Water

In the South, *everybody's* got a pool 'cause it's so darned hot. We've been in lots of water lately just to relax and stayed cooled off - the new Jernigan pool, the quarry by the Ring farm, our own splashy pool, and Anne and Granddaddy's pool.


Ceadmon and Granddaddy
Owen practicing floatingthe Gilliland cousins

Diggin'

Among many, many other things, moving to our own home in Tennessee has meant getting very, very dirty. As you well know, this can be lots of fun. We have mowed and planted.
We have shoveled sand into a pile under the magnificent old maple tree behind the house - much better than the box of sand on the apartment patio! We have tilled and raked and planted and mulched a new garden spot - looking forward to mustard greens, pak choi, Swiss chard, lettuce, green beans, peas, peppers, and cucumbers and maybe more. If you are in Tennessee, here is the UT extension booklet that outlines garden vegetables you can plant. There's quite a list for after July 1!
Hoping that you too have felt a little dirt between your fingers and gotten in touch with the deep human need to dig and plant and make things grow.

A Little Update

Just a little note to let you all know that we are in our new (very old) home and getting settled. We now have almost no boxes and are connected to the internet. We are all trying to stay cool on these hot days while still mowing a giant yard, starting a garden, and getting the yard and house in order. The boys, at least, get to wear a lot less around the house than our old apartment:
Caedmon was so tired and hungry/thirsty when we got in from the yard yesterday, I didn't get him diapered before a quick nap.

Owen, my little statue of Augustus - no longer a cherub - who was preparing to rekey the locks for us.

I hope to be filling you in very soon on more of the details of our new home and activities!

A Tooth!

Caedmon is now toothy! It figures that we'd be in the middle of a big move with the boys and I two states and 300 miles from Abram when Caedmon's first tooth popped through some time yesterday. Daddy will be pleased to see it tonight - so here's the question:
If . . .
a car leaves point L at 8 am on day one driving at 70 mph, but stopping at ever shorter intervals and staying overnight at point V, then resumes the same travel pattern at 8 am on day 2 and . . .
a truck (well two trucks hooked together actually) leaves point L at 2 pm on day 2 traveling at 70 mph and only stops for gas and to pee . . .
when will they BOTH be at point K?
Correct answer-ers will be sent a randomly selected box of our stuff or the equivalent cash value.

Happy Anniversary!

11 - years I've been married to a great husband and dad
10 - Christmases, Thanksgivings, Easters, Valentine's Days, and birthdays we've spent together
9 - addresses under our belts by next week
8 - addresses we've had to date
7 - days a week you make breakfast and I make supper (usually)
6 - towns we've called home
5 - years of graduate school (for Abram), and vehicles we've owned
4 - years of parenting
3 - years in exile
2 - boys have brightened our lives and turned our world upside down
1 - heck of an adventure

Thank you, Abram! Happy Anniversary!

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there - especially Abram, Granddaddy, and Pa Billy!

Saying Goodbye

We are wrapping things up here in Lancaster as we prepare to move back to Tennessee. I'm two rolls of tape into packing. (I generally use 3 rolls per move). Although we came here knowing Abram's job was temporary, somehow, we seem to have put down a few roots over the last three years - one year at a time. We are looking forward very much to being in our own home with chickens and goats and a garden and even more to being near our families. We are looking forward to being permanent, and I keep telling Abram that if we finally get into this house, I'm gonna live there FOREVER.
We are also sad to be leaving our friends here and hoping that we can coax at least f few of them to visit us in Tennessee. We know what a haul it is to get down there.
Tuesday, I attended my last Lancaster County Birth Circle. I started the meetings of local mamas in March of 2009, and have been pleased that so many mamas have come together to share and learn and share about birth and parenting. For my final meeting, I asked all the mamas who came to share their birth stories. I had heard most of them - some of them many times, and it was beautiful to sit there with all those mamas and hear 24 different stories about how the children running around the room had come into the world and to remember a few who never did. Very soon, yet another little person will be born to one of our mamas. Lots of good HBAC vibes are going out to Angel (and later on this summer to Kerry). I am pleased that another of our mamas, Gwen, will be keeping the group going and hope that all those ladies will keep on telling their stories. The world needs to hear what birth is.
Tonight, we enjoyed a potluck picnic with friends at Longs Park. It was lovely to sit in the cooling evening while children ran in the park and darted in and out to eat dinner one bite hear and one bite later. There were friends from Abram's department, our play group (which hasn't met in almost a year - sniff - they're getting older),Tot Spot, and Birth Circle, friends we've known since Abram was in graduate school, friends we met on our apartment hunting trip up here in May 2008 (hi Donna and crew!), and friends we have only known a little while.
Thanks to all the people who have helped make Lancaster home for a little while.