In the Backyard

Our past few weeks have been full of family time, friend get-togethers, backyard playing, library outings, bike rides and general goodness. 


Here's the only part I have taken photos of:  backyard fun.

The king and queen of funny-faces have adapted to my new scenario.  "Hey guys, turn and smile and I'll leave you alone."  It mostly works.

Chloe is still not sure how to pump on swings, so when Dad is outside she gets to fly.  I don't  do swings for more than 2 minutes.  I call it motivation to learn.

Car City has an ongoing story dialogue full of chapters and bookmarks when it's time to go inside.  I love that their narratives are full of old-fashioned words like shan't, nor, mustn't....

..... but then in the next sentence they are just little kids obsessed with bathroom humor like fart-exhaust or poop-rocks.  You know.

Poor Ruby, she likes swinging even less than being picked up.

Maybe it's mean that I won't push her.  She just sits there while Evan is flying. 

Our backyard is so loved, just like a favorite stuffed animal or blanket. 

The back of the shed is once again covered in mud meatballs.  It makes me smile because with each splatting blob of goo there is uproarious belly laughing along with it.  What could be better?

They love mud.  I mean, who else poses with mud??

She really does love to swing.  Maybe I could push her for 3 minutes instead of 2....

Easter Smiles

What Is Normal?

To my children, THIS is normal. 

Bits & Pieces

I haven't been online much since last week as Todd and I have been helping out a friend in need, offering a place to stay, being a shoulder to cry on, giving loving advice and helpful support.  As we've been focusing on someone else other things take a back seat, of course.  But if I don't post here frequently I find myself forgetting the little details I love so much..... so here goes.




Over the weekend we celebrated a very important little person in our lives.  Little Ajay is two and we joined our family for a sweet little party.  Chloe could barely sleep for days leading up to it.  The thought of having cake does that to her.

My kids each wrapped up a treasure they were ready to pass on to someone new and also a new truck for their little cousin.  It was precious watching them give like that and Ajay loved what they picked out.

Chloe has a new favorite outfit.  Does this one surprise you?  She has gold glitter shoes to go with it now since her rainbow glitter shoes are too tight.

She wore it three days in a row with a change of tights on the last day.  It is finally not a huge chore for me to shop for her since she will wear things with ruffles, bows and pink.

Every day one of the kids will announce "Let's go outside" and they strap on shoes and run out the door.  Usually they are back in a few minutes to bundle up a bit, but sometimes not.  The days of me having to be with them constantly are soon becoming a distant memory.

They played chess for an hour on the kitchen floor (with cushions under them).  Chloe learned the real rules just about a month ago and is so pleased with herself.  They played three or four games nicely but this special little scene ended with name calling and Evan storming outside.  Oh well.

Todd gave the kids a handful of cords he trimmed from our new blinds and you would have thought it was Christmas.  Evan and Chloe have been playing horses and cavalry for days.  I have found horses tied up all over the house.

Evan seems more into building and displaying Legos lately rather than playing.  I'm sure it's just a phase, but I wonder all the time when he'll stop scooting around on his knees so his pants will have a left knee in tact.  Maybe when he's 10??

See the hole in the knee?  All his pants end up like this.  His left knee is his scooter.

Evan recently had an idea to make his own teepee out of fabric.  He wanted to stitch it together in pieces just like the Indians would have with buffalo skin.  So he asked me to teach him how to sew (I love unschooling). Chloe wanted to make one too.

These little projects sitting around make me so happy.   They do a little here or there as they work on them over the course of a few weeks.  I hope they actually finish them because it's a really neat idea.

 

Todd has been home for a while so the kids keep him busy multitasking -- playing with both of them at the same time.

They also have made up games they play only with him, like BLAR!!! or Mail Chase.  Blar is just a scary version of hide and seek where Todd jumps out and scares the crap out of everyone with a BLAAAARRRRR!! that makes me pee myself if I'm nearby.  Mail chase is an attempt by the kids to raid the mailbox before Dad does.  Todd loves to get the mail, so they try to stop him and have a battle with grabbing, chasing and hiding the mail all over the house.

The only game I have with them like that is Rogue Babies.  I'll have to explain that another time :-)





Evan's been really seeming older lately.  Talking like a big kid and acting different in ways that are hard to put into words.  I love that he calls his dad "Dud" most of the time, or when he's annoyed with him, "Tawwwwwwwwd"  :-)

Chloe can finally do this wall climbing trick that Evan loves to do.  Her only issue:  sweaty hands.  She might never achieve greatness in this sport.

She has been wanting to learn how to read though.  We are working on letter sounds as she asks about them.  I honestly never thought she's be interested in reading, so this is a wonderful surprise!

Pretty Piano

This has nothing to do with my kids, but I love, love, love this song and have listened to it so many times I've lost count.  If you love piano music at all, press play, close your eyes and let it speak to you.......




I found this by watching this clip which plays this song as background music, but since the man who narrates the clip is Carl Sagan I couldn't put that one up first.  If you want to watch it, let it load fully then skip ahead to about 2:44.  It's got these unbelievably beautiful images of our universe, but the beginning is full of secular humanist garbage. The song is perfectly suited to the pictures though.

Carl Sagan's "Pale Blue Dot" - Watch More Funny Videos

Collecting Petals

We try each spring to get out and wander among all the flowering trees and shrubs.  Usually it is too cold or rainy and all the blossoms disappear in a couple days.  We almost missed our chance this year, but I'll say it was both successful and memorable.  And it all smelled so good!!

A super friendly kitty kept us company on a warm hill where we were admiring and picking wild growing flowers (grape hyacinths and violas).  We imagined that this must be how people feel walking past our house when Ruby is outside -- she is just as friendly and loving.

Many of our neighbors have given us permission to pick from their flower beds, so we do but we always make it so no one would even notice a few missing.

Despite the gusty winds we still brought home a bucket full of fallen petals for playing with and flowers to fill up vases on the table. 

Bits & Pieces

The stuffed kitten families have been a favorite since Evan was 5.  They have all had some sort of makeover... some needed "repainted" with a Sharpie and one has a new nose since his original one fell off.  Some are so stained from dirty hands they don't come clean anymore.  But they are loveys indeed.

Loving warm days.  Loving sitting in the sun.  Loving shorts in March.  Loving having Todd home for weeks as he waits for work.  Loving Evan's cute curly top which is growing in nicely.

Playing before church one morning.  Chloe has been letting me have a say in her outfits a bit more lately.  As long as she has sparkles she usually agrees :-)

Some new stuff in the living room makes it feel more like home.  A favorite photo with a hubby-made frame over the couch, new lamps donated to us from Brook, and a re-purposed bookshelf -- formerly a tall one, now cut in half and serving as two shelves (the other is downstairs).  Starting to feel like home here..... finally.  (Todd has been home for weeks and keeping busy!)

Right after I took this picture I thought, she looks like she is ready for her first day of school.  My big girl.  It's hard not to think of her as my baby, she is growing so much!!

(wearing jeans!!!!!!)

Our kitties are starting to shed their very thick coats, so we brush them outdoors whenever possible.  Chloe loves this job.  She loves any job really.  "I can help you with that Mom!!!" is her favorite thing to say.  Cooking, folding laundry, washing windows.....

Todd's been reading Tarzan stories to Evan, but these photos are about more than just what book we are reading at the moment. They show a vital part of our family.  Together time: reading and laughing with each other is a part of every day.