Spring

After a very wet few weeks of spring, we are finally enjoying some sunshine. Along with that sunshine, we have been at defcon five due to some recent fox attacks. A few weeks ago, we had one chicken drop dead out of nowhere. A week later, a fox took our five of our hens, leaving one lone survivor. It was an all-out rampage, all while Mal and I were at Reel Pizza and a babysitter was at home with the kids. Our neighbors came home to witness part of it, and actually saved one chicken for us. Stripey had a chunk taken out of her back and had an injured leg, but somehow survived. She was definitely the smarter hen. After that attack, we got Stripey a rooster. Chief, a polish, has enough wits about him to breath. I don't know that he can handle much more than that. He is a Polish, and repeatedly runs into walls when in fight or flight. Well, Mr. Fox returned on Friday morning. I had just let the chickens out in the morning, then went to get some breakfast. About ten minutes later, I heard Stripey freaking out in the front yard. I ran to the glass door and saw the fox chasing her! I ran out, yelling and chasing the fox. The fox was so close to finishing the job, but ran off as I approached. I think we are all in agreement that we need to trap that fox. Should be an interesting few weeks coming up.

We have been getting out as much as possible, as weather permits. There is so much we want to do outside, but so many projects need to get done around the house. It's difficult to balance between the two with such a short summer season. We already have so many fun things planned this summer, between Yellowstone, Idaho, and Utah.


Yesterday, we helped out with the Bangor Stake service project. We were cleaning up the carriage roads in Acadia. The kids (even Madie) mentioned a few times how much fun they were having. Even Petya was wielding a rake and getting into the action. It's a good experience for the kids to get involved in activities like these.


When I came home Friday night, the kids had constructed a fort out of lava lavas on the front deck and were eager to show it to me. Obviously, very proud of their engineering. Madie asked to sleep in it with Elvis. I considered it, but then wasn't feeling so warm and fuzzy about it. Mal suggested doing it in the back deck. Easier for everyone to access, hear if there are issues in the middle of the night, etc. The kids were so excited about the idea, they immediately began moving everything back there! I decided to help them create a new fort with a large tarp, which would offer better protection. We also set up Mary Poppins in there for them. Petya and Finn both fell asleep before the end of the movie, but Madie was awake the whole time. I decided to sleep out there with them just in-case they needed one of us for something. Madie was pretty insistent on keeping the fort up for the rest of the weekend. She loved reading out there Saturday afternoon, enjoying some fresh air. I'm sure we will do some more of that this summer.


Thursday of last week was about 85 degrees, and neither of us felt like cooking dinner. That's right, we start to become dysfunctional after 85 degrees. So, we went to The Thirsty Whale for dinner, and ran around Agamont Park.


Finn is doing T-ball again this year. Let me just say, I couldn't be happier with the way it's going. Last years T-ball was a big boring disaster that made Finn dislike T-ball. It involved a lot of games that were geared toward teaching a few fundamentals with baseball. But Finn is already at the stage of hitting my overhand throws, and can occasionally catch the ball with his mitt. He is more interested in actually playing the game of baseball, and not all of those "...stupid..." games used to teach you the game of baseball. This year, it's very simple. Roll out to the field, set up a T, take turns at the T, have a few kids field the hits and throw it to first base, and a few kids off to the side playing catch. And parents are involved all over the field. This is such an improvement, and Finn actually likes it. He is doing so well too. He really has a great arm and outstanding hand-eye coordination.


Madie did excellent at her piano recital. She always impresses me with her ability to read music. She is comfortable playing in front of an audience, even though she appears to be embarrassed afterward.


Finn's first performance. He is also coming along nicely! Just some simple, basic songs. I am proud of him and Madie for their performances. Mal does a great job teaching them.


Did I mention all of that rain we were getting? After a few days of significant rain, we went hiking to a few places that would offer some interesting falls. This one was the bridge at the trailhead of Deer Creek. And can I say, this photo pretty much captures the personality of each kid. Madie appearing bored (she loves hiking and running, but you would never guess it from this photo...not into having her photo taken still), Finn looking distracted (...squirrel!), and Petya happy we didn't leave her at home (anytime we are getting ready to go somewhere, she always asks "Can I go?" She is a happy girl always wants to be included in whatever is going on.)


I thought Mal would do a post on her Shrek performance, but time got away...yada yada yada, we haven't blogged for over a month. She started working on the show back in January, and stuck with it through the end. The show was hilarious, captivating, and entertaining. Mal did a great job as the wicked witch. The kids loved the show. Bravo!


