G is for Geese

Snow geese and swans migrate from Alaska and Siberia to spend the winter in the fields of Skagit Valley. So those rows and rows of tulips are replaced by clouds of birds. 

When we drove up to the valley, Jim noticed a white cloud in the distance.

"Are those birds, or a snow storm?"

There were thousands! From afar, we watched the white cloud hover just above the ground. When we got closer, they had settled in to the muddy fields. 

more info here

We looked over at another empty field, and here were two bald eagles just hanging out. 

Then we drove over to another area that was rumored to have tons more, but there were just a relative few swans. They are so bright white. 

The Skagit River

Stop looking at me, swan.

Then because the kids were soooo bored, we went to a park to play. 

N is for Nom Nom

Fun fact: I don't like the term "nom nom". It makes me squirm.

This year was really low key. Just us.
We were gonna go to Leavenworth for the holiday, but we didn't book in time.
Future self: book in time!

Jim smoked the turkey and it was amazing - juicy!
My turkey baking resume does not include juicy turkey. 

We had chocolate and banana cream pie. 

My favorite part of the whole day was when the dishes were done, the tablecloth removed, and a puzzle was started. 

But THIS puzzling was extra fun because Jim worked on it with me. Two of three kids came and asked, confused, "what is daddy doing?" haha

He usually hangs out near me while I puzzle, but this time he was actually sifting through pieces, putting them in place. 

I is for I

1. I have been doing waaayyyy too many puzzles lately. I average about 4 a week. 

Everywhere I go I see Wysocki art. Antiques in window fronts, the outline trim in windows, trees lined up along a field...

We got a Halloween Wysocki this year and the details crack me up. There's a lady riding another lady like a horse, with a bag of body parts slung over her shoulder, 

faces in the tree tranches,

Ogres sleeping inside log hollows...

It's different from his usual Americana scenes that I also love so much. 

2. I finally got released from primary after 13ish years.  I love going to class and sitting by Jim or these lovely friends.

Then, a few weeks ago they called me to be in scouts: out of the frying pan, into the fire. 

I cried. 

But then I realized that scouts isn't so bad at all. I only teach an activity twice a month, and the boys are way into it. So far we've learned about pocketknives and whittled some soap and sticks. 

Nettie pointed out "9 year old boys are easy. All they care about are snacks."

haha. I haven't brought snacks yet, but it's true - they are easy to please if you throw some pocketknives at them for a while, and then let them run around in the gym with a ball. 

3. Right before the guy took this picture I tripped and stumbled. I said "did you get that?" haha. I wish he had. That would have been the best race pic. 

4. I get so excited when I'm at a stop light and the car in front of me is covered in bumper stickers. Entertaining. 

Remember growing up the Bendicksons had bumper stickers all over their red truck? One of them said "If you're reading this, you're too damn close," but they scratched out the "damn" and wrote "dang". Ha ha. 

5. I can barely watch sports because I feel to sorry for the losers. This year the World Series was so fun with all the home runs and stuff...

I was for sure going for the Astros, but every time they would pull ahead, the camera inevitable panned over to the Dodgers' disappointed faces and I couldn't handle it. I would feel so bad for them. 

It's silly. 

6. I do a lot of thinking while playing the dumb game on my phone Jelly Splash. It's brainless, and the connecting/exploding of jellies is similar to popping packing bubbles, you know? It's somewhat comforting and satisfying. I've been playing it for almost 5 years. Avery introduced it to me, and it cracks her up that I still play it. It's my meditation/brain clearing game. 

7. In my last year of college, one weekend I went "camping" all by myself. I took my little tent and drove up near Cedar Breaks. I read Thoreau by flashlight in my sleeping bag. 

Turns out I was super bored and hardly slept at all, and I realized that I like being around friends/people and I would make a terrible Thoreau.

V is for Visage

I was at the school when the preschoolers were walking down to get their pictures taken. I walked with them and watched Andrew pose for the photographer. Right before she snapped the pic, he raised his hands in the air and said "hooray!"

We all cracked up. I think he got it from a Word World episode. Duck says that when he gets his picture taken.

In the Captain Underpants movie, one of the boys wears a tie for picture day, so Evan wanted to wear a tie for picture day.

I thought for sure he would take it off before, or decide he was embarrassed, but nope. 

Here he is. 2nd grade, wearing his dad's tie. We need to get him a tie that is his proper size - he gets baptized in February. 

Friday walking down to the bus, me and Avery had the Santa talk. She politely told me that she knows all the secrets.  I told her how exciting it is now that she's in on the secret she can help keep the magic alive for the boys. That kind of thing is her jam. She will be a better Santa spirit keeper than me for sure. I have no Christmas spirit by about, mmmmmm, December 18th. Why does the season have to start sooo early? I get burned out. 

I is for Imagination

Veteran's weekend (4 days of no school!) is always the perfect time for me to document where our "imagination" has taken us since last year. 

My best weapon against the device battle is to do something outside, but when it's dark, cold, and rainy, the kids have to come up with ways to entertain themselves inside, and it's a huge shift in rhythm for us. 

Andrew rarely cares about devices. He is always playing with toys. 

I wish you could hear his joker voice and his batman voice. 

He's not as obsessed with Woody and Cars, but they still make their way into his world weekly.

Grrrr.

Ok kids, time to get off devices!

Almost immediately after turning them off, they become imaginative. I hate devices. 

One time AT&T offered me a free tablet because of something, and the thought of another device in my home was repulsive. I said "ew do not send me that. I want less devices, not more."

We did a lot of fortune telling...

The top item they played with all weekend, for hours, without fighting (!!!) was this race track. 

They had all kinds of scenarios going on. The focus here was an elimination tournament, racing two cars at a time. 

There can't be an "imagination" blog post without a lineup of cars.

Another day they had the track in the living room. This time the focus of the game was to walk from the kitchen to the living room without touching the floor, so they made a bridge with furniture - walking on table and chairs. 

The next day they had the track on the stairs. 

The main focus of this game was to get the cars to land in the bucket.

Once the bucket was full, it became a game of import/export the cars from the full bucket to the empty bucket. 

Do you see all the dings on the wall at the bottom of the stairs? That's from 3ish years of kids throwing toys down the stairs. 

Me and Jim where stoked on how well they played together all weekend. 

"What is going on? What is the magic spell that has been cast over our kids?"

It gave me confidence in the dark days of winter ahead. We can be trapped within these four walls without killing each other.