Fairy Doors Appear on Calvert Avenue

Last week while Gavin was in school and Anna & I were grocery shopping fairies have appeared to taken up residence in our little home on Calvert Avenue. Much to our surprise there were two fairy doors in Gavin and Anna Mae's room. Now you may be asking yourself, "A fairy door? What is a fairy door?". Well, Jonathon Wright, a storyteller and illustrator from Ann Arbor, Michigan believes that Urban Fairies "were living in nature but have been displaced by urban sprawl". We are so fortunate to have been chosen by two fairies looking for a new home in Clinton, South Carolina! Gavin's fairy looks as if he may be a part of fighting evil and working for the good of the universe. While Anna Mae's fairy is closely connected to Klonnie kitty and seems to be able to communicate through her stuffed animals. Apparently one can leave little trinkets, gifts, candy and coins for the fairies to let them know how pleased you are that they have come to live with you. The first morning after the doors appeared Gavin promptly got up and looked under his pillow for a possible gift that his fairy might have left, but no such luck. Anna Mae prefers to invite her fairy to sleep with her at every nap time and bedtime. These wee folk and their doors have brought a bit of joy to Calvert Avenue. We are always on the lookout for a fairyspotting. They are elusive little creatures. Most all your questions and some you never thought of can be answered by Jonathon Wright an expert in Urban Fairy behavior, known to many as a non-certified fairyologist. Happy fairy hunting!

First Day of School

Gavin started Second Grade this year in a new school as most of you know. I was very emotional the morning after dropping him off. Anna couldn't understand why mama was crying. It not only was a new school for him but new fears for me. The "what ifs" flew through my head. His teacher and her teaching style seem to be very different from CFI's and I wasn't "feeling the love" when I met her. It seems like Mrs. D's discipline style is very strict and could pose a problem for our easily distractable Gavin. Already last week I got a call from the teacher because he forgot (I forgot) to bring some books back to school. He had to write a page of "I must bring my books back to school" and it counted as an "infraction" which affected his recess time. Deep breathing and prayers are needed on my part and probably Gavin's too. On the brighter side, he has made a friend or two and seems to like the kids. We hope this is a good year for him.

Look Mama, the beach!

Make a Smilebox postcard

This past Sunday we explored a State historic site near Clinton where a Revolutionary War battle was fought. We hiked a trail, had a picnic lunch and fended off horse flies. All in all it seemed like a bust. But then we were told by the park ranger to check out Horseshoe Falls up the road. We decided to check it out and were so glad we did because Anna finally got her day at the beach. She was so excited when she saw the sandbar at the side of the river. She really believed she was at the beach and was very upset we had forgotten the beach ball. Gavin preferred to explore the dry parts of the Falls initially but warmed up to splashing in the water too. Wet clothes and all it was heart warming to see them in full childhood joy.

We here!

Tried to capture the mound of boxes in this little house but the camera couldn't translate it. So then the kids decided to become little models. Here they are standing by a stack of stuff, including a halloween headstone, hmmm, irony?

Later on that day as they got more and more wound up their real character began to emerge though. As did ours too. No irony...really, none at all.

Wilma

Some of you know about the polydactal kitty, Wilma, who desperately wanted to go with us to South Carolina. Well, the week we were moving her owner brought over the kitty carrier and asked us to catch her since she had managed to escape him many times over. We let her in the house and it was like she sighed and said "Ahh, home at last". She went into Gavin's room and jumped up on his bed and proceeded to clean herself. This is the only decent pic I got of her with Gavin. Sweet Gavin cried when we put her in the carrier to take her to the neighbor's. I think we all shed a tear or two over this friendly feline.

Moving Day...

Well the day finally arrived when the moving truck showed up in our drive way. Everything was boxed up and ready to go...

The movers were very professional and made quick work of loading our "stuff" that took so long for us to pack...


There they go, off to South Carolina...well, really to a warehouse on the westside of Indianapolis waiting for a truck to take it to South Carolina...

Fried Pepsi anyone?

Marci, the kid's second mama, has an Indiana State Fair tradition that she was not willing to see come to an end quite yet. For the past 7 years since she has taken care of our children, a trip to the State Fair was always part of the summer fun. Many years she would take as many as seven children to this end of summer tradition. Just because we were moving didn't mean our kids were going to miss out on the fair. So the Wednesday before the movers came Marci took Gavin and Anna Mae to the State Fair. I tagged along for a couple of hours but had to get back to packing. Here's a pic to commemorate not only this State Fair tradition but the loving relationship this amazing woman has with our kids. We are so blessed to have the Harris family as part of our family...and some might say we're blessed to have so many fried foods to choose from at the State Fair. Fried Pepsi anyone?