The Farm Report

  • Car service

    Car service

    052308_02

    I couldn't avoid it any longer. I had to take my car in to get serviced. It was due for its regular service plus the tire indicator wouldn't go off even though I thought I'd put enough air in my tires.

    I usually spend my service appointments at the closely-located Target. I load the kids up in the stroller, and we wander the aisles for an hour or so. But today? Thanks to a hefty service and a new tire, the appointment clocked in at 3 hours. I was delighted to discover that the waiting room had been renovated to include a whole kid's area, including a seating area and their very own television.

    We happily spent the rest of our time watching Cars instead of Montel.

    (Yes, it's a crappy iPhone photo, but I had to document somehow.)

  • White socks x 5

    White socks x 5

    052208_01

    When people find out I have three children, they often shake their heads and say, "Wow, you've got your hands full!"

    Really, it's not that much harder than two. It's mostly just logistics and getting out there door with everyone's shoes, cups, and snacks. And there's that whole thing where I only have two hands.

    But the socks? That might do me in.

  • Lorem ipsum

    Lorem ipsum

    052108_01
    052108_02
    Today we went on this field trip with Neko's class where we visited both a zoology and geology museum, but I forgot my camera, so all I can tell you is that it was neat enough that I think we'll return.

    Instead, I will share with you some photos I found on my iPhone. The first is of Ellery shortly before her surgery where she's all doped up. The second is after she'd screamed for about 40 minutes following surgery until this nice nurse walked by with a bag of goldfish and she suddenly snapped out of it and was all like, "Well, no one told me there were going to be GOLDFISH."

  • No child left inside

    No child left inside

    052308_01

    Sometimes I forget that the best playground is in our back yard. Much time spent today catching bugs, chasing dogs, and general mucking about.

    On a side note, Neko is wearing socks under her sandals, which is making Tom break out in hives.

  • Super Shep

    Super Shep

    051908_01

    051908_02

  • Purple

    Purple

    051808_01

    051808_02

    I’m sure these are probably the same flowers that are kicking my allergies into high gear, but from the moment the expanse of them popped up behind the shop I can’t stop smiling.

  • Fly-by visitors

    Fly-by visitors

    051708_01

    051708_02

    051708_03

    051708_04

    051708_05

    My friend Amy and her husband Matt and daughter Sophie dropped into town for 36 hours. Just enough time to hunker down for a good visit and fabulous kite-flying.

    Next time I demand they stay at least 48 hours.

  • Tubes

    Tubes

    051608_01

    You know when you get a paper cut or you slam your finger in a drawer or something else equally as painful and you’d really like this huge bruise or a massive wound just so people can look at you and think, “Wow! I bet that hurts!” But instead it looks like absolutely nothing happened?

    Today Ellery got tubes in her ears.

    At our first appointment, one short week ago, the nice lady at the tube doctor’s office said we’d just need one other appointment with the audiologist and then we’d have the surgery. Lesson learned this week? Nice does not equal thorough or accurate.

    Since we only had that one other appointment, I decided to keep my own appointments that I had previously scheduled with the dentist and the orthodontist. But then all of sudden these other people started calling and frantically telling us we needed other appointments that involved words like “well-baby check” and “pre-op”.

    Anyway, the whole week was this scampering mess of running from one appointment to another and Tom getting virtually nothing accomplished at work due to those other two children we have and the fact that Children’s Services seems to prefer that they be supervised.

    And today? After all this prep and major surgery? Ellery is toddling around the house like nothing ever happened, and all the proof I have that it all went down are enormous bags under my eyes and this bottle of ear drops that is so small the label doesn’t even fit on it.

  • Lizard goes to the dentist

    Lizard goes to the dentist

    051508_01

    Tonight Tom wandered in to discover that Neko had decided it was time to take her toy lizard to the dentist.

  • Three kids in, still can’t keep up

    Three kids in, still can’t keep up

    051408_01

    The problem with two designers living together is that it’s nearly impossible to choose, oh, I don’t know…ANYTHING. As a result of this, it has taken us five years to finally install a toilet paper holder, not because we’re lazy, but because we couldn’t find one we liked. The one we finally chose? Tom made it.

    Anyway, my point is not to sell you toilet paper holders, but to note that today, for the first time in my parenting career, I entered the mudroom to discover this classic moment in parenting.