That's right. He calls absolutely any motor vehicle a boat. It doesn't matter if it has wheels, wings, or a propeller; if it has a motor, he calls it a boat. Today at the car wash, he would point to every car and say "boat." When he hears any sort of motor outside (including lawn mowers) he points in the general direction of the noise and says "boat." He may be a little confused, but one thing is for sure, he is a boater.
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Favorite Word
We have all heard stories about children who, as they were learning to talk, called objects by the wrong name. My mom likes to tell the story about how I used to call milk "gil." One of my friends has a niece that calls her "te-te" instead of "auntie." Fletcher is currently using a word incorrectly that proves he's a Nance (if there was any question in the first place). It is his favorite word right now, so it is easy to get him to say it. I took a video of him this evening to prove it.
That's right. He calls absolutely any motor vehicle a boat. It doesn't matter if it has wheels, wings, or a propeller; if it has a motor, he calls it a boat. Today at the car wash, he would point to every car and say "boat." When he hears any sort of motor outside (including lawn mowers) he points in the general direction of the noise and says "boat." He may be a little confused, but one thing is for sure, he is a boater.
That's right. He calls absolutely any motor vehicle a boat. It doesn't matter if it has wheels, wings, or a propeller; if it has a motor, he calls it a boat. Today at the car wash, he would point to every car and say "boat." When he hears any sort of motor outside (including lawn mowers) he points in the general direction of the noise and says "boat." He may be a little confused, but one thing is for sure, he is a boater.
Sunday, August 27, 2017
On the Shores of Lake Michigan
This post is a couple of weeks late, but I didn't want to miss the opportunity to capture in writing our fantastic family vacation this summer. I am quire confident that God had this planned all along, because everything aligned and fell into place to make this a idyllic family trip. I mean, just look at how picture perfect this place is!
It all started with a text. My good friend Nancy planted the idea, and even had a date in mind. Miraculously, we were able to make the date work. The plan was to visit the shores of Lake Michigan for our little trip. After a lot of searching, we found a house to rent (well, I should say Nancy and Louis did) and the rest just fell into place. My kids are already talking about what we'll do when we go back next year.
So, here are a few highlights from the trip. And to make it fun and make sure I don't ramble on too long, I'll do it in the form of a top 10 countdown.
The best part of the weekend was the quality time I got to spend with one of my best friends and her beautiful family. We even got to wish our friend Louis a happy birthday with some unintentionally tricky candles. What a blessing!
It all started with a text. My good friend Nancy planted the idea, and even had a date in mind. Miraculously, we were able to make the date work. The plan was to visit the shores of Lake Michigan for our little trip. After a lot of searching, we found a house to rent (well, I should say Nancy and Louis did) and the rest just fell into place. My kids are already talking about what we'll do when we go back next year.
So, here are a few highlights from the trip. And to make it fun and make sure I don't ramble on too long, I'll do it in the form of a top 10 countdown.
10 Thousand Lego pieces (ok, that may be a slight exaggeration)
9 hours straight on the beach in one day
8 miles walked around South Haven sightseeing (or so it seemed)
7 meals together at the rental house
5 Krelles and 5 Nances
4 pizzas on the beach
3 Mermaids buried in sand
2 kid kayaks and 2 paddelboards
1 standup jet ski
The best part of the weekend was the quality time I got to spend with one of my best friends and her beautiful family. We even got to wish our friend Louis a happy birthday with some unintentionally tricky candles. What a blessing!
Monday, August 21, 2017
In the Path of Totality
Today we got to witness a once in a lifetime event. I stood in my front yard and watched a total eclipse. Now, eclipses aren't totally rare. Total eclipses aren't even that rare. What is rare is being in the path of totality. Today, totality only occurred in a 70 mile strip that went across the united states. Many people in the US only got to see a partial eclipse. But here, in the St. Louis suburbs, we walked out our front door and watched totality. Our kids stood on the playground at their school and watched totality. Well, Audrey and Barrett did. Fletcher was napping.
When the hype started, I must admit that I was a bit skeptical. I remember seeing an annular eclipse when I was in elementary school, and it was a little bit of a let down. We had to keep our glasses on the whole time, and being in elementary school, I am not sure what I expected. Nonetheless, it is a great science lesson for the kids; so I humored my husband and all of his excitement.