On a personal note, I passed my Certified Safety Professional (CSP) exam. I had studied for that off and on for the past couple of years. After a training I went to in November, I resoled to buckle down and get it done. Every morning, I went to work to study for an extra 30-60 minutes. On Saturdays, I would go in to work early to get in an extra hour, and periodically studied in the evenings as time permitted. Having this will open up a lot of professional possibilities in the next few years, and of course offer extra job security should anything happen with my current job. I'm not done yet, though. Still have one more certification I'm already working toward. I'll really buckle down for that in October/November. Summer is approaching fast, and I live in Maine. Time to enjoy it while it's here!

The End of Winter

The past few weeks have been packed with play rehearsal and preparation. We're almost done though and with the end of the play comes Easter and spring break, so we'll have some proper time off. I'm enjoying the play, but I'm also looking forward to being done.

Nellie is getting big enough to be out in the yard by herself as long as she stays in the front (we still are having some issues understanding why it's not okay to just take off to our neighbor's without asking, but generally she's good about it). She has loved the independence, especially since it's been nice out the past few days. And since the ducks have returned to the pond. The drakes are particularly entertaining during mating season--they chase each other all over the place and splash at each other. 

Watching the chickens eating.

Before "hell week" (the last week of rehearsals before the show), I did fit in some quality bake time with each of the kids. Nell is obsessed with helping in the kitchen, and doesn't take "no" very lightly if I'm in a rush to get things done. It's always nice to have some time to really make something with her.

Macarons with jam.

Finn always asks to make the same thing: blueberry muffins. I love blueberry muffins, so that's all good and fine, but it gets a little monotonous. The problem really is he's just not thinking much beyond that. This time I insisted we make something else--scones. He wasn't pleased until I suggested chocolate scones. He was willing to settle for that.

A couple of weeks ago Madie had a half-day followed by a day off of school. Finn had a friend over for the half-day and Madie was a little bored. She's usually good to just read all afternoon, but I guess she wasn't feeling it, so I suggested we make something together since it's unusual to have time to do anything like that until the summer. She had asked for a "kids' cookbook" for Christmas, and although she didn't get one as a gift, my cousin asked me a couple days after, completely out of the blue, if we wanted one she had now that her kids had outgrown it. Yes! So Madie pulled it out and decided on chocolate-dipped shortbread cookies. We even got to use the pastry bag to shape the cookies, which was a highlight for her.

Shortbreads break easily, especially when a 7-year old is shaping them with a bag. That meant  lots of mistakes to--*wink*--clean up.

Making the most of winter

Last week, we officially found out the gender of baby number four: girl! We are excited to welcome another baby into the family. Madie has been pulling for a sister all along, until she found out that Finn would likely have his own room since he is the only boy. Madie quickly changed her vote because "...I don't want Finn to have his own room." Finn was pulling for a brother, of course. We had a few good boy names picked out that we were fond of, but now we know we need to redirect our attention to girl names. We are eagerly anticipating the due date in August. 

What's that you say? It's 95 degrees in Arizona? The spring run-off has already begun in the mountains out west? Yeah, well I have news for you. It's still winter in Maine! Although winter starts a bit later out here than it does out west, it also drags out a bit longer. I typically compare my Maine winter experience with Rexburg, because that's probably the most extreme place I've lived that I can compare it to. Rexburg is getting spring showers, 55-60 degrees right now. Meanwhile, this just happened a few days ago. Still thawing out. It's been a pretty mild winter, overall. 

Mallory has volunteered to be the cookie mom for Madie's Girl Scout troop. Yada yada yada, we have consumed at least eight boxes of girl scout cookies in a little over a week. It's extremely hard to exercise self control when you know you could just shove $4 into a manila envelope and get it over with. I feel mostly bad because I (Mike typing) have probably accounted for 60% of the cookie consumption. We will crack open some thin mints after dinner and the kids will ask about them the next day. Let me just say, the look on Madie's face is the look of a serial killer. "Dad, you ate all the cookies?!" Those are some of the hardest conversations to have with my kids. How am I going to keep this up when the kids don't go to bed at 7:30 anymore? Beats me. I'm going to keep on eating.

