The boys are being real troopers with all the changes that are taking place, and the new rules that are subsequent to the changes. Basically they aren't allowed in the living room/dining room anymore. They must eat in the kitchen or downstairs with us if supervised. NO toys anywhere but in their bedroom or directly in their hands. All their legos/knex/magnets toys (small easy to scatter) have been packed up. They are having to pick up every room before bed, keep their own rooms cleaner, the backyard has been cut down to just a few outside toys.
They are focused on helping us. Jockey has decided that he is a good worker and he loves to put the "mud" wall patch on the walls. I was surprised at how much he understood and what he was capable of. I did have to go around an scrap a little of the excess off, but his comprehension was great. Jockey does seem to stand a little too close to wet paint...habitually. Caleb wants to be involved, but doesn't always stop to listen for directions. He is helpful in getting the tools or items from the house that we need to complete a project. And he is a strong and helpful lifter.
The family room has been painted and just needs crown molding. The bathroom is ready for paint and then base/case molding, vanity/sink and toilet. This is the room furthest from finished. And then we have the odds and ends and the regular cleaning. AND THE GARAGE to clean out. whew!!!! THEN we will be able to put our house up for sale.
We still don't know if our offer was signed by the owner and taken to the bank for consideration. For that matter, we don't know if the offer was driven to the agent yet. So still waiting on that account.
Caleb is doing way better in reading.
Jockey is doing better in his pen holding, and calmness at school.
Awana has started and Jockey is doing very well. He's calmed down quite a bit. Caleb, actually I got spoken to about him last time. So we had a long talk about leadership qualities and the responsibity of leading people only into good actions. He doesn't like the idea of a mantle of leadership/responsibility... well, you get what you get, that's the way God made you.
Jockey asked today how God made him...successfully dodged that with "God grew you in my tummy" to which he responded "That's so cool".

Well, it's off to painting the bathroom.

The boys are trying to be good helpers in getting work done on the house. I hope that out of this comes a skill set they can use later, or at least feel comfortable with the idea to learn more later. And I hope that they finally grasp the idea of what clean is and keeping something that way. And working for a goal because you want it bad enough. (In this case, the tree house is a BIG motivator for Caleb for the house we have in mind. Although, I thought riding the bus would be a big plus too, evidently not because they say "keep moving back" over and over again.)

I've also had to tell them that the magic tu-tu cleaning fairy has left the building and they now have to pick up after themselves to include putting away their own laundry (after I've cleaned, dried, sorted and handed it to them- still a little of the tu-tu fairy remains).

Contrary to all of my wishes and guidelines for my kids, Jockey has a tv in his room and Caleb has the computer. I never wanted these things in the children's bedrooms, but I keep telling myself that it is only temporary. I don't want the kids to isolate themselves in their rooms, and especially, I don't want it to become a habit/lifestyle. And our eat-in kitchen only sits a very tight 3 persons, and I refuse to have the boys sit in the dining room with their food, MESSY! and over carpet, I don't think so. It's bad enough that they are eating over a tablecloth! (to hide the hideousness of the craft table come eat-in table).

We are working feverishly to get it done. SOOO much to do still. The boys are fortunately gracious to allow us to work for their "tree house". We might as well call the next house the "tree house" since that's how the boys refer to it.

It is such a blessing to have beautiful days like this so late into the summer, the sheet rock would be pretty wet when we cut it outside if it wasn't so beautiful.

The boys are settling down to school. I have so many things to remeber it is ridiculous. Tomorrow is picture day, I work, we meet with the agent and actually compose the offer and have him look at our house (EEK), we are casing and basing. We have Awana on Thursday, I work that day and also at Awana that night, our anniversary is this weekend (no plans, just house). We'll have to put a toilet and vanity in the downstairs, and finish the floor, sheetrock, tape, mud, texture and paint, and moldings. All of the work I've done, and none of it is cleaning.... so vacumming, dusting, mopping, bathrooms, desperately need attention! sigh, lots to do. I better get to...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNWg5DlWVa8

Well, we've decided to skydive.... in a manner of speaking.

