Late night guests

A few weeks ago, we were reminded that the scenic paradise of Wild Oak isn’t all stunning sunsets and purple mountain peaks. As I was straightening up the house around 11 pm, I spotted this making its way across my kitchen floor.

I might have thought that it would take a moment for my brain to process the absurdity of this situation, but no. I instantly knew it was a real, live snake. And I screamed. Erik, thinking it must be ‘just’ another scorpion sighting, rushed in and then we and the snake stopped frozen, staring at each other. Everyone at a loss for what do next. I tried to calculate how far away we needed to be to be out of the reptile’s striking distance, and hoped that he wouldn’t disappear into a tiny crevice that we couldn’t retrieve him from.

Thankfully we subscribe to the security service for our neighborhood, whose officers include ‘snake calls’ in their scope of duty. So we gingerly inched over to pick up the phone and call the on-duty officer, Matt.

As we waited for Matt to arrive, we caught a few photos and guessed at the young snake’s species. It’s harder to tell on such a young snake if the head has a rounded bullsnake profile or the more triangular rattlesnake one. The two species have similar markings and rattlesnakes are born without rattles. Either way I knew he couldn’t stay overnight.

Finally, Matt arrived with a snake catching stick and his small-sized snake bucket. He wasn’t sure if it was a bull snake or black-tail rattlesnake, which ticketed our guest for export to open space miles away. When he grabbed the snake with his stick, the reptile let out a loud and hair-raising ‘HIISSSS!!!!!’ but that didn’t stop Matt from stowing him in the snake bucket.

With gratitude and relief we said goodbye to Matt and the potential black tail, ‘Hissy’, so thankful that we didn’t have to drive miles in the dark with a cranky snake in the back seat.

Of course we were on high alert after Hissy’s departure, but we didn’t actually expect to see another snake indoors. Our neighbors assured us that snakes are very rare. And in the midst of normal home life, Hissy felt like a fading dream. But then, the very next evening, I was walking back to the kitchen around 11 pm and again, lying in my path, was a snake.

We called Matt and kept our eyes on Hissy’s brother while we awaited our rescuer with the special snake stick. We had researched the difference between bull snakes and rattlers, and this one’s head seemed more rounded and we didn’t see the beginnings of a rattle on his tail. The final proof was an eyeball check. Instead of getting cheek-to-cheek with our snake, we zoomed in on the photos we’d taken. Thanks to digital technology, we could firmly conclude that the round-pupiled reptile was a non-venomous bull snake (and that his sibling the previous night must have been too). Bull snakes are constrictors, valued for controlling mice populations and keeping rattlesnakes away (surprisingly, they’re able to kill rattlesnakes and protect their turf aggressively).

So after some discussion, we decided to have Matt release ‘Bully’ the bull snake in our backyard. We took extra measures to seal up the house, and are hoping that Bully will be very happy outside, protecting us from potentially plague-carrying mice and rattlesnakes alike. We haven’t seen him since but keep our eyes peeled for Bully, our automatic mousetrap.

{I didn’t want to overload our cutie-kid-themed blog with snake pics so there’s only one in this post. If you want to see more mugs and even a few videos of Hissy and Bully, click here.}

Looking forward: Halloween

Fleeing the noxious fumes of alumacoat, we took a trip to the mall earlier this week. Erik’s hard work painting the roof with sealant not only protects our house from roof leaks, it also earned L & E a ride on the mall carousel and an Auntie Anne’s pretzel! Unfortunately, I forgot our stroller and could only wrangle the kids amidst merchandise for a very limited time. But we made our single store count with this precious little outfit for the Ellabelle on end-of-summer sale. I’m thinking we might have two sailors (or one sailor and a fish?) weigh anchor here this Halloween…

Busytown Art Party, finally!

Since Luke turned three (6 months ago), I’ve wanted to throw him a Busytown party. But amidst pending moves and other busyness, we missed the window of his actual b-date and once that urgency was lost it slipped down our to-do lists. So, to make up for lost time (and spread out the kiddo chaos) we’re now planning two Busytown parties for the little man. I designed the invites last night and we delivered them this morning, so there’s no turning back now!

As you can see, the first party is just for his preschool classmates and is coming up next week. I’m a little nervous because I only know one of the kids and her mom a bit, and the rest are completely new to us. But we thought that the start of the year would be a great time to get to know the other families in his class, and I’m hoping it boosts Luke’s friendships too. When I ask him who he plays with at school, he tells me, “I didn’t play with any kids at school. I play with Eleanor at Wild Oak house because she’s my best friend.” I love their sweet sibling friendship but of course I’d be delighted for him to have lots of school friends as well.