I'm so glad that our elementary school puts on a science fair every year for the lower grade kids. We were one of the few volcanos this year (there had to be at least five other volcano-based projects at the fair). Nothing like a quick vinegar and baking soda experiment! Madie elected to create sugar crystals, which generated quite a bit of interest. So much that she was featured in her school's newsletter in two difference photos. She was the only one that made sugar crystals. Madie did a great job and stuck around her project to explain it to those that were curious. This girl loves science and learning. I recently brought home a microscope from work and set up a 'lab' in our basement for the kids to play around in. Unfortunately, they don't like to go down there alone. That's when Elvis gets dragged into the picture. Poor old boy gets dragged everywhere the kids are afraid to enter. Just that act alone earns his keep in our home. He gets me out of a lot of frequent requests to walk to the back room to retrieve something. 

Wednesdays are probably one of our busiest days at home. I usually stay home a bit later to have breakfast with the family because that's the only quality time we have together. While I'm at work, Mal is running around to teach piano in Ellsworth, run errands, etc. When I return home in the evening, it usually consists of sitting at the table for ten minutes to eat, then running out the door to head to scouts. This last Wednesday, I got home a little earlier, which made it a bit more relaxed. Madie and Finn were downstairs watching a movie, and didn't want to come to scouts with me. So, I took just Petya with me. Anytime one of us begins to put on our shoes to go somewhere, she always asks that person, "Can I go?" Sweet girl wants to go with any of us, wherever we are going. She will ask it literally every time. We are all getting ready for church, and she will ask. We are all getting ready to go play outside, and she will ask. I don't know if it stems from a fear of abandonment or what. But I was able to just take her this evening. I got done a little early, so I ran over to LL Bean before they close for some quality Dad and Petya time. They usually have a few kids bikes laying around that she likes to ride in the store, so it would be a huge win for her. We entered, and sure enough, there was a perfectly sized, pink balance bike. She ran over to it and got right to work. She followed me around as I checked a few sales they had going on. Then we headed on home. Looking back to when Madie or Finn were Petya's age, I did a lot with them individually. It's harder to do the same with Petya because I keep taking the older two to do more challenging things that would be a bit more difficult for Petya, such as rock climbing. I'm glad we could do something together. 

Yesterday I was making bundt pan rolls, and I turned around. This is the sight that I saw. Petya, sitting in the stool, cross-legged, and taking down some serious notes on her writing pad. She means business, folks. She loves to help in the kitchen. She is almost becomes a bully in the way she hogs the su chef responsibility, nagging and physically attacking any potential challengers. She always wants to help. 

This guy makes me laugh. He is turning out to be quite a clown. The other day we received a package from Amazon, which usually consists of a small item in an overly sized box. I left the box out because it usually means a few hours of entertainment for the kids. Petya jumped in with her dolly to pretend that it was a car. Without missing a beat, Finn jumped right in and sat in front of Petya as if Petya had been expecting him. Finn was obviously the driver, while Petya sat behind him and placed her little hands onto his shoulders. Finn made some car noises and was obviously driving somewhere. Once they arrived to their destination, he hopped out and turned to Petya and said "We are here, c'mon babe." We just signed him up to start school in fall. He will be starting with a slough of his friends, which will make the transition a lot more enjoyable. 

Family Night

Tonight Petya picked out a lesson for us on forgiveness. It had a few options of what to do--some stories to tell, some poems--we settled on a finger-play game of two little friends who get in a fight and forgive each other. It was cute, if not smoothly run. And Petya liked asking the other kids questions. I whispered in her ear, "Ask them, 'what does it mean in the scripture we just read.'" She repeated it and charged at Madie with a pointed finger, which we all agreed meant she was looking for an answer from her. She's cute--and very full of character.

Mike picked our newly-arrived Girl Scout cookies as a treat, and Madie decided we would play a round of Yahtzee. The best part of being a Girl Scout mum is that the cookies get to my house before anyone else's.

Dad and Finn were on a team.

Madie, adding up some numbers.

Finn has been in a Calvin and Hobbes mood lately. I mean, he always enjoys the books, but he goes in bouts where he carries his Hobbes everywhere he goes and plays games with him (after being scolded about playing "Pounce" with Petya). He took him to a talent show at the church last night, although most of the night Hobbes just sat in a chair. He has also attended Scouts with Dad this week, and many shopping trips. And he always gets buckled into the car.

Vacation Week

This February break hasn't been the sledding-stuffed, play fest I had imagined. Saturday night Nell was sick half the night, and Mike stayed home from church on Sunday to take care of her. It was a little heartbreaking because by the time the other kids and I were leaving, she was feeling fine, but we didn't want to run the risk of getting anyone else sick or that she might not actually be over it--stomach bugs are fickle things. When it came time to leave, she was weeping into Dad's lap with a dress she'd picked out hanging from her fist. I couldn't even get her to give me a hug goodbye. 

