A Slow Start

We started our week on a sad note.  Monday evening, the kids hung out at Grandpa and Grandma's while Daddy and I went to the visitation for our friend Nick.  Tuesday, the kids stayed home with Grandma to watch over them and their friends while we went to a very long and emotional funeral.  When we returned home later in the afternoon, with friends, we opted to spend the rest of the day together.  So, we put in some hours at the park across the street with the kids, playing and laughing.  The playground offered plenty of diversion...

 But the best part of the evening may have been the impromptu kick ball game we threw together.  We had a great time together and the kids sure enjoyed themselves!

It was a bit rough getting back to business the rest of the week, being so drained and tired emotionally and physically, but we got done what we could.  One of the important things that had been neglected was the garden, so Ezri helped me stake the tomatoes and get any weeds dealt with.  Then we set to harvesting! 

Alora was very excited to see a couple of colored carrots come out of the dirt.

Later that afternoon we realized that a caterpillar had ridden in on a carrot top.  So, we did our research and learned that it was a Black Swallowtail Butterfly caterpillar.  We also had fun learning that it has a self-defense mechanism when startled (or touched) that allows it to display orange horn-like things on its head for a second.  The kids just loved to make it pop them out!  Of course, the caterpillar was given a home in a bug box in hopes it might become a cocoon and then a butterfly.  We shall see!

Thursday night, the kids and I headed off to a Cloverbud Camp in Allegan so Ezri and Alora could make some projects and crafts to display at the fair while Daddy tried to get more work caught up.  Elam was a trooper for most of the time, hanging out, quietly watching.

Tierney also watched quietly, playing on the playground occasionally and getting involved when she could.

The girls got to make a leather bracelet, paint a little purse/bag, tye dye a shirt, make a checker board, decorate a jar and squirt paint at a sheet.

Friday afternoon, to our surprise, a lumber truck arrived carrying supplies for our barn!

The kids were quickly glued to their safe watching spots as the truck was unloaded.

 No sooner was the fork lift finished and heading back to the truck to leave when the girls headed for the new piles to explore!

Saturday morning, the girls were very excited to get to the library for the Summer Reading Program party!  There was a scavenger hunt to do together with their friends Travis & Emmett, with new books for rewards.  They made a craft, ate pizza on the lawn and decorated cupcakes too.

 There were prizes to be collected too.  Alora won an art set.  Tierney won a cupcake baking kit.  Elam won a stuffed monkey.  Ezri did not get a prize, unfortunately, as there were more entrants than prizes.  But she was a great sport about it and got to choose from a box of smaller prizes as a consolation gift.  She chose a 3D wooden puzzle.

Progress

We had a "doing things" sort of week.  It started with the girls anxiously wanting to put their new flowers Grandpa made for them up on the barn.  So, each girl got out her little tool box, found her hammer, and set to work tapping in the nail and then hanging her flower where she chose.

 While little brother didn't have a flower to hang, he sure wanted to get in on the hammering action too!

 Monday morning brought more progress toward getting the new barn up.  A whole lot of sand showed up to fill in the big hole Mr. Barney had cleared the week prior. This was grounds for a lot of interested kids (little and Big) to hang out and watch.

 The truck got done at just the right time, because little brother decided he was done sitting and began to tackle his gracious big sister!

Once the sand was dumped, there was a huge pile just begging to be played in!

Tuesday morning, the kids and I went to Wayland for a short time to watch a presentation about animal super powers, held in an elementary school gym.  The girls were very excited to see what it was all about.

 Elam did ok for a while, but then wore thin on the sitting still.

 The presentation was a bit disappointing.  The woman was very difficult to hear, even 3 rows from the front.  She had brought an owl, falcon, box turtle and ferret. 

 Our girls were super quiet and still, very respectful, but a good portion of the other children (and adults) were not.

 At the end, they each got to pet the ferret. 

Tuesday night, Daddy got a new sliding door put up over the loft, in front of the slide, it was very exiting for the girls!

 Wednesday brought more excitement when Mr. Barney returned with his tractor to level out the sand.  Alora was sad, however, because there would be no soft hills on which to do her awesome stunts and jump from.

Elam and Sadie enjoyed watching the action from the wheelbarrow!

 Pretty soon a sister joined the party.

 The majority of our week was tainted with sadness and chaos.  Tuesday night, after the children were all tucked in bed, Alex and I learned that a dear friend of ours, Nick,  had been killed in an automobile accident earlier in the day, leaving behind his wife Jacci (also a dear friend) and three children Lexi, Bella and Jack (friends of our children).  We were very shocked and left wondering what to do.

The news has our older two, especially Ezri, occasionally reacting.  Especially after being with those friends and seeing their sadness.  Her heart for others is very clear.  So, we've had several nights of sleep overs in our room to help provide some comfort and reassurance for our kids, and that is ok.

Wednesday, the kids and I met Kathy with Jacci's kids at McDonalds for some play time and distraction.  It was heartbreaking to see Bella cry and sob until it was necessary for her to return home with her mom.  Our girls were so sweet and kind, offering hugs and kind words and just being friends.

Thursday, the kids and I headed over to their house so they could play with Jack while I did some cleaning inside the house while Jacci was gone with the girls to a swim meet.  As the day wore on, more and more people filtered in, so I headed outside to help Alex, Tony and Kathy clean up the yard.  There was much to be sorted, tossed, picked up, and burned so the lawn could be mowed.  We spent many hours working away and the result was a transformation that made the yard feel much calmer and opened up room for people to park.  That night, we took away the last of the items, an old couch, and brought it to a compactor.  The kids excitedly watched the action.

 Friday was filled with more helping.  The kids and I ran some errands and picked up needed household supplies in the morning and dropped them off, then spent the afternoon doing more yard work and helping a team of church friends.

Saturday found us exhausted and Alex much in need of time to catch up on work that had been set aside in order to be with friends and help.  We spent most of the day trying to find our feet.  That evening, we brought the kids to Sandy Pines for "Halloween" and they got to do some trick or treating with their friends Travis and Emmett.

 After the trick or treating, there was a magic show which gave us all an hour to actually laugh and enjoy some silliness together.  Ezri was chosen as an assistant and that was very exciting too!

We ended our week with some time at church and then an afternoon with friends in Sandy Pines, trying to process and breathe before the funeral activities begin.