the grovers - patently awesome

2010-10-27

For you, Holly

No, I didn't take pictures of the me-gagging/Ana-parading episode last night. I was too busy trying to laugh it off and keep my previous meals contained.

But I DID take pictures of her doing the same thing today!

See how she's entirely unconcerned?

And because she asked me to, I also took a picture of Ana's abstract art.

Seriously. She asked me to take this picture of the head. And the elephant rattle. Holding a carrot. She set the whole thing up.

And then Bekah requested that I take pictures of her modeling her new snow boots.

Nice and shiny.

2010-10-26

It's official ... I'm a wuss

So I thought I had a pretty good handle on the whole hunting/dead animals thing (although you wouldn't guess it from a previous post). My husband's a hunter. I get it. He comes from a fairly long line of hunters. They shoot things. Then they hang them up. Then they skin them. Then they cut them up. Then I cook them up. Then we eat them up.

I've never been squeamish when it comes to handling raw meat. I've cubed chicken, sliced ham, flaked crab and pounded pork.

But after tonight's experience, I know I still have a long way to go before I can claim that I'm no pansy.

See, tonight Seth decided to skin and cut up the deer he shot last weekend. And after he got most of the skin off the animal, he needed someone to hold onto the deer's hind legs while he yanked the hide off. He asked me to do it.

I warily approached the deer carcass, trying not to think about it. He asked if I thought I could handle it.

"Sure," I replied. I tried to sound as nonchalant as possible. But as soon as I touched the thing's furry leg, I shuddered and dropped it like it was hot. Seth tried to reassure me that it was okay and I needn't make myself sick, but I told him I could do it with gloves on so I didn't have to feel the thing.

As I retreated to the garage to find my work gloves, Ana followed me in. And she was carrying something. By the antlers.

"You can touch its head, Mama," she said.

Yes, my dear, sweet little three-year-old girl was bravely parading around with dead animal's head that had been hewed off its body only minutes before. And she wasn't wearing any gloves.

It's apparent that I've got a way to go before I'm a true she-woman (like my wee daughter). That's why I'm inside a-typing on the blog while Seth's in the garage slicing and dicing.

Baby carrot

Teehee.

P.S. Would you look at the size of that thing? (The carrot, not the baby.) I'd like to say that it came from our garden, but alas, we had a puny harvest again this year. This veggie behemoth came from the garden of Ted and Lu Berrett, our incredible neighbors.

P.P.S. Isn't Miri's fluff head amazing?

2010-10-25

Unexpected

Yesterday morning as I was packing the church bag, I experienced a little pre-Halloween fright. I glanced up from the bag and its contents on the couch to the mirror hanging on the wall and saw this:

But here's the deal: I helped (read: "watched") Seth, his uncle Doug and his dad hang it from the tree the night before. So you think I wouldn't have jumped when I saw it through the back door via the mirror. Guess I'm just a scaredy cat.

2010-10-09

Bekahism #34

Bekah: Girls should be fairies. Daddies should be stormtroopers.

Rude

The other day, Seth and I had the pleasure of eating at the Thai House in downtown I.F. 'Twas a delight. The dessert, on the other hand, was less delightful.

In Seth's fortune cookie, he received a typical (confusing and irrelevant) fortune:

I had the misfortune (ha!) of receiving this:

Was the waitress trying to crack a joke about my post-pregnancy pounds?

2010-10-04

Magic trick

Now you see them:

Now you don't:

Strange visitor

I was sure it was a skunk.

Bekah had come running inside to report that a strange animal was in our front yard. "I've never seen it before!" she exclaimed. She reported that it was black and white with yellow eyes.

I don't know if it's just the season for skunks or what, but I've seen many squashed specimens on the roadside as of late. And the other day when I was walking Bekah to the bus stop, I smelled the very distinct aroma of the Mephitis mephitis.

We live in a rural area. Our yard borders two fields. We once had a skunk die in our yard (another story for another time). It wouldn't be unheard of to have one of those stinkers slinking about.

So I told the girls to stay inside while I checked out our visitor. I cautiously approached the front corner of our yard. If it was, in fact, a skunk, the last thing I wanted to do was startle it.

Instead of the beady eyes and white stripe I expected to encounter, I saw a fuzzy little black kitten with white spots and, yes, yellow eyes.

As much as I dislike cats, I must say I was relieved. And I didn't feel the least bit worried as I sent the girls out to chase it away.

2010-09-27

Hunting camp again

I told ya we'd have more!

On this trip to hunting camp, the girls got to play with Cousin Cooper, who celebrated his first birthday. Here is photographic evidence of our latest excursion to search for elk (which proved elusive once more):

Analee "reading" Cooper a book. He seemed to enjoy it.

