hold the sun in the sky for me

We had a wonderful weekend.  Lots of sun and playing outside.  My boys just don't want the day to end!  They are pushing bed times back later and later (easy to do - it's light outside now until far after 8pm)

Yesterday in the car on the way home from a soccer game:

Eli: "Momma, can you make the day longer today?"

Me: "Like keep the sun from setting?  Momma can't do things like that!"  

Eli: "Yes you can!"

Me: "Tell me how."

Eli: "Well, just get a long rope and hold the sun in the sky for me until I am ready to go to bed.  Or maybe a hose would work, too."

The garden is 90% in.  It's quite a process to till, get the fence up and get the black plastic mulch down. The black plastic mulch was a tradition in my Dad's garden - helped warm up the soil for the tomato, pepper and eggplants.  Our growing season is so darned short - we've got to do what we can to maximize our time! Fence?  Oh yes.  The alternative would be feeding a family (or two) of deer.

In other news, Noah has been visiting several doctors lately.  We have fondly named Dr. Nadeau "the wart doctor".  Noah has been cultivating a large Plantar's Wart on his "next to the thumb toe" toe. Have you ever heard of the thumb toe?  Yah, me neither, but I totally knew what he was talking about when he said thumb toe.  Warts aren't a huge deal, but this little sucker has been pretty painful to walk on at times. Next week will be his 3rd or 4th visit - seems that this wart is especially tough. Dr. Nadeau delights Noah with his fun tricks with frozen nitrogen.  He's instructed him to bring a marshmallow to his next appointment.  

Look, Mom.  A wart.  Looks pretty good now, actually. 

In addition, Noah took his 5th rapid strep test of the season a couple days ago and for the fifth time it came back positive.  Goodness gracious, we are tired of strep throat!  Noah has moved up to a "third level" antibiotic that has been a challenge for him to take.  Amoxicillin was actually quite tasty mixed into the pharmacist-mixed cherry stuff.  But this is yucky.  No way around it.  The best way to take it is to throw it back like a shot of tequila with a milk chaser.  So what happens when you have strep throat 5 times in 4 months?  You get a date to get your tonsils out - July 2, in Noah's case.  

OK, enough with gross pictures of warts and strep throat!  

It's our tradition to open up camp on Memorial Day weekend, and that's just what we did.  Despite a particularly pessimistic forecast, the weather wasn't too bad.  I got a chance to do some cleaning, fly a kite, pick up sticks from the yard, help with a bonfire AND get our first lobster of the season.

We are so lucky to have this place.  I love that I can pack up the car and be there in one hour.  I don't work in July, so I am planning on spending as much time as possible hanging out in Belfast.  I've got a list started of the things that I'd like us to do this summer.  Seems like if you don't make a plan for things, the days sort of melt away and all of a sudden it's September again.

Gene was working, but Mark and Lisa joined the boys and me.  It's nice to be back, Oak Cliff.

Bedtime stories with Auntie Lisa

We love Belfast City Park!

Waving hello to Mark and Lisa.  Our camp is across the bay from City Park. 

AND (drum roll) we have a new member of the family.  Say hello to Coco:

The Bangor Humane Society was overrun with kittens, so we decided that Fluff needed a friend.  Coco is part way cute, and part scruffy.  So far, he's a pretty cool little guy.  

Finally, today is Mark's birthday so I have to send out a happy birthday to my little brother.  I dug around hoping to find a really dorky picture of Mark and I when we were young.  I had great success! 

Yes, my hair is feathered.  Yes, I have ruffles on my shirt.  Love the fence.

We will go to the Bangor Waterfront tonight with a bunch of friends to see Dave Matthews Band.  A nice way to celebrate 40+ years of Mark Erhardt!  :)  Now, if only it would warm up a little bit.  I put on sandals this morning, but I'm going to run home and put on socks and shoes.  And a raincoat.