jubilation 139...planting time

It is one of our family traditions each spring for the kids to choose and plant the annuals that will adorn our deck pots.  This year, Ansel was the only one who wanted to participate.  Only 3 years ago, Savanna   tended her own plot of land for her personal flower garden.   Nostalgia grows wildly in my fertile heart.

jubilation 138 ....out comes the mountain bike

It was one of those days that I just wanted to keep going for hours....it doesn't happen often enough these days.  I had to rush back in time to pick up the kids.

I'm always half expecting to find a dead body when I enter an abandoned bus or house.  

Not a dead body.....but the product of someone who has a dead soul and thinks nothing of dumping a household of garbage in the middle of somewhere beautiful.  

jubilation 137 ....star wars and stitchery

 Corey has been on a Star Wars kick.   In fact, I have come to suspect that we are now finishing our basement so that Corey will have 1500 square feet to display and play with his 15 million star wars legos.   I am calling this his Millenium Falcon Life Crisis.   The other day, he was so agitated that I was certain he was going to tell me that he quit his job or that we were being sued.   It turned out that he was just upset that  he didn't have access to the Star Wars DVD's.  It took him less than 24 hours to obtain episode 4,5 and 6.

Ansel has joined Corey in this obsession and they are quite the Jedi team.   Ansel has also been pleasantly entwined in his new stitchery hobby.  A sentence that has most likely never before been spoken in the history of the galaxy was heard in our house the other night:

"Dad, can I work on my stitchery while we watch The Empire Strikes Back?"

Finished project.  And for those of you who are wondering what this is,  Ansel would say, 

"Duh, don't you know who the Washington State Cougars are?"

And for 50 cents, Ansel will teach you how to do stitchery.  And for one dollar, he will make you a 

project per your request.   

Pretty Sweet Deal.  

Jubilation 136.....still on earth with fire and brimstone

 Today was supposed to be the end of the world (May 21, 2011).  Since the fire and brimstone didn't come to us, we decided to make our own.   In hindsight, looking at these pictures, I can see the accident waiting to happen.   No shoes and a slight wind.   If judgement day did come today, Corey and I would surely lose our chances at rapture for being such horrible parents.  All of these pictures were taken before Emmy walked on a hot coal and burned her foot enough to keep her hobbling for a few days.   And all of these pictures were taken before Savanna put down her phone (she claimed she was reading Jack London's Into the Wild)  and roasted a veggie burger and smore's.  

 Somehow,  Ansel didn't end up with his lips burned off by putting his stick on his lips while blowing on it to cool it down.  

jubilation 135....slow runner and william fitzsimmons

Listened to some good music with Doady.  Have I ever mentioned how our world has changed now that we have built-in babysitters?

jubilation 134...art therapy

Ansel had to give a talk on Sunday.  He did not want to give a talk on Sunday.  Corey tried to do positive visualization art exercises

Ansel responded with this....

Meanwhile, Savanna spent the time doodling whimsical alphabets.  She might be listening to the speaker, but I doubt it.  

Ansel did an exceptional job on his talk and looked like picture #1.  

jubilation 133...lunching with the birds

My ornithologist sister told me that this is a male crossbill.  While eating my bagel just feet away, I marveled at his lack of shyness and unique qualities.  I found out that their odd  bills are useful for removing seeds from cones.  They start at the bottom of a cone, and spiral upward, opening each scale and removing the seeds with their tongues.  Corey put out bird seed last week and we have had hundreds of visitors.  

This post reminds me that last week Ansel exclaimed, "I wish I was a bird."  Of course, I immediately assumed that his next statement would have something to do with the freedom and thrill of flying in the air.  Instead, he continued with, "I would love to sit on a wire."

jubilation 132....awful end, dreadful acts, and terrible times

We finished our Ray Bradbury book on CD and moved on the Eddie Dickens trilogy.  Emmy and I read these together a few years ago and I had to stop at least once every paragraph to laugh out loud.  Listening to it a second time was no less disappointing.  They are action packed, witty, and hilarious.   Ansel didn't get a lot of the humor, but he still enjoyed the story.  These are books I could read over and over again.   In fact, Emmy and I were discussing how fun it would be to put on an Eddie Dickens play.   Hmmmm.   I will put that idea in my pocket for an activity on a long summer day.   Tickets will be 5 stuffed stoats a piece (And you must read the books to find out about the stuffed stoats).

jubilation 131....forced Mother's Day cards

"Oh, thank you Ansel.  I love it, but I thought you hated Silverwood."  (Silverwood is the local amusement park and Ansel finds the rides the opposite of amusing.   We went last summer and while Corey and the girls rode the roller coasters, Ansel and I wandered around aimlessly, sticky from all the sugar particles floating in the air and suicidal from the repetitive carnival music. When you are merely an observer to the goings on at an amusement park, it can be the most horrific place imaginable.  Obviously, I didn't have much fun either.)

"I did hate it," replied Ansel

"Then why did you write that?" I wondered

"Because I couldn't think of anything else to say."

Wow.  Feeling like a terrific mother today.

jubilation 130...inaugural waterfight

jubilation 129....spring soccer

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Ansel scored a goal today!

 Ansel has some interesting moves.  I think he gets his awkward hands from his mother.

 game faces

team counsel

 They lost every game, but always had smiles on their faces.

The team he played today had the same jerseys which made it a little confusing for everyone.  I'm not sure what kind of look this kid is giving Ansel or what kind of look Ansel is giving him back.

 He really was on fire today.  I was so proud of him that I accidentally tried to hug him.  Big mistake

 Every time he did a kick off,  he tried a fake out kick.  It was hilarious and even threw his teammates off a little.