Mother's Day

I had the most wonderful Mother's Day this year. My family sure does know how to spoil me! While I was hoping to get a chance to sleep in a bit (whatever that may mean), that was just not going to happen. The boys were too excited to give me my presents and cards and they just didn't want to wait. They had made the sweetest cards (as they always do). They also know this mama well as they gifted me with gnome garden stakes, garden hand tools, and cucumber, pepper and sunflower seeds. After a delicious breakfast in bed, we headed outside to test out the tools and plant some seeds!

They planted the sunflower seeds all by themselves...all I did was take a couple of pictures. I have no idea where they planted them or how many, but it doesn't matter does it! I am just so happy they love to garden as much as their mama does (and grandma!).

Peter made this for me...he wrote "because you deserve flowers everyday" on the back! So sweet!

We ended the day with a delicious daddy-made dinner and smores makin over the fire. I am always amazed at how blessed I am with such a wonderful family! This day couldn't have been any better.

Reedy Creek

Last Friday, we met up with the Clarke's at Reedy Creek (one of our favorite spots). When we got there, it was pretty packed so we ended up taking a trail that led down to the pond. It was such a gorgeous spring day and we could have stayed there for hours! The kids immediately went into the pond to look for anything. It turned out to be a great day for spotting nature- tadpoles, toads and bullfrogs, water snakes, ducks, crayfish and a pileated woodpecker! It had been such a long time since we had such great finds on our visits. After the kids were thoroughly soaked, we headed over to the natural play area and stayed a bit longer. All in all, it was a great day and we look forward to heading back there again soon.

A bit of gardening

*a bit of a warning...I think the only other person besides me who would appreciate this post is my mom!
Gardening, both flowers and vegetables, was always a part of our seasonal rhythm growing up. It was something that I wanted to bring to my children as well (and besides...it's fun!). I was pretty excited to learn after moving to this house that the landlords had given their blessings for our gardening adventures! While the boys have always helped grandma over the years, we never did much gardening of our own (last year was our first attempt at something other than sunflowers). As the weather became warmer, I pretty muched stalked the yard, following the sun's path throughout the day trying to determine where we could get a raised bed planted. Well, as the canopy filled out, my dreams of a raised bed were quickly crushed. Can you believe we have too many trees?! Ah, I had to settle for flowers. But the thought of having cut bouquets for the rest of the summer makes me just as happy!


My little helper...MaKenna is always ready to help water everything and anything. She finally stopped picking the flowers, well at least until she saw me taking the dead heads off :-)

Here she is watering the children's garden. It is just a small bed, that was already here, planted with annuals the boys had picked out themselves....petunias, marigolds, snapdragons, and a white blossom flower I can't remember the name of (mom?)

I also cleared out a bed on the side of the house which gets the most sun. Here I planted a mix of seeds...wildflower, sunflower, daisy and zinnias.

We do have some veggies growing in pots on the back deck. The boys "pizza garden" seedlings are coming up and I was also given a pot that had two pepper plants, a tomato plant and some basil. We also have more pots of sunflowers and daisies (from the flower egg kits given at Easter)

When we moved in, the previous owner had already planted a few rose bushes and they are now blooming like crazy. I wasn't sure at first as all the silk worms were feasting on the leaves and some sort of mystery bug was eating the buds. But it appears they are doing just fine. Now I am just keeping my fingers crossed the gardenias will bloom!

The boys and I still talk about the "someday" when we will have some acreage and can really tackle gardening. I think Peter is in a bit of denial as to what our future home will actually look like (think less suburban, more mini-farm). But he will come around ;-)

New Reader

As were are approaching the end of the school year, I am very proud to say we have another reader in the house! We are beginning with simple readers (with a plan to make our own as well). I can't even begin to say how proud I am. We took a very slow approach and I believe that he is just proof at how easy it is to pick up reading when they are ready! Yay!

Babies

Nothing says spring more than babies! When we moved in last summer, there were two empty nests on our front porch. One got dismantled and this one remained. A mama finch moved in a few weeks ago and laid 5 eggs!

The day after Easter, I recognized the familiar sound of baby birds being fed. So I grabbed the camera and snapped a picture when the mama had flown off. All 5 babies hatched and are growing like weeds. When I took these pictures, they weren't visible from the porch, but now you can see their heads popping up and even stretch their wings once in a while!

The mama is feeding them more often and they seem to be getting louder! We are lucky enough to have a close up view from the playroom window. Everytime the babies start "screaming", the kids run to the window to watch. MaKenna especially loves to see the mama feed the babies.

We are all excited for the day when they fledge, but I know they will be missed as well! Yay for spring!

Easter Weekend

We were lucky enough to have a visit from Uncle Spencer and Aunt Kristen last Saturday. And since it was the day before Easter, they got to help us dye the eggs. I tend to go a little crazy with the dyes...I think I had 12 different colors?! But that makes for a beautiful assortment, don't you think?