Cooper scampering around and sampling the playpen. Yummy!

Bekah enjoying the party favors Aunt Rachel prepared.

The ghastly head wound inflicted by the gnasty gnats. Poor Miri!

Cooper's first taste of puppy dog cupcake.

The "hedgehog" Bekah created on the lid of our Rubbermaid bin. She was very proud of it.

To see more, click here.

2010-09-21

Ana-ism #10

Ana's prayer before lunch.

Analee: (Arms folded) Heavenly Father, we thank thee for the day. And that I love EVERYTHING (swings her arms out wide) and EVERYBODY (swings her arms out wide again) and EVERY beautiful thing (swings her arms out wide again) and EVERY thing chocolatey in the WHOLE WORLD (swings her arms out wide yet again). In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

2010-09-10

Yet another new 'do

I'm so flippant when it comes to my hair. I grow it out, then chop it off, then try something else. This time, I decided to chop off the front. Since then, this song (by the ever-awesome TMBG) has been playing in a continuous loop in my head:

Bangs
Above your eyes your hair hangs
Blow my mind, your royal flyness
I dig your bangs

Bangs
To drape across your forehead
To swing concordant angles
As you incline your head

And although I liked you anyway, check out your haircut
A proscenium to stage a face that needs no makeup

Bangs (bangs)
Are that on which the world hangs (bangs)
I'm only holding your hand (bangs)
So I can look at your
Bangs

The wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round ...

Several people have asked how I'm doing with Bekah starting kindergarten. I must admit, I feel almost guilty as I smile wide and proclaim, "Great!" There were no tears shed as I dropped her off the first day. No butterflies in my stomach as I showed her to her classroom. No fingernails nervously bitten as I waited until the afternoon bell. That's because for the first week, the parents were responsible for getting their kindergarteners to and from school.

All my kindergarten-related anxiety came in vehicular form this week as Bekah started riding the bus.

See, I didn't ride a bus (excepting the occasional field trip) until 6th grade. In Cloverdale, everybody walked to school. So the thought of my precious five-year-old boarding a behemoth with dozens of crazy kids scared the living daylights out of me.

Okay, so this isn't Bekah OR a bus. But Analee was doing cute ballerina poses as we waited for the arrival of the bus on Tuesday. I couldn't resist taking/posting this shot.

There she goes! Will she survive?

Whew! Everything went well, and she even made it home. But she didn't want to walk with me on the way back; she had to accompany Taylor, our next-door neighbor who's in fifth grade.

I'd like to say that we've had no bus-related mishaps thus far, but Bekah nearly missed the bus this morning. I guess we can't blame that one on her since she can't read clocks yet ...

Fair-ly fun

We HAD to go to the Eastern Idaho State Fair again this year, (1) so we could see how my pictures did, (2) to let the girls play and see the animals, and (3) so we could eat a Tiger Ear. I'm happy to report that we succeeded on all accounts.

Bekah and Ana playing in the sand pit. Last year, there was a huge booth with all sorts of agricultural toys: a fake cow to milk, hay to rake and tractors to ride. That was absent this year, so it's a darn good thing this kids' booth was there to make up for it.

Analee playing in the sand. I know, I know ... her hair attire is ridiculous. I tried to steer her clear of the humongous flowers, but she was not to be deterred. She reminds me of this guy.

Bekah peddling the magic bubble bike while Seth and Ana watch.

Ana's turn on the bubble bike.

The girls squeezed every last quarter out of Seth's wallet. First it was feeding the goats in the petting zoo (which was very short-lived because the goats nudged the cups of feed out of the girls' hands and spilled their contents on the ground 30 seconds after they had procured them), then it was the mechanical horsey ride.

Ana is so skilled that she can ride with only one hand.

Seth, Analee and Rebekah have a baa-ing contest with the sheep in the livestock building.

2010-09-05

Bekahism #33

While at hunting camp ...

(Miriam starts to spit up, so I tip her head so her output lands on the ground and not on her/me.)

Bekah: Miri, when we're at hunting camp, the world is your burp cloth.

Hunting camp

We went a-huntin' and a-campin' this weekend. It was Miri's first time sleeping in a tent.

Grandma Susan holding Miriam at hunting camp in Island Park.

She fared pretty well, except when Seth woke the entire tentload of people to go hunting at 5 a.m. Gratefully, she fell asleep pretty quickly after I brought her into bed with me. I, on the other hand, didn't fall asleep at all after that because I was paranoid about squishing/smothering my five-month-old.

Seth got a shot at a cow Saturday morning, but the darn thing ran away. (Stupid elk ... why don't they just HOLD STILL and allow themselves to be shot?!) When he and the other hunters got back into camp, we had some lunch, some chat-time, and some s'mores.