In Case You Were Wondering

Just a quick note about the fires and smoke here in Northern California and how they are effecting the Hinton Huddle.

There aren't any fires that put us or anyone we know in immediate danger, however there is a very large fire burning just over the hill from where Steve works. If you stand in the right spot they can see the flames and Steve speculated that they might need to be evacuated, but that hasn't happened. They have contained the fire enough to keep it from heading toward the dairy plant, although it is not out yet and still causing problems. The smoke from that fire and several others has drifted to Sacramento with no sign of blowing over until possibly the weekend. If you have been to our home, you may remember that you can stand in the front yard and see the buildings of downtown, as they are only 1.5 miles away. Today, and for several days now, not only can you not see downtown, but the trees 500 yards away are foggy. There is no sunshine, and no moonlight. The air has a faint smell of burning leaves, and everyone has been advised to stay indoors.

We have not made our trip to the park, although we're not really worried about the air effecting us severely. Steve and I did take the kids to the movies on Wednesday morning which was a good out-of-the-house alternative to the playground. I did go out for a walk this morning, and yesterday as well, and felt no different than I usually do and the girls haven't complained about anything smoke related other than Sarah Jane saying that it looked like rain was coming. We do know a few people with pulmonary illnesses that are suffering, but the Huddle is all good.

Just in case you were wondering.

Yours'till Donald Trump says "you're fired!" to Smokey the Bear.

My First Nothing...

When I resurrected this blog I promised to write often, even if I had noting to say. Consider this my first post of Nothingness.

Our weekend was boring, most of it spent at home in the wonderful air conditioning. Sydney Joy hasn't been feeling well, and while I'm fairly convinced it's the side effects of growing new teeth (2 of them) it has made her feverish, floppy, and really quite crabby. (Is there a synonym for Crabby that starts with an F?) So much so that we didn't even go to church yesterday.

Our week ahead has few prospects of being anything more than mundane, and while I'm planning a trip to the park, and maybe an outing to the movie theatre, I am looking forward to not having much to do.
Plans for our trip back to the good 'ol Midwest are well under way. Steve is in charge of navigation (with the help of our new GPS) including an overnight stop in Yellowstone. He has been pouring over books, maps, printouts, and magazines in the attempt to find the most efficient route, while including sightseeing opportunities interesting enough for an average age of 4 years old. And while he is working on that end, I am busy making lists of what to pack, how to pack, and when to pack. Planning a cross county road trip with 3 little girls is quite the undertaking and requires more planning than, well I'm not sure what, but some kind of highly thought out military advancement. Throw in that my Grandma Hetrick's health is not good and that if the need arises we could be leaving earlier than planned and at short notice, and it all seems slightly overwhelming. But never fear, I have my lists, and if needed we can wait until our drive back to hit Yellowstone. So I guess we have every thing under control, even though it may not look like it.

So that is the nothing that I guess is really something.

Yours 'till the latest summer fashion is TupperWare.

Well, we've had a pretty successful past few days. We've packed picnics twice and spent time at both the fountain park and another nice playground located in downtown Sacramento. We have been working as a family in our back yard, which is slowly becoming less of a jungle and more of a functional play area. There are still several hazards that prevent us from letting the girls run free, but it is our goal to have it clean, safe, and maybe even in the beginning stages of landscaping by Fall. It has been neglected for a few years now, and so we have our work cut out for us, but everyone is excited about it being usable space soon and so we inch our way forward, a little bit each week. Steve and I are looking forward to having a place to garden and spend time together, and a place for the kids to play without the threat of large scary dogs. (The 10 Pit Bulls next door- 3 adult, 7 puppy- have been decreased to 5! But more on that at another time)
Speaking of dogs- the girls' only motivation for helping the in the yard is to get themselves a new puppy. Sarah Jane and Sadie Lynn have been asking, no begging, for a dog for about a year now, and we have put them off with the excuse that we don't have a yard for a dog to run and play in. It was Sarah Jane's idea to get started on the backyard, and she wouldn't give up until we went out and got to work. So, Steve and I now have approximately 3 months to come up with another excuse for not getting a puppy. Although, I have a sneaking suspicion that good 'ol Dad will cave in before then and get his little babies a baby of their own. As the yard gets cleared, the girls get excited, and Steve gets softer in his stance on NO DOGS. I can see it coming...Oy vey, I'm in trouble!

Yours 'till my girls will settle for a Corn Dog.

In Full Swing

Summer vacation is in full swing and I am asking but one question...

IS IT TIME FOR SCHOOL TO START YET?

It is light outside for so long right now that even when I put the girls to bed at 8:30 (an hour past their normal bedtime) they stay awake and talk and giggle and play until at least 9:30, sometimes later. And while this isn't a big deal with no school in the morning, one would think that it would provide for extra hours of sleep in the morning. Yeah, not so much. All three have been up by 6:30am everyday.
Perhaps part of our problem is that we haven't had any structured activities to help get out the enormous amount of energy cooped up within those little bodies. I guess we need to make more trips to the park, have more picnic lunches, and spend more time running through the nearby water fountains. These activities would also provide distraction from what seems like the constant bickering between the two oldest. If that can't be stopped, or at least cut back by one or two major disagreements everyday, I may go insane by August.
A couple of days have been spent working together to clean and organize their bedroom and playroom. Now that these tasks are done and with space to play and the ability to find the toys they are looking for, they have been able to play nicely with each other for longer periods of time. However, it is only the third weekday into summer vacation and they've both spent time separated from the other and without TV privileges for an entire day. We need to find fun things to do where they are too busy to get angry with their sister.
This summer will be a challenge, but all of us are up to the task-I hope. I'll keep you updated on our outings and activities, and if you have any ideas, let me know!

Yours 'till the kitchen sinks

that's my girl

This morning was Sarah Jane's Award Ceremony at school. The first grade teachers passed out certificates in the following categories; Honor Roll, Attendance, Citizenship, and Most Improved.

Our little academic achiever came home with three awards. She had Perfect Attendance, Excellent Citizenship, and not only made the Honor Roll but has her name on the PRINCIPAL'S HONOR ROLL, which means that she is above grade level in both math and language arts.

YOU GO GIRL!!!

We're very proud, as I'm sure you are. Feel free to post a Congratulations comment on this blog and I'll have her read them. I'm sure she would appreciate the encouragement.

Yours 'till you can butter your honor roll.

Stop being so rash!

So, we took a trip to the pediatrician's office today. I made the appointment after speaking to an advice nurse about a rash both Sarah Jane and Sydney Joy had. The "rash" was really just small red blotches, not raised or itchy, but I wasn't sure what else to call it. Sarah Jane had been sent home early from school last Thursday with red arms, but it had pretty much disappeared by today, however, Sydney Joy's appeared on Sunday and hadn't really gone away at all yet.

After a quick examination by one of our wonderful physicians, it was determined that both girls have (or had, in Sarah Jane's case) Fifth Disease. It's just a virus that sometimes only shows up as red, lacy patterned blotches on the skin. Otherwise perfectly healthy, just a little lobster-esque at the moment. It's only contagious before the blotches appear so either Sadie Lynn has avoided it or she is carrying it right now and we will- have no idea until she turns color. Time will be the tell.

That's what is happening here.

Yours 'till you can plead the Fifth on the tennis court.