We have decided to put an offer in on a home WITH OUT a contingent on Moday. It needs ALOT (did I mention the holes in the family room ceiling and the missing cabinets in the kitchen and the rampant stains making the carpet untouchable, and no fence?). But it has Sqft, location, schools, and a price that is great (even if it is a stretch still.) The sweat equity will be amazing.

So now we are free falling. (And with SOOOOOO much work to do here too!)

Prayers please. The nice thing is that Caleb likes the tree house in the back.

I'll be gone until tomorrow night on a MOPS retreat.

Have a great weekend yourselves.

Our first brush with poisonous plants....

I foolishly thought that we were safe from our children consuming poisonous plants. Nothing after six years.... Nope.
Yesterday we had to do a plant search on the web, and the a quick call to poison control to find out exactly what the effect would be of a single unchewed but swallowed berry of the newly discovered Climbing/Woody/Bittersweet NIGHTSHADE!!! Hello, nightshade. Why don't they call it death berry vine. Well, Jockey my mouthy son now has his name logged into the poison control system as one who tries imfamous red berries. Fortunately, he suffered no effects, but still.... We can apparently make it out of the woods alive and not eating anything wrong, but our own backyard has berries too tempting not to try to eat. Of course we didn't know this weed of a vine imported itself from somewhere. Jockey is safe and fine now though. PTL.

Jockey is obsessed with little stuffed animals. Some Beany Babies, but he really isn't particular. He loves them all. Even the ridiculous ball of "fur" called a guinea pig from McDonald's. His latest is that he found a "cage" for them and now he cages his animals to transport them because occassionally they bite and defecate in the house (so I've been told).

Also, both boys are in love with the Angel Wars cartoon. We saw the Messengers show on TV and they are hooked. I'm happy to have them introduced to a deep concept in such a way. I'll have to source the other episodes because it's worth building their understanding.

Ok, back to work.

Saturday. Garage sale day.

Doesn't it always happen that the moment you put toys out to sell, suddenly it's the most fun, most interesting, must keep toy in the world?! Well, Joshy re-fell in love with a Spiderman (missing his shooting webs). And I said, ok, yes I broke down and said he could keep it. I told him to put it in the house, came up with a good way to play with it in the back yard, etc. Well, he didn't do it, and 20 minutes later it was laying among the other toys and someone wanted/bought it. Joshy saw that and burst into tears and ran in the house. He cried and poked his head out again "I don't want to be your boy any more", the next time he poked out "you're the worst mommy in the world" and then "now we have to buy another". Well, I don't know about the last comment. But the others... I knew I'd hear them in life. And to show him that his comments were not affecting me... I laughed. If I had not expected it, it would have hurt. But I almost feel as if we've gone through a rite of passage. Of course this effected him greatly, so I made it into a lesson that if he had obeyed the toy would have been in the house, but disobedience meant that the toy got sold. I hope he learns his lesson with this small thing.
Anyway, I've been picking up toys all morning.... on my front lawn. Everytime I get them grouped together as the set they are, the boys undo all my efforts.
Caleb has been both helpful and embarrassing. He says things to people that I just want to hide under a rock when he says them. He makes comments to people about the things that they pick up and touch. "hmm, I think that you like that, maybe you should buy it." I guess he's a used car salesman in the making. Of course, when he is not doing that, he's climbing the tree above all the toys and littering leaves (and rotten plums) on everything. Thanks.
On the bright side of things, it is bright and sunny out, just perfect for having stuff all over the front yard. There is a campfire smell in the yard that smells delicious. I've unloaded a bunch of stuff. (Alot of it the bulky stuff, SOOO happy not to have to put it all back into the garage.) SOO much more to go though. I've made a decent amount. And a highlight was meeting a lady and telling her about MOPS and finding out she'd love to go, has a son to attends Jockey's school on T/Th, likes to scrapbook, etc. We exchanged #'s. Sound great. Our chatting covered a lot of topics and flowed well, I hope we have a friend in the making for both Jockey and I.
After the garage sale, we will get in touch with Grandpa and Grammy Dahl who are watching Tessa. The boys will have fun with her I think.
Mike is till away, safe and dry the last time I talked to him.
That's our weekend. Hope yours is going well.

The boys have made it through their orientation days and their first days of school.

