The Creature

Once a week Phoebe has a quick write assignment. She has five minutes to write whatever she wants. She read her response to me after she was done and I asked if I could post it. Here's the transcription, with slight tidying:

In the desolate wastelands of Na'naluki you might find a rare creature called the Entola'aka.

This terrifying creature has glowing green eyes the color of jealousy. It stands on its hind legs, sadness colored fur covers its whole body. Its claws are sharper than hate, and its teeth are as jagged as betrayal.

It captures wanderers with its snakelike gaze, pulling them into a trance. 

She asked that I make it clear that the abrupt ending was because she ran out of time. I still think it's remarkably good.

Go to Town

There are a few items that made the move into the new house that weren't supposed to, things that were earmarked for the trash can that were instead scooped into boxes and vehicles. One of these is an old pack n' play mattress. It lost its protective plastic long ago and was dubbed "the squishy jump" because of how nice it was to jump on. It's been underfoot and in my way for the last few weeks.

This morning I finally decided to do something about it. If it hadn't been thrown out yet, at least it could have a purpose. Topher was playing nearby with some toy cars, so I grabbed a box of markers, a yard stick, and my rather sad art skills and set to work.  We're pleased with the result. It's not the prettiest, but it is fun to drive on.

I Got a Label Maker

New Tricks

Today I learned how to swap one of these

for one of these.

Next on my list of skills to acquire: how to install blinds. I've done some studying at the University of YouTube, though I think the windows I have and the blinds I've purchased may not be compatible.

Syllogism

Bryan and Topher enjoy snuggling and watching animal videos. Last night they watched this one. Topher loved it so much that when I came in to announce bedtime, they played it for me.

As we watched and listened to the adorable sounds the porcupine made as he ate his tiny pumpkins, Topher watched with a fascinated expression. Then he said, "That por-kee-pine is eating a pumpkin. Pumpkins are tasty! We eat pumpkins. (pause) We are por-kee-pines."

Write What You Know

As I was tucking Phoebe in last night she turned to me and the following conversation took place.

Phoebe: Mom, I'm eleven now. Wow! I'm eleven. (pause) Does that mean I'm old enough to write romance?

Me: (steady laughter for longer than was necessary) No.

Then we talked about Little Women and Jo's decision to write what she knows. I told Phoebe maybe she could write romance stories after she's allowed to date, so watch for a series of romances from Phoebe sometime in late 2026.

Don't Go Breakin' My

A few days ago, after a terrible night of being more awake than asleep, we were all chatting over breakfast when Topher interrupted to get our attention.

Topher: Guys! Guys! Cooper, Phoebe, Sophie, you are ALL CHEATING!

Phoebe: Topher, what does cheating mean?

Topher: It means you are all not following the rules!

Phoebe: (amused) Topher, what rules are we breaking?

Topher: (with great passion) You are breaking my HEART!

All Dressed Up

We unpacked the costumes.

Chip or Dale

"Hello! Can you come inside?!" -Topher, standing inside the closed kitchen door, looking at a chipmunk that was sitting on the deck. 

When the chipmunk finally scurried away, Topher threw himself to the floor and cried angrily, saying, "I was gonna give it a hug!"

Creative Technology

Cooper has a very full school schedule this year, including an elective called Art in the Digital Age. One of his assignments this week was to create a piece of art. He decided to use his Wacom tablet that he got for his birthday earlier this year to draw something digitally.

He drew this slightly abstract phoenix. I think it's beautiful.

The Original Shoe

I played in the backyard with these two this morning, then we took a walk. When we got home we sat on the edge of the deck for a cold treat. Between getting back from the walk and eating the popsicle, Topher took off his shoes. When he headed outside the second time, this conversation took place.

Me: Oh wait Buddy, you don't have shoes on.

Topher: Oh, it's okay, I'll use my feet as shoes.

Robot Boy

It's always fun when your creative biggest sister uses the abundant supply of recycling to turn you into a robot.

The Ivories

About a month and a half ago a friend in my ward texted to ask if we were interested in a free piano. I responded with lots of exclamations points that YES we were indeed interested. Another family in our ward was looking for a new home for their piano, so I reached out to her. I told her that our kids had been practicing piano on a keyboard and had asked if we were ever going to have a real piano. She was happy we wanted it and was willing to hold on to it for a few more weeks until we were in the new house.

