A couple weeks ago we took a drive out to the Morgan Hill/Tinker Falls area. We walked along the boardwalk to the lake and then took the hang glide launch site trail up a steep and rocky path. There was some whining and complaining from Theo and Reed and Theo took every opportunity to stop and read his book along the way but the view (and the snacks) at the top were well worth it.

Theo and Beckett are NINE

On the boys' and Grandpa Stu's birthday we went on a great hike near Tully with Grandpa Stu and Grandma Joanie.

At home we had the boys' chosen dinner, tacos with lots of toppings and go-withs, and ice cream cake. We were also surprised by a socially distant visit from the boys' friend Kieran, who brought Harry Potter themed treats, and by Mama Sara and Preston, who ALSO brought delicious treats. It was a great day.

Campaign helpers

We have had a few days where we needed to rush to get out a lot of mailers in a short time, due to several factors. The boys have been amazing and focused helpers each time we have needed them. It turns out Beckett is fantastic at folding letters-quick and efficient and doesn't make mistakes. Reed is good at putting stamps on (kind of like stickers!). Theo is a great stuffer. The kids had incredible endurance to get out 700 of these on Friday, then almost 300 more Saturday morning.

Quarantine home projects

Having three little kids and two jobs plus a political campaign means we do not have a ton of time for house projects during quarantine, but every once in a while we get a burst of energy and do a little work. Transplanting hosta is something I do every year or two, to try to expand the hosta in our shady yard. This year I went a little nuts. I was intending only to transplant some to the spot along the garage where the giant evergreen shrubs used to be, but we had dug out last fall. Then I decided to just keep on going and putting more hosta along the back of the yard, and then I figured why not continue along the other side of the yard along the fence. In the end I divided and replanted about 25 or so, which of course required an epic mulching project.

I had been talking about needing to get out and mulch for a few days, so one day last week when Theo and Beckett and Reed were outside playing they came in to ask if they could help me mulch. I was in the middle of working but when someone asks to help you mulch, you stop what you are doing and say yes. Beckett carried all the bags of mulch from the driveway to the backyard, while Theo spread out the mulch from the bags I opened and dumped in piles. When that task flew by, because they essentially did all the work, I then casually mentioned that I had been thinking about making a stone border. I showed the boys with a few spare stones what I was thinking of doing, but said I did not have enough stones to make it, especially because of the three new beds I would have to border. Theo and Beckett thought it was very cool and encouraged me that we could do it, and started pointing out stones we could use. Quickly we started an efficient work production line: I started digging for new rocks, which I would then throw into a pile in the middle of the yard. Then Theo and Beckett would pick up those rocks and place them along the beds to make a border. We finally placed probably 100 rocks in all. It looks terrific and the whole project including mulching probably took 25 minutes.

I have been so impressed at the boys' longer and longer attention span for doing projects like this.

Jeff cleaned and painted the front steps, which always makes a world of difference for the appearance of our front step.

The whole backyard. The mulching and stone bordering is not yet complete along the garage because we are engaged in Operation Groundhog Extermination. Our neighbor John is a former trapper who still has death claw traps, which he and his daughter Maggie have installed in the groundhog hole under our garage. So far the body count is up to three. Until we have a chicken wire fence installed under the garage to dissuade further incursions I'm not going to bother mulching and bordering that area.

Day at Joan and Stu's

Reed tried on the dress I wore as a flower girl in Debbie and Tom's wedding in 1987. We played an epic game of kickball, in which Beckett and Theo as team captains chose Grandma Joanie (Beckett's team) and me (Theo's team). Grandpa Stu was designated runner and kicker for both teams. Reed was happy as a clam playing with cars on the car mat inside the house. Later he came out to play soccer with us after kickball concluded. No photos were taken of Mama because she is the previously unsung champion of kickball and no camera could adequately capture her epic kicks and many runs around the bases.

Some of Reed's friends, including some younger, have been riding a bike without training wheels for a while. Reed was hesitant about trying but because we have two bikes in his size, one with training wheels and one without, it seemed pretty low-investment to try it out. We just went to the parking lot of the school around the corner. Reed tried it out for about 30 seconds and announced he hated it and wanted to stop. Unfortunately his scooter broke a few weeks ago so he's back to his bike with training wheels.

I've been making a LOT of cinnamon buns. Thank you Paula Deen for a super recipe.

The boys have definitely fought sometimes but there are also lots of times when they are engaged in imaginative play together with little to no involvement from us. Often the toys are a jumping off point but just as often a Lego piece or a makeup brush becomes a tool for space exploration or fighting supervillians and they are all off working together to prevail. The Mighty Pup Tower Reed received for his birthday has also been a pretty big hit for all.