Easter morning, the kids were up early and ready to go! They had all checked out their baskets before we even made it down the stairs, but were patient enough to wait (for the most part) to dig into what little candy they had. This year, they each received a little seed flower kit, bubbles, a felted gnome (made by mama), a book, a chocolate bunny, a chocolate peanut butter egg and some natural jelly beans. It was just the right amount of sugar ;-) The Easter bunny also did a great job hiding the eggs in the house this year. We colored 3 dozen and only lost 2. I ended up finding one of the missing eggs a few days later. I am hoping one of the dogs ate the other one.

It turned out to be a beautiful day and we spent most of it outside. We ended the day with a delicious daddy-made dinner. Jacob told me "this was the best Easter he could ever hope for" and I agree!

Growing Up

I know I say it a lot on this blog, but my babies are growing up way too fast! In so many ways I feel like it was just yesterday when I held them in my arms for the first time. There are days when I wish I could just freeze time and keep them little forever!

weaving a dream catcher

Blake has grown so much over the course of the last year, both physically and emotionally! I have seen him gain confidence in himself in ways that wasn't there before. While we still struggle with motivation when it comes to school, he will sit and devour books in days. His handwriting is beautiful and he has improved so much in his artistic skills. He loves music and sports, especially football and basketball. In Waldorf pedagogy, 9 is a big year. It is the beginning of seperating from the dreamy land of early childhood and waking up more to the world around you. We have noticed this shift in Blake with moments of questioning authority followed up with needed reassurance through cuddling. I won't lie, some days have been difficult, but we seem to be through the toughest moments. To balance this, he has also taken on more independent chores around the house like cleaning the boys bathroom and doing his own laundry! He is still unsure of cooking, but will gladly help if I stay and supervise. I am hoping to help him build his confidence by allowing him to make some simple meals. Recently, he just picked up interest in knitting again. I taught him how to purl and he is reading a pattern on his own. His interest has always gone in spurts so we will see how long it lasts ;-)

searching for ladybugs

Ah, my Parker. Wow, 5 has been rough! This is most definitely the toughest year for us. Parker was always my easy going little helper and while he still is most of the time, we also now have moments of tantrums and talking back as well a bit of sister teasing. This is new territory for me. I know there is a lot of changes going on developmentally with him (he is eating a ton and has grown over an inch in the last month, not to mention he is almost wearing the same size clothes as Jacob now) and I am trying to be the calm, patient mother he needs as we sort through this. But it is not easy! He has also shown a new interest in playing sports with the big guys. In the past, he would just do his own thing while they played, but now he has joined in. I have also noticed him being more comfortable in new situations. He is such a shy kid and would literally hang from my pockets whenever we were out, even if we were with friends we had known for years. Now, he may need me for a few minutes, but then will happily play without my presence. He is such a creative dude and always has us laughing with the things he says. I just love how his mind works. And most of the time, he plays so well with Kenna. In fact, they have quite the special bond.

saying "cheese"

Now this girl is definitely growing up way too fast! Last month, she decided she wanted to pee pee on the potty and thus began our potty learning adventure. She is doing so, so good! She is down to wearing a diaper during naps and bedtime and that's it! As long as I make time for regular potty breaks, she rarely has an accident. I was not expecting this to happen so soon. Her little personality is coming out more and more. She is very independent (and can be quite bossy!). She refuses to let me dress her or even pick her clothes out! She knows exactly what she wants to wear and there is no talking her out of it. Some days she will change outfits 3 or 4 times. She loves to read books and will bring us the same 4 books to read over and over. Her favorite books all involve animals (thats my girl!). She also loves to sing. A lot of times, I have no idea what she is singing, but she has the cutest little voice. Over the last several months, she has gone from being my shadow to playing independently or with her brothers more and more. She still loves to be my little helper, but she also will hang out with her brothers. It is so cute to see her kiss her baby one minute and then attack me with a sword the next!

another knitter!

We are approaching the end of Jacob's first year of formal learning. I couldn't be more proud of how much he has accomplished! He is in the beginning stages of reading (sight words and early phonics) and his handwriting is much improved. He was begging me to teach him to knit, so a few weeks ago, I finally sat down and did. I had been putting it off, debating whether he should learn to knit left-handed or right-handed. In the end, I decided I would just teach him so I would be able to help him if he needed it. I have also noticed a change in Jacob developmentally. Up until recently, we had lots of tense moments throughout our days. It was almost as if he just couldn't control his emotions and now that has seemed to pass...for the most part. He is able to stay calm and in the moments when he isn't, I am able to calm him down quicker. I look at him and see glimpses of what he will be like in a few years, as a young man. He still likes to be the center of attention and will tell "tall tales" just to entertain an audience! And he has a laugh that is so infectious and so genuine!

There are days when I look at these little people and can't believe they are mine. I am so blessed as a mother and cherish every moment I have with them!