in preparation

In just another week, Morgan will be off to Kindergarten. In the last month, she's been determined to become a bit more independent, doing things like tying her own laces on her shoes and brushing her own teeth (although they still get an inspection at bedtime every night). So in preparation for daily school life, I quickly created a little table in Word to make our soon-to-be chaotic evenings a bit easier and keep her on that path to self-sufficiency. Plus, what can I say, the girl loves a good chart. Gotta love that!

summer feast

Mmm, Summer. Gotta love those nights of tasty grilling, fresh vegetables and easy kitchen clean-up. Even better when a part of the meal comes from your own backyard.

in charge

crazy eight

(36 weeks)

Happy anniversary to my awesome, loving husband. Thank you for not only a wonderful night out, but a wonderful marriage. I will always remember that bronze is just as valuable as gold.
Love,
Your #1 Wife

loving the water

Over the course of the summer, we've made several visits to our friends' pool and enjoyed the cool water on hot days. The kids have each taken their own approach to swimming: Morgan reluctant and cautious, but making small strides on her own terms; Andrew eager and independent, insisting on doing most of his pool exploration with little help.

I recently acquired a freebie Puddle Jumper with intentions of Morgan wearing it for more security and confidence in the water. Unfortunately, the strap is just too tight. It is, after all, intended for smaller children.  Instead Andrew was eager to give it a whirl, and once he put it on this afternoon, there was no turning back.

In lieu of the traditional life jacket that he had been wearing, this device let him swim with ease. After a short time, he was paddling solo across the pool between Scott and I, his infamous smile plastered across his face.

As I tucked him into bed tonight, I practiced those six words and said, "I love to watch you swim!" It wasn't long before he closed his sleepy eyes and drifted off to sleep, dreaming - I'm sure - of his next visit to the pool. 

real men vacuum

Aren't these guys great? Sorry, not for hire!

31.5 weeks

Hard to believe I am so far along in this pregnancy. It's been an interesting ride with a couple of minor pregnancy complaints, but nothing that has given me any insight to gender, or differences between this baby and when I carried Morgan and Andrew.

My lunchtime cravings for (easy, pre-washed) Earthbound Organic lettuce topped with feta and Greek dressing have subsided. My nightly desire for stove top popcorn has not. My lower back pain has increased to almost daily, but coincidentally, so have the invitations to a friend's pool. Sweet relief from the nagging pain and sticky heat! And my bout with restless leg syndrome is back. It's so incredibly annoying!

Also restless is this babe who loves to move, sometimes to the point of discomfort. However, Morgan and Andrew get a kick - literally - out of placing their hands on my tummy and feeling the sudden movements. It's been fun to watch them, and to also hear Morgan's name suggestions. Today's idea: Tony. A thought from last week: Ayana. (Don't worry, kiddo, despite our differences of opinion, Mommy and Daddy won't leave your name in the hands of your sister!)

So now the countdown is on. Less than nine weeks to go, or so Dr. J. says. Personally I think this baby will come after the due date. Nonetheless, we are slowly getting prepared. Baby's room is ready to be used - broken in this weekend by Cousin Will! Yay! And as we get into August, we'll adjust the car seat situation in the van, hopefully have some names that have made the cut, and take stock of all the baby gear that has been packed for nearly three years.

Soon, very soon!

bike riding

Since Andrew is now an expert on his trike, he offered a ride to Morgan this evening.

As they pulled into the driveway near my chair, I asked them to smile for the camera.

Then they traded places and offered up super cheesy grins.

Thinking of bookmarking this post for all the times when sibling squabbles seem to be the theme of the day. A good reminder that yes, they really can enjoy each other and have a good time together.

beating the heat

What do you do when you're 30 weeks pregnant, the temperature outside is nearing 100 degrees, and your little boy is begging to go outdoors? You convince him and his sister what fun it would be to stay inside in the air conditioning and make brownies in the kitchen. And not just any brownies, but Nigella Lawson's Everyday Brownies.

Sure, there's cocoa powder all over the counter. And yes, there's bickering over who will measure, pour and mix. Most definitely, we had sloppy stirring techniques that resulted in spills. They each wanted to crack their own eggs. Oh, and don't forget Andrew's dump of baking soda straight from the box into the bowl. (Thankfully it looked to be just about the required amount of a single teaspoon - let's hope!)

But the whole brownie-making process - something that should take a menial 15 minutes - erased an entire hour from our long afternoon. Morgan and Andrew loved helping, and I was even able to convince them to wash a few dishes along the way. You guessed it - more fun playing at the sink than actual cleaning, water all over the floor, and a little re-washing after Inspector Mommy got a hold of the dishes. A fun afternoon indoors, I'd say. All in the name of staying cool.

Now they play hide-and-seek while I post this. I know it won't be enough to last until Scott gets home at 5:00. I've already heard begging to go outside. Maybe soon. Soon I'll have to make my way to the hot grill for our steak dinner. Fresh green beans, lettuce salad (both made up in small part from our garden) and some paesano bread with dipping oil. Sounds good, right? I keep telling myself that. That adventuring out into the heat will be worth the taste when I sink my teeth into dinner with my family. But don't worry, I'll be sure to save room for dessert.

strawberries

Despite Andrew's lack of enthusiasm for fruit, he was a willing participant this morning in the strawberry field, eagerly helping to fill our flat. And when the fun ran out, he hung out with friends. I was thrilled when his regular "I want to go home now" whine coincided with the last few berries I was picking. Adding to his adventure this morning - a free donut and glass of cider with purchase. Just what Andrew needed to refuel.

