Gardening - The First Year

Gardening seemed like the perfect thing to do this summer with plenty of room in our backyard, a little girl that loved to eat vegetables and a little boy that loved to work outside ... there was just one hitch: parents that were clueless when it came to gardening.

We searched for books, googled internet sites and asked advice from more experienced gardeners, but most things we had to learn on our own. I learned alot through each stage and actually found myself googling things like "What is a hill and how big should it be?", "What are the white spots on pumpkin leaves" and "How do I know when to pick corn or green beans or peas"! Here are just some of the other things I learned:

1. The kiddos aren't the only ones that need to be protected from getting a virus.

2. Pumpkins planted in mid-May are beautiful and ready to carve in to Jack-O-Lanterns at the beginning of August.

3. Seventeen tomato plants really do produce a lot of tomatoes.

4. Don't plant vegetables you don't like ... they will be the ones that grow the best.

5. Visions of hiding among your corn stalks don't work for sweet corn varieties (sorry Ron).

6. Weeds don't stop growing ... even if you take a week of vacation.

7. If you think certain veggies are ready to pick they probably aren't really ready for another 2 weeks.

8. Gardening is not for perfectionists!

9. My family would not survive if our garden was our sole source of nourishment.

10. We can't wait to take everything we've learned this year and try again next year. The little girl that loved vegetables also decided she liked to work outside and the little boy that loved to work outside also decided he loved to eat vegetables. And thanks to lots of trial and error this year ... the parents don't feel quite so clueless.

Another Rainy Day

Just when we were getting used to warm temps and sunshine, the rain made its appearance again! I've resigned myself to the fact that we're all going to be covered in mud for quite some time but the kids haven't quite resigned themselves to the fact that we are spending so much time inside ...

Shortly after breakfast, Ben asked me if we could go on a 'venture'. He had checked to make sure Ron hadn't driven the 'big car' and assured me that it'd be a good day to go out. We worked on Mother's Day cards to mail to Nana and after Nate's morning nap loaded up in the car (Chip included) for a drive. We mailed out Mother's Day cards and then started our drive. We had a great time driving through the country with no purpose ... listening to the rain, shouting out different things or animals we'd spotted and watching the water splash up around us as we drove through puddles on bumpy roads. Such a simple, but fun adventure! Later in the afternoon, we put on a concert ... complete with singing, dancing and playing our homemade cardboard guitars and drums. I've discovered I have quite the little rock band on my hands!

My little rocker chick

Little Drummer Boy

Tuning up for the concert

Jam session

Accountability

Over the past couple months I've had some blog ideas pop in to my mind and couldn't wait to post pictures and stories! But, here I am again wondering how 2 months already flew by with no updates! So, I'll post some past pictures eventually (Ben turned 4, Chip arrived and we embarked on a garden...) but tonight I thought I'd post a recent picture of me. Something I typically even avoid having done - it's much more fun to be behind the camera than in front of it!

I have decided it is time to get my act together and take care of the body God has given me. Turning 35 in just a couple months is scaring me a bit and the realization hit me dead on this week that my kiddos weren't born to a 20-something mommy! First, I was attempting to swim while holding Nate (he was wearing a lifejacket, mind you). My toes reached a point where I could barely touch and I attempted to tread for only a few seconds ... ha! Nearly an impossible task! And just tonight Ben begged me to join him and Lauryn in a race around the yard on a little obstacle course he had created. I avoided the issue but after his sweet pleading I thought I'd give it a try. He beat me fair and square ... and I was out of breath before I had even reached the last obstacle. I want to be able to enjoy these times while my kids are little and want to share adventures and then be able to keep up with them when they are teens and I'm pushing 50!

This is the beginning of an adventure of my own. I have a few obstacles to overcome:

1. I love to eat.

2. I hate to excercise.

3. I don't really know how to cook healthy.

4. I'm afraid my kids will miss hugging and snuggling with a squishy mommy!

Hopefully, by sharing my picture and my desires with you I'll feel more accountable (kind of like people that get kicked off of The Biggest Loser and are required to show up on the finale looking in shape and trim!)

Hmmm...now I must ignore my growling stomach and go drink a glass of water!

I Wonder When I Grow Up

I can remember a song when I was very little that went something like, "I wonder when I grow up just what I will be ... a nurse or a teacher or a mother of three" (This was in the 70's, mind you!)

