Fancy, Down and Dirty!

Ryan had an Air Force function to go to, and since we don't often see him decked out in all the USAF glory, I had to take some pictures. Thaddeus saw the camera and wouldn't leave Ryan alone. We finally got some shots of Ryan w/out a kidlet... but these were much better:).

We also had the camera out for the first soccer game of the season. The OSS was short players, so Ryan played goalie and a couple of other positions (notice Ryan in the white shirt right next to the other team's goal in the last picture:). Ryan has another game scheduled for Monday. Please pray for our fearless leader!:) There was a lot of fun to be had, especially the two older kids who determined they were there to play soccer as well. Actually, they were breaking in their gear in preparation for the start of their season next month.

P.S. Thanks to Uncle Chuck's help, I think we finally have the hang of posting pictures--now you can click on the picture itself which will open a new window with a larger view of the picture! Thanks, Chuck!!!

Sprinkles on My Head

Nathanael came up to me a couple days ago and informed me that he needed sprinkles on his head so he could fly. He informed me while wearing a cape and shortly after watching Disney's Peter Pan movie (then he had to practice, see picture:). Hannah told me today that she wanted to put Tinker Bell in a dish with a lid that had ten small holes in it (small enough, presumably, so Tink couldn't escape), then she would proceed to shake the dish over her head so she could fly. We discussed whether poor Tinker Bell would like to be stuck in a dish without books or a bed or unable to swim or play. Whereupon Hannah declared she would make a small house for Tinker Bell, she would sew a tiny blanket and pillow for her and make a small book with pictures by our resident artist of course. And, Tink would be happy. O, the imagination!

Today is the first day of swimming lessons this year, so here are some pictures to enjoy (no, Hannah's not trying to deck the instructor--she's just swimming w/ her arms!!!!), and a shot of the children held deep within the enchanting world of Calvin and Hobbes (never mind it's Daddy's book--they love it!).

Owies!

As requested, here is a clearer shot of poor Hannah's eye.... and of our old home (no longer) in Altus, OK. Dear friends of ours back in Altus took a few pictures so we could reminisce. If you look closely, you can see the kids' swing still in the tree--but the house is gone!

Monkey Queen, Popcorn, Cave/Pit, Beach Walk

What a busy week! We had a lot of fun and some not so fun moments. All were greatly looking forward to the 4th of July (except Thaddeus who didn't really know what "fireworks" were). We decided to take a walk with the kids to get some jitters out early that morning and along the way, stopped at a playground.

Hannah chose to climb around the outside of the slide, bars, etc.--proudly announcing she was a "monkey" (a point which I'll agree with--she's always climbing and is rather good at it). Unfortunately for her, her hands were a bit slippery as she sat on one particular bar. She slipped and swung down face first and hit the bar below her with her cheek bone. OUCH! Tough girl that she is, though, she didn't let go until Daddy was able to pick her up.

Ryan ran home with her (I think he's getting used to this) and put her on ice right away. When I arrived home with the boys, we put Arnica on her cheek and kept icing. She had a nice shiner right away. Even now it looks like I did a pretty funky job of applying blue/green/purple eye makeup on her face. She was very willing to keep her cheek on the ice, though, which I'm sure has helped a lot. She doesn't complain about her eye at all now and only giggles when we put Arnica on her cheek (she claims it tickles:).

Since it gets dark so late here, the fireworks were scheduled to start at 10pm--Whew!--late for kids whose bedtime is 8pm! We tried to get Thaddeus sleep beforehand, but the sandman missed the house. The kids were pinging with excitement! Once the fireworks started Thaddeus was pretty sure he did NOT like the noise, but after Daddy picked him up in his arms and pointed out the neat show, he decided it was pretty neat. He still mentions the "BOOMS!" The big kids loved it of course. Have you ever noticed how fireworks, especially the little crackly ones, sound like popcorn (ok, loud popcorn) popping? I hadn't until this Fourth:). Great Popcorn in the Sky!

The following night, Mom and Dad went on a date and walked along the shore of Porto Martins (a nearby town)--it was relaxing and so peaceful. The weather was perfect, the sunset gorgeous, and the Portuguese company pleasant (though I pointed out about half-way through our walk, we should probably have been saying "Ola" in greeting as we passed our hosts instead of "Hi"... Ryan agreed with me and we continued to say, "Hi!" I guess old habits do die hard).

Then on Friday, we took a family trip to Algar do Carvão (a cave on the Island--more like a deep pit in a volcanic cone). The kids were tickled by all the sights and climbing. We were excited to be able to continue to venture out into our Island.

The following are the pictures of our week, the cave exploration and beach walking. Hope you enjoy!

Lions and Tigers and BEES, oh my!

We have now discovered Nathanael is NOT allergic to bees. Tough way to find out though.… Most yards in base housing are covered with clover and bees. I didn’t realize my brave boy had taken his shoes off (he’d been playing in water) and was merrily tripping along as nature intended until the bee and he met unexpectedly.

Oh--the howls! Hannah ran home to get Daddy as our neighbors and I held Nathanael and finally removed the stinger. I asked Ryan later what Hannah told him when she found him, he said it was something like, "Mommy wants you to get the toothpaste. There's a BIG emergency! Nathanael was bit by a spider!" Now, to give her credit, I think I did mention that toothpaste is supposed to help w/ bee stings, but her sole directive was to get Daddy. Fortunately, Ryan simply ran to our rescue. He grabbed Nathanael and plunked him in a sink of cold water at home. That seemed to do the trick (that and Daddy's presence:).

Later as he was getting ready for bed, I explained to him when the bee stung him, it hurt Nathanael but the bee died. In typical boy fashion, the crazy boy cheered right up and was tickled by the bee's death--"The bee died!!!" So, in a way, I guess I made him feel better, too. Poor bee.

Cliff Walk

We were invited to walk down to the cliffs the other day and wow what a view... obviously the photo can only capture so much of what you can see, so here is a taste of one view.

The kids were continuously asking to go closer to the edge... Nathanael's now famous quote 'Mommy, I know myself!' We know our little guy as well so held on to his hand all the more tightly the closer to the edge he got.

The trip down to the cliffs was wonderful... as gravity was helping us move in that direction. We continued to explore and moved further from the beaten path. Finanlly the light bulb came on and we realized that the trip back was not going to be as much fun. Especially as the kids got more and more worn out. Rebecca ended up carrying Hannah for a short portion and I had Thaddeus in the backpack and Nathanael in my arms on my front for the field crossings and the dirt road hill climb. After that Mommy and Daddy were done. Overall it was a wonderful trip and a great opportunity. Best of all it only cost us one sippy cup (Thaddeus wanted to leave a memorial to his visitation somewhere out there.) Hope you all enjoy the photos of the experience.