TreasuresInTerraCotta

The weatherman said it would be about 80 degrees in Willcox today. An hour later we were in the car headed to Apple Annie's . It was almost deserted, so I got some great pictures of the orchards and my kids. Being in an orchard is charming. We had beautiful, cool, breezy, overcast weather and we came home with gala apples, peaches and Asian pears. The boys wandered around sampling our produce! I made a peach cobbler tonight! Tomorrow may be apple crisp day.

Later in the day Calvin decided he wanted to finish melting our crayons. I asked him why he was so sad before and all he could say was that he didn't want the crayons broken or melted. And he got kinda mad at me about asking, so I think he was embarrassed. I just can't pass up the image, as simplistic as it may be. But this whole process is like a little picture of life on this imperfect earth. Sometimes we are left broken and stripped clean. Used up and hardly good for anything. Forgotten at the bottom of the crayon bucket. And then something happens for reasons inexplicable to us. We are set apart. Plucked out of the lint at the bottom of the bucket. Gathered together with other brokenness, perhaps. And then, and then!, the heat is turned up. But I don't want to be broken! But I don't want to be melted! The sorrow and the sadness overwhelm us. Stop, we plead. Take us out of here. I don't want to be melted. But the process has already started. Our hear...

We decided to use some broken crayons to make new heart-shaped crayon concoctions. I enjoyed planning color combinations. Calvin enjoyed breaking the crayons and picking at the paper. Isn't it pretty? Excitedly we put the tray into the oven and I turned on the light so Calvin could watch. "Mama, I don't want them to melt," I heard from the other room. And I could hear it in his voice. Great sadness and tears that were on the way. I raced to the kitchen and sat straight down on the floor and grabbed Calvin at about the same time his emotions got the better of him and he started sobbing. Sobbing? Yes. Hot tears and real sadness and big sobs. "Take them out. I don't want them to melt." "Why?" my rational brain and mouth said. "I don't want them to melt." "But why?" I asked. I prayed a silent prayer. "What is this, God? It's strange and irrational. Should I just take them out of the oven?" Yes! ...

My baby is 22 months old today. And it's getting really fun now! I've always thought that ~16-20 months was the hardest age. The kids are still wonderful and lovable, but they are also mobile and inquisitive and lacking self-control which, for me, makes it a difficult age. But as we head on toward 2 I love the increased communication, the emerging personality, the sure footedness, the comprehension, the independence and on and on. I have used sign language with both my boys and Andrew has really surprised me with what he knows and how he uses it. A few weeks ago at church a baby was sitting in a carrier in front of us. Andrew loves babies and repeatedly signed "baby." Pretty soon he was signing "sleep" and I asked if he was sleepy. Then he signed "baby" + "sleep." Sure enough, the baby in front of us was asleep. He signs "please" and "thank you" and "your turn." He signs "boat" and "...

We finally did a little garden clean-up leaving behind basil, oregano, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, two pruned back tomatoes and pumpkins. I also have a secret tomato garden with about five Early Girl tomatoes. The peppers are all very happy right now. I think they like the slightly cooler and more humid monsoon type weather we've been having since mid-July. A pumpkin flower. Did you know that the first flowers to set on a pumpkin plant are all male flowers? Neither did I! I still haven't seen any female flowers, but I'm watching my sad little vines with great hope. In the bare patches of the garden we planted carrot seeds, bush beans and more pumpkin seeds. Yesterday I had some very yummy beets straight from my aunt's garden (boiled and sliced), so I'm headed to the store this week to get some seeds for beets. I guess August is an uncommon time to start new crops, but here in sunny Southern Arizona we still have about three months of a growing-season, so ...

Our last Tingle family picture (that is, my dad, my step-mom Barb and my three sisters + families) was about 7 years ago. It was time for an update. No one selected this shot, but it's pretty good don't you think? You'll have to visit one of our houses to see the ones we chose. And how about these cute kids, looking a lot like themselves. It was worth adjusting the kid's naps. It was worth the extra drive. It was worth a trip to the mall (at least we didn't plan it at Christmas). It was worth the craziness of 13 people in one studio. It was mostly easy, but it really was worth the effort! Do you have family pictures taken regularly? With how much extended family? Do you use a professional or take snapshots?