Logan and Ellie came over to play today and I happened to walk past Lauryn's room ... the girls must have been pretending what they might be when they grow up. There was Ellie flat on her back with a doll shoved under her shirt and Lauryn attending to her! Looks like Ellie was a calm "mommy" going in to labor and Lauryn was being a thorough "doctor" by listening to the baby's heartbeat and possibly adminstering an epidural (although from that view it looks more like an amniocentesis). Obviously, these little girls have seen a lot of pregnant mommies in their short lifetimes! Can't wait to see what they actually become when they do grow up. Just hope it doesn't get here too soon!

Happy Birthday Nate!

Today is the big day Nate turned one! It's been such a crazy year, full of changes and I'm so thankful he's been a part of our family during all those transitions! Of course, I've been reflecting back on the past year and even before that to when I found out I was pregnant with him. At the time, I was shocked to discover I was pregnant again ... since that wasn't part of my 'plan' ... but am I ever glad my plan got the ax and God's prevailed! :) Nate is a joy and blessing to all of us. Our sweet, precious baby boy. A few years ago, if you had told me about a mom that had a 3, 2 and 1 yr old I probably would've said she was crazy! If you read the meaning of "Irish Triplets", alot of other people think that, too. But, I can't imagine it any other way! While the days aren't always easy and rarely glamorous I can honestly say that from the wonderful moments of knowing they were growing inside me, to giving birth through getting them ready for bed tonight there is nothing I'd rather be doing! Happy Birthday Nate, I love you!

Time for a Birthday Party!

Hard to believe, but Nate will be one year old in just a couple days! Last night he got to celebrate his birthday with Grammy, Grandpa and all the aunts, uncles and cousins on Mommy's side of the family. (Except, Aunt Codi couldn't make it ... she is going through the very sick pregnancy stage and had to stay home - Nate forgave her since he'll be getting a new little buddy out of the deal! We missed having you there, Codi!) Brian and Logan did record some of the night's activities for her, and as she said about Nate, "He was sooooo cute and Nate like (calm and smiley)." And he was. It was a lot of fun to watch him eat up the attention! He seemed to really enjoy all the bustle and noise around him.

Some of the moments I loved ...

1. Seeing what a great job Ron and Ben did putting up the decorations.
2. Watching Nate laugh when the adults laughed at dinner ... he seemed to genuinely want to join in the fun!
3. Trying my hand at making and decorating his birthday cake - and having it turn out cute and yummy!
4. Watching all the kids pretend to be puppies (our theme) and playing great together.
5. Relaxing and talking with my family.
6. Watching Nate enjoy absolutely every bit of the piece of cake we gave him.
7. Listening to Lauryn quietly ask, "Can I open my presents now?" (She didn't quite understand that birthdays aren't like Christmas. She thought for sure one of those wrapped gifts was hers!)
8. Helping Nate open his birthday presents.
9. Seeing the other kids help him open his birthday presents.
10. Finishing up the night and not feeling too exhausted ... it hit me this was the first time I had planned and executed a 1st birthday party for one of my kiddos that I wasn't pregnant! No wonder I was able to get so much done without feeling tired and grouchy!
    
    

Finally!

We received what we were hoping for ... and then some ... a total of 12.5 inches! It was so much fun to wake up to a thick covering (not a leaf or blade of grass to be seen)! Ben jumped out of bed and peeked out his window ... he was so excited! We ate breakfast and started getting our gear on as soon as Nate laid down for a morning nap. The gear assembly took at least 1/2 an hour ... by the time we were all ready I was sweating and the kids were hot and had begun to take of their mittens and hats. Once we had all that finally together, we headed outside. Of course, Lauryn fell right away and her mittens became slightly dislodged. She started crying and immediately went back in ... refusing to come out because she was scared of the snow! Ben would not be deterred and ran out into it rolling, jumping, digging, eating and running! It was so fun to watch him. Eventually, Lauryn entered cautiously and had a slight bit of fun ... until her mittens became dislodged again! Our only snow mishap so far was when Sarah attempted to come into our driveway ... of course, she got stuck and since Ron was at work she and I had to attempt to get her unstuck. Thankfully, a kind passer-by stopped to help ... hope he didn't mind my kids laughing and yelling at us all the way from the front door! They got quite a kick out of Sarah being stuck in the snow. Since then, we decided if we wanted any visitors before March we should get it plowed. Now we have an awesome snow hill at the end of the driveway that we will attempt to navigate tomorrow! It's been beautiful to look at and great fun to play in and since temps are staying low, looks like we'll be able to enjoy it for awhile! :)

Holding our breath!

