Golden Moments and Fairy Houses (May 1)

There were a couple of extra wooden fairy houses at Charlotte's birthday party, and Corinne offered them to our kids.  (Painting fairy houses was a hugely popular activity at her party, by the way!)  Jonathan didn't want one, but the younger two did, and were so excited to paint them.  I let them have at it the morning of May 1, and I found so much joy watching them.  It seemed I was witnessing one of the golden moments of their childhood.  I was thankful to capture the process on camera, and once again, to enjoy how differently they paint!

Just Cute (April 25)

Sometimes, They Educate Themselves... (April 23)

(Sorry this picture is sideways!  Jeff updated our Mac, which switched us from iPhoto to Photos.  I do not care for Photos at all.  But that's another story...)

Anyway, Todd and Corinne got Benjamin these cool drawers full of CVC words and letters.  He took it upon himself to dump them out, and he told me that he was sorting them into piles.  Each kind of letter got its own pile.  I just stood back and tried not to interfere with the education he was giving himself!

Minnesota Souvenirs (April 23ish)

Jeff travels a lot, but he almost never asks what the kids want him to bring home.  (Can you imagine if he did?!)  For some reason, before he went on this trip, he DID ask what the kids wanted.  Jonathan wanted eels, Grace wanted lake water, and Benjamin wanted a life preserver (which means a life jacket to him.)  Apparently, Jeff told this story to the folks he worked with in Minnesota, and they got a real kick out of it...and took it upon themselves to provide our kids with souvenirs.

Jonathan's Minnesota eels were LEECHES.  Yes, friends, those bloodsuckers that I only know from the Laura Ingalls Wilder books and from Stand By Me...that my children and I had never seen in person before.  They are disgusting and fascinating, but mostly disgusting.  Grace got some lake water that had some almost-microscopic creatures hopping around in it.  We loved watching them with our magnifying glass.  And, Benjamin was delighted with his life jacket!  Here is the thank-you picture that Jeff took on his phone.

Benjamin wanted to write a thank-you note to his benefactors, and he asked me what letters to write down while I was in the other room.  Not that this is a good way to do it, but I yelled the letters to him...and here's what he wrote.  I was very proud of him.

 Watching the leeches.  They were so gross.  Jonathan and Grace both took their gifts to school so that their classmates could examine them.  (Truth in photos...the kids' white laundry is hanging in the background.  This climate is great for drying laundry, as long as you choose the shade.  IKEA drying racks are the best.)

I really don't think I'll ever grow fond of leeches.

And Benjamin, the kid who cracks everyone up - including himself - decided to wear the life jacket upside-down and ran around calling it his Life Diaper.  Now, he's been out of diapers for quite some time...which may be why we thought this was so amusing.  Life Diaper!

Benjamin Quotes

While talking with him about his sandwich for lunch -

Me:  Would you like one piece of bread, or two?
B:  Would zero be fine?

While talking about his grandma's upcoming visit from out of state -

Me:  Did you know that Grandma will be here tomorrow?
B:  Could you guys go on a cruise again?

And, at the grocery store -

B:  What is that stuff?
Me:  Cherry pie.
B:  Could you get some someday?
Me:  No... I don't think I'll ever buy cherry pie.
B, who has never tasted it:  But I like cherry pie!
Me:  Someday, when you're a grownup, you can buy some.
B:  I'll get some for Thanksgiving.  I'll ask my wife.

And, talking about our upcoming summer break -

B: The kids always have a unanimous decision of where we want to go.  That's why we have a summer list.  And we have some activities, too.

Crafty Corner

After living here for almost two years, I think I have this corner almost the way I want it.  It's a combination of new and old...the oldest part is a very old teacher desk that had belonged to my great uncle Everett and then lived at my brother's house...and is now here.  (I'm sure it could tell a lot of stories if it could talk!)  There are some spice racks that had been inside my dad's kitchen cabinets which I'm sure are very old, too.  And the crib sides have been through at least five kids, as far as I know.  Everything here is an idea copied from someone else except for the thread storage.  That idea was mine!  (The bobbins are attached to the crib sides with magnets.  Also not my idea.)  Now I would like to find a big piece of art - or make it - to hang above the desk.  I also have a big, old, lightbulb - shaped lamp that my dad loaned to me that I'll be hanging above the desk when I talk myself into the task.

If anyone is curious about the IKEA stuff, I used BEKVAM spice racks; BYGEL rails, containers, s-hooks, and wire baskets; and RIBBA picture ledges (upside-down.)

The Last Spring Break Post

These pictures are from the beginning and end of our break.  They are from Jeff's phone, so they don't always show up in order.  Anyway, the first weekend of our break was all about Charlotte's birthday party.  Here are Benjamin and his uncle Todd practicing being pirates.  (It was a very fun pixies and pirates party!)

These two were just cracking me up.  I think if B had worn the small mustache and T had worn the large one, it wouldn't have been quite so funny.

Here is Benjamin walking the plank.  Or sitting on it.

Oh, and this is just a random picture, but we have gotten a little more serious about conserving water around here, including catching the shower water in a bucket while the water warms up.  Usually I use that water for the plants and flowers, but on this day, I let Benjamin paint with it.  He kept at the painting for...long enough to make it worth it.

And, at the very end of our break, we attended a local youth production of The Little Mermaid.  We really enjoyed it, and of course, Grace just had to seek out Ariel and get a picture with her!

And after our busy spring break, I almost needed school to start so I could catch my breath.

J & J Trip

At the end of our spring break, Jeff took a little time off to take a special trip with Jonathan.  They went camping where neither of them had been camping before and had some special meals and experiences.  The younger kids are already busy planning what they want to do for their special trips when they are around this age.

This was probably Jonathan's favorite part of the trip.  Jeff surprised him with an hour of one-on-one origami instruction with a professional origami master.  His huge grin says more than I could ever say!

Bubbles

While Jeff and Jonathan were on their man trip, which I'll post about shortly, the younger kids and I stayed busy...of course!  I found these bubble shooters on clearance for them, and the "youngers" were so surprised and happy.  I have definitely gotten my $1.50 out of each one!  And I just love how bubble pictures turn out...I never know, in action shots, what the camera will focus on.  Enjoy!

More Spring Break

I think I mentioned that we didn't follow Grace's list, but we still had a pretty busy break.

We got a bit of rain, which made us all happy...almost giddy.  Kids in a drought - at least our kids - come running, saying, "MOMMY!  It's raining!!!" at times like this.

Jeff had a business trip, which, unlike most of his trips, was only one night long, and was within driving distance.  I kept the kids distracted in the hotel room, which was great until we found out, via Jeff's anxious text, that our room was directly above his conference room.  I'm thinking the businessy folks were not very amused by the pitter-patter of little feet.

We tried to contain our pitter-pattering.  The kids - mostly Benjamin - decided that this suitcase stand was a jetpack, so the kids had to take turns wearing the jetpack.

They had a few dollars from grandparents burning holes in their pockets, and there was a Lego store within driving distance, so we went to the Lego store to do some playing...and to spend the dollars.  Big thanks to the grandparents who made this so fun.  Here are all three kids building...

and showing off their sets.