I’ve been thinking a lot about competition among siblings lately, perhaps because I’ve been seeing more of it with my boys this summer. What is your take on the issue? Is competition healthy or desirable in small doses, or just plain destructive? Read more here.
Weekend Shenanigans
The end of last week and this past weekend were so much fun! Andrew’s 10-year-old niece Lizzy stayed with us all by herself and it was so great getting to know her a little better at this age. Ten is one of my very favorite ages– the average age of the kids I used to counsel back before I had children of my own, so it was very heartwarming to be around her and realize that she is just on the cusp of so many changes, and still capable of being enamored by grown ups (in this case, Andrew).
Milo thinks Lizzy walks on water, so he was up to all sorts of tricks in an attempt to impress her. The two of them often walked ahead or behind the rest of the group to discuss more serious matters. At the same time, Lizzy was tremendously tender and helpful with Oliver and Emil, who also idolize her. Emil constantly wanted to hold her hand and continually told her (while calling her “Izzy” instead of Lizzy for some reason), “You’re the BEST!” 
Oliver mainly just felt left out, as he is stuck in the middle and felt particularly sad when Andrew took Lizzy and Milo to Six Flags (Milo’s very first big amusement park trip). We decided Oliver and Emil were too young, as they wouldn’t be tall enough (or crazy enough) to ride most of the rides. Instead, I took them on a special date to the zoo, where we rode the train, got an ice cream, and even picked out a stuffed animal. It was all for nought; Oliver spent most of the day crying and carrying on and asking when Lizzy and Milo would be back, and saying how unfair it all was. Poor guy. Sometimes even lots of hugs and kisses can’t ease the pain of being a middle child. It’s a rough go sometimes. 
The few days went really well other than that little hitch. We went to the pool, played in a nearby creek and playground, went out for pizza and a root beer float, then bowling (more on that tomorrow), went out to breakfast one morning, and the kids all played very well together. On Saturday, we prepped all day for a huge going away party for our dear friends and neighbors who are moving at the end of this week. It was a wonderful celebration but so hard to say good-bye. It’s never easy to watch someone (or in this case, five someones) walk away, especially when they are such great community people. To say we will miss them is a huge understatement — they have become like family to us over the past five years.
Saying good-bye to Lizzy was also hard on the boys, particularly Emil, who slept late and awoke to an empty house asking, “Where’s Izzy?” as soon as he opened his eyes. So Lizzy, if you’re reading this, Emil says he misses you and you’re… THE BEST! And I say, come back anytime, we love you!
Hope your weekend was full of love.
Unplugged Nation Sneak Peek!
A little over a year ago, we traveled to Northern Idaho to film the pilot episode of a television series about off-grid living. We weren’t sure if the show would air, or even what the adventure would reveal for us. We’re so glad we agreed to do it! And though parts of it are truly embarrassing, the whole thing was just really fun. The 45-minute show, Unplugged Nation, will air on FYI at the end of this month. Below is a little clip from one of the houses we checked out. But you have to see the whole show to get a better idea of our experience! It really was amazing and a beautiful part of the country. Hope you enjoy…
And have a lovely weekend!
Update: FYI temporarily took the clip off YouTube and posted it on their site. You should be able to access it here. If not, let me know!
Turtle Playground
Ah, Turtle Playground. I love and hate you.
There’s actually a lot about Turtle Park that makes me feel indifferent. I should preface this whole post with a disclaimer: Turtle Park is one of my kids’ favorite places, but it’s not really one of my favorite places. The things I don’t love about it have totally and completely to do with its location. It is smack next to Interstate 64, so the noise and sight of so much traffic kind of ruins it for me. And because of all the concrete surrounding the area, it can get very hot, so we only visit early in the morning or on a cooler, overcast day to prevent certain baking. But those are really the only two complaints, so it’s well worth a visit if you’ve never been. 
The kids love to climb on top of the giant turtles and slide (carefully) down the long sloping shells. They love to climb inside of big snapping turtle mouths and pretend they are being eaten. They love pretending that the giant turtles are their pets, massive gentle creatures who will carry them far away. 
There is a sweet little path that has some shade where smaller turtles hide amidst the trees. The path leads to a sitting area with baby sea turtles hatching from eggs (Emil insists on kissing each one). Snaking around the eggs and up the hill is a large creature that resembles an ancient sea monster.
And if you follow it up and onto the bridge, you can wave to (or yell at) the cars passing below. I will tell you that we have crossed this bridge a hundred times over the past five years and every single time I have the conversation about how very very important it is to never ever throw anything off an overpass. Every time. 
And just for reference, Turtle Park is just across from the South entrance to the St. Louis Zoo. A tip: if you park (for free) over near Turtle Park, you can skip the whole mess of zoo parking and just walk across the bridge to gain access to the zoo. Which, by the way, has some pretty beautiful blooms right now:
… and, of course, plenty of friendly creatures.
Weekend Shenanigans
I snapped a few pictures at the pool this weekend, but aside from that, took a break from the camera and the computer. After another solid week of rain, the clouds parted just in time for the weekend and we spent most of it in the sunshine as a family. I was reminded of just how much more relaxed I am with another set of eyes on the boys. When I take them by myself, I often feel torn between two different areas of the pool; Milo is all about the diving board, while the other two cannot handle the deep end quite yet. But Andrew can. Oh yes, he is a maniac on the diving board. If I’m going to be honest, it often looks like he is falling from the sky in an awkward position. Pretty funny. 
… and then of course he looks all graceful and professional and composed when he climbs out.
Oliver has been working up his nerve to jump off… this is how I was as a kid. It takes awhile to work up the nerve to jump off something, you know? 
We went to the pool both days this weekend, and I was so grateful for this family time all together. Sometimes you just need to be goofy and take it slow. Hope you had a great weekend, too.