We have been waiting all winter for any significant snowfall and tonight may be the night it arrives! We started talking up all the things we could do in the snow last October. We had snowball fights, snowmen, sledding and snow angels hyped up and planned. And then we waited. And waited. Ben and Lauryn have attempted to play in the trace amounts we have received. Ron pulled them around the yard in a sled when we received about 1/2 inch ... but it's not quite as fun when you can still see the leaves and grass poking through! Instead of making giant snowman, our favorite outdoor Winter past-time is making tracks in the snow on the basketball court...I guess on a positive note that's one thing you wouldn't be able to do in 8 inches of snow! So, tonight could be the big night ... looks like they're predicting 6 inches over the next couple of days . (Jill - I'm sure that would seem like a Spring thaw to you all! :) ) We'll wait and see ...

Our attempts at making the most of the little amount of snow we have had this year!

Just one more ...

I could've put this under the last post but I thought it deserved it's own. I love the way Ben is constantly discovering, solving, thinking, observing and imagining. Unfortunately, sometimes, his active brain (and body) get him in to trouble. One evening after supper Ron and the kids were playing hide-n-seek in the house while I cleaned up. Ron was out in the family room counting and we got a little sidetracked chatting about the day and more than the standard 30 second hiding period had elapsed. We realized Ben was still hiding so Ron quickly raced to the back of the house saying, "Ready or not here I come" the next words out of Ron's mouth were "What are you doing, you know you shouldn't be playing with that." I could only imagine ... I walked back to see what had happened. By this time, Ben was sitting on his bed with his arms folded, looking down. He looked at me and and I was unable to stop what I'm sure was the complete wrong response on my part. Continuous laughter. He had opened a bottle of black liquid eyeliner and had painted over his eyebrows and started on the side of his face. The combination of black eyeliner on his fair face coupled with his bewilderment that this was not a good look for him made it impossible for me to stop laughing. I gave him a hug and said, "Buddy, why did you use Mommy's make-up?" His response was, "I wanted to paint like you." To which he looked in the mirror in his room, folded his arms and said, "I give up." I didn't laugh at that because it made me a little sad. But, I sure do love his constant discovering, solving, thinking, observing and imagining! By the way, so you don't think I'm a heartless mom, he wanted a picture in his swimsuit ...

It's the little things!

I'm sure those of you reading this (after another long period of silence from me) were expecting a snapshot of our wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas in review ... I'll try to get to that at some point because we did have a great time celebrating with our families!

But, instead, I thought I'd start by sharing things I get to enjoy everyday. A friend mentioned in a blog last year that she had been down and that her 3 yr old son seemed to have just the right things to say and do to cheer her up and give her a good laugh. I'm finding myself in the same boat right now. Whether it's just this time of year or the fact that I dwell on things that might be 'bugging' me as I'm standing over dishes and laundry, I also can say 3 yr old boys (and 2 yr old girls and nearly 1 yr old boys!) do indeed have just the right remedy for the blues! :) Just wanted to share some of the things I've seen this week that have made me laugh out loud!

One particularly uneventful evening we decided to make sock puppets. The kids thought these were great fun and then I got the idea (as I looked at my enormous basket of unmatched socks ... some of you have seen it and if disposable socks were ever invented I'd be first in line to buy them!) to put pantyhose on our heads. The kids were a little unsure looking at Ron at first but once they realized it was silly and not scary they joined in and wanted pantyhose heads, too. We HOWLED in laughter chasing each other around the house looking slightly disfigured!

Ben was on a kick this week to dig out swimsuits and swimming gear. Despite the freezing temperatures outside, he convinced Lauryn to wear her swimsuit and swimmies and carry around her beach towel. He even attempted to put Nate's suit on him when I wasn't in the room. He managed to get one of Nate's legs in the suit, which I thought was an accomplishment but was afraid to think of how he managed to do it! They pretended they were swimming at our neighbors pool most of the day.

Nate got in on the act, too, lounging by the pool.

