Sprinkler Surprise

Again the children played outside as I made their lunches today. Henry and Evelyn raked some leaves into a pile, and baby Vivian pushed a big black truck around the yard. This morning the children spotted inside a yogurt package some tongue tattoos (which I was going to toss), and they remembered them after they ate their picnic lunch. We were inside applying bunnies to their tongues when we heard a distress cry from Vivian. I went running, and she stood on the paved area outside our patio with her arms outstretched, "ALL wet!!" she uttered sadly. She was drenched. Robbie changed the program on the sprinkler system, and it went off on her as she played in the grass. She was soaked to the bone. "Oh, poor baby girl," I said as I rescued her. Evelyn sweetly offered to undress, dry, and change her. Bad daddy. Noon is not a good sprinkler setting.

Henry's Super Cape

This weekend we went to Oklahoma to spend some time with Great-grandma Gloria and Grandpa Overlease. Robbie took us down Highway 71, then we drove 540 and 112 through the mountains in Arkansas. The scenery was spectacular. The leaves on the trees were still green, so the view often looked like bunches of broccoli. It was very pretty. The bridges were terrifyingly high. No joke. I felt like I was on an outdoors amusement park ride. I was pretty scared. I can also attest to the fact that I can't recall a location where we were surrounded by more fast and crazy drivers than on that stretch of road. My friend from Arkansas said they were U of A college kids.

We went hiking at Robber's Cave State Park. This was Henry's first trip to the caves, and he loved it. He tried hard to climb the rocks as well as his sisters, and he gave it his best effort. The girls really, really enjoy their trips to Robber's Cave. They used to insist it was called Robert's Cave. Some of the climbing was quite dangerous, and we really had to hold onto our kids. At one point we all sat down together with our legs hanging over the side of a cliff. The rocks, cliffs, and an expanse of trees on various elevations spread around us. The sky was a brilliant shade of blue, and gorgeous clouds hung in the sky. We had a memorable family moment. Robbie and I looked at each other and commented on the blessing of our little children. Grandpa Overlease was atop another ledge higher than us not too far away, and I prayed he wouldn't fall.

My little Henry was tucked under my arm, and he uttered some words that will surely go down in the Overlease book of history. I think he said something which when we look back on it years from now, may summarize this little guy's childhood. All of the sudden, it was as though a light bulb went off inside Henry's head. His little voice registered what I can best describe as an, "Oh, Man!! Why didn't I think of that?" tone. He said, "Ohhh! I should have brought my super cape." I burst out laughing, hugged him, then said, "Henry, look at my face. You can't really fly with your super cape on, Buddy. It is just pretend, so don't jump off of anything high, okay?" I held his hand extra tight after that.

Again, I will note that I feel lucky my children have two parents. Kids need balance. I am the cautious one, and Robbie is the one who took the girls to the top of a cliff and tried to help them climb down what is called Devil's Slide. A light layer of sand made the steep sheet of rock incredibly slick, and they did not have good footing. "Crab walk! Crab walk!!" I yelled from way down below. Robbie almost always crosses the line between exciting and unsafe, but the girls survived. I kept Henry with me for that one.

We had a nice visit in Wilburton, and the grandparents seemed to really enjoy the children. It was a good weekend.

Pickle-icious

Vivian is very little for her age. Today, I think she had the first experience of ever exerting dominance over another living creature. She certainly doesn't have that luxury at home with her older siblings. Henry bowls over the poor baby at least once a day. She's resilient. This morning was another sunny, but brisk, morning. Such days are my favorite, and I almost can't stand not getting outside. We've been taking long walks, and I LOVE this weather. Vivian loves the great outdoors too. She often says, "OutSIDE!!" After we dropped off Henry at gymnastics, (which, by the way, he keeps calling "ballet class") I drove Evelyn and baby Vivian to a park with a large pond and playground. Vivian was in Heaven. She kept saying, "Honk! Honk!" I think my child would have picked up a goose had I let her get close enough. As it was, she kept following them, and they kept honking and moving away from her. She controlled the show, and she was very happy about it. One of my favorite things Vivian does these days is express her joy. Sometimes when I hand her "night-night" (her blanket) or give her warm milk, the angel will smile and say, "Happy." At the dentist's office today the women kept coming to the waiting area from the back to check out Vivian's cheeks and blue eyes. She was a hit with the ladies.

I asked Henry during a recent walk what I do that makes him happy. He said, "Play cars with me. Make me warm milk. Make me oatmeal with cinnamon." I have three Henry stories to share before I hit the sack. First, he said, "I'm going to marry you when I grow up, and when I grow up, Daddy's going to grow little." Next, he copies his big sisters and sings his version of a funny song to me. It goes, "Mommy and Daddy, sitting in a tree, K-I-S (pause) T-U-V." Just typing that made me laugh out loud. He thinks he's so clever with that one. I about ended his cleverness when I found him standing inside the lowest drawer of his highboy dresser just as he jumped out of it. My girls were never so dangerous. Finally, yesterday the children played in the yard as I made lunch, then I let them have a picnic. The baby dropped her pear slice in the rubber mulch of the playset. Henry's hands were a mess, and he told me, "Mom, we're digging for coconuts." He held a jar of acorns.