We haven’t set a date yet for a second party for our church and family friends. It could start to get chilly pretty soon, so I think it will have to wait until our heating system reno is complete. I’m sure I’ll learn a few lessons from Busytown 1.0 to incorporate into the second release. Until then, we have plenty of Richard Scarry reading material to inspire us!

Easter time capsule

There’s still so much summer fun to recap here and the evenings are already cooling toward fall! Since I’m not sure where to pick up our summer review, why not revisit early spring with some precious pics from Easter?

The day before Easter, we enjoyed a mega-hunt with playgroup friends at the park.

Eleanor found her very first Easter eggs!

Thanks to Luke’s prior egg-hunt experience, he finished the hunt with a basket much fuller than his sister’s. Then he warmed our hearts by sharing several of his nicest eggs, including the extra-large one that he’d been most excited to find!

Mr. E. Bunny himself made an appearance at the hunt. It took all my cajoling powers to inch Luke and Eleanor close enough to receive some of his treats.

We left with two happy egg-hunters (and don’t you love their matching buckets?!).

Unrelated to their candy loot, the kids came down with a stomach bug on Saturday evening so only Erik made it to church for Easter. We brightened our quarantine with fancy dishes, a first for Luke perhaps, that added some pretty to our BRAT diet Easter breakfast.

It would take more than sickness to keep me from pulling out our bunny namecard holders…

Or forgo another egg hunt in the backyard. By the afternoon I decided that the worst of the sickness must be over and dressed the munchkins in their Easter finest. I hoped it would distract from their somewhat grumpy moods, at least in the photos.

Ella just wanted to play with her eggs.

And Luke was excited to hunt.

While a pesky sickness wasn’t part of the Easter I’d envisioned, we still were able to read the Easter story together and enjoy collecting (but no eating!) some Easter goodies. Here’s hoping we’re all healthy next year!

{More Easter pics here.}

Wild Oak: the backstory

{Our move has now become very old news, but it was such an emotional and well-photographed journey that I just can’t move on without recounting a little more of the Wild Oak tale.}

Sitting on the couch with the kids in bed, Erik and I were plagued with indecision. We had discussed the Roadrunner house so extensively that there wasn’t much left to say. We liked her and were ready to be done with house-hunting, but she had a few issues that made us uneasy.

Erik went back to his work, and I refreshed the client portal website one more time, wishing there was a magic answer lurking inside the computer. Hmmm… a new listing, but no photos. Typing the address into Google maps, I was immediately intrigued. Its backyard faced the mountains, something that none of the homes we’d looked at in our target neighborhood had offered. I zoomed in and my pulse quickened when I saw a big fenced yard with an open nature area on two sides. The property listing details were promising too. “I think this could be the one!” I squealed to Erik and we pored over the limited details together.

We drove up to the house the next morning filled with nervous excitement. Would this be the perfect ending to our house-hunting saga, or did the lack of photos conceal hideous flaws? Big flakes were still falling and everything was covered in white from a surprise snowstorm. The curtains of snow accentuated the quiet natural setting of the neighborhood, making it feel more out in the country than it had before. As Luke jumped out of the car he charmingly exclaimed, “These trees smell good!” We all loved the fresh pine tree scented air and the magical arch they form over the path to the entry.

Our realtor was delayed by the storm, so we explored the snow-blanketed property until she arrived. Approaching the front door from the other side of the driveway, we loved the casual hacienda feel and the covered porch that beckoned as a dry and cozy refuge. Eleanor, too new to walking to trudge through snow, ran back and forth on the porch, giddy with everyone’s excitement.

Looking over the gate into the backyard had a Narnian feel. Particularly since it was early April and only a few days prior the weather had been quite warm.

Our anticipated mountain views were completely hidden by the falling snow, but knowing that not too far away soared rock-faced mountains added to the magic.

We loved all the established shrubs and trees throughout the property, and this just-starting-to-bloom crabapple may have sealed the deal for me.

She sits right in front of the living room window, and I could imagine myself anticipating her spectacular display all winter long.

When our realtor arrived and we went inside, we’d had so much time to peek through windows that instead of feeling unfamiliar, we happily showed her around as if the house was an old friend’s. After the frigid temps outside it felt especially cozy, and the sparse furniture left by the seller gave plenty of space for us to imagine our things in the home.

Typically when we viewed homes we left Luke and Eleanor with a babysitter or traded off running in so we could leave the kids in the car. But they came with us on this spur-of-the-moment viewing, and their laughter made the perfect soundtrack as they charged through the rooms together.