(AKA a pile of dirty laundry)

And, finally, today when I woke up I noticed one very large, very black crow hovering around the trees at the very end of our yard. I'm not a big fan of birds of any kind but have softened a bit as we have several varieties visit our yard during the Spring and Summer. It's fun to share facts about them to the kids and they love looking for different birds in the trees. After breakfast I was looking out the window again and this time noticed about 30 very large, very black crows invading our yard down by the apple trees. They were very creepy to me but I didn't want to turn the kids off to nature (see cicaida posts from the summer :) ! ) so we looked up info on the computer and talked about them. We talked about what they eat, that they grow very large and that they are ALL black. We even opened a window so we could hear them caw! Have you ever heard 30 very large, very black crows caw all together? It was very interesting and a little eerily similar to a scene from Alfred Hitchcocks, Birds! Ben was fascinated! Later in the day he was looking out the window and noticed 3 large dark mounds of something by his swingset. He questioned me as to what they were ... I told him I didn't know but we could ask Daddy when he got home. He stood looking out the window for a long time ... thinking ... he came into the kitchen and declared to me, "I think it's crow poop." I laughed and laughed at his thoughtful answer. Why what else would deposit large, black mounds in the yard but large, black birds?

Congratulations, Ron!

After 4 years of lots of hard work Ron has become an ASA! He is officially on the list! Check it out at: http://soa.org/files/pdf/edu-2008-10-asa-names.pdf

I am very proud of him and thankful for him for lots of reasons ... but as it relates to this I'll just share a few things that come to mind...

*He left his chosen field of engineering in part to find a career that would challenge him differently, but I believe primarily to be able to provide for me in a way that would allow me to stay home with our kids but also so we could stay near my family, friends and the area I love!

*He took a leap of faith by taking a test and applying for a job as an acturial student when the odds seemed to outweigh the future opportunities (Thanks Brian for your help in this area!)

*He studied lots of extra hours while continuing to go to work everyday and helping me as much as he could.

*He didn't get discouraged when he didn't achieve the results he would've liked right away.

*He took initiative to learn new things, pursue new job opportunities and stayed focused on his goal!

*He worked hard to make this goal happen!

*He did all of this while being a newlywed, giving of himself to the teens in the youth group at FBC, having a pregnant wife (3 times) that required a lot of his help, having 3 newborns in the house (and then subsequently busy toddlers!), putting a house up for sale, moving 2 times and renovating a home!

I am very happy for him and excited he has achieved this goal! I look forward to seeing him become an FSA and helping him reach that goal, too!

Blog Comeback - Two Months in Review

Well - I've debated on how to make a blog comeback for several weeks now ... and before I debate any longer on the 'perfect' return post ... I better just get some stuff out there and get going again! (I hope some of you are still checking!)

We've had alot of fun this fall going to fall festivals, parades, the apple orchard, on hayrides and the pumpkin patch (three times!). Here's just a few photos of some of our adventures!

Nate picking his 1st pumpkin! (or attempting to stand upright for a few seconds so I could snap a photo!)

Lauryn enjoying a cider slushy ... we were supposed to be sharing but obviously the two straw method became a much more efficient way for her to slurp it down!

Attempting to leave a 15 acre corn maze ... did you know the sun sets really quickly! We ended up walking through the corn rows rather than following the maze. Poor Ron would not have made a good pioneer with his 3 small kids, wife and sister-in-law tagging along!

Day Two at the pumpkin patch ... Ron and Sarah spent FOREVER feeding these animals grass. I stood at a distance with Nate while we baked in the hot October sun armed with hand sanitizer. The animals kept eating and eating any piece of grass Ron, Sarah and the kids stuck by their mouths.

Ron and the kids enjoying a nice hayride (Pumpkin Patch trip #3) on a cold October night.

Lauryn, VERY enthusiastically cleaning out her pumpkin ... thanks to a catchy little tune Ron made up to make the smell and the feel of pumpkin guts not seem so gross!

Proud owner of a happy faced pumpkin ... later turned into a happy/scary pumpkin after he saw Lauryn and Ron's scary faced pumpkins.

Who needs toys ...

when you have great imaginations!

The kids were outside playing with their cousins the other day and after riding bikes and then swinging for awhile they decided to make up their own things to do. We took a little walk down to the fruit trees and they each picked a pear or an apple. Lauryn, of course, was chowing down on hers (I don't blame her ... I tried a ripe pear the other day and it was very yummy!) but the boys had another idea! They began poking sticks into the fleshy parts of the pears ... at first they thought they would make airplanes. However, the first attempt at flight landed in a crash and burn with flying sticks. The 'objects' then progressed to helicopters, fans and then spiders! I was pretty impressed with their great idea! So, they all got new pears, lots of skinny sticks and poked them into the sides of the pears for legs. They had a great time playing with the spiders, running with the spiders and even taking the spiders for rides on the neighbor's skateboard! I love watching them play!

