fireflies, peas in a pod, and home home home

I whisked the four kids left at home down to my parents house for a quick 24 hour visit.

So good to see their faces.

One of these things is just like the other...

Ha!HA!ha!
Pa {my Dad} took Jeb out for a back-to-school sweater shop.  Jeb selected his sweater and Pa just couldn't wait to come home and don his version.  His HIGH SCHOOL LETTER SWEATER!  No kidding.

Jeb's sweater?  American Eagle.
Dad's sweater?  Vintage 1960s.
Both are v-neck mustard yellow cardigans.  With pockets.

Check out my Dad!  Pa, you still fit into that sweater!  FIFTY SOME YEARS LATER.  My Dad is amazing.  Have I mentioned the time he ripped an oak tree stump out of the ground with his bare hands? True story.

Is it goofy how much fun we all had with the sweater incident?  I'm still smiling.  Peas in a pod.

Then there was this:

Gogo and Pa's palatial-by-city-standards backyard was brim full of blinking, twinkling fireflies!  In the dimming evening we ran through a field of light, and collected them up in a glass jam jar.

I wish I had better pictures!  It was magical.

The last time I recall catching fireflies was visiting my cousins in Milwaukee, Wisconsin when I was about eight years old.  We caught them in mason jars.  And ran around a Mulberry bush singing.  True.

The "don't go outside because you might melt" day was spent doing this:

 We had a wicked game of 500 going.

 And shark.  Jeb is clearly feeling that he is beating the shark in this one.

Anna and I briefly allowed our bodies to touch a chair.  I think we dried off in mere seconds {gasping for breath}.

Today we are back home.  It is a good day because all the chickens are coming home to roost.  Do chickens come home to roost?  Who is it that comes to roost?

In any case, Cooper and Jim are coming home.

Cooper has been at Cross Country Camp, running his little heart out in 115 degree heat index weather.  I had one thirty second call to him which consisted of him sharing that it was unbelievably hot, he was super tired, they were running all the time, and he was totally loving it.

Clearly he did not inherit this propensity for pain and suffering from me.

He was in his element.  Loved every second of it, even the hotter than hot runs.  Now that's a runner for ya.

He came home tired, hungry, dirty and lean and mean.  I'm so glad he is back!

Gorging on food within seconds of getting back home on the way through the kitchen to clean up {yes, he does have running shorts on}.

My washing machine has already run through two loads of unbelievably SMELLY clothes.  I am in my element!

Jim returns late tonight.  Can't wait to see him.

Good week, all in all.  And I've successfully avoided painting.  Emma Kate's surgery is coming up on Monday.  Usually that leaves me relieving stress with paint.  Very productive.  This time, I'm relieving it with my sewing machine.

Plasti-girl and I are sewing a few things and moving some things around.  Yes, I will post photos, girls! :)

Lots of mid-week love,
Sara