We're busy gearing up for #5's appearance (in less than 7 weeks - eeeeh!) and I'm having to relearn patience. I'm ready for her to get here, but I know that she needs to bake for a little bit longer, so I'm trying to be patient and enjoy life with only four kiddos - it'll never be like this again.
The kids are coming right along with their school work. We only have four full months left (we go through the end of June) and while it seems like a long time to go, I know that with #5 making her debut and then having about 8 weeks of school left will make for an interesting end of year push. Thankfully, they're all doing pretty well in all of their subjects and are thoroughly enjoying the units that Ryan puts together for them.
One really cool thing he did a few weeks back was having a week all about the "Importance of Play." Book work and worksheets were not allowed for the week, only playing. So for math, the kids played store (and had to create real receipts with the proper amounts), played board games, and played math bingo. They spent a lot of time outdoors playing in the yard and some afternoons with some friends. It was a LOT of fun!! At the end of the week, they talked about why playing is so important and also why doing some worksheets or book work is important. I think they all learned some valuable lessons and that learning is indeed fun!
I'm trying to come up with some fun things for us to do for these last six weekends before #5 arrives. I would LOVE to take them to the Zoo, but not sure that's a great idea for an 8 month pregnant lady who was on modified restrictions for four months. Whatever we do, I want to make some great memories with just the four of them. Especially since Doodle Bug and Lulu are now 11 (and a half) and 10 - they're growing up quickly and their days of wanting to spend time with us are limited.
In preparation for my maternity leave, I'm starting to shift my duties to my co-workers (who are AWESOME!!) and it's keeping me quite busy.
Ryan's been staying busy as well (on top of being a homeschooling dad and devoted husband). He's started his own blog where he interviews various board game designers, publishers, and artists. His interviews are very in depth (they're not just surface questions) and he's been putting in a lot of late nights to get them posted online. He's posted a lot of really good interviews already and is preparing for probably a dozen or so more to post between now and the summer. It's been a great project for him and he's been receiving a lot of good responses for 'board game geeks.'
Seems like that's a recurring theme in our family "busy, busy, busy." But I know that one day we will not be so busy, and we will not have all five children in the home. While it's very stressful and trying at times, I'm trying to enjoy it. Watching my oldest two girls growing up makes me realize how time really does fly by. In 7 years, our oldest could be out on her own, with Lulu right behind her. Makes me want to tear up! But, as I'm reminded by a very wise and dear friend, this is what we prepare them for their whole lives - to be separate and functional human beings, who are hopefully adding love into the world and following the Lord with their whole hearts. That is my prayer, that they do follow Him with all of their hearts, minds, and souls. Can't wait to see how it all unfolds.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Memories
I want to capture this past Christmas break for a few reasons: 1 - I have a pretty bad memory at times and may forget what we did by next week; 2 - it was an awesome break and I want to relive it through here; 3 - it was the last Christmas with four children, next Christmas we'll hopefully have our newest member of the family with us. :)
So here goes. I had the blessed pleasure to be off from Christmas Eve through yesterday. It was fantastic!! Nine days (excluding Sunday) of sleeping in - no alarm clock needed. Nine days to spend with my children, husband, and family. Nine days of no work - school or office wise. Wish it could always be like that!
During the first part of the break my mom and the girls did a bit of baking - praline crackers, sausage balls, cheese crackers, etc. Lulu made a mint chocolate chip birthday cake for Jesus - it was DELICIOUS!!!! The kids cut out and decorated sugar cookies to give to our siblings as presents - we had some leftover to enjoy, too and they were wonderful. We were sufficiently sugar over loaded for a few days.
Our family really enjoys playing board and card games, so over the break we learned to play new games such as Swat, My Happy Farm, Barnyard Buddies, and more (I've already forgotten the names of most of them).
We only played Swat as a whole family, the other games were broken up between 3 and 5 of us. Even the youngest, Buddy Boy, could play most of the games (or help out by drawing cards or being the 'banker'). It's so much fun to watch the kids strategies and see them plot out their turns and get so excited when they can make a big move. I love it!
We also watched quite a bit of TV shows and movies: America's Funniest Videos, Up, Looney Tunes, Tweety Movie, and the list goes on.
The kids spent many late morning and early afternoons playing outside, which allowed me time to read or watch a girly movie that they would not care to see. It was very relaxing.
My mom took the girls and I to see Frozen at the theaters (first time I've been to the theaters in a year or more) and it was SUCH a good movie!! My in-laws gave Lulu the Anna and Elsa Barbie's for Christmas, so of course they came to see the movie with us.
We also played many games on the Wii: the new Super Mario (WiiU), Wii Motion, Wii Play, rhythm Heaven, Wii Sports, and Wii Sports Resort.
I tried to have lots of time with the kids as well as allowing them to just play together (and for me to get some quiet time).
I think I took a nap every day except for two days and am really going to miss that - they really helped me to feel more energized in the afternoons.
The next time I'm off for more than a few days will be for maternity leave in April - cannot wait!!
So here goes. I had the blessed pleasure to be off from Christmas Eve through yesterday. It was fantastic!! Nine days (excluding Sunday) of sleeping in - no alarm clock needed. Nine days to spend with my children, husband, and family. Nine days of no work - school or office wise. Wish it could always be like that!
During the first part of the break my mom and the girls did a bit of baking - praline crackers, sausage balls, cheese crackers, etc. Lulu made a mint chocolate chip birthday cake for Jesus - it was DELICIOUS!!!! The kids cut out and decorated sugar cookies to give to our siblings as presents - we had some leftover to enjoy, too and they were wonderful. We were sufficiently sugar over loaded for a few days.