Well, it took longer than a few weeks. The continuously damp basement and construction zone second floor delayed our piano acquisition plans, which had included using one of the three U-Haul trucks we rented to transport the piano from their house to ours. On Labor Day a couple from our ward stopped by with a pot of flowers and a sidewalk visit. As they were leaving they asked if they could help in any way and reminded us that they have a trailer. I screwed up my courage and told them about the piano.

Tonight they, plus three more members of our ward, all wearing masks, brought the piano to our house.

The family that gave it to us warned us in advance that it would need to be tuned, and they were definitely correct. It's kind of tinny but manageable until you hit the G below middle C, then it's rather earsplitting. But tuning a piano is something that we can make happen.

A house and an actual piano are two things that I've wanted for a long, long time. I'm so happy to have them both. Neither are in great condition, but that's okay, I'm still thankful.

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Good news: the boys' room is painted, except for the trim. These pictures are somewhat misleading since they give the impression that the boys did most of the painting. The person that did most of the painting took the pictures and is writing this post.

Not so good news: I finally cleaned the master bathroom, which led to the master bathroom shower being used, which then led to the discovery that the drain pipe from said shower leaks. This is the ceiling of the downstairs hall closet.

I am much happier about the first bit of news than I am about the second.

I Can See Clearly Now

Cooper got a new accessory today. It turns out he's near-sighted enough that he would have failed a driving test. He's been marveling all afternoon about how much more he can see with glasses than he could without them.

When Topher saw the bespectacled Cooper he gasped and said, "Oh! You look just like Peter!"

Written On Your Heart

One of Sophie's school assignments this week was to create a heart map. She was asked to draw and label the things that are most important to her, all within a heart. This is what Sophie turned in.

Can Do Spirit

The backyard at this house is a huge hit. The kids love to go out back and run around or climb a tree or sit on the deck and think. Topher has spent a lot of time in the backyard this week, and he would spend more time given the chance. Today, as he and I finished lunch and the girls were outside, the following conversation took place.

Topher: Can I go out to the backyard? Please?

Me: Oh, I'm sorry buddy, you need to take a nap.

Topher: (with triumph and optimism in his voice) I'll take that as a yes!

Our Favorite Things

We unpacked the books this weekend, and that made us all very happy.

Another Chance to Serve

We have a tiny Primary. That means the girls were asked to provide the scripture and talk again for church yesterday. This time Phoebe did the scripture and Sophie did the talk. 

A Step Up

Two people at our house graduated from an air mattress to real mattresses in their room!

It's the Little Things

Good news! My toe most likely isn't broken! I got it x-rayed today and, unless the radiologist says otherwise, it's just really bruised. Plus, they sent me home with a post-op shoe which makes walking much easier.

And that is my good news minute.

The Bullet Points

A summary of the last few days:

• Bryan stayed up all night on Monday getting ready to move, I slept for two forty-minute chunks on the floor of the playroom, Peter went to bed around 4:30 in the morning.
• We drove over vanloads of stuff nearly all night.
• We have too much stuff.
• Our walkthrough was at 11:00 and at 11:02 I was still throwing garbage bags full of random stuff into the back of the van. The landlord was nice enough to wait for us.
• He was happily shocked at how clean the townhouse was. Apparently the renters that preceded us had left it so messy that it took him a month to clean it enough to rent it.
• He was sad to lose us as renters and brought us a housewarming gift, an expensive vase made in Italy. It's way nicer than any other stuff we have.
• Because the basement is growing mold and the upstairs is a construction zone, we're spending all our awake time on the main floor.
• All the mattresses are in the library. All the couches and chairs are in the great room. Pretty much everything else is in the garage.
• We've been sleeping on air mattresses.
• Today, as I was chasing Topher, I tripped on a suitcase and possibly broke my toe. It's discolored and a little swollen and hurts a lot. I must have special tripping skills because it's the middle toe on my right foot and I figured the others toes would have protected it better than they did.
• We're getting leftover rain from Hurricane Ida and water is coming into our basement from three different places. The sump pump is working, but it's too high and leaves an inch of water. At least now we can see more places that need to be fixed.
• We're really, really tired.