Busyness

I am busy right now. When my body is not busy, my mind is still busy. Between Vacation Bible School and hosting the Siloam youth group, I am busier than I remember being in a very long time.
Kendall is busy too. He worked 3 nights since the youth group has come. Then he has taken people fishing.

So here's what happens:

Yes, this is Eli reading Evan a story before his nap. (This is the first we've really done this and it made me quite happy!)

This morning I was outside going over work projects with the youth group. Eli and Evan were riding bike. After awhile Evan was with me and I was vaguely aware that Eli wasn't around. Later, I came in to find him resting on the couch. Then I noticed 2 new band-aids on his knee. Yes, he had fallen while riding bike. And, yes, he had come into the house, pushed a chair to the band-aid cupboard and taken care of his own wound. When I went over to the couch to give him some (tardy) TLC, I saw more wounds. Yes, I felt bad.

Tonight, I had to quickly slurp down my leftover soup while Kendall was working on things outside. Then I rushed off to the church before Bible School. I found out later that while Kendall was still outside, Evan ladled some soup into a bowl for himself, put it in the microwave and sat down and ate it. Yes, that was a first.

I don't know whether to feel proud of my kids for their independence or bad that they did these things on their own. I guess I feel mostly proud of them. I don't feel too guilty because I know this craziness is lasting only a short time.

Also, this is the other side of the story:


Yes, cousin time. They are in their heaven with having 3 cousins here and countless other visitors. (Okay, they are countable, but almost not- 25 other visitors.) Every night they walk home from the church with Corby while I finish things up there. Then I find the three of them playing hockey on the computer when I get home. Eli worked in the yard with Shad and Corby today- like a little man. And Evan snuggled up to Cami today just like to an auntie.

They are getting to know the other youth too and, as always, savoring the attention. We're having fun. I'm bonding with the youth group and wishing I could keep them here. Tonight during a closing song at Bible School, I was watching all the youth (both from Siloam and from Red Lake) and just feeling so proud of them. I almost started crying. (I know, I know- the sheer exhaustion I am experiencing doesn't lend itself to emotional stability.) But even so, I felt happy. And tired.
Good night.

School's Out!

I'm so proud of my boys. It feels like it has been a big year for them.

Eli has come so far with reading. Now, if only I could get him to think it was fun enough to pick up and do on his own. He likes books a lot. When I see him looking at one for a long time, I sometimes ask if he's reading it. Usually he says No, he was just looking at the pictures. But every once in awhile I have secretly watched him moving his lips (reading) as he looks. I'm hoping to find more ways to trick him into reading without me pushing it. hee hee hee.


And Evan has just loved Junior Kindergarten. He so often told me after a day of school, "Every day just gets better and better!" He's doing well with his letters and numbers. He's definitely a number guy!

So now we face summer with much excitement and a bit of trepidation. :) Lots of beach days comin' up!

Aliens Arrive by Blue Rocket!

We had a very special visit from some very special friends!

We were so privileged to have Jodi, Duane, Leah, Luke and Jace with us for a few days. We had fun and didn't let the cold, rainy weather deter us.

These kids had a blast together. They loved being little explorers. It was so fun to watch them play and re-bond.

And I finally had time to bond with this little guy. What a cutie!

This was our first bedtime. Leah and Eli took turns reading stories to us. Eli had the home court advantage with the books. While Leah was reading hers, he secretly took his chosen book to Kendall and reviewed the toughest words of the very familiar book with him. How crazy to think we have kids who are learning to read already!


Bedtime was a fun time for us. Bedtime #2 included growing up stories from all of the adults and a few of the kids. It was funny to watch the kids' pride and excitement as their cousins got to hear their family's familiar stories from parents.

Bedtime #3 included each of us saying something that we really enjoyed about our time together. It was fun to hear what each person chose.

We saw this cute little guy on Friday after we had no success with bears at the dump.

Friday night we went glow bowling. It was so fun. We all made tie-dyed shirts/onesies/bandanas earlier in the day, so we were sure to wear our new duds to the bowling alley. We had fun decorating our faces with the highlighters. (Secretly, I was mostly glad we didn't run into anyone we knew. :) )

Here the kids are modeling their new shirts. We spent Saturday out on the lake and at a little beach. We ate fresh fish and bannock for our meal.








Ah, yes...the perfect ending to a day of adventure...

Evan touched raw hamburger, so I had him wash his hands. He wondered why. When I told him that it could make him sick, he informed me of the following:

"Indians ate raw meat in the old times and they didn't die."

I asked him when that was.

"In the 60s."

