Goodbye, Weekend!

Memorial Day weekend was so, SO beautiful. And three days long. So it was sort of a bummer to follow it up with a two-day weekend where it poured for 24 hours straight. Boo! Hiss! Anyway, this weekend went by super quickly, and we didn't accomplish a whole lot. So sad!

Anyhow... it's been almost a week since I last posted! That's pretty unusual for me, but I know it's because I've been distracted by my other project: getting my photography business off the ground here. I am hoping to do it on a limited basis while the kids are in preschool, then go "full time" once they are both in school. But I needed a more professional website, so I've been working on that at every available opportunity. It's looking great, but it's not done yet. Probably within the next week or so!

Aside from that, though, we have had a very lovely week! We didn't do a whole ton, aside from playing outside and working in the garden, but we did have a lovely playdate on Friday with my new mommy friend from the library. She is really nice, and the kids got along great! Such a relief! She is already talking about having us over to her house soon. Yay! It feels good to have made a friend all on my own (as in, not through my online mommy group). There are a few other moms I talk with a lot, especially at Nikos' t-ball practices and games, but we haven't made that jump yet to being friends outside of Little League. Still, I am feeling pretty happy and included and all that good stuff. Thursday evening marked exactly six months since the kids and I first arrived here, so that's excellent progress! We even made a cake to commemorate the occasion. Can you guess who helped decorate it? :)

Yesterday, as I mentioned, was really wet. We've been having thunderstorms in the evenings (with a truly spectacular one on Wednesday night... OH. MY. GOSH. I thought we were going to die! It was INSANE!). But yesterday, it just rained and rained and rained. We lounged around in our jammies all morning, and eventually decided to shopping as a family. I think everyone else had the same idea, since the store was packed! But we got a lot of things we needed (mostly camping supplies), and managed to get everyone in the car without getting too completely soaked (at least, they were okay. I don't own a lightweight raincoat and didn't bring an umbrella. Yeah... oops!).

We got home close to dinner time, and it was back to lounging around (it was dark and dreary and whatnot... good lounging weather). Maya took a nice nap on the couch (awww!):

I was actually working on my website when I heard Charlie doing something weird in the dining room. Weird thumping sounds. I walked in there to see what he was doing, and it appeared that he was attacking Gus' wool scarf. It has fringe on the ends, so it made sense that he'd attack it. I went to pick it up to put it somewhere safe, and also picked up A DEAD MOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, I screamed. Yes, I washed my hands. Yes, it was the most disgusting thing EVER!!!!!!!

So... this is where I back up and talk about mice. We live in the countryside, in an old house surrounded by woods. Mice are a fact of life, we've been told repeatedly. A month or so ago, Charlie killed one underneath the bird cage. I heard it happen, and found him batting it around in the dining room. EW!!!!!! Gus was out of town on business, so I had to pry it away from the cat to dispose of it. And then disinfect my floors. *shudder* A few nights later, he did it again. Same spot. I got down on the floor with a flashlight and found a little mouse hole, in the wall adjacent to the garage. We shoved steel wool in the hole and set traps in the garage.

A few nights ago, we were sitting watching TV when we heard one of the traps spring. ICK! Another dead mouse. Gus said I had to dispose of it since I had set the trap, and I am still bitter about that, haha! So disturbing!! Then, yesterday. Charlie killed the mouse in the afternoon. And at bedtime, we heard him running around the dining room again, accompanied by a bunch of high-pitched squeaks! Gus and I exchanged looks, and instantly got up to see what was going on. I think we startled Charlie, because the mouse took off and hid under some folded patio chairs (they were inside because of the rain). And then he ran under the baseboard heater, and was never heard from again. Upon closer examination, we realized that the spots where the hot water lines go through the floorboards are surrounded by gaps. Totally big enough for mice to get through, and they were probably trying to escape the wet/muddy crawlspace below! We shoved more steel wool in there, and haven't heard anything since. And I am trusting that Charlie would take care of any problems, anyway. Who knew we had an expert mouser on our hands?? Seriously, he is a crazy hunter! We have found his niche!

But I digress... that was our excitement for the day yesterday, ha!

Today, though, was sunny and warm! Mother Nature is so confusing! We were originally supposed to have thunderstorms all day, but the forecast kept pushing them back. It didn't start to rain until about 5pm. But the rest of the day was great! As the rain got pushed back, we found time to do more and more things. First, though, we went to the local elementary school so both kids could ride their bikes. Maya hadn't gotten to ride hers outside since she got it for her birthday, so it was high time! She was in a horrible mood, though. A few minutes after I snapped this photo, she threw a fit because Gus turned her around (she had run out of pavement-- he was trying to help). She proceeded to sit in the car for a bit (parked right with us), and then cling to my leg while Nikos practiced. sigh.

And Nikos was AWESOME! His chances for practice are few and far between, but he always picks up right where he left off. Check him out in action! His overall control is getting so much better, though he was in an "I-can't-do-it" mood today. Double sigh. He CAN do it. He just gets a little scared sometimes. After we were done riding bikes, we drove over to the farm to get some milk and ice cream, and visit with the farm animals. That's always a hit with the kids! Back at home, we had lunch, hung up our new American flag by the front door (now we fit in!), and Gus mowed the yard. Once we was done, we played outside! Maya was silly on the swings, and Nikos helped Gus chop wood for the firepit. Please note that this is the most dull ax EVER. It's heavy, but that's about as dangerous as it gets. Gus actually just splits the smaller branches with his hands. But Nikos, who says he wants to be a lumberjack when he grows up, insists on trying with the ax. Don't worry, we are both right there and would never let him get hurt! He tries so, SO hard... it is so cute!

We also picked our one ripe strawberry (delicious!), and discovered a whole patch of interesting flowers (weeds?) on the far side of the house. Whatever they are, they are kind of pretty!

Upon realizing that the rain was going to hold off for a few more hours, we decided to give up on waiting for Ask This Old House to come and help us with our screened-in porch, haha! We had already bought the supplies, and figured we'd get screens up on a few windows. No biggie.

Except, uh, the mesh is a HUGE pain in the butt to work with! We had to try several times to get it stretched tightly enough, and wasted a few feet of the screening material. It was not fun! In the end, we did one big window and the tiny one next to it. It's a start! At least we have a better idea of how to do it, now. Eventually, this porch will be awesome. Probably just in time for winter, haha!

Meanwhile, the kids were drawing all over the porch floor with sidewalk chalk. It's just concrete, so it was a perfect activity. Nikos drew a very elaborate hopscotch game, and labeled it "HOPSKOCH." Not bad!!!!! He never ceases to amaze me with his writing. He is really into the "ch" sound lately, and likes to think of words that have that sound. Like "WICH" (he labeled a picture of a witch). He's brilliant, I tell ya! And, not to be outdone, Maya wrote a bunch of M's, A's, and H's in her area. I don't know why she likes the letter H so much, but she does. If I could get her to do a Y, we'd have her name! I'm hoping she has that down before starting preschool in the fall. My little smarties!!

And that was our day! This was a ridiculously long post, but now we're all caught up! The forecast says this entire week should be rainy and colder... sigh! We'll see if I feel like posting again, haha! :)