New Addictions

Hiking pictures from Monday:


New Addictions:  Dad, Damon and Andrew spent the weekend, a couple of weeks ago, cutting down the gigantic dead tree in our backyard.  They hauled off most of the wood, but our backyard is a wreck of tree bark and sticks and twigs.  Its a perfect disaster for children to play.  So far, we've made various concoctions mixing sawdust (we saved a 5 gallon bucket of it) and water, grass, dirt, sand and berries from neighboring trees and shrubbery.  "Poop soup" is a current favorite, as is "Chamomile smoothies."  The girls have also been building birds nests and little animal homes out of the twigs and bark, and don't even touch their stick horses.  Last week, when we went to see Dr. Motz, Francesca wanted to bring her stick horse and what the heck?  I let her.  And it was a clydesdale, not a pony.  It was pretty funny.  Anyway, Andrew threw a bunch of the bark/stick mess onto a tarp, but its so heavy that I can't move it.  I've raked some of it into a huge area, but I was a bit perplexed about what to do with it.  So, I dug a hole in the back corner of the yard and did what any freezing cold person would do and made a fire pit.  Francesca thought she died and went to heaven.  We roasted marshmallows and warmed up by the fire for most of the day.  I know what we'll be doing every day from now until the mess is burned up!  Hopefully our neighbors won't get sick of the smell of campfire.  I kind of like it.

We're planning on riding the Polar Express with Francesca's FAVORITE friend, Zenon, on the 20th, so I googled "Polar Express" and found www.storylineonline.net.  Its actors reading stories . . . (its totally cute - I just stayed up listening to Al Gore read me a story and actually, I could listen to Elijha Wood read me a story EVERY night, he's adorable.  My favorite so far might be "The Counting Rope," but Stellaluna and the spider one are also faves.  But I digress)  Francesca thought she died and went to heaven for the second time in a day.  Remember, this is the kid that gets NO media, whatsoever.  So she's totally stoked.  I sat with her while she listened to Lou Diamond Philips read "The Polar Express."  In one part, it says that on the train, they drank hot chocolate and ate candies and Francesca turned to me and asked if we would eat candies on the Polar Express.  Yes!  "Real candies?"  she asked.  "Real candies," I replied.  "It will keep me up allll night!" My poor sheltered babe!  So I guess she's more excited about the hot chocolate and candies than the train?  Oh well.  Come to think of it, she was more excited about the marshmallows than the campfire today, too.  

Cecilia is talking like crazy now.  Its so cute.  Her latest is saying, "Actually, it's mine, actually."  And she really rolls her tongue on the "actually."  It sounds like Acsh-alllley - I should record it.  Mom got the girls a tape recorder so they can listen to books on tape.  We've been trying to record them singing songs.  

Charlie and Patty stopped by yesterday on their way for a hike, so we went hiking at the Wild Horse Refuge, just outside of Palisade.  Francesca hiked 1.3 miles straight up and Cecilia hiked about 1 mile down.  I bet their little bodies are so tired.  I carried BOTH of them part way down, until Cecilia decided she wanted to walk.  The brought home pockets full of rocks but we didn't see any horses.  We'll try again when the road is closed.  Pics!