hmmm...

according to willow, talk also starts with an f.....this girl is trouble.
truck
stuck
sock
talk

Happy Birthday Dad!!!

Thanks for the awesome birthday party!!! We went to Brighton on Saturday for My dad's birthday. We had a great time and ate the hugest burgers you have ever seen!!!!

Crap I Like

I like to show Willow my "broken" finger then ask her to help me fix it. She is always very concerned about it and then looks pretty relived and proud when she successfully reattaches it. Whew.

"Oh crap, that finger is totally severed. I'm no doctor but that does not look right."

"Seriously. This is kind of freaking me out. Oh, ok, good I totally fixed it. Now I have a pretty trivialized understanding of physical injury and a distorted view of the complexities of digit reattachment. Thanks dad."

Danielle's lastest life-revamp/ weightloss/ healthy scheme..

So, I have decided to turn our cultural idea of meals upside-down a bit and see how it goes.
Traditionally the meat is the main course, or some sort of carb that contains meat. What I am trying is building the meals and daily diet around vegetables, making the meat and carbs the sides.
I usually fast on Wednesdays, but this last Wednesday I ate all veggies and it was great. I have dedcided to carry the veggies into our everyday life.
Example 1: Wednesday Dinner
Spring rolls dipped in Thai peanut sauce (my favorite)
buttery baked endives (had never tried endives before, and don't know how to pronounce it)
baked acorn squash
baked tomatoes

My favorite new snack: carrot sticks dipped in hummus, and Willow loves it!!!
I noticed that my mindset also helps me find healthier options for the kids. They have been loving peaches.

This may be common-practice for you guys, but veggies are not a usual for me. To me its a fun new challenge. So far a very yummy one. I hope this one sticks, but everything always seems so easy, new and cool at first. I hope to make this one a lasting life-style.

Summertime is the best time...

I love the weather, I love the green, I love taking the weather for granted. The moderate temps have done nothing good as far as growing veggies goes, but for me it feels great!!!
We had a great week in Mackinaw, missed the Shaw clan....we'll see you soon!!!
We had great birthday parties (yes, multiple) for Bear, who is now 8.
And are enjoying not having to think about putting on coats or slogging through snow for a couple months. I assumed that the reason the hyper-active pace of spring slowed was due to sweltering heat, but apparently I just slow down in the summertime. It is now time to start fall-planting, especially if I want to garden "year-round", but haven't gotten to the store for the necessary seeds. My extent of gardening lately has been picking a little veggies and a ton of crab grass. Also, I officially declare the end of attempting to grow watermelon. Its just starting to vine out now, forget setting fruit, the plants were in hibernation for three months of the summer. When I budget my out my summertime I think I can fit in so much more, and I could if I kept up the spring-time pace. I have not been as successful with the gardening as I imagined though. Also, I think I have to start working out again. I keep slacking until I notice a lag in my energy and force myself back into the 6 am routine.
*~Love Dani~*

"M"

Willow drew this picture and then pointed to that and squiggle and said, "M." And she was right!

TA DAAAAA! She's done!!!

In progress, after day one. After day two!!!! She's done.

Happy Birthday Walker!!!!!

Hey, how'd you get to be 11 already?! I remember when you were 1 1/2 toddling around gramma Chris' house. That does not seem like it could possibly be 9 1/2 years ago.... you kids these day grow up too fast!!! Love you Walker, I hope you have the best 11th birthday ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lost in Translation

Yesterday I was in the yard with the babies and Juneau was in his backpack carrier on the ground while I was sawing some branches. Willow stood near him and was picking fistfulls of grass and throwing them into the air so they would blow into Juneau's face. When I saw it I said to her, "Willow, don't do that. Go do that to Apple" (who was sitting nearby). So Willow walked over to Apple and grabed two big fistfulls of fur and threw them into the air. Oh well. Apple groaned and reluctantly moved to a safer distance.

What We Won't Do For A Blog Post

Our house is getting painted this week for its 100th birthday and when the dude came to check it out last year he pointed to a series of crumbly boards and said that they needed replacing. So we procrastinated the full year until two days before the paint crew comes. It was interesting to see the various kinds of insulation in the old wall here and there. Looks like the first kind was sawdust with oiled paper, then crude fiberglass with big chunks of un-fibered glass in it, then blown in paper pulp, then real-deal fiberglass. It all reminded me of Steve and Linsey's horse hair insulation in Newburyport. I think there used to be a door to the right of the window at one point.

Anyways, it went well.