Garden giddiness

 

 

 

 

 

Ohhhhhh how I love to grow my garden!
Whether it be flowers or food
it's all such a feast for the senses.

Our garden is growing gangbusters right now
with strawberries, lots of herbs,
tomatoes, chard, kale, zucchini and lettuce.
I gave baby J a leaf of chard to play with
and she had a ball, whipping it
back and forth until it was shredded.
She is also obsessed with the strawberry patch.
I can't keep her out of them, nor do I want to.

In the flower garden we've got gladiolas,
sunflowers, foxgloves, and dahlia's
that are just starting to poke
there sleepy little stalks and leaves
out of the earth (hope they bloom before we leave).

Maya has created her own little garden
which is dedicated to a friend
that passed away earlier this year
and fittingly named it "Jolea's Heven".
The loss has been tremendous to her
tender little heart and difficult to
explain or understand,
but each time we acknowledge
and pay tribute to her memory
and to the little miss's feelings
we are taking steps toward healing.

The photo at the top is, of course, baby J
with her goofy self...
running all over the house
with a nesting box on her head
in her usual Josie style.
She is such a nut ~
a girl after my own heart.

Hope you are enjoying all of
the blessings that June brings.

xoxo

What a difference a year makes

March 2011

  

March 2012

Was looking back through photos today
remembering what a little bundle
our baby J was...
and what a firecracker she is now.

Reminscing the yesterdays.
Loving the todays.
Pondering the tomorrows.

Look out for the salami

Our little miss has been filling me with

laughter over the past week with her

incredibly inventive vocabulary.

Earthquakes have been the main topic

that are occupying her thoughts right now.

She's been worrying about them quite a lot.

So last week when she brought it up

our conversation went a little like this:

LM: I keep feeling like an earthquake is

happening

Me: Why is that?

LM: Because it always feels like my bed

is shaking at night

Me: We haven't had any earthquakes lately

that I know of

LM: Well I guess an earthquake is better

than a salami.

That would be really bad.

Me: What's a salami?

LM: It's when the water comes up

onto the land.

I like salami.

But not that kind. 

I'm gonna miss this age.



baby love

November 2010

How does one year produce

this much change,

this much beauty,

this much growth?

December 2011

feeling blessed more and more

each and every day.

beenawhile

summer has come and gone and i've missed
this blog so much, but just haven't found
the time to fit it in. 
so very, very much to share that i
don't know where to begin.
i'll have to go wayyyyy back and
try to post a few times a week.
hmmmmm, can i commit?
yes, by golly....
i think i can.
i think i can.
i think i can.

no real reason for this photo
except i think it's adorable.

Yesterday

 

it feels like i just took

these photos on the girls'

first day of school in august.

my beautiful bri starting her junior year

and the little miss entering kindergarten.

yet here we are with a new lovebug and

the school year coming to an end

and as usual i am wondering

where did the time go?

what a blessing it is to have photos

to help us remember when...

and relive the little things.

fairy love

the little miss lost tooth number two last week,
making her little gap even wider.
and this time around she had her tooth pillow
to give and receive tooth fairy goodness.
mama is slow these days,
but eventually things get done.

fairy delay

the little miss is soooo excited about
the small gap left behind after
she lost her first tooth today.
i can't help but be excited with her,
yet at the same time there's that
little sting of reality
reminding me how quickly she's growing.
i've been promising to make her a
tooth-fairy pillow all week
with the expectation that it would pop out soon,
but here we are ~ and no pillow.
wish me time and patience for
pillow making tonight.

happy monday.

recycled fun

our house. garden and all.

the little miss and her classmates
created a whole town from recycled goods.
there were so many fun businesses
plus the fire and police stations.
little miss had a business called
the "dog spot" where customers
would pay play money to walk dogs.
no ~ not to have their dogs walked,
but to walk dogs from the "dog spot"
which was in reality...the pound.
too cute.

feverish

a couple of weeks ago the little miss
was not feeling so good.
with a temp of 104 she was pretty sedentary.
makes me grateful for her
bouncing~off~the~walls
energy when she is well.
i just adore this girl.

Our girls

I've been wanting a new camera for ages now and my sweet friend Becky let me borrow her Canon Rebel for a few days to try it out and capture the newness of the little peanut before she turns into a coconut.  I was really happy with the shots I got of all my girls and thought I'd share after a little nudging from mama wicky.  I had so much fun using her camera that I've put it on my Christmas list to Santa with the hope that I haven't been too naughty.

My time has been pretty used up these days with nursing, swaddling, rocking, diapers, storybook reading, and trying to get a few extra winks in from time to time.  Friends & family have been incredibly thoughtful by bringing us meals, helping with the little miss, and sending gifts of love.  We are grateful to be surrounded by our little community of friendship.  You are all a blessing to us. 

So long

to our favorite summer treat...the root beer float.

we will miss you as fall approaches, but are looking forward to
our winter friend...warm apple cider.

do you have a favorite summer or winter treat?

The slide

Do you love the orange goggles?

Little Miss has been taking swim lessons for the past few weeks and has progressed so well.  It's really exciting to watch her swimming on her own.  She is still lacking some confidence in her abilities so it was fun to see her teacher push her a little this week past her comfort zone.  Little M was really not sure that this was a good idea and kept trying to put it off to the next lesson, but Mrs. Pauletta insisted (kindly) that today was the day and went down the first couple runs with her. 

