Doorways.

This photoshoot/post was inspired by this song and video (and it’s a good song.  Jethro’s favorite, in fact):

Okay, also by the pins on pinterest that show how to color hair using chalk pastels.  Although we didn’t use chalk pastels, we used pencil crayons that turn watercolor when you add water.  You know what I’m talking about?  Anyhoo, Ethne ended up looking quite punk rockerish.  I think her hair turned out AWESOME.  (p.s. we didn’t buy anything for this, just threw together what we could find in the house… so it’s kind of a mish mash, much like my editing- there’s no unifying theme, I just edited willy nilly)

 
He just wanted to wear a cowboy hat.  :)

I’m quite proud of my braiding skills for Hazel’s round-the-head braid.  It turned out awesome on the first try (after watching a video).  I tried it again on Sunday and it wasn’t as good, because the first time her hair was already crinkly from french braids from the day before, which gave it more volume.  And then we added flowers.

Man, Ethne looks so cool.  I kindof want to color her hair all funky all the time.  Doesn’t she look like a wizard, casting a spell on you?

  
Ethne had an ornery moment, so I told them to all make mean faces.
 



 

Okay, so not the best eyeliner work in the world—I’m not a professional, okay!  ha ha.  :)


Okay, so she found a charred stick and got it on her face, but I still had to post, because this was such a better place lighting-wise.  Look at how her eyes glow!
 
By the way, Jethro didn’t want to participate, which turned out pretty good since he stayed home and Orrin could nap. 
The end.
p.s. I was a little sad that I didn’t have any sisters close enough to come over so we could color our own hair awesome ways.

Wrapping up July.

I can’t believe the kids only have two more weeks of ferien.  Meaning, they go back to school SOON!  With our Barcelona trip during their spring break, and then taking some days off of school for Italy, this summer has been a stay-at-home and chill kind of time.  Which is nice.  Here are some random pictures, since Brett finally got some off his phone.

Here’s Hazel and the girls in primary.  With sunflowers on their heads.

Hazel and her friend Dinah found that they have the same dress, just in different colors and were so excited.  (Which is why we HAD to take pictures that day.)

 

Here we are at a geocache from quite a while ago.  I just LOOOVE Orrin.  Ha haaa.

I love how whenever we’re outside if Hazel finds a feather, she puts it in her hair.  Awesome.

 

A night when Orrin was just laughing and laughing and laughing at splashing Brett.

Driving his tractor, complete with tractor noises.  (Which reminds me of a story- we have a little board book about tractors and we were showing Talmage how the green ones are called John Deeres, and the other day we were walking past the farm and he saw the tractor parked and said, “Look, a Deer John.” Quite funny.)

We have been having quite the cold summer, with lots of rain.  But at least that means lots of rainbows.  (And yes, rainbows are one of those things where even though I’ve taken many pictures of rainbows before, I still have to run and grab the camera to take yet another.)  I think these rainbows were on the same day—it would rain and then stop and make a rainbow, and then have a blue sky for a while, and then thunder and pour again, and on and on.

But, finally this week we got a little hot weather.  So I took the kids to the lake one day and we had a great time.  Sometimes I feel like everybody’s eyes are on me because I have so many kids (for here, anyway). 

Yesterday Hazel started reading Caddie Woodlawn, and Caddie has red hair and it kindof makes a big deal of it in the book and describes how her hair is golden red and her brothers are darker/lighter/whatever, and the Indians like her hair, etc.  Anyway, so at lunch time she told us about Caddie’s hair, and then she said, “Mom, I think your hair is dark red like an apple, and Ethne’s hair is the most golden red, and Jethro’s is almost just plain golden.”  And then she said to me, “What color is my hair?”  And I said, “…Brown.”  And she said, “Hmmph,” and was all disgruntled.  So funny.

What else have we done?  The kids have played with neighbor friends, I read Hunger Games, oh yeah- we picked raspberries yesterday morning.  I was pretty impressed with how well the kids did picking since the berries are pretty small and in lots of brambles and stinging nettle.  And, I’m so proud of myself—I actually did ART with the kids this morning.  Now, realize that for about every 100 times the kids ask me if they can paint, I say no 99 times.  But this morning we did an awesome painting project that turned out really cool and at the end of it, I was even looking forward to another cool art project.  Wonders never cease.  Thanks pinterest and amazing art teachers who have cool blogs.  I will post pictures for sure later. 

