Wilson finds it hard to accept that the other kids have more Christmas ornaments than he does.  "But Wilson, that's just because we've been alive for more Christmases than you have."  Right, they're older.  That's how it is with everything.  When you're little, the big kids stink.  We broke out the math and explained that it's not a personal problem, it's just a matter of Time.

As I tucked him in to bed, he asked, "How many Christmases have there been in the whole world?"
Honestly, it took me a second to know how to answer.  (Oops.)  "Two thousand twelve."  I don't suppose people started annual celebrations right off, but this was a great opportunity to point out that the birth of Christ was a historically significant event.

Saturday:  Bri and I had bantered about the race to get the shower first in the morning.  Long before the alarm clock made a peep, I woke to the sound of water running through the pipes -- Mari beat us both to the punch (but she was kind enough to leave plenty of hot water for the rest of us).  Thanks to our careful planning and teamwork, we weren't rushed.  We even had some time for leisurely loitering -- and were ready to hit the road as soon as Kirby brought the boys home from their football game.

Because we left so suddenly, the boys missed their End of the Season Party at the Donut House.  Kirby accepted their trophies in their absence, and got video of Coach Dan singing their praises, but they missed the PARTY.  To sweeten the deal, I got donuts for the ride.  (We waited to change them into their spiffy duds 'til the donuts were gone, 'cause we're smart like that.)

The road construction on I-90 wasn't nearly as bad as I expected.  Yes, the speed limit was reduced to 35 mph for nearly 20 miles, but they weren't actually working, so there were no actual stops.  We took the Back Road through Hot Springs.
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We thought they'd have to hold the wedding for us.  Turns out, we were half an hour early.  Plenty of time for hugs and "You're here!"s...

The wedding was very informal.  In a barn.  I mean, they took out the animals.  There was no manure.  No, really, it was very clean.  In fact, I think the barn is primarily used for weddings and receptions these days.  I certainly didn't see any displaced cows.  At any rate, a very cozy venue.  (Ten points to the decorator who thought to use metal pails as light fixtures.)  To be brutal, I think we could have made it a zillion times cooler at a quarter the cost, but the bottom line is: they're married.  I enjoyed a nice visit with Phil and Kathy, got to meet David's wife and daughter...  My kids made up the bulk of the dancing crowd.
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I don't know if the other guests were intimidated by their skills, or if they wanted a little more alcoholic encouragement (or, whaddyacallit, liquid confidence?), but it was pretty much a Gilge show on the dance floor.  We were among the last guests to leave, but still made it to Mom and Dad's by 10ish.

Sunday:  Nicole left early.  I think she was not in the best of moods.  The rest of us just hung out, as we are wont to do at Mom's house.  Gramma Betty skipped the sermon at church (*gasp* scandal! but she already knows that stuff) and came up to spend the day with us.  Short Bridge 'til Ang and Rikke had to leave, then Shanghai later...  The girls spent most of the day on horseback:
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As I was tidying my room and repacking clothes, the kid started a game of Sardines upstairs.  I came up for the last round...  Bri had hidden on the loft stairs, and tired, cranky kids cried foul ("That's off limits!"  "But the rules only say between the floor and the ceiling of the living room and kitchen!").  I sent them all to bed.

I slept with Logan in Nicole's room.  He had seen something, "I really saw something!" in the laundry room and the bathroom, so he was freaked out.  I talked him down, then let him

Monday:  Stopped at the Brown's Mercantile,

Surprise!  We're double booked for Saturday.    A football game and a wedding, separated by approx. four hours -- and 230 miles.  That doesn't leave much time for dillydallying.

We did a "dry run" today with the timer.  I WAS planning to curl my hair and pin it in a loose side ponytail, but now that we won't be spending Friday night / Saturday morning at Mom's, I need to do something that will travel well; I'm going to use the flat iron instead.  Mari's curls only took twenty minutes (and lasted all day -- hooray!)...  Bri's side bun is a snap, and we can gel the boys' hair in the car.  Twenty miles of road construction on 1-90...  Oooh, this is gonna be close!

We took pictures so we could get a second opinion: are these duds dressy enough for a wedding, yet casual enough for a barn wedding?  Grandma Nancy says yes.

The clock in the dining room needs new batteries.  Seriously.  Once in the truck, we realized we did NOT have fifteen minutes to make it to the park -- the game was starting in three minutes!  We pulled in as the refs were checking cleats and mouth guards.  Logan and Wilson ran onto the field just in time, and Logan ran a touchdown!  Yeah, first play of the game!  I barely had my camera powered up to catch the end of the play, but I got it:

There's a corn maze in Hauser, just northwest of Post Falls.  Mari and Bri went last year, got soaked, muddied, and chilled.  They seem to have forgotten the misery and selectively remembered the good times, because as soon as autumn was on the radar, they were scheming to go again.  The prices went up this year; I don't think they even blinked.

