Martin Family Adventure

Creating their own fun

Girly was wondering what she was going to do with her cousins here yesterday. I told her she'd figure something out. And so she did. 

I'm not sure who had the idea first but this is what I was called over to see as I was hanging a load of laundry on the line (in spite of the horrible weather Irene caused here in Vermonton Sunday, yesterday was beautiful out). 

Girly and Hannah took all the wood scraps out of this utility bin that David brought home from work and plugged up the holes (not sure with what), added what looks like a carboard sail and hauled it into the pool. 

The best part, though, was when my niece got into the bin.....and for your enjoyment, I got it on video! 

(yes, at 1:27, Girly does go off to the side and pees in the grass - sigh)

I lose it at 2:53 - I couldn't help it! 

These kids remind me so much of the fun we used to have as kids in the summer. We were always coming up with something crazy and creative. 

Also, Hannah covered part of herself in mud.

Good, cheap fun. It's not clean, but it's good and cheap.

Ready for another round?

I know I say this a lot, but there really IS never a dull moment in the Martin household. Sometimes I picture God sitting up in heaven, his feet propped up on some pillows and he's enjoying a bowl of popcorn while he watches the goings-on in our family. He doesn't need TV because he has the Martin family to watch. 

Saturday night, we had planned to have some family and friends for poker night. It was kind of last minute since I had driven to NH to meet my mom half-way from RI to pick up my grandfather and bring him home. One by one, people backed out and by 7 pm, we assumed it was just going to be a quiet night at home. 

Quiet night at home? Yeah, right! Girly decided she wanted to do a make-over on David because I'm allergic to make-up. Since she can't do make-overs on me and there's no way Zach would let her, David is usually game. He's let her paint his nails in the past and he's gone to work like that. The guys made fun of him but he's quite secure in his sexuality. 

Girly put bright blue eye shadow on David and made it go all the way up to his eyebrows. It was at that moment, when she finished, that the dogs started barking and we knew someone was here. His buddy from work had shown up with his girlfriend, so that's how David met them at the door. They made sure to tell him that he looked quite sexy, though I think it will be a while before the world can accept someone bringing sexy back that looks like that! I only wish I had a picture to share with you!

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Zach is up to his usual antics today and it all happened before 8:30 am. 

I looked in the kitchen to find Zach all the way at the top of the cupboards (we have a slightly valuted ceiling in our house). He was doing it to get laughs from Girly and my neice and nephew. He got laughs from them but he didn't get any from me. I told him to get down and that the cupboards are not made to hold his weight. His answer?

"Well, they didn't break!"

Whatever, Zach. 

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In the midst of writing this, before 10 am, Girly has managed to dump over a pitcher of pink lemonade all over the kitchen floor. Her way of cleaning it up is to throw a dish towel on the floor, stand on top of it and shimmy across the floor while pushing lemonade across the floor and not really cleaning it up. 

Seriously? I give up. 

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But back to Zach. He has a habit of cussing at inanimate objects when they don't do what he wants them to do or something isn't working out to his liking. 

He also has an affection for peanut butter. He'll walk around with a jar of PB and a big serving spoon. He'd finish off a whole jar in 15 minutes if I let him (which I don't). 

This morning, he was trying to get as much of the PB out of the jar as he could so he was digging the spoon and his hand into the jar. That meant that he got PB on his hands. He went to the sink to wash off his hands...but if you remember, we don't have hot water right now so it's kind of hard to wash PB off unless you're patient, use a lot of soap and wipe your hands in between with paper towels. 

He was getting really frustrated that it wasn't coming off his hands, so as he usually does with inanimate objects, he let loose with, "F&*% YOU, Peanut butter!"

Oh, Zach, you do have a way with words.

Now, remember, this is all before 8:30 am!

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A little while ago, the DHL delivery guy just stopped by with the last of my college textbooks that I need for this semester. My niece met the guy at the door.....looking like this:

Complete with uni-brow, goatee and swirled mustache. 

Damn, we're on a roll! 10 am and we've started  the day off strong. 

I told you the day wasn't over yet!

