Rainy Days & Rainy Nights

Stormy weather has led us to unexpected activities, each with their own rewards:

• Bed-hopping. Due (in part) to the thunderstorm, our sleeping arrangement last night changed 7 times: Jeff/Alice + John + June + Will - Jeff - Will + Will - June.

• Game Room. Mentoring relationships blossomed. Will to Clara in pool and checkers; June to John in foosball and chalk.

• Exercise: John became the stair-master.

• Tea Party: You don't want to know how much honey is in that tea. Or in June's case, how many tea leaves.

• Toys: John bonded with a favorite new toy, while Jeff and I silently questioned his intelligence.

• Horseback Riding. We finally got out, and the rain only made our ride more memorable. Since I was in Aspen at 19, I've always wanted to get acquainted with the T Lazy 7 Ranch. I rode for an hour with Will and Clara, while June had a 20-minute pony ride on "Buttercup." Will steered "Moonshine" with brave aggression (I'm sure he was acting out some battle in his head, poor horse), while Clara, on "Mouse," wore carefully safety-pinned jeans and a rare look of calm the whole ride. John cried and slept in the stroller.

• Movie: To wrap up the day, Will seized on the rain and begged for Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone. Jeff seized on the movie and had a date with his i-phone.

This Little...

This little girl loves water.

This little boy loves games.

This little girl loves dresses.

This little boy loves fame. (He and his stripes flirted their way into various family photos.)

And this big boy cries waaa-waaa-waaa, I don't want to go home.

MORE Beauty on a Bike

Today was another memorable bike ride for the Summer of 2010. This time, it involved the whole family. Will was the fearless leader, followed by Jeff and smiley June on the trailer, and then me pulling Clara with her arms around sleeping little John in the burley. We rode from Snowmass to Aspen, in a light rain, downhill most all of the way.

Jeff has a saying when the kids are acting spoiled: "Don't be a Willie Wonka kid." Lately, I feel a little like one myself. I've had a summer with a glutton of adventures and indulgences with my kids. And I want more, more, MORE!.

As we cruised down the picture-perfect path, I was in it for the gold. I wanted the part that went through the Aspen tree tunnel, or along the gorgeous Cascade River, or beside the huge farms with lean, muscular horses. I felt impatient to pass the loud airport, cross a busy street, or even make an uncomfortable turn given the load in back.

Honestly, I need to reign myself back in. I've gotten spoiled. Or maybe with school around the corner, I am actually fearing the mundane. Or could I actually be ready for it? It's hard to find a ride much better than the one we had today. It's too much pressure to try.

Wild Animal

All of the sudden, we have a wild animal living at our house. He bites. He pulls hair. (After one really bad instance, his sister honestly asked me if she had any hair left.) And he screams, remarkably like his siblings.

To be fair, it happens when he's tired. But, in our household, when is he NOT tired? More reason to accentuate his lamb-like qualities:

• The Curtsy. When he needs to go from up to down, he tucks one leg behind the other and does the most graceful little curtsy that his Michelin Tire legs can pull off. I can hardly watch without testing the air in those tires.

• The Scoot. It must be hereditary. All our kids have preferred it to crawling. It seems awkward at first, but then they get fast.

• The Bubble Talk. Finally, my child's first word is Mama. (The first three began with Dada.) Now, he does variations on a theme - all music to my ears. Lately, he entertains himself with a bubble between his sweet lips, and a long "Moooom" is essential to its formation.

• The Wave. Holding John, I feel like the friendliest person in the world. We walked around our campsite last weekend, and he waved to every person, car, dog and bug that passed.

• High 5. All babies do it. Like the wave, it's reliable. He's always willing, and smiling, too.

• Kisses. John is currently in the open-mouthed, slobbery, lean-in phase, so I'm not sure you can honestly call it a kiss, but "kiss" is the trigger-word. And no matter how grubby, it's adorable.

I can't yet tell if he is more lamb or tiger, but as with all of us, I'm sure he'll have a little of both.

County Fair

Today, we made a trip to the County Fair. We picniced, fed goats, rode ponies, studied pigs, admired crafts, attempted weaving, and drank slushies. There was something for everyone!

Remember the Earwig

Just yesterday, I heard a panicked cry from the top of our tree. Not the best place to lose control. My adrenaline kicked in and I rushed up the branches like I never could if I weren't a mother. I made it to the damsel in distress and found the reason for the cry: a skinny, 1/2 inch bug on her dress.

It was an "earwig," also known as a pinch bug. They're fast and kind of creepy, but not in the category of scorpions or anything. I gave the poor sliver a little flick and it flew down the tree.

Later, as everyone was getting on the trampoline, the same daughter ran screaming to her room in a fearful rage. Never never never would she ever ever ever jump again. The tramp was filled with (had one or two soon-to-be trampled on) earwigs!

Today, I find all four kids huddled on the patio, entranced with some little creature that I assume is a ladybug or a roly-poly. I get a little closer, and an earwig is crawling all over Clara's arms, her shoulders, her neck, her legs. She then passes it off to June, then John who is fascinated as his slow motion baby reflexes try to catch it and squeeze it between his stubby fingers.

So now, in a day's time, Clara loves earwigs. "Aaaawwww! They're sooo cuuuuute!" When she's a teenager, and drama is at every turn, Jeff and my code words will be "Remember the Earwig!"

Home Day

After all my compulsive adventuring, it's nice to have a day at home.

In the course of the day, there was a lot of dress up. It was a study in gender, really. Under our particular roof. The girls changed clothes 20+ times, and organized shoe sales. Meanwhile, the boys stayed in their underwear all day, one of them adorned with some sort of medieval rope belt.

Finally, we all threw on T-shirts and biked to the smoothie store. You can only stay home in fancy dresses for so long.