Of course she loved it.  And went again and again.

Seeing emotional growth and confidence building in my children really is such a joy. 

sundress & cupcake day

My first pregnancy photo (at 23 weeks) taken by the little darlin on the right.  We decided to do a photo shoot in the hallway today sporting our summer dresses and one unhappy little potato head.  Don't know if it's just me, but it looks like the baby's coming next month and not in November.  I know they say with every pregnancy you get bigger sooner, but really.  I look like I'll be giving birth to a horse.  As large as I am, I have no complaints.  Pregnancy has been good to me and I love feeling the life moving inside.

Maybe I should just lay off of foods like this:

Don't these just look too fun to pass up?  We spent our morning baking muffins for breakfast and cupcakes in honor of grandma's 92nd birthday.  I think she enjoyed the pink beauties, how bout you?

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Good to see you can have your cake and eat it too.

Celebrating Summer

Last weekend we ventured out to the Santa Barbara Summer Soltsice Parade.  It's always full of eye candy, rythmic sounds and plenty of toys.  I'm constantly impressed by the effort that goes into the floats, costumes and performances for display on State Street.  After the parade there's a huge party at the park with live music, a drumming circle, vendors of all sorts, food and great entertainment for the kids.  The little miss decided to try and fit the theme this year at the dress up booth while her big sis was shakin her hips at the hula hoop booth.

Hope your summer is off to a good start!

Being five

Please, everybody, look at me!
Today I'm five years old, you see!
And after this, I won't be four,
Not ever, ever, any more!
I won't be three-or two-or one,
For that was when I'd first begun.
Now I'll be five a while, and then
I'll soon be something else again!

~Mary Louise Allen

The Little Miss woke up a year older today.  Her smile was like a little ray of sunshine as she walked into the kitchen.  We had dutchboy pancakes for breakfast, opened a few gifts from family and made cupcakes for her friends.  Little buddies came to play, eat and sing.  Three baby chicks made there way into the house to oooh & ahhh over.  There was a minimum of pouting, and a lot of smiling.  We went out to dinner for the birthdays girl's mac'n cheese and finished the day off with a movie. 

Being five is good.  Really good.

Here we go...

We're celebrating our little big girl's 5th birthday this
week with a trip to the happiest place on earth.
We've been anticipating this fun day for weeks
and can't wait to spin, roll and ride all over the place. 

Hope you're able to get a few moments in your own fantasyland today.

xoxo

please, oh please

artwork by Sarah Jane 

This tiny card is hanging up in my little one's room.  It's the sweetest reminder of how quickly time is flying by and for me to cherish the little days because in the blink of an eye, they will be over.  It happens overnight as you sleep, you know.  The fast forward fairies will sneak into her room, sprinkle their magic fairy dust and I will wake up to a high schooler who is gearing up to get her driver's permit, going to dances and thinking about college.  I have proof.  They've already hit my house once.  I shant let it happen again.

Any suggestions on fairy traps? 

Calling in sick

I've been knocked out with some kind of sinus monster-cold the last couple days, so I decided to call in sick today.  Oh wait, I can't call in?   My mr's sick too?  How can this be?  Creative entertainment to the rescue!  Since my man was completely bedridden today with the gunk and I felt slightly perkier than yesterday (i.e. able to stay in a vertical position for more than ten minutes) I took the reins and we had ourselves some fun at home.  All day long.

After our morning on the couch with Cinderella, the little one and I played Monet and did some happy concrete artwork, followed by some solo sandplay (time for me to rest) then straight into the outdoor shower for a little rub-a-dub in the tub.  The little one LOVED bathing in the bucket, her only complaint..."I wish it was big enough for both of us".  Me too lovebug.  After lunch we had a round of naps and finished the day with a little pedicure.  Maya's first ever.  She was so excited about having pink toenails that she exclaimed "I feel like I'm a mom!"  I never knew being home sick could make me smile so much.

 As much fun as it was I'm looking forward to a healthier day tomorrow.

Beauty awaits

Earlier this week I was determined to get out for a hike in the mountains, but I felt like all the signs were saying STOP before the hike began.  We got out late, the sunscreen was a gooey mess of oil, and the little miss started the hike kicking and screaming....but then it happened.  We escaped into a world of beauty and wonder.  We stopped to admire the abundance of bright green clover whose delicate leaves were all shaped as hearts.  We marveled at the teeny-tiny pine cones that covered the earthy fragrance beneath our feet. We soaked in the sweet music of the forest.  The chirping of the birds, the rush of crystal clear waters, the clicking of life in the canopy of trees above....pure nature.

No matter what kind of day I'm having or what hellish mood I may be in, the outdoors holds a beauty that transforms my soul (and the spirits of my little one, too).  We walked and ran with curious eyes in awe of God's creation.  It blessed us beyond words.

Then I fell.  Going down hill.  With Maya on my back.  She came out of it unscathed (thank goodness) but my walk has been slightly altered since the crash.  It didn't ruin the hike, but certainly has made the last couple days seriously uncomfortable on my otherwise healthy body.  With a bum knee and a twisted ankle, I still say...nothing beats a walk away from the hustle and bustle of the city.  Just be sure to watch your step.

Oh, and Happy St. Patrick's Day.