House O' Sullivans

While the kids ate dinner together on the back porch yesterday, somehow Hallee convinced Zeke that he should put his head through the vertical support bars of the porch railing.  Once he was stuck, Sophie and Hallee ran in to report the news.   This is how we found him: Zeke.  Trapped.  Despondent. Measuring the width of the space between the bars, it seemed utterly impossible that he got his head through them.  Casey got out the Vaseline, but that didn't work.  Little buddy was soon crying.  We said a prayer that we could get him out, then Casey brought out his manly tools--two come-alongs--and cinched the pairs of metal bars together on either side of Zeke's head, providing just enough room to free him.  He was stuck for probably 15 minutes during the heroic struggle to free him.  Hopefully the little people learned a lesson.  I did.  Today I found out that Zeke didn't put his head through the bars (after debriefing...

The yurt was COLD when we arrived on Thursday afternoon.  Sophie, apparently not noticing how cold it really was, thinking that now she was INSIDE of something that SHOULD be warm, threw off all of her warm layers and sat there shivering and bewildered.  Casey quickly lit a fire in the wood burning stove, and while he stoked it, the kids huddled under "Bucky," one of the sheepskins that we'd brought along.  (Bucky was a sheep that Casey raised in high school.  There ARE benefits to marrying an FFA man.)  Every frigid expedition should have a few Buckys on hand. Zeke, Soph, and Hal with Casey's beloved "Bucky" Zeke cocooned into a down sleeping bag with his "Bear-Bear" while we waited for the yurt to get toasty After the yurt was sufficiently warm and circulation returned to our extremities, Casey and the girls started in on the card games that our friend Ginny gave the kids for Christmas.  (A boxed set including Snap!, Go Fish, Me...

All of the kids have had minor colds, congestion, sniffles, and coughs lately.  Zeke has been a bit grouchy the last couple of days--which is totally not like him.  This morning Zeke wanted an apple.  I was just about to put his breakfast on the table so I told him no.  He started a minor tantrum, pouting and fussing over my response.  I told Casey that maybe Zeke had an ear infection (since he's been sick and runny nosed of late) and maybe that would explain the unusual grouchiness.  Casey turned to Zeke and said, "Zeke, do you ears hurt?"  To which Zeke quickly replied, sporting a sad, long face, "No, my feelings hurt."  Poor little buddy.

Two of my favorite moments from today: Hallee at lunch time.  She's totally distracted (of course and like usual).  Walking around the room.  Doing everything BUT eating.  I keep reminding her to sit still and eat so that she can claim her finishing prize (a piece of her Halloween candy).  Really wanting to finish, she sits in front of her plate and chants to herself (while staring into space), "Focus, focus, focus!" Sophie and Hallee, playing in their room with the door closed.  I enter to check on them and find they are tuned into the BBC news.  So funny!