The Life Cycle of the Cicada

I cannot tolerate bugs ... I don't get creeped out by spiders, I don't get creeped out by mice or even snakes ... but if it has 3 body parts, 6 legs and crunches and it's visible to me, I can feel my heart race and my body go numb. I like to blame it on a suppressed memory from infancy while living in apartments in Texas where roaches made their way into our home (no matter how hard my mom cleaned ... I have to put that in there for her sake!) but in reality I'm probably just weird and thinking about it too much. I don't like the fact that they fly, jump and crunch. Anyway a good friend shared her cicada woes with me last summer and at the time I did not fully grasp what she was telling me ... but we are OVERRUN with cicadas out here! Just when I think it's safe to look up at a tree or put my hand on the swingset I see their carcasses EVERYWHERE! I am trying hard not to freak out in front of the kids, as for most people this is just another part of God's creation. However, it has been very hard for me to relax in the yard for the past couple weeks! The kids love them, thanks to Ron's informative science lesson and explanation of their life cycle and the fact that he plucks them of trees daily for them to examine! Ben likes to collect their skins in empty plastic bottles, Lauryn likes to stomp on them. I like to imagine that they will be gone soon!!

"Happy Birthday Dear Lauryn ..."

Dear Lauryn,

It's so hard for me to believe we celebrated your 2nd birthday today and now you are a big 2 year old girl! We had a fun day going to the fair and having our family over for a Princess Party! You tried your first funnel cake at the fair, saw, smelled and touched lots of animals, pretended to be a farmer and sat on a tractor. You had fun helping us get ready for the party and telling daddy where to hang the decorations and put the balloons. You didn't have so much fun when mommy made you put pretty clothes on and fix your hair! We played outside, ate some of your favorite foods (Spaghetti, Salad and pickles!), ate lots of chocolate cake and ice cream and opened presents. It was so sweet to watch the excitement in your eyes as you watched Daddy and Ben sing "Happy "Birthday" to you! It took a little coaxing for you to come inside and open presents (you were the ONLY one still playing outside!) and then when you did come in you started passing out your presents to other people to open! But once you realized they were your presents and you got to open them all you oooohhhed and aaaahhhed over each one!

You are our precious little girl and we love you very much! In some ways, our day today reminded me of lots of wonderful things about you that I've discovered over the last 2 years! I love the way you cuddle, the way you get so excited about the things we do, the way you love to be with your family, the way you do enjoy some time by yourself, the way you laugh hard at the craziest things, the way you smile 'just because', the way you look up to Ben and the way you take care of Baby Nate. I love the way you hug really hard when you know the way you acted wasn't the best. I love that we'll have a funny story to tell when you're older (and farther removed from the situation) about the way you acted in the car! While it's hard to say, because in some ways I selfishly always want you to be my little girl, I can't wait to see how God uses you and the special things about you to Glorify Him! I know He will use you and pray that I can teach you to become a beautiful lady in His eyes! I love you my sweet, sweet girl! Love, Mommy

Calling All Botanists!

So, we've discovered a couple of interesting things growing from trees in our yard. Being a city girl, my knowledge of trees goes out the window past a Maple or Bradford Pear! We've researched these trees ourselves now, but I'm curious if any of you out there know what types of trees bear these fruits/seeds! Sorry, no cool blogging prizes for the first correct answer, just the fun of seeing how smart you all are!

Picnic on the Grounds

Ben had a great idea today ... a spontaneous picnic in our backyard! We packed our peanut butter sandwhiches, water bottles, chips and cookies and found a nice shady spot to spread our blanket. Ben also asked if we could pick a couple of apples from our trees to eat with our lunch ... I didn't see the harm in doing so (although they are not ripe and quite tart!) Hopefully, there's not some sort of stomach issues that can develop from eating unripe apples! Anyway, that was the kids' favorite part of lunch. They both love apples and to actually be able to pick them from their own trees was just over the top exciting for them!

It was fun enjoying our lunch in the backyard and watching their excitement about actually having a picnic at home. Their enjoyment made me forget the extreme humidity, sounds of locusts in the trees above us and the spider crawling on my shirt that neither of them would help me remove! (well almost forget, anyway!)