It feels good that we've been doing a lot of impromptu fun things with the family. Last summer was weird. I was getting out a lot but my motivation for doing things together as a family was at a low. This summer I'm battling it out and I'm trying to make it a priority to embrace the opportunities put before us. We decided on Friday night to head out the next morning to a Civil War reenactment about an hour away from us. It's at the same place we went to for the Fourth. And while reenacted battles and the loud loud loud cannons and guns were not necessarily my cup of tea (I'd much prefer to watch them churn the butter and work the loom, thanks), you can guess how the boys felt about it.
I didn't get many shots of the actual battle because hands full on Ben and Luke duty. Little ones and loud noises and all. I was holding one ear against my chest with my palm against his other ear and he was perfect. He even fell asleep in the middle of both of the battles. Luke was responsible for his own ears.
It was hot. But worth it for the memories, for the boys soaking it all in, and for making history, a subject I struggle with so much, come alive.
{pretty}
I love that the reenactors legit camp out in these tents, cook and eat outside, and live the life for a weekend.
{funny}
About fifteen minutes after we got home this happened:
About fifteen minutes after we got home this happened:
My favorite part is that David was "wounded" and had to be dragged back to the tent.
And Luke's face.
{happy}
At the beginning of summer we had a family of purple martins decide to make our window frame their home! I feel so lucky because usually people have to put up fancy tall martin houses to attract them. They're great to have because they swoop around all day long eating bugs almost exactly like bats but WITHOUT BEING BATS. I love to watch them going back and forth and there are a ton. Unfortunately, there are still lots of mosquitoes out there because of the wet June but I guess they'd be even worse if our little martin family wasn't there.
Last week I noticed that they had babies! They were so sweet and they're already huge and I *think* may have taken flight? Or that's them up there. I can't really tell because they won't let me get too close. They're nest is now huge over the window and goes all the way along the width. I'm nervous it might begin to pull the eave (that's what that is, right?) away from the house. You can thank me for not showing you the porch floor underneath. Ew. But at least those floors are slated for replacement real soon ;)
{real}
This one. Two months yesterday. For real.
And way too squirmy for stellar photography. But that doesn't keep me from trying.
He loves to hang out in his muscle baby gun pose.
But fuzzy photos are the price to pay, I suppose, for this kind of happy squirminess.
Doing the {phfr} thing with Like Mother, Like Daughter…we're headed off soon for some more summering - a baseball game and downtown exploring! Have a happy Thursday!
Love the civil war reenactment. A friend of mine (who homeschools) was very active in participating in similar reenactments and camping out with her kids.
ReplyDeleteWow! Those reenactments look great! I've never seen anything like that before, I bet your boys loved it!
ReplyDeleteI was curious about those cloth diapers and clasps you're using... They look simple and possibly inexpensive? I've been wanting to do cloth, but the prices seem really high to me. I know you save in the long run, but I just haven't been able to afford the upfront price.
Hey Kari, if you do simple prefolds (the "old fashioned" kind) and covers, you can save a lot of money. I think I got the smaller size from Green Mountain Diapers? Not sure, though. It was a while ago! To get a good amount of diapers and a few covers you could spend $50-75? It depends on how often you want to wash, of course. That would last you until you needed the next size up. I can probably use this size until 4-5 months. The best part is they're sturdy enough to last through several babies. The clasp is called a snappi and they are great. So much better than pins! I do have the fancier all-in-one diapers, too (I use Bumgenius), because they can hold more. So I use those at night or when we're out for a while. Let me know if you want more info and I'd be happy to help!
DeleteOh that's not too bad. Someone I know was a salesperson for something like Bumgenius, and she told me to diaper two children it would cost around $500 for everything!!! I thought that was very expensive. She said most people used their income tax money to get started.
DeleteYeah, it can definitely cost that much if you get the fanciest types. But it all depends on what kind of diapers you end up going with. There are so many options now it can get overwhelming. But if you go simple like the kind our grandmas and moms used (at least my mom..I'm older ;), you definitely don't need to spend anywhere near that. The pocket or all-in-one diapers I've gotten have always been factory seconds or from sales so that helps, too.
DeleteBut surely to buy cloth diapers for two children costs the same as for one child?
DeleteI have seen two different sizes of prefolds. You don't use the small size for very long, seems to me. The wonderful thing about prefolds is that you can use one or two and you can use one in addition to one of the fancy ones like Bumgenius.
Cloth diapers are durable. They'll last through several children. So a lot of parents buy cloth diapers on eBay. Wash them before you use them, and you're all set; they're just about as good as new.
Also, from what I can tell by watching my daughter's five children and their diapers, diaper covers with snaps last longer than those with velcro. But that might be just that her kids try really hard to Do All The Things, including taking off velcro'd diapers.
The prefolds definitely last longer than the pockets which is nice. Some of my pocket diapers didn't last through more than one baby but part of that was I was often drying them in the dryer and I got the velcro. I get snaps now, for that very reason and am hoping they last longer! The velcro wears quickly and it's nitpicky to replace. Plus they stick together in the wash. I think BG has improved their elastic now, too, from the original ones I bought years ago. I've replaced it on some of mine myself and it's not that hard.
DeleteThat baby! What a cute little morsel! I love his smile!
ReplyDeleteOkay I always thought Civil War reenacting looked kind of lame but this seriously looks awesome - maybe because I've gotten older and lamer? The whole "living history" thing really is incredible. We live near a ton of battlefields, one of these days we'll have to get out to see the reenactors!
ReplyDeleteAnd those baby guns :) Love :)