Little Boy Heaven

The only trouble with afternoon kindergarten in our new house, is that there's a very real possibility of getting super dirty before school. It's pretty common for a sparkling clean boy to come home looking like this:

Yes. This happened all in one morning between breakfast and time for school. (And yes that's blood, but he didn't seem to notice or care.)

About a half hour before school I have to start Luke (and usually Aaron too) on his trek home. I start by asking Owen, where's Luke. Owen isn't quite big enough to go exploring with his brothers. And to be honest, he's happier staying close to his food source--me and the kitchen.

Owen, where's Luke and Aaron?

Yep, sure enough there they are. I can see them across the neighbor's lower backyard. Can you?

Look just below the palm tree in the center of the picture. There's a little bit of a clearing behind him. Aaron is hidden by the fence. They can hear me call and they start home.

A few minutes later I can see them way down below, at the bottom of the ravine below our stairs. The neighbor kids refer to our house as "the one with the stairs" and so we are the "stair house family."

A few minutes later they have made it up the first set of stairs.

Still climbing . . . I love those stairs at bedtime! They are so tired!

Yes, they are feeling it. Fatigue.


But they made it home. And they are ready to sit at a desk or in a car seat or chair for a while. Believe me though, they are ready for more after lunch!

Upon their return I hear all about their sightings. Snails, lizards, rolly-polely bugs, worms, various other bugs, garden snakes, squirrels, or a rabbit.

Our neighbor Jim built his house in 1968. He told me about the animals he's seen in the ravine--possums, raccoons, rats, and mice, mostly. Every once and a while a coyote comes through (usually at night or early morning--Mike and the dogs met one on an early walk) and in the summer sometimes a rattle snake. So we've had some safety talks about what to look for and what to do, but that just adds to their adventure. I don't worry too much because this big valley is surrounded by city, houses and highways. Its our own little oasis of heaven.