As the moon started to pass between the earth and sun today, not much changed. But, as we neared totality, it got eerily dark outside. It was different from the sun setting or when clouds roll in before a storm. It was as if the earth's rays weren't really reaching our part of the planet at that moment, even through clouds...oh, wait, they weren't.
Which brings me to my next observation. The temperature did drop temporarily. Billy had read that it might drop 20 degrees Celsius, which is 68 degrees Fahrenheit. It didn't drop that much. There may have been a 20 degree Fahrenheit decrease, but no more than that.
As we neared totality, the crescents in the shadows around our yard were cool and creepy at the same time. Here are some shots I took in our yard of the shadows from the trees and one of our flag pole. On the flag pole, it is straight, but you can see the two crescents sticking out of it.
Finally, when totality happened, it was much more amazing than I expected. When I took my glasses off for that minute and 23 seconds, I was amazed by the beauty of the eclipse. It looked like something out of a science fiction movie, but it was real. The ring of light that came around the moon glowed blue, and there was a surprising amount of light stretching around the moon. As I looked around me, it was much darker than I expected. But, as soon as the total eclipse passed, the amount of light increased dramatically. Those first couple of minutes afterwards, I just watched as the ground around me was flooded with light.
In the end, I guess all of the hype was worth it. I am glad to say that I witnessed totality. It truly was beautiful.
When the hype started, I must admit that I was a bit skeptical. I remember seeing an annular eclipse when I was in elementary school, and it was a little bit of a let down. We had to keep our glasses on the whole time, and being in elementary school, I am not sure what I expected. Nonetheless, it is a great science lesson for the kids; so I humored my husband and all of his excitement.
As the moon started to pass between the earth and sun today, not much changed. But, as we neared totality, it got eerily dark outside. It was different from the sun setting or when clouds roll in before a storm. It was as if the earth's rays weren't really reaching our part of the planet at that moment, even through clouds...oh, wait, they weren't.
Which brings me to my next observation. The temperature did drop temporarily. Billy had read that it might drop 20 degrees Celsius, which is 68 degrees Fahrenheit. It didn't drop that much. There may have been a 20 degree Fahrenheit decrease, but no more than that.
As we neared totality, the crescents in the shadows around our yard were cool and creepy at the same time. Here are some shots I took in our yard of the shadows from the trees and one of our flag pole. On the flag pole, it is straight, but you can see the two crescents sticking out of it.
Finally, when totality happened, it was much more amazing than I expected. When I took my glasses off for that minute and 23 seconds, I was amazed by the beauty of the eclipse. It looked like something out of a science fiction movie, but it was real. The ring of light that came around the moon glowed blue, and there was a surprising amount of light stretching around the moon. As I looked around me, it was much darker than I expected. But, as soon as the total eclipse passed, the amount of light increased dramatically. Those first couple of minutes afterwards, I just watched as the ground around me was flooded with light.
In the end, I guess all of the hype was worth it. I am glad to say that I witnessed totality. It truly was beautiful.
Thursday, August 17, 2017
1st Day Jitters
Yesterday was the first day of school for the 2017 school year for our kiddos. For Audrey, it means the start of her 3rd grade year. For Barrett, it is kindergarten...his first year in elementary school.
Each year, the first day of school brings so many mixed emotions for me. It takes me back to my own school days with the anticipation of a new year, anxiety of the unknown, hope for an amazing year, and sadness of the end of summer. It also conjures up new feelings of joy for all of the new things my children will learn, anxiety of the unknown, hope that they'll do their best, and sadness that this milestone marks how much closer they are to adulthood. As a parent though, I have to mask all of the things I am feeling so that they can experience this day in their own way without all of my baggage to take along with them. Admittedly, that's hard.
In order to keep my emotions in check, I channel my energy into more productive endeavors, the fruits of which are included here. Photos. Lots and lots of photos. Enjoy!
Each year, the first day of school brings so many mixed emotions for me. It takes me back to my own school days with the anticipation of a new year, anxiety of the unknown, hope for an amazing year, and sadness of the end of summer. It also conjures up new feelings of joy for all of the new things my children will learn, anxiety of the unknown, hope that they'll do their best, and sadness that this milestone marks how much closer they are to adulthood. As a parent though, I have to mask all of the things I am feeling so that they can experience this day in their own way without all of my baggage to take along with them. Admittedly, that's hard.
In order to keep my emotions in check, I channel my energy into more productive endeavors, the fruits of which are included here. Photos. Lots and lots of photos. Enjoy!
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