Da Mama Might Be Sick, But Picture Taking Continues

While the Daddy is Away, the Hippies Shall Play

YerTheBestDaddy is away for the weekend with the boys, riding their mountain bikes up north, and so the girls here in the south have gone WILD. I've always cultivated dreams of becoming a commune dwelling hippy, and short of doing that, at least I can let the children run around without their shoes on in the forest and then play in mud holes.


There is absolutely nothing in the world wrong with playing in a good mud hole every now and again, especially on a warm day in late summer. It rained for quite a bit of the night last night and continued until early this afternoon. After visiting with friends for coffee and play, we set off to a park near the lake with the purpose of finding a stone (had to be magical) to use as our base for stone soup. We tromped through the wooded park and pulled just the right stone out of the water, then went for the above referenced shoeless hike. That was fun for about the first ten minutes, but then our feet started to hurt (of course) and I ended up carrying Iris on my back. We still had fun though, with Bella setting a brave lead down the path.
Back at the parking lot, the girls proceeded to get muddy from head to toe while having the time of their lives. They would run across the parking lot while shouting "Cannonball!" and then jump with great drama into the various puddles. They also spent a great deal of time constructing mud pies and a mud wall.
It was straight to the bathtub with them upon our return home. Bella later put the magical stone into the soup and it smells delicious from here.

A little people city now waits my construction. I wonder sometimes if other children expect their parents to play pretend with them all the time? Did I cause this or is it just due to the personalities of my children? It seems like my imagination was depleted as a child or something, because I just don't have the energy for playing pretend any more. I'd rather be in the background cooking and cleaning, and maybe having time to myself, while they play, instead of being a "guy" along with them. But just now as I type these words, Bella has left the room crying because I told her to play with her sister instead of standing over my shoulder every second. It's hard to balance this crew sometimes.

Iris just asked, "Bella, why are you crying?". Apparently even hippies cry sometimes. We miss the daddy.

Back to School Week in Review

By Da Mama

This back to school week went pretty dern well. After starting out as a nervous birds, Bella (and her mommy) quickly settled calmly into the new routine. Daddy and Iris kept doing what they do and by the end of the week we are all back in a good rhythm.

1st Day Jitters / Pride

Bella loves her new teacher, the classroom pets (although "Fluffy" the hamster is under the weather - we think he is allergic to 1st graders), and she has a new best friend already. Now that she is back to acting like her normal self, it's clear how nervous Bella was leading into this new school year. We are relieved so see her settled so quickly and to have our happy little yippy yapping sprite back in action.

Todd has some flexibility in his work schedule with the new job and so he goes to work early every Wednesday and can pick Bella up right from school and then Iris early from daycare that day at 3:00pm. I do the same on Thursday and Friday - so that leaves just two "long" days each school week for the girls (Bella takes a bus to daycare on Mo & Tu) and the family - a pretty good balance for us. That extra 2 hours in the afternoon of at least one adult home with the kids to unwind and start dinner makes all the difference.

Grandma Susan visited for the day today. She's doing okay, but grieving after the death of her long time friend and companion, Floyd the cat, but we hope a day with the Grand kids cheered her up. She had special time with Iris Ruthie - playing at McDonalds and then at home, then the rest of the girls came home for the afternoon.

Swinging Beauty

After Grandma left, the girls helped me make dinner and then I took some fun photos of Iris on the swing. She knows how to "pump" herself - learned from her big sister - and she loves to be out on the swing, flying through the wind. Bella finally overcame her fear of the bees in our backyard and was outside playing quite a bit. We even managed to eat dinner outside on the back deck and she was proud of being brave - at least until a couple of aggressive bees sent us all back inside. We walked into town for ice cream and a little playing in the park this evening. Ruthie could barely keep her eyes open on the way back and wanted to "get into bed to warm up" before putting on jammies and brushing her teeth.

Much love to you all!

Angel Iris Art

With Fond Memories

Floyd Arnold Daydif

April 1992- September 2008

Floyd Arnold Daydif of Antioch, Illinois and Fountain Hills, Arizona, lived a long and happy life. As a young boy he loved to hunt chipmunks and dash about the house. He also loved to eat. Once he stole an entire chicken kabob off the kitchen counter which was later discovered upstairs under his bed. He loved his mother and would wait at the top of the stairs for her to come home at night. When she left for college he settled in and became the “main man” for his grandmother Susan. He was her “watch cat” and would jump off his bed and run down the stairs to greet her when he heard the car pull into the drive way. In his retirement years he enjoyed the puffy leather sofa in his Arizona home, and biting the feet of his dog friend and aunt, Abi. He was always a gentleman (well almost always!) and a friend. He was incredibly loved and will be greatly missed. He was a very precious boy-boy. He is survived by his devoted grandmother, Susan Daydif, poppy, Bruce Daydif, his Aunt Abigail, his mother, Alexandra Arnold and brothers Simon and Elliott, his Uncle Daddy, Todd Heal, Auntie Mother, Rachael Heal, cousins, Bella, Iris, and Jordan Heal, and his faithful friend Geneen Hoetzer. He is proceeded in death by his cousins, KC and Chris Heal.

“For all forest creatures are mine already, the animals on the mountains in their thousands. I know every bird in the air, whatever moves in the fields is mine. Psalm 50:10-11.

Iris Says

On our way to Taste of Madison this year, we each listed the yummy things we would like to eat. Iris said:

"I wanna eat. . . hmmm. . . what's the word for chopped up cow. . . bugger?"

Only from the mouth of the daughter of a vegetarian! I am soooo proud.

'Twas the Night Before First Grade

By Da Mama

'Twas the night before first grade and all through the house, every creature was stirring, even the mouse.

We're just off a long holiday weekend of playing, organizing, cleaning, and otherwise spending time with one another - all in preparation for the back to school routine.

Bella is nervous about starting first grade because she thinks it will be "hard". She has been looking for more reassurances from mommy and daddy than normal. It was good that we spent so much time together this weekend, but also might make the morning harder tomorrow. We'll see, though. Already, Bella has said that she does not want daddy to walk her inside the school and only relented on this point when she learned the other kids would also have their parents walk them in on this first day at least. She is most excited about "Fluffy" the room gerbil, a creature who looked utterly terrified on back to school night.

I am feeling homesick tonight. I always get this feeling right before a transition. Not that we are going anywhere, but home to me is not just space,but also time. Another time in our life has passed - the innocence of the first year of kindergarten behind us and summer behind us and a whole new group of kids, new teacher, new activities, new time ahead. The butterflies in my tummy are a'flappin tonight for certain.

Here are some photos from the last week or so:
Bella and Grandma Susan - one of them more excited than the other to have her photo taken yet again.

Bella had a friend sleep over this weekend for the first time ever. She and Sophia have known one another since they were twelve weeks old. The went to the beach, ate pizza and watermelon for dinner, watched Return of the Jedi, made melting bead animals, then "went to bed", then giggled for one hour before they both passed out.

Iris stamping and coloring - a very serious artist.

Bella's mango colored tongue at Taste of Madison.

Staying cool in the shade on a hot day in Madison.