The Three Photos

So the cord that magically transfers the photos from my camera to the computer is not working very well, thus the lack of posts here.  It's quite frustrating for me and you'd think that I should just replace the cord.  But really, the problem could be on the camera's end.  (It hasn't been the same since it went to the beach in July.)  Fortunately, Paul knows just how to wiggle the cord to get the photos to transfer, giving us the following pictures.  Thank you Paul.

My three overall clad boys standing in front of their Papa's barn.  Peter and Reuben were more propped up than really standing since they couldn't stand on their own yet (at 5 and 6 months old).  Charlie wins for his fabulous grin.  That's the advantage to being older (13 months).

Our mantle.

Cute boys in a row.

So cute.

Ok, here's Reuben's photo shoot from 2007...

 A little sad and unsure.

Getting propped up.

Ta-da!

I don't have Peter's day of pictures in front of the barn

because that was back when our camera used film

and it would be way too much work to find the negatives

and make prints and scan them and blah blah blah.

It would be fun to have the boys do these pics again...

Good idea.

We're all doing fine.

School's good for Peter (and for all of us).

Reuben successfully turned five, which reminds me that I should post about that.

Charlie has his first double ear infection and sadly has spit out every bite of avocado we've given him.  He is still hovering at 19 pounds.  If he'd just eat the avocado...

It's fall now.  Boo.  Except I like fall.  I just don't like that it means that winter is soon coming.  The leaves are turning and it's beautiful.  And the big boys got to ride in a combine and 'shell some corn.'

Tomorrow Rube, Charlie, and I are going on a field trip to the local newspaper office.  I'm pretending to homeschool Reuben.  One of these days he'll know the difference between letters and numbers.  Maybe in January.  For now, we will play lots and go on field trips with our homeschool group.

At Papa's Barn

I have a picture of Peter at age 5 months in front of Papa's barn.

I have a picture of Reuben at age 6 months in front of Papa's barn.

And now I have a picture of Charlie at 13 months in front of Papa's barn.

 There's something to the left...

 And something to the right...

And there's a funny dad behind Mom and her camera.

Got your picture, Mom?

I'm done.

Charlie and Reuben

As my Dad would say...

 Herman...

and Herman.

Going on a Trip

Here we are at CVS for the

Taking of the Passport Photo.

 Relax your face.

Don't smile.

Don't look mad.

Just have a plain, unsuspecting face.

Because it's time to renew your passport!

Why?

The Pete and the Paul get to visit

our future homeland this fall.

The organization we are joining is having a conference

in a certain coastal Asian city*

with all their workers gathered together.

I would love to go and meet the other families

and begin to get connected with this group,

but we decided that Peter should go

so he can get a feel for this unknown place

and meet some of the other kids there.

I think it will help him with the big move to come.

Peter is super excited.

They have a twelve hour layover in Germany,

so they'll get to explore there a little too.

They'll be gone a week.

A week of me putting

the Screamer, I mean, Charlie to bed.

Paul has the magic touch for this.

Speaking of the Charlie...

Everything,

except the multiple midnight waking up business of course,

is going so well.

We feel like he is a part of our family

and is also becoming a part of our community.

Everyone has been very welcoming of him

and his shyness is wearing off.

He has a sweet, charming smile that we get to see often.

Today he climbed up in my lap just to snuggle and be held,

by his Momma.

I loved it.

*If you want more details about this trip and our future move and such,

email me and we'll discuss.

Good-bye Trees

The town Tree Board declared that all three of our gigantic maple trees had to go.  Our house was built in the late 1880s, so maybe the trees are that old too.  If only there was a way to figure the age of a tree...

 The one the front yard was rotten

and during every storm I feared that it

would smash me in my bed.

So, glad that one is gone.

 But the two in the backyard gave us

so much shade and privacy and...

ambiance.

Sad to lose them.

But they got in the way of the wires.

Move the wires, I say.

And now the boys don't have a tree to pee on.

 It took several days to completely cut

and clear all the tree parts.

Rube, Charlie, and I observed from a safe distance.

It was pretty neat to watch the main guy go way up in the lift

and we'd gasp as big branches and logs came hurling and twirling down,

leaving bucket-size divets in our yard.

(The back half of our yard is all dirt and sawdust now,

from their big trucks and tractors

and flailing tree parts.

Will need to reseed with grass once it gets cooler.)

Charlie stayed occupied by eating Cheerios.

Lots of them.

Don't be fooled by this sweet face...

He knows how to slam a handful.

Reuben moved to the ground to get a new view.

  

After the tree guys cut all the branches,

they left the huge stumps for the next day.

They attached these ropes to later use to guide and pull the trees down.

The boys (and the neighbor boys) had so much fun

swinging on them.

 

And that's what we've been doing.

Observing, no, interacting with trees.

Reuben's Watermelons

When we were planning our summer garden months ago, Reuben specially requested we plant watermelon seeds.  So we did.  And now they are ready to eat!  Or drink...

I am mopping my floor every sticky watermelon day.  But he is one very happy boy.

Four Years Ago

Look at these pics of Reuben's first hike at Turkey Run, four years ago.  He was six months old and Peter was four.

 Asleep in the mei tai.

Me and the Pete.

I happenstancedly wore this same shirt for

Charlie's first hike.

We-ird.

 Crossing a stream with two boys.

 WooSeok lived with us then.

We went in March.

Not much green.

But it must have been nice since they're in shorts.

Who is that little boy?