easter redux- more than i can handle

Gah! Blogger's redesigned its format. Also, things got pretty dicey last week when Maddox went on some bizarre sleeping strike (mean go to sleep time= 10:29, mean wake up time = 4:47). Throw in some 2 am wake-ups and variable napping and it was pretty craptastic for a while. Plus we are heading to DC tomorrow for a long overdue visit to the mighty Ganno! But, we had a great time having Aunt Lindsey here so I present the following shots of Easter-y goodness without comment. Except to say a big thank you to Grandma Lise for the supply of toys, candy, and assorted goodies.

this is an actual picnic

Last Saturday we decided to risk the weather and take a short hike in Red Rocks Park. This is a wooded, not too hilly park that overlooks Lake Champlain in Burlington. To keep the kids motivated, we made some calzones, sliced some apples, mixed up some Kool-Aid, and threw everything (plus a bit of Easter candy) into a backpack. And now, pictures.

all their food has to be pre-cut by adults anyway

Did I mention Ellis and Maddox got "kids' chopsticks" in their Easter basket? Here is big brother vs. little brother on this new technology...

Oooh, this is tricky.

No, it's easy for big kids.

Success! Check out this enormous piece of cheese!

I'm bored.

I'm hilarious.

fate's answer to ambivalence OR the rooster's final days

Tuesday 10:18 am- Maddox and I enter the chicken yard to collect eggs. Maddox walks along the fence, and the rooster promptly heaves himself toward him, flapping his wings and attacking Maddox's face with his beak and feet. Do I need to mention that I kicked the crap out of the rooster at this point?

Tuesday 1:37 pm- I inform Trey that honestly, no kidding this time, we have to get rid of the rooster.

Wednesday 9:12 pm- Trey and I discuss the relative merits and feasibility of wringing the rooster's neck, shooting him, building a killing cone out of flashing, eating or not eating the meat, and simply leaving the jerk outside the coop at night (Trey hypothesized he would simply take up residence in the kid's playhouse).

Thursday 7:58 pm- While reading Ellis's bedtime story, I hear some commotion outside followed by Trey shouting "Go on, get out of here." I assume that one of the neighbor's steers has once again wandered into our yard. When I arrive downstairs a few minutes later, however, Trey reports that a red fox had come into the yard at dusk and set to chasing one of the chickens. Trey describes it as "like a cartoon". He has located 5 of the 6 hens and glimpsed the rooster across the road. We give them a bit of time to calm down and eventually discover a giant pile of black (rooster) feathers near the garden. By the time it's dark, all 7 of the chickens are back safe and sound in the coop with no apparent damage.

Friday 7:49 am- I discover the rooster on the floor of the coop standing very still and slowly letting his head sink down to the floor. I try to nudge him or get him to come outside, but he shows no interest.

Friday 2:39 pm- I find the rooster has not left the coop, eaten, or drunk all day. I suggest to Trey that he has PTSD from the preceding night's attack. Then I suggest that seriously, he's not going to recover from the internal bleeding, infection, or whatever has disabled him, and "we" (=you) better put it out of it's misery.

Friday 4:27 pm- Trey commences to search for the key to the gun case and appropriate ammunition. He huffs around the house until...

Friday 4:58 pm- Trey leaves the house with a loaded gun, returns 10 minutes later to with the job complete, and heads back out to work in the garage.

Friday 5:15 pm- Ellis slips mysteriously from the house.

Friday 5:18 pm- Trey yells this from the garage "Rachel, did you tell Ellis that I was supposed to show him the dead rooster?"

Friday 5:27- Sensing Ellis may need some help processing this whole event, I asked him if he felt strange or sad when he looked at the dead rooster. "No, I felt happy. He chased me and I hated him." Ah.

count down to easter

The chicks are back for a brief visit at school today. I must say their charm is already wearing off. Perhaps the kids will manhandle them so severely that they'll give up on life. But failing that, we're going to have to get together some kind of outdoor habitat for them. A plastic box on the dining room table is not going to cut it for much longer.

We're one step closer to Maddox getting some visits with the speech therapy. Public health services seem to be pretty deluxe in Vermont, but, jeez, do those people love planning meetings. They're not super concerned about his speech delay, particularly because he's communicating so well with signs in conjunction with simple sounds. But the fun of "Signing Time" is wearing thin. The other day when I said a new, specific word to him while scratching my cheek, he adopted the cheek scratch as the sign for the word. At least he's learning fast, I guess.

This week we're happy to be expecting a visit from Aunt Lindsey, who will join us in Easter celebrations on Sunday. I have a few toys and art supplies ready for their Easter baskets, but have to consider the quantity of candy. Last year, I waited till the very last minute and so that decision was made for me...there was so little left that anyone would want to eat! Ellis's children's choir will sing at church and I'm optimistic that he'll actually sing at this one, rather than standing up there checking out the view. Since we'll have a guest, we might do an actual Easter dinner. Typical Sunday night dinners are pretty much popcorn, cheese, and fruit or the much beloved ham and pea pasta. Ellis will likely lobby for a pavlova. We made one to take over to dinner with a family in which the mom doesn't eat gluten. Ellis was pretty smitten with the photos in the cookbook (mine didn't necessarily quite match those). So maybe we will try a chocolate one like this...goodness knows we have the eggs.