Caleb remembers little of what he did each day... singing and recess, nothing else. I really have to ask and ask to get information. I did find out that he saw several of this buddies at recess... which is good because I was afraid that keeping him in Kindergarten when they moved to 1st would cause a divide. It is now just like they are in different classes not different grades. GREAT, and probably the best because he doesn't have in-class distractions of his friends. Caleb knows the routine this year and I have every hope and expectation that he will do fantastic. And he knows several sight words in his reading and oral math skills.

Jockey: He plunged right in. He remembered that during circle time he gets a "listening" chair. Which turned into every other kid got his own chair. With a class size of 5, the teacher was ok with it because they all paid attention for the story. His class is bonding well already. His teacher said that she could tell that he has calmed a bit, matured over last year. And I think it will get even better when the summer wiggles are worked out and his routine is found. But he trotted off with enthusiam and that was great to see.

I've worked the last two days. I've cleaned out the garage and tomorrow is the garage sale. I have to promise myself that the unsold items will NOT go back into the garage!
Mike had ridden off on the motorcycle for a camping weekend with Grandpa Bill. He comes back Sunday.

So that's the update.

Pictures finally...

Camping/crabbing at Kayak State Park mid-august with Dahls Sr. and Surfaces.

HOT day at the lake with buddies

An evening at the Children's museum... Jockey discovered he liked Rapelling down the rock wall.

Caleb attends a go-cart Birthday party.

Emily stays over night and plays with boys.

Jockey's Pool 4th Party with his great painting rocks idea

The fair, this time most of us were big enough to go on most of the rides. And painting stuff too.

My scrapbook pages, one of which won. (The one that won is the one that I was told last year that no one would want to see...)

Lastly, ROSIE the RABBIT!!!!!!!!

She looks like she's praying.... hopefully she's praying blessings on us all...

Ok, we've done it.

We have Rabbit #2 and a new-to-us (craigslist) hutch.
A female, Rex, roan colored, soft like a chinchilla rabbit.

It took longer than it should to name her, but it is finally decided to be "Rosie" (like Caillou's little sister). It's suppose to be Jockey's rabbit, and he does love Caillou (a tv show for all of you not up on your children's cartoons.) Rosie was a better name than.... "Tony Stark's (Ironman) butt crack". Which was also the boy's idea. Her rich fawn/reddish so the name fits with that too, although I wanted to call her Bambi. (Mike wanted Trixie, so we were both out voted by the boys).
As a rex breed, she'll be just like Shooter although not a mini just a standard size. She is just as soft, and will be a little bit bigger. She is coming up on 3 months old and already the same size and edging up close on being bigger than Shooter. She is getting use to being handled and the noisy-ness of our house. Once she is in our arms she immediately calms down and holds still for long term petting (until she gets a bit to warm, then she stirs.) She seems to be loving her hutch which is twice the size of Shooters and has a built in nest box. It was a great find on craigslist and was able to be pressure washed to perfection. Jockey, the less suave handler, can reach over and pick her up too. Which is really nice since we are trying to use this experience as a tool for responsibility.
WHY? I know that's the big question. Off the top of my head, here's why:
*VERY LOW cost. The whole year will be under a generous estimate of $75 for the entire year.
*LOW, LOW maintenance, especially for this breed. A quick rub backwards with a wet hand and the occasional toe nail trim. That's it.
*their cage's large volume feeders and water bottles allow us to leave for the weekends without trouble (even less problems than the dogs really).
*their droppings is sooooo few, and all in one place, and technically perfect for gardens... less troublesome/burdensome than the dogs.
*no problems meeting other dogs/people like dogs do out on a leash.
*they are available for love, and then easily put away.
*we've placed them near our back door and they can see us and actually part of our lives.

So that's it.
I'll get pictures up soon.
Yesterday, I took the boys to the skate park to use their rollerblades and scooter; Caleb had a buddy over last night, and I cleaned up the back yard a bunch.
I have to go help Auntie Brittany move into her house now.
Tomorrow is blackberry picking (again, yeah, I know.) and an ice cream social with last years school buddies.
Thursday, I work.
Nothing until Sunday, another great day at the fair.
TTFN.