Jake and Abby agreed to go along -- they had been to a corn maze before, but it was years ago, back when they were wee things.  They also invited Jarom and Sam to join them again.  Given that both sets of friends are from completely different circles, we wondered how they would get on -- with only Mari and Bri in common.  According to Mari, it was Minecraft that really broke the ice.  Ha.

Kirby and the boys were at football practice; I drove the girls to the cornfield.  They were armed with hot cocoa, glow sticks, and ponchos -- gladly, it didn't rain on them this year.  They phoned home at about 8 o'clock to say they'd run out of water, "Would you please bring some?"  Good grief, it's nearly nine miles from the house! -- but when I saw the concession prices, I can see why Mari offered to pay for my gas.

When they finally came home, they were bushed.  According to the map, the big maze is 2.4 miles -- I don't know if that includes every bit of trail, or just the simplest solution, but the kids ran each maze several times (for over five hours).  The ground, too, is rough because of the harrow lines; they were constantly correcting their balance.

There was a trampled spot between the "blue" maze and the "brown" maze; most people mistook it for a path, and the girls helped several lost people who thought they were navigating one maze but were actually in the other.  Some people were grateful for their help, others insisted they knew just where they were.  (Anyone else see an object lesson here?)

The sign is finished.  Mandy has the files needed to get her business cards printed.  But I have work waiting in the wings.  A graphic for , web design for Cory, packaging and banners for Cutthroat Leaders...  I spent basically all day in front of the computer, but not necessarily producing.  I haven't done a lot of computer work lately, so my file structure is a little out of whack.  Dis... *choke* ... disorganized.  I did work -- a bit -- on the graphic

Logan and Wilson had another football game today.  No shorts and tees this time around; today, they wore insulated pants, and sleeves under their team shirts.  Tough game, but both Logan and Wilson scored touchdowns, and their team won!  Yippee!

I missed the game, though.  I had to bring Mari and Bri to Cd'A; they helped Stacey B. move, and "before the game" was too early in the morning to show up.  I dumped the old dishwasher and the fence at the transfer station while I was at it.  Not a fun morning, but productive, I guess.

The sign is completely finished.  Both sides painted, and sprayed with clear coat.  Whew.

After dinner, we gathered 'round the computer to video chat with Kendric.  I realized that when the kids are visiting Grandma and Grandpa, I get to talk to them almost daily, but Kirby and the other kids don't.  Ooops.

Fred Next Door is rebuilding the fence between our yard and his.  We've both talked about it since we first moved in; after all, the old fence is saggy sheep wire, useful only as a boundary marker.  Well, Fred has initiated the action, volunteering to shoulder the full expense.  I swear I have not intentionally made our yard an eyesore in hopes that he'd build the fence out of desperation -- in fact, I've gone to great lengths to make my hen house more beautiful than the average chicken coop, and consideration of our neighbors was a big part of that.  We have not had the funds to build a proper run behind the coop, though; I have to admit that it looks a little like a third world country back there, with salvaged plywood and wire fencing, and the occasional stray bird.  I know my own plans for making it proper and lovely, but poor Fred has to look at it in the meantime.

Fred is supplying the materials.  For our part, Kirby is supplying the manpower.  He pulled up the old fence posts today, and trimmed our fruit trees so their branches will be clear of the new fence.  Cora and Wilson were delighted to be able to walk freely between the two yards, running back and forth just because they could, while Kirby cleaned up branches and Bri raked leaves.

While they worked, I painted.  It took all afternoon, and my fingers are tired, but I did it.  One side down, one to go:

We may be "near" the shopping areas, but the fact remains that even if I have only a few errands in town, it feels like I've been gone all day.  I picked up boots in Hayden, bought a bag of chicken feed in Coeur d'Alene, stopped at Costco for a very few things, and had a sheet of plywood cut (for signs) at Lowe's.  At home, all I really accomplished was painting the signs.

I did get the signs painted.  Front, back, and sides.  Could have even started the design, but paint's gotta dry...

Learn something new every day: A broody hen will pluck the feathers off her underside so her body heat is closer to her eggs.  Wow.  I was afraid she was hiding in the nest box, cowering from a predator that had roughed her up a bit.  But this is good.  Broodiness is much easier to deal with than predators.

In spite of our encouragement ("Hey, look at all this green clover out here!  And there's sunshine!  Lots of sunshine!"), Marilla has spent the last three days in the nest box.  When we force her out to pasture with the others, she pecks around for a minute or two, then heads right back inside.  I'm debating whether to wait her out, or to try some of the "cures" suggested on BackyardChickens.com.  One thing's for sure: she's not hatching any chicks.  We gather eggs several times a day, and *ahem* we don't have a rooster.