustrating 10 minutes in front of the front door trying to figure out where my house and office keys were. Sarah, with the only remaining keys, had gone to the grocery store until winter or spring, whichever came first.
14. I finally found a way inside. Turning on the outside light for Sarah I noticed the neighbors had left our mail in front of the door where I had been standing. On top was our latest DVD from Netflix.
15. We did not forget our pillows and leave them in Memphis this trip because we forgot them in Hot Springs so we got a good night's sleep and everyone lived happily ever after. The END BB

First Month with Will

It has been a busy first month of growing and getting used to life on the outside.  Most of the time, I look like this:

But occasionally, I open my eyes for some playtime with my big brother:

He was very excited to help Mommy give me my first bath (which I did NOT like, although I've since warmed up to it).

This is me making a funny face when Mom is trying to get me to look sweet and cute:

I'm already a cuddle-bug and my brother loves to snuggle me.

#710

Hi Fam,

As you know, we are looking for a new place and will be moving in a couple of months. We've loved it here at #710, so I've created an album for remembrance.

Hosting those who could make it was a blast. We'll get the new place ready for any and all soon!

You can also see the show here.

My name is Harry, and I can say these words.

uh-oh, book, ball, bug, bird, my!, milk, more, banana (bana), and my favorite word - Mama! (Which, by the way, can be used for all sorts of purposes. Why use the hard "d" of Daddy when you can just call him Mama and he responds?)

Aren't I nifty?

New Home!

Hi Fam,

David and I enjoy Ogden Nash's "Marriage Lines." We've quoted parts of this one, from his collection of poems for a "student husband," frequently in the past month:

Apartment to Sublet—Unfurnished

The Murrays are hunting a house,
They are tired of living in flats.
They long for a personal mouse
And a couple of personal cats.
They are hunting a house to inhabit,
An Eden, or even an Arden,
They are thinking of keeping a rabbit,
They are thinking of digging a garden.
How giddy the Murrays have grown
To aspire to a house of their own!

Oh, hurry, hurry!
Says Mrs. Murray.
Tarry awhile, says he,
If you care of a house
As is a house,
You’d better leave it to me.
I’d like an orchard, apple or peach,
I’d like an accessible bathing beach,
And a den for unwinding detective plots,
And a lawn for practicing mashie shots,
And open fires,
And a pleasant sunroom,
A handy garage,
And perhaps a gunroom,
And an atmosphere exempt of static,
And a furnace silent and automatic.
For such a house
I would hurry, hurry—
I’m a practical man,
Says Mr. Murray.

The Murrays of 17B,
The Murrays are going away
From the wireless in 17 C
And the parties in 17A.
For the Murrays are tired of flats,
They are rapidly growing aloof
As they dream of their personal cats,
As they dream of their personal roof.
Their friends cannot smother their merriment
When they speak of the Murray’s experiment .

Oh, hurry, hurry!
Says Mr. Murray.
Tarry awhile, says she.
When we choose a house,
Let us choose a house
As nice as a house can be.
With a dozen windows south and east,
And a dozen capacious cupboards at least,
And a laundry lilting with light and air,
And a porch for a lady to dry her hair,
And plenty of sun,
And plenty of shade,
And a neat little place
For a possible maid,
And a wall with roses clambering wild,
And a quiet room for a sleepy child.
If you happen to see it,
Hurry, hurry!
For that’s the house,
Says Mrs. Murray.

The Wrights of 710 have found a house! And, while there's not room for a possible maid, there is a guest room available to any and all who want to come visit. :) If all goes well with the inspection, etc, we'll close on July 22.

Photos to follow--

love,

Lynn and David

Quoth Matthew on this Sunday morn (as his wee lads crawled all over him in bed):

"Getting them up is like setting off a wind-up toy."

Summer?

And then there's Flagstaff... May 13, 2008:

And May 23, 2008, Memorial Day weekend:

'Nuf said.

Summer, I know you're trying to make this tough on us, with your record-breaking temps and all.

But you don't know us, summer. We can't be intimidated. Bring it on.

Prince Caspian

We just got back from the film and would love to hear what anyone else who's seen it thinks. They changed the story significantly, mostly by adding to it, but in our opinion, the changes were largely effective. (Am I allowed to say that about a Lewisian tale?) Comments, anyone? (hopefully without giving any spoilers!)