Okay, this one needs prep. There is a children's storybook with the title Pinkilicious. It is about a youngster who sneaks too many pink cupcakes and....(yes...you guessed it) she turns pink. All of my kids like the story. The little girl tells it, and the voice is great. Evelyn is our art girl. She is constantly, and that is no stretch, CONSTANTLY making projects. She lives to create things with paper and glue and tape and anything else she can find...trash, scrap ribbon, feathers, rocks. The list is long. Well, during one recent endeavor she managed to turn her foot green. It stayed green after the shower she gave herself. Robbie was teasing her about it, and he said, "I think Evelyn must be Pickle-icious." Olivia and I LOVED Daddy's joke. Man, did we laugh hard. I love Robbie's humor, and that was his best quick thinking line in ages. Evelyn found no humor in it. She got mad about her green feet and the pickle comment. I think Pickle-icious may stick. If she's sour, then I'm going to bring it out again.

Olivia has now had two piano lessons. Robbie wanted her to practice more this evening, and she was mad about it. She left the room in a huff and then sat down to play her songs some more. I told Robbie that it was ironic that we knew she was mad, yet she couldn't sit down and bang out some low down tune. Instead, the little song was light and sweet and high. It didn't match her attitude one bit. That was a blessing for us.

God's Gifts

My children and I share High Points and Low Points about each day after school. Evelyn almost always says that her high point is when I pick her up after school. I have a special high point to share. If something tops this one yet today, then I have more blessings than one mom deserves.

On the drive to my first bible study, Henry was entertaining Vivian in the van. She kept giggling, and they were laughing together. I said, "I love your friendship." Henry asked what I meant, and I explained that when they play together and laugh and enjoy each other, it makes me very happy as a mom. My guy said, "Mom, did God give me to you?" I told him yes, and he said with the sweetest voice, "Oooohhhh!" as though he was really touched by this blessing. He then said, "God loves you, Mom. God loves me, and God loves baby Vivian." Amen.

H Man is upstairs talking, talking, talking nonstop in his bed at nap time. However, he stays in his room, so I am not going near him. Mom and Ant got a big kick out of Henry while I was away recently on a trip. Apparently, he was the tired one, and baby was talking incessantly. He started saying, "Be quiet, Baby. I'm TRYING to sleep. Vivian, STOP talking! Be QUIET, Vivian." His requests didn't work. I think that was payback to Henry for all of his shenanigans.

A Turtle Bite and Baby Jail

Apparently I can't read the very long (and wonderful) book The Invisible Bridge while also reading War and Peace, and still find time to parent, maintain domestic order, and exercise. Sorry for the delay in my blog.

Few things bring out the drama in the Overlease children like open wounds. We just returned from eating in the neighbor's backyard. He smoked some great brisket, and the kids ran around and played. Evelyn got bitten by the pet turtle that lives in a large boxed area of the yard. The bite drew blood, and she has a big flap of loose skin. Henry was very concerned, then he commented in a very positive manner, "But her finger is still there!" Yes, luckily for Ev, he's right. Robbie found some remaining dirt in it after her bath, and screaming from fear followed. I tried all kinds of tricks to distract her. Nothing worked well. Finally I said, "Evelyn, your daddy is a doctor, and he is trying to help you." "He is NOT a finger doctor!!" I burst out laughing. Robbie did an amazing job of staying calm. Evelyn had Henry very concerned due to all of her yelling.

Robbie and I returned from a trip to Martha's Vineyard for a friend's wedding (Thanks for staying with the kids Mom and Mike!), and the baby turned into a Little Miss Mischief Girl while we were away. Her latest trick is to use kitchen table chairs to access the top of the kitchen table. I keep finding her sitting in the center of it. Henry came to us this morning as we prepared for church, and he said, "Mommy, Mommy. Baby has scissors." Ev is our craft diva, so various supplies are often on the table. The baby has poured glue this week, colored her face with black marker, wrapped tape every which way, and shred construction paper. I think there is a window of sweet baby state in which people decide to have another baby. It appears we've just passed that mark with baby Vivian. She's a mess. Olivia got scolded for saying, "Bad baby," to Vivian, so she's changed it up to spell, "B-A-D baby B-A-D baby!!" Vivian is going to learn to spell "bad" pretty quickly, if you know what I mean. Robbie acted devastated this morning when I told him that the start of Children's Church (a.k.a. Baby Jail) was delayed until next Sunday. He spent the entire mass outside the sanctuary with wild Vivian. She was loud before the priest even walked to the altar. When Henry heard us talking about baby jail, he got very upset. "I don't want Vivian to go to jail. I LOVE my sister." The big girls got a big kick out of his misunderstanding.

I'll try not to let so much time pass before I write again.