This is a continuation of the day that I posted about HERE.

My kids don't start school till next Wednesday so there's still a little time left to enjoy the rest of the summer here in northern Vermont. Since I had my neice and nephew here today, as well, we all took a trip down to the lake, which is only 2.5 miles down the road. 

Girly and Hannah rode bikes down and being the mother and aunt that I am, I was a bit cautious to let two beautiful young blonde girls ride 2.5 miles down to the lake through a stretch that didn't have too many houses around, so I drove either behind or in front of them (at times) and kept them in my sights. Yes, it took a lot longer to drive to the lake this way, but they're precious to me so I wanted to make sure they were safe. 

The lake was a bit on the cold side, but that didn't stop the girls from going in and it didn't stop Zach from going in to the still part with his net and his jar to catch minnows. It DID stop Ethan (my nephew) from going in so he sat on his towel and ate food. 

Zach started off by catching two minnows before they realized that they needed to get the heck away from him. When he realized the minnows had left, he proclaimed, "My eyes have turned to shit." This is as opposed to when things are going his way and he claims, "My eyes have turned to hearts." 

That was just the start of the cuss words today. On the way home from the lake, he told me, "Mom, when you tell me to do something I don't want to do or to go somehwere I don't want to go, my ears turn to f**kers." 

Eventually, the fish came back and he caught quite a few. He asked if he could put a couple into the fish tank at home and I said it was okay. Later that night, David said, "Erika, remember that baby bass that Zach put in the fish tank a couple weeks ago? I think it laid eggs because there's a ton of baby fish in the tank." 

That's when I realized that Zach didn't put a "couple" fish in the tank. He put ALL the fish he caught in the tank. 

(Yes, I know Zach is insanely skinny. He eats like a pig, though, and the doctor says he's healthy and active and that's all the matters.)

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It's pretty crazy to see what kids come up with to play with. We didn't take anything with us to the lake, like floaties, buckets and shovels, etc. Kids are usually pretty resourceful when they don't have any toys with them. 

My poor kids have the shallow end of the gene pool, but so do my niece and nephew. Their mother is my sister and their father is my husband's brother. Yes, if you do the math right, it's not as gross as it sounds when you first hear it. My sister's kids can be just as crazy as my own kids. 

Hannah found a plank of wood and a piece of charred wood from an extinguished bonfire and made a sign. Yes, it says, "Welcome, now go away." 

When we left, we propped it up on the beautiful and artistic looking piece of driftwood at the top of the beach, where everyone can see it when they arrive. We're just evil like that. >:) 

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So, that was my Friday. I hope yours was less eventful than mine. :)

Lazy summer day adventures down at the river

One of the things that I love about summer is the amount of time that we spend outside. The winter lasts so long here in northern Vermont. I try to spend as much time outside to soak in the sun, the fresh air and the relaxation. Yesterday, my niece and nephew came over for the day, so I took them and my kids to a nearby river for some fun. We were the only ones there. Another couple showed up just as we were leaving. 

Girly and her cousin, Hannah, made and packed the lunches. I brought along a book that I haven't wanted to put down since I started it (Little Princes, if you're interested in a really great and feel-good non-fiction read). Zach brought his nets and jar to catch fish in. It was a relaxing couple of hours and I could have stayed longer. 

Isn't it beautiful? This is tucked on a backroad behind a bunch of brush and trees. You wouldn't even know that it's there unless someone else told you about it. The sound of the water coming over the falls is hypnotic. 

Ethan and Zach were intent on catching the little fish that swam in the shallows. Zach brought along one of his containers to put the fish in to bring them home. 

Zach caught a small brook trout and brought it home and put it in our fish tank. So far, it's doing fine, but the other fish don't seem to like him and they're hiding from him in a corner of the tank. I told Zach that eventually, we're going to have to return Mr. Brook Trout to the river because he's going to get too big for the tank and we don't need him eating the other fish. 

Here's a video that I took while we were there. I find it hilarious that Zach is already telling "fish stories." The brook trout that he caught in the video is supposedly a lot bigger in Zach's mind than it is when you look at it with your eyes.