March 31, 2010

This Little Piggy…

Tonight, Miranda and Tallen took a bath together. Nothing really special about that…  I heard a report after the bath.  It went something like this:
“Mama! Tallen learned This Little Piggy tonight!
Tallen, show Mama!”
“This little Piggy went to market,                         This little piggy stayed home.                              This little piggy had roast beef,                           This little piggy had none.                                 And this little piggy …had SOUP!!”
I laughed soooo hard!  I am so glad I have this blog to keep track of the hysterical things these young ones say. They sure make my day less dull and dreary.

March 16, 2010

WELCOME Spring!

Winter is the time to huddle close and get to know our families all aver again. To sit and read, knit, or play games by the fire. I understand that God made the seasons so the earth would have a chance to also huddle close and regenerate and rejuvenate. Winter is quite beautiful in it’s white and crystalline splendor.  Clean and bright. Like…well, clean and bright “whites.” There’s nothing like it. The snow and ice on the window panes. The scraping of the windshield. The plowing or snow blowing of the driveway and sidewalk. The COLD and the bundling up to go outside.  Seeing your breath in clouds above your head. Having your nose run and then freeze to your face. Gotta love Michigan winters. ENOUGH winter though!!! It's March. I am still hoping that it will be warm enough on Easter to have an OUTSIDE egg hunt this year.

IMG_0502This is the face of a boy who is VERY happy to play outside without boots to weigh him down and snow pants to slow him down. I am soooo over winter! It took a while to get here and I was ok with that. Overall, we had a mild winter. The girls had 2 snow days and the hill at the park was not even sled worthy until we had the huge storm that caused the snow days.  Steven took the kids out, I think, 6 times and I even took Tallen over for a play date once.  I know – shock- right? I was a mild day.  And my feet didn’t fall asleep in my new boots.  yea!!!!
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It appears that spring is here.  I am hoping it's going to stay. Here is the first really warm day we had on the 6th.  It was 50 degrees that day. Only the snow hiding in the corner was still there.

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I have waited all winter to do this. The air was crisp and cool. The sheets dried quickly and smell so GREAT!  There are few things about spring I like more than hanging the clothes to dry and then getting to feel the warmth of them and smell the spring air in them as I take them down and fold them.  Ahhhhhh – Spring!!

        BEAUTIFUL!!
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The canal in the back is filling with life…in one week, the frozen canal has quickly transformed from this…


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…to this! The Canada Geese are returning and filling the air with goose honks and the yard with droppings.

The boy birds were out trying to get the girl birds attention, singing their hearts out.

IMG_0487Only the end of the canal (2 doors down) has ice by afternoon.  Very exciting for all.  Tallen took his little Lightning McQueen fishing pole to practice casting the line and the pair of geese didn’t like it, so they left for a while.  They are nesting in the yard 2 doors down (the other direction.)  I hope we get a nesting pair in our backyard. That would be fun.


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Here’s the garden. Waiting for some love. I need to plot it out on paper and put the seeds to start.  I started way too late last year and some were not ready for harvest in time. Or were too hot by the time they were big enough…peas don’t like heat.  I need to put the lettuce and peas in today so they will get ready in time.  Yummy!! Fresh salad.  I can hardly wait!

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As warm as the days are lately, the nights are still in need of a cozy fire, so Steven cut some wood for us yesterday before he left for work. 

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Tallen was such a big help!
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IMG_0494 Tallen hauled the wood to the porch and they stacked it on the porch.


This is what spring looks like at my house…
What about yours???