It was love at first sight, so without even seeing the home’s initial enticement –the mountain views – we placed an offer. Later that afternoon we returned on our own while we anxiously waited to hear back from the seller. With melting snow and better winter gear, Luke and Eleanor raced along the side of the house under the gorgeously twisted wisteria vines.

The mountains were peeking out under the clouds and we could see the nature preserve exquisitely dressed in snow. I noticed a dog running along just beyond the fence and wondered where its owner was. Then it struck me that he wasn’t running like a pet, more like a wild animal. A wolf, I thought! Shocked and awed for just a millisecond, my next thought went to Luke – who had slipped around the corner out of sight. “Erik!” I yelled, “Where’s Luke? There’s a wolf!!!” We dashed around the corner fearing that the rest of the pack was circling our son.

Thankfully we soon found Luke, and once our fear for his safety subsided, we were left with the thrill of seeing such a majestic animal. For several days I clung to my wolf identification, because the animal looked so similar to the wolves at the zoo, but eventually I was convinced that it must have been a coyote since wolves don’t live in this area. Of course we weren’t able to snap a photo amidst the missing child drama, but both Erik and I got a good look at him striding through the snow back here. 

The sighting inspired us to want to build a little lookout stand in the back of the yard so we could watch for wildlife with our munchkins. It could be a family ritual akin to Owl Moon, a favorite storybook of Luke’s.

We gave names to most of the houses that we seriously considered buying, and the surprise snowstorm, woodsy smells, and ‘wolf’ sparked this home’s name – Wild Oak!

Her wild magic didn’t disappoint when we returned several weeks later, keys in hand, as her brand-new owners. Another passionate storm had just set in, this time covering the ground in hail. Driving up, the piles of hailstones almost looked like flower petals, and the drumming on the windows seemed to herald our arrival.

We ordered pizza, unloaded Solveig – all toys, since Luke was quite worried they’d be left at our old house – and ate dinner on the floor in Wild Oak listening to thunder and lightning from the retreating storm.

As Luke held Eleanor’s hand to help her on the step, we were struck again by what a perfect place this is to raise our wild little pair!

Luke the backhoe operator

When we moved the rest of our furniture in a few weeks ago Luke told Erik, “Thank you for making it the perfect house. It’s so pretty I can hardly even believe it!” Well, much of our boy’s boundless home enthusiasm is traceable to a certain star-crossed day in May. The previous owner agreed to put in a new septic system for us and slated the job for the morning of the house closing. We’d spoken with the contractor and he welcomed Erik to come see the system as it was getting put in the ground. So amidst the flurry of packing and closing arrangements, Erik and Luke drove up to Wild Oak, not sure if they’d catch the septic crew or not.

When they arrived, the crew was hard at work with the side yard all dug up. There were mounds of dirt everywhere, big trenches, and a shining yellow backhoe. During the lull while the crew waited for the inspector to arrive, Erik inspected the septic system while Luke climbed atop dirt piles, explored trenches, and marveled at the big machines. Once the inspector gave his okay, it was time to fill the trenches and cover the tank.

But before the backfilling began, Rafael asked Luke if he’d give him a hand with operating the backhoe. Luke was a little hesitant at first, but once he realized that the levers moved the hoe, he started pushing them back and forth with gusto!

Judging by the jerky swinging of the hoe Luke could use a little more practice, something the foreman noticed while he was talking with Erik. He suddenly called out, “Watch out for the gas line!” Rafael had things under control though, and Luke’s time at the wheel was free from disasters of any kind.

What better moving enthusiasm boost could there be for a three-year-old vehicle-loving boy!?!

Luke the bedtime singer

Luke’s bedtime can bring trying power struggles, outlandish childhood fears, and priceless memories. Luke asks a string of questions each night as Erik sings him a few hymns before bed, such as “what inheritance mean?”, “why Jesus fight?”, and “where Jesus?” It’s a precious time to talk to Luke about these things and let him think them through for himself. Luke’s longstanding favorite song is Be Thou My Vision, and he sings it so adorably. A more recent popular request is the old hymn What Wondrous Love in its restful minor key. Tonight a new favorite arose, for Luke and his parents.

Luke: “My song about sinking down, Jesus save us – but different from song you sing Daddy.”

Luke sings: “Jesus died on cross for our sins and I was sinking down and Jesus save us… [pause]… from bumblebees… with big stingers… so we no need to be afraid.”

Luke: “Daddy you know that song?”

Erik: “No, Luke, I don’t know that one. But it’s a very nice song.”

Luke: “Yeah. That my favorite song.”

We love your songs too, Luke!