Jethro had his first piano lesson today.  A really talented lady in our ward, Miriam, is teaching him, and I’m really excited for him, because I think he’ll do really well and progress fast.  However, it wasn’t so cool when I loaded all the kids up and drove all the way to their house and no one answered the door and we tried calling, but to no avail.  After coming home, she called and asked where we were, and I guess they had been out in the garden or something, but anyway, it all worked out because they came over and picked him up and dropped him off again, along with lots of toblerone, as she is the Great Toblerone Supplier (I think she has a friend who works at the factory or something.  Anyhoo, we don’t have a piano or a keyboard yet, but we’re working on it.

If you want to know what’s really been on my mind lately, we found a house for rent that we fell in love with.  It’s a really old farmhouse, beautiful and with more space and out in the country and it has a garden with raspberry bushes and a gorgeous view.  We went and drove by the first night Brett saw the listing for it online, and then we went and met the lady who lives there now and saw the inside a week later.  I made all the kids get nice clothes on, and did everyone’s hair so we could make a good impression and Jethro was like, “Aren’t we going a little overboard dressing up?” and Brett and I are like, “No!”  Unfortunately, I don’t think we’ll get it, because we knew there were several other people interested, and the listing has been taken down now, and we haven’t heard from her.  But… I guess we haven’t heard a firm no yet either.

So.  What else should we make sure to do in the next two weeks before crazy school schedules reign supreme once again?

Jethro turned 10!

So, Jethro just turned 10 which is altogether just too weird to be true.  But anyway, he had a pretty fabulous birthday, as Brett took him camping, along with his friend from work, Juan.

One of Brett’s New Year’s resolutions was to climb a 4,000 meter peak.  Well, he still hasn’t… but they tried!  Brett got to have fun spending all my money (ha ha, that was a joke) on cool tents and sleeping bags and nifty warm long underwear, and a backpack for Jethro (which he bought at a second-hand store, and when he came home and looked through it there was a Swiss Army knife in it!!  Brett was so excited it was like the best day of his life). 

I would tell you the name of the place they went to, but unfortunately I don’t know it, nor can Jethro remember.  Anyway, Brett came home from work early on Friday and they went to a place and rented pick axes and crampons and drove to the mountain.

 

Can you spot the wildlife?

Now can you?  They’re called gemse in German, chamois in English.  Basically a goat-antelope thingee.

I like this picture of Brett and Jethro.  They’re so cute.

    So the rest of the story is, they hike about 4 hours, cleared a place in the snow and set up the tent and ate dinner.  Juan didn’t have a tent, just a biwacksack, so in the middle of the night (or early morning, rather) he was freezing to death and Brett finally made him crawl in the nice warm tent with him and Jethro.  Ha ha. 

In the morning it was pouring rain, and they had to come home.  The end.  For now, I think they’re going to try again sometime.

Jethro got to open some presents when he got home.

And the next day he had a cake.

Also, last night me and Brett and Jethro went out to dinner for his 10th birthday date, and afterwards we had the facts of life talk with him.  Brett chickened out and wouldn’t come talk, okay actually he was driving the babysitter home and it was already late so we just started without him and ended up finishing about 3 seconds before he came in.  ;)

A few things about Jethro at 10:

What makes you happy?
When I hike with my dad

What is your favorite thing to eat?
Tuscan soup and icecream and brownies

What is your least favorite thing to eat?
Mushrooms and peppers

What is your favorite thing/s to do?
Reading, hiking, reading, playing in the woods with friends

What are you really good at?
Reading

What is your favorite movie?
Thunderbirds, Penguins of Madagascar

What is your favorite t.v. Show?
Avatar Last Airbender

What is your favorite color?
Yellow and green

What is your favorite song?
Doorways, by Radical Face, also lots of Coldplay songs (“when I was little, I thought Coldplay was a ‘type’ of music”)

Who is your best friend?
Elias and Lamin

What do you and your mom do together?
We hug, we smooch,

What do you and your dad do together?
We hike together, we play fight

What is your favorite sport?
Camping

Where is your favorite place to go?
Beach

What is your favorite book?
Ranger's Apprentice series, Harry Potter series, Percy Jackson series, World War 1: war to end all wars, King of the Wind, Tom Sawyer, The Dark Game (spy stories)

What do you want to be when you grow up?
Airplane designer