The fun continued when Mike jumped out of bed early early Tuesday morning after he heard a splatter in the kid's room. Sure enough, Madie was sick now. Then Finn. We spent Tuesday sitting at home. Finn bounced back after just a few hours. By dinner time he was fine. Madie slowly improved all day, but she slept through most of it. Right before bed she had enough of an appetite to have a couple small pieces of toast. Thankfully this morning she woke up and told Dad she was "100% better." 

Here we are, Wednesday morning, and now it's my turn. I woke up at 3-something without really knowing why, so I went down to switch over some laundry. While I was at it, it hit me. I've been horizontal most of the day. The kids, for the most part, have gotten along really well. I have been well enough to stand up long enough to get them some lunch, but other than that, Madie has been instrumental in keeping Nell entertained and helping to get snacks, etc. 

It's a good thing she likes to read. She doesn't get bored easily because of it.

Once I started to feel a little better, I told Finn and Petya they could pick out some books. Petya was complaining to me through most of the first one about how her bandaids were too tight--she's been sucking on her fingers so much, her skin is peeling. I told her they looked fine, but she continued to complain. Eventually she quieted down and I looked down at her to find her snoozing gently.

Never mind the face. Madie snapped this while I was reading Calvin and Hobbes, and you just can't get the vocalizations right without a little effort.

Here's hoping for a better rest of the week!

Finn Stories

We have been working a little bit on Finn's letters and word, in a very nonchalant style. He recognizes most letters and their sounds, but has only ever put them together in his name until recently. Last Saturday he was filling out some Valentine's for friends, and I took the opportunity to help him sound out the names instead of just telling him the letters (except in a few same-sound-made-by-different-letters and silent-letter cases, both of which are found in the name Caroline). So, this Thursday, while at the library, I decided he was at the point where he could start sounding out written words. We haven't really tried this much yet, but he is finally starting to really take an interest in being able to read on his own, which is crucial, I think, to really becoming proficient. Learning to read is so painstaking and slow that one must be keen on the idea to pursue it longer than one lesson. I picked up a Level 1 book on Captain America and tonight we read through it. At the end of our first read-through, he was pretty regularly sounding out or recognizing on sight

a
is
it
in
and
& Steve

Mike was particularly impressed. I wrote them all down on a card and told him that we can add some more words, I was sure, by the time we took the book back next Thursday. He was getting a little tired at the end, but he was pleased to see how many words he could learn in one sitting.

Speaking of the library, ours has been closed for weeks--since the end of January--because of some silica dust that was getting in through the windows while men were pointing the building. They thought it would be fine, but it finally got so bad, they moved story time to the Y, then they eventually closed altogether after consulting with the Occ. Health and Safety Dept. at the lab. They just reopened this Wednesday and Thursday was our first day back. They informed me and my friends, since we had children, that the downstairs was inaccessible as they were still cleaning down their, so we would have to go to the YWCA or the library's bookstore on either side of the library to use the bathroom. Sure enough, about 40 minutes before we were to leave, Finn said he had to go.

"Get your boots on, then. Petya! Come get your boots on."
"No! I don't want to go. I'll just hold it."
"No, Buddy, you're not going to hold it. We're not leaving, we just have to go outside to use the bathroom because the one here is closed right now."

Still, he was reluctant to get his boots and jacket on because he was worried we wouldn't come back. I picked Petya up and we headed out. As I turned the corner around the snowbank to head to the YW, I realized Finn wasn't following me. I turned back and saw him standing at the bottom of the steps to the library.

"Finn! C'mon! I thought you had to go!" He looked up at me, startled. Then I realized--oh dear. "No, man, no! We're going into the next building to go!" I saw his head bob a bit while he tucked it back in and he ran to catch up with me. On our way back I saw a nice little zig-zag in the snow, because, hey, if you have to pee in the snow, you may as well have some fun with it.

Digging

We have over a foot of snow in the yard, plus a nice-sized bank from the plow man. And everyone knows what that means in the Watkins' home:

Snow forts. Mike went out and finished building up a nice mound, and while the kids slid down one side, Mike dug out on the other. Honestly, he enjoys making them more than the kids do. They talked about camping in it tonight, but it's supposed to get around 15, not to mention the freezing fog we're supposed to get, so Mike decided against it. But we are loving the snow. We're supposed to get another storm tomorrow, and another possibly mid-week.