Unfortunately Morgan missed out, but she was more than happy at her Iron Chef Camp this week at church. She's been attending every morning and loving it. On the menu so far have been strawberry granola bars, quinoa, rainbow pasta salad, and pretzels. She's tried a bite of everything, although some items were better than others to her palette. Tomorrow will be the last day and I'm hoping she comes home with the recipes! For now, she's elated to see the 10 lbs. of strawberries sitting on the kitchen counter.

concentration

Andrew's favorite pastime has transferred easily to the backyard this summer. Chalk-drawn roads or finding his own off-roading experience makes no difference. If it has wheels, he's there.

moving day

With preschool concluded and an available Saturday finally here, we decided to go ahead and move Morgan in with Andrew.

"Morgan is in my room?"

"I like sharing a room."

"I can't wait to get ready for bed tonight so I can sleep in Andrew's room."

And so the goofiness begins. Bedtime tonight was a bit chaotic. And we've made an appearance in the room more times than I can count. "We are playing games," Andrew announced happily after repeatedly summoning me. Super.

After the first 20 minutes, a frustrated Morgan called us. I assured her, "You're doing a great job. Sharing a room can be hard." While she's done her fair share of ignoring in her lifetime, I think she will learn how to master that skill quickly. 

"Lay down and go to sleep now, Andrew," I keep hearing from her. A new game. And yet I also hear her egging him on. "Look at me, Andrew."

I guess there's a learning curve here that neither Scott nor I can speed along. I sure hope the kids catch on quickly. Scott and I are reaching our limit of shenanigans for one evening!

and so it begins

The opening chapter of our sequel was written this weekend. And I must say, the weather was perfect for our lakeshore adventure. Looking forward to July when the rest of our family gets to join us at our new summer hot spot.

Our time on the beach may not always wrap up with an ice cream treat or a boat-watching board-walking conclusion, but it sure was a great kick-off to our summer.

now showing

Two favorites, playing simultaneously, just checked out from the library.

VeggieTales upstairs, Sesame Street downstairs. 

I was feeling generous. Or maybe just trying to avoid conflict.

25 weeks

We're moving right along here in pregnancy land. I've been feeling tired (no big surprise there) and had some crazy lower back pain. I'm questioning poor posture (bad shoes), hip alignment (a first time ever trip to a chiropractor) or sciatic nerve issues (minus all the tingling and sensations down the whole leg). But no complaints otherwise. My doctor has told me that there's plenty of time for baby to somersault into position - I shouldn't be worried that the head is in my ribs, or so she says. Hard to believe it's the 25th week already!

busy in the backyard

This spring we've been spending lots of time improving the back yard. Yes, there's regular grass mowing to bed done. And Scott's had help every single time.

But the first order of official backyard business was taking out an overgrown weed. When we first moved in eight years ago we thought it might be a Rose of Sharon, but sadly no. Never bloomed, only multiplied itself in size incessantly every year. Scott managed to take the "tree" down, but because the trunk was located so close to the fence, we had to have the rest ground out.

In it's place are the missing arborvitae shrubs that we planted along the fence line so many years ago.

We're also making a fourth or fifth attempt in these other spots. Despite great results from soil testing, they just kept dying. (Love the Lowe's one year guarantee in this situation!) My new theory is that our heavy clay soil is retaining too much water in the newly dug holes. Hoping our altered plan of attack (less watering) helps them thrive this year so we're not returning dead shrubs again next spring.

Scott also built a frame around our veggie garden in an effort to improve soil conditions (so my carrots don't turn out like turnips) and as erosion prevention from the slight incline. To get the most from my new, slightly larger plot, I'm doing some square foot gardening this year. This very much appeals to my organizational sense, and being intentional about where I chose to plant was right up my alley.

Morgan has been very intrigued about the whole garden process, from marking our one-foot plots, to selecting vegetables and getting them planted. I'm thrilled to share with her about the origins of real food. There's more to our table than Meijer!

So what's in the garden?

In addition to our regulars like tomatoes, bell peppers and basil, we've added jalapenos, garlic, leeks, green leaf lettuce, green beans and pumpkins. Pretty sure those pumpkin plants will require transplanting after sprouting, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. We're also doing carrots and onions again this year.

The preliminary planting plans

The finished 9'x6' garden

Scott has caged my tomatoes and put a rabbit fence around the perimeter. Now we need water, sun and time. Feels good to have that garden in!

I spent some time digging out all the random tulip bulbs in the flower bed behind the addition and they are now drying out for planting elsewhere in the fall.  Scott hauled some of the five yards of top soil we had delivered to raise up this flower bed and I added a couple more plants. I'll probably be spreading mulch one day this week. I'm anxious for everything to fill in.

Scott also put in a couple good hours trying to fix the leak on this:

We're still debating deck demolition. The former owners used the top tier for their hot tub. We do not use it at all. It's a heat trap and makes for wasted space all summer long. We do, however, like the privacy that the fence provides from neighbors several houses down. Keeping the lower level for patio furniture was the idea, but now we're not sure.



















Other plans include sewing a trapezoid-shaped cover for underneath the slide to be used as a fort for the kids. Not quite sure how or when that will turn out.

For now, the only fabric that sees the backyard is laundry!

Aside from regular maintenance, I think our major work in the backyard is done for this year. Now it's time to take a break, run around with the kids and kick off the summer enjoying the fruits of our labor.