Play names

For the past couple of years I have heard the girls call each other Kel or Kelly when they are playing.  Well, it turns out they each have their own play names now.  Esther is Lily.  Lucy is Kelly.  And Isaac, since he can't talk, the girls have him named Eliza.  Don't worry, they STRONGLY believe that Eliza is a BOY name. 

Timber!

Last week I meant to catch up on my blog all week but then it was a horrible week (sickness plus the worst canker sores of my LIFE!!!) so I never got around to it.  What's new with us...  Isaac can open doors, unfortunately for me.  He can even open the fridge and since he wants to have a snack every other minute of the day it can be a challenge.  We've been slowly painting some rooms in our house.  I painted the study "safari green" while John was out of town one week (it looks better than it sounds).  Then last week we painted the kitchen a light grayish blue.  I think they both turned out great--very soothing--which is what I like to go for in my house--soothing...  Also, Esther has a new skill.  At a white elephant party once we got some old kids rollerblades--Esther now LOVES to "skate" and while she still goes pretty slow she has improved a lot since she started.  She is such a cautious person she always makes sure she has all her protective pads and helmet on too so I don't get too worried about her getting injured.  

Anyway, one other event--we helped my dad take down a massive pine tree in their yard (so the garden can get more sun).  I took lots of pics to send to my brother and sister on their missions because it was such a huge undertaking.  Here's a some pics from that day:

 First, my dad decided to cut a branch off the oak tree that might be in the way when the big pine tree fell--he cut it too close to the ladder and almost had a big fall!  John saved him by throwing up a rope to give him more leverage on the ladder.  The funniest part was even though he came close to a huge ladder accident he would not DROP his brand new chainsaw.  We first had to rescue the power tool before we helped my dad.

 After the first cut there was some technical difficulty with the chainsaw.  It took at least an hour to get it working again--my dad was NOT pleased.

 

Isaac was pretty scared of the loud chainsaw so he happily took a nap after the first branch was cut.  

 Esther had to bring her skates to show Grandma and Papa her skills and to practice!  Lucy likes to wear her crown everywhere lately.  

My brother brought my Grandpa over to watch the event.  He played the peanut gallery to a tee--he told my dad at least ten times that the blade he had was not big enough to cut down the tree.  When the chainsaw was broken he even made the remark that he hoped they didn't fix it because he didn't think his small blade would work.  At one point he even offered to hire a professional to do the job because he was so worried about the size of the chainsaw.  

 Dad making the cut with his "small" chainsaw.

 John, Jake, and our neighbor attempt to pull the tree in the direction of the yard--unfortunately the tree won...

 It fell right on the fence, but at least it didn't hit the neighbor's garage.

It took us a good few hours to haul all the branches and lumber to the street.  Esther thought it was pretty fun to use the sled to haul branches. 

 Here are the many piles that once made a tree.  We were all exhausted, scratched, and sappy by the end of the day but it was a good experience to work hard together.  I have to admit that it's pretty exciting to watch a huge tree FALL!  Not as exciting to clean it up. 

The PERKS of having two sisters!

Esther had to hold him for the picture--Isaac has a strange habit of walking as close to the camera as possible whenever he sees it. 

He was hoping to get the pink shoes on his feet too to match his lovely dress.