10 Years on June 10, 2010

On June 10 Kendall and I celebrated 10 years of marriage. A 'decade' seems like a really long time. We're a perfect match and an imperfect match. The last decade has been precious and it's been hard. It's been surprising- It's surprising that we could be even closer than we were on our wedding day and we've been surprised at the differences we've discovered. We've never worked so hard on anything than we have on our marriage and that working together has brought us closer. Sometimes we forget that we're on the same team and start working against each other. But even when we're mad at each other, I know enough to be thankful for my husband. I'm amazed at everything Kendall and I have learned together over the past 10 years. When I look at that, I know we can keep on learning. Kendall really is my best friend. I'm thankful to be married to the man I admire.


The boys were both in school on Thursday. Kendall had Thursday off, but has been working a lot this week, so we decided to do our thing during the day instead of getting a babysitter. That way the boys could still have the afternoon/evening with Kendall. We went canoeing for a few hours. Then we came back and went to the new nicest restaurant in town for a late lunch.

Evan took this photo. He gave me the dandelion and told us what to do.



Evan wanted to be in a picture. He's trying hard to keep his eyes open, as he has inherited my tendency to close them for photos.

The anniversary bouquets we picked Thursday evening.
By the way, if I could have any song playing throughout this post, it would be 'Amazed' by Lonestar. (I was recently hit by a blast from the past when I delved back into my beloved country music from 10-15 years ago.) Kendall and I danced to it Thursday night while the boys wrestled at our feet. Ah, the romance...

I don't know how you do what you do
I'm so in love with you
It just keeps getting better
I want to spend the rest of my life
With you by my side
Forever and ever
Every little thing that you do
Baby, I'm amazed by you

Anniversary Canoeing

As we were quietly paddling, I thought I heard something in the water and motioned to Kendall. I actually assumed I was hearing things, but it was fun to try to sneak up on something. Then Kendall told me he really did hear moose grunting. Then we saw a huge dark brown head and a little blond-colored head peak out of the brush. It was a mama and a very little baby! We didn't get a great look at them and they walked back into the bush. So we snuck around the point and paddled very quietly. (Well, I let Kendall do the quiet paddling. He's the expert.) We rounded the point and Kendall spotted them very well hidden in the trees. It took me awhile to see them, but their ears gave them away. They were lying down and seemed to be watching us. I don't know if I ever would have seen them, but their ears kept flicking the flies away every few seconds. It just makes me wonder about the all the well-camoflaged animals that must watch us amble by other times. Kind of neat, kind of creepy.
Unfortunately, these moose never stepped out where we could really see them, but it was still very...special, for lack of a better word.






So, I haven't said where we went because I like to try to make the Hochstedler's figure it out. Do you know? Here's a hint: Kendall has a memory of going there with Mom, Dad and LaRonda. He couldn't quite remember, but it included something about cold or rain.

Rhubarb Slaw

So I have all of this wonderful rhubarb right now. It's a weird vegetable/fruit/stalk/whatever it is. I've made my grandma's Rhubarb Butter Crunch, which is oh so yummy with ice cream. I've made rhubarb muffins. But most recipes I find for rhubarb are desserts. Then I came across a recipe in a Country Living magazine for Rhubarb Slaw. So I decided to try it and the recipe seemed so natural and artistic that I decided to do a blog post about it. (I just read the book, Julie and Julia, which is all about a food blog, so I was under the influence of wishful thinking.)

Here's the recipe:
1 lb. rhubarb, julienned
2 c. apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper
1 1/2 c. light-brown sugar
1 1/2 T. mustard seeds
1 1/2 T. red pepper flakes
1/2 c. peeled, sliced fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 small cabbage, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, coarsely grated
2 T. olive oil

Boil vinegar, 1 T. each salt and pepper, and next 5 ingredients. Pour over rhubarb and let cool. Refrigerate overnight.
Drain rhubarb, reserving 1/2 c. brine. Toss rhubarb with cabbage, carrot, brine, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until cabbage softens.

Here is my kitchen help. Any time he gets to use a knife, it's cause for celebration.

Not that you can tell here.

Here's my rhubarb soaking in the brine. Like the lilacs (in a Kendall-made pitcher) that I put in for an artistic element? sigh. Where are Phil and Katelyn when I need them?

And here's the finished product.
Okay, so it wasn't all I'd hoped and dreamed. It was good, but it was basically just very spicy coleslaw. It made good Hillbilly Hot Dogs though!

I also tried Rhubarb Iced Tea. Once again, the rhubarb didn't shine- basically just iced tea. Back to my muffins and butter crunch...