Cake and Spinach

Exactly one week after planting, we have lettuce and spinach:



If you want to see the wedding creation I spent my Saturday making, go here.

If Only...

If I had a dollar for every time in the last two days that I have either wiped Jack's nose or had Jack wipe his nose on an article of my clothing, I would be out buying new shoes.

It Works!

Matt moved the outdoor sensor for our digital weather station to the inside of the greenhouse for the fun of it. Current temperature outside: 36 degrees and frosty. Current temperature in the greenhouse: 61 degrees and rising. :)

Pocket Treasures

Matt called this morning, on another dreaded Monday of returning to work. He had just stepped out of his truck and was crossing the parking lot. When he reached into his pocket to stash his keys, he found several Duplo blocks (think Legos on steroids). He had left his coat hanging from the closet doorknob, and apparently Jack thought the pockets were a good place to store some of his toys.

This isn't a new trick, but it is the first time one of his private stashes travelled outside the house. Yesterday, I found a miniature John Deere tractor in my saucepan when I pulled it from the cupboard. I have found several wooden puzzle pieces in my utensil drawer, once found my hair clip (after searching the house twice) in the silverware drawer, and often have had lengthy searches for an elusive sippy cup, only to find it shut away in some cupboard or drawer. These are our everyday love notes from Jack.

I wonder how often I overlook love notes from God? Some days I am aware of that special shade of blue in the evening sky, the song of a Robin on a rainy day, the smile on the face of a stranger. But most days I am a bit robotic as I go about my tasks. Sure, a handful of Duplos in a pocket is a bit out of the ordinary, and sure to grab our attention, but how soon will those stashes become so commonplace that they no longer bring a smile to our faces? I want to travel through each day with the wide eyes of a toddler exploring his world for the first time. I realized today that those tiny toys hidden in strange places are really love notes from God- He just had to use one of His children to get my attention.

My Little Shop of Horrors

Someday, we will have a gigantic greenhouse that is heated in the winter for year-round fresh greens and other fun things. But for now, I am thoroughly excited about my tiny little house; it is only 4' x 6'! The framework was given to us by a friend, and Matt spent a few afternoons stretching plastic and strengthening the structure with cedar strips. The end result- my little shop of horrors, as I have dubbed it. I spent some time yesterday afternoon planting seeds: peppers, tomatoes, lettuce and spinach, several perennial flower varieties, and even some cantaloupe and watermelon, which would otherwise be impossible to grow in our climate. I am so looking forward to what will come. Check back here for updates on my experiments...

Squeaky Clean

And this little guy needed it! After a day spent outside with Daddy while Mama was away at a ladies luncheon, there was plenty of dirt under the fingernails to complement the bloody lip and scraped up cheek!



And for the fun of it I pulled up a photo from exactly a year ago for comparison.

Signs of Spring III

Fun With Toilet Paper

Circa 1975


Circa 2007

Body Parts

Our baby's latest interest is in body parts. He is fascinated with his naked self at bath time, and walks around the house playing with his belly button when his onesie is left off for the day. He loves to point at teeth and happily grooves to the Raffi song each night when its toothbrush time. Most body parts he can't name yet, but he delightedly pointed to my eyes the other day and said quite clearly, "eyes". He then followed up by pointing at my nose and saying, also quite clearly, "ass". Hmmm. Guess we'll have to work on that one.

A New Word

For months now, we have been telling our little Mover, "Hot" and "No Touch" in reference to the wood stove which we use for our primary heat source. We have taught him to not touch other things in the house, but with the wood stove we have been especially vigilant for obvious reasons. This morning, as I was starting a fire, Jack was standing back watching, when suddenly he said, "Ot!" and held his hand out to the fire. I hadn't even used the word yet today, so I was very happy that this new word sprung from his memory banks. Repetition and consistency really do pay off when you live with a busy little toddler tornado. And I am glad.

Smartie Pants

Our Peanut's sense of humor is coming out more each week it seems. Last night, as I was coming to the end of his bedtime ritual, when we got to the part where he kisses his Mama on the lips, he grinned at me, kissed the palm of his hand instead, then put it on my mouth. Abstract thinking already?!

Mud

The mud must have been quite soft, for when he took a step off of the front porch and landed on his side, he didn't utter a sound. He just looked up at me helplessly and quietly laid there until I lifted him up. I couldn't resist a snapshot of my mud-streaked baby.







































Takin' a ride in the wheelbarrow; helping Mama take her garden trimmings to the chickens, who love scratching around in a fresh pile.

Signs of Spring II

Busy Day

The hoped-for mild spring weather came this weekend to Hillside Farm. After church and a nap, our little guy got to play outside for a few hours while his Daddy did some tractor work and his Mama weeded flower beds. It was a full day for such a little boy.

He played with his dump truck:


He played with his Bailey Dog:


And he ate lots of yummy dirt:

Dee Da Doo

Little Mister was happily and quietly playing with his Legos yesterday, so I thought I would sneak a few "me" minutes and curled up on the couch with a book. Not too long after settling in, his head popped up into view from below the pillow in my lap, and he declared "Dee Da Doo!". This delighted Mama instantly knew that his new combination of sounds was intended to be "Peek-A-Boo". We giggled together, played a few rounds of this favorite game, then he promptly turned around and went back to his Legos. Ahhh, the joys of the simple life!

It is such fun watching him grow and discover his world. His Daddy and I are sure that talking is right around the corner for him, now that he has mastered the art of walking. Stay tuned for more first words!

Signs of Spring

Being lovers of the outdoors, we are all three anxious for Spring weather to arrive so that we can go outside and get dirty. It seems like we have had more than our usual amount of snow; the most recent is just now melting away under a deluge of rain. The snow is wonderfully fun and beautiful, but it is time for the weather to turn, in our opinion, so we are constantly looking for the signs of spring.

East Meets West

This past summer, on a visit from their home in Singapore, my brother and his wife brought an outfit for our little man. It is a size 2T- quite obviously, this little guy is of much larger stock than those grown in the Far East!

Here are some photos of him playing dress-up:

A New Beginning

Since switching ISPs, I have been unable to access my xanga site. Apparently, it triggers the filtering system and is "bad". So, for the time being, I will post here. Hopefully all that I contributed to the other blog is not lost. I am trying to get technical help in clearing it up, especially since I can no longer view ANY xanga sites, including those belonging to several family members.