Our family really enjoys playing board and card games, so over the break we learned to play new games such as Swat, My Happy Farm, Barnyard Buddies, and more (I've already forgotten the names of most of them).
We only played Swat as a whole family, the other games were broken up between 3 and 5 of us. Even the youngest, Buddy Boy, could play most of the games (or help out by drawing cards or being the 'banker'). It's so much fun to watch the kids strategies and see them plot out their turns and get so excited when they can make a big move. I love it!
We also watched quite a bit of TV shows and movies: America's Funniest Videos, Up, Looney Tunes, Tweety Movie, and the list goes on.
The kids spent many late morning and early afternoons playing outside, which allowed me time to read or watch a girly movie that they would not care to see. It was very relaxing.
My mom took the girls and I to see Frozen at the theaters (first time I've been to the theaters in a year or more) and it was SUCH a good movie!! My in-laws gave Lulu the Anna and Elsa Barbie's for Christmas, so of course they came to see the movie with us.
We also played many games on the Wii: the new Super Mario (WiiU), Wii Motion, Wii Play, rhythm Heaven, Wii Sports, and Wii Sports Resort.
I tried to have lots of time with the kids as well as allowing them to just play together (and for me to get some quiet time).
I think I took a nap every day except for two days and am really going to miss that - they really helped me to feel more energized in the afternoons.
The next time I'm off for more than a few days will be for maternity leave in April - cannot wait!!
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Hallow's Eve
It's fall, which means it's time for three of my kids to have their annual check-ups (Lulu is the only odd ball not born at the end of the year, so she has to wait a few more months for her appointment). I'm always amazed at how quickly they change and grow. Doodle Bug is now 8 inches shorter than I am - 8 inches!! She's only estimated to be 5 feet 3 inches tall, shorter than I am (thanks to not growing for over 6 months after her battle with Kawasaki) - but still, the gap is getting shorter every year.
Little man is only six inches shorter than Doodle Bug. He'll tower over her in just a few short years. I didn't get a chance to see Buddy Boy's measurements, but he's up to Little Man's shoulders already and is only 11 pounds lighter. Buddy Boy will be my biggest kid by far - in the sense of "he's just a big kid - tall and has his daddy's wide shoulders".
Now that I've updated on my oldest and two youngest, I'll update on Lulu. Her soccer season is already coming to an end and she has grown SO much as a player this year. She scored her first goal, during a game, a few weeks ago and was SO stunned! She's been more aggressive (in a good way), isn't afraid of the ball, and is building her confidence up. Her coach wants her to play again in the winter and spring leagues - I don't know if our schedules can handle that - so we'll see.
School is going smoothly. Little Man has four pages left in his 2nd grade math book - he's a math whiz. Where the girls excel in reading (Doodle) and writing (Lulu) - he's a math man and it really amazes me. The girls are doing well in math as well. I've instituted a new math notebook called a 'toolkit' where the kids write down math tricks, definitions, examples, etc. It's something they'll start building this year and will continue building it as long as their are pages in the notebook - if it runs out, we'll buy a new one. This has really helped the kids with geometry (area and parameter calculations of shapes, fractions and decimal equivalents, prime numbers, rounding, etc.). I found it on a blog this summer and wish I'd known about it years ago. SUCH a huge help.
We're in the middle of a constellation unit and the activity the kids have loved the most, so far, is making constellations out of marshmallows and toothpicks. I'm sure it's because they all love marshmallows, but it has helped them form a connection with the single stars and the creative pictures they make. Lulu made a model of the constellation Lion and when we went out to view the stars that night, she found that very constellation in the sky and was SUPER excited.
That's what it's all about - being excited about learning and hopefully instilling a life long love for it.
Little man is only six inches shorter than Doodle Bug. He'll tower over her in just a few short years. I didn't get a chance to see Buddy Boy's measurements, but he's up to Little Man's shoulders already and is only 11 pounds lighter. Buddy Boy will be my biggest kid by far - in the sense of "he's just a big kid - tall and has his daddy's wide shoulders".
Now that I've updated on my oldest and two youngest, I'll update on Lulu. Her soccer season is already coming to an end and she has grown SO much as a player this year. She scored her first goal, during a game, a few weeks ago and was SO stunned! She's been more aggressive (in a good way), isn't afraid of the ball, and is building her confidence up. Her coach wants her to play again in the winter and spring leagues - I don't know if our schedules can handle that - so we'll see.
School is going smoothly. Little Man has four pages left in his 2nd grade math book - he's a math whiz. Where the girls excel in reading (Doodle) and writing (Lulu) - he's a math man and it really amazes me. The girls are doing well in math as well. I've instituted a new math notebook called a 'toolkit' where the kids write down math tricks, definitions, examples, etc. It's something they'll start building this year and will continue building it as long as their are pages in the notebook - if it runs out, we'll buy a new one. This has really helped the kids with geometry (area and parameter calculations of shapes, fractions and decimal equivalents, prime numbers, rounding, etc.). I found it on a blog this summer and wish I'd known about it years ago. SUCH a huge help.
We're in the middle of a constellation unit and the activity the kids have loved the most, so far, is making constellations out of marshmallows and toothpicks. I'm sure it's because they all love marshmallows, but it has helped them form a connection with the single stars and the creative pictures they make. Lulu made a model of the constellation Lion and when we went out to view the stars that night, she found that very constellation in the sky and was SUPER excited.
That's what it's all about - being excited about learning and hopefully instilling a life long love for it.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Football Season
School has been in session for a few weeks now and I am still amazed at what Ryan did with the school room.
I casually mentioned painting the school room next summer, next thing I know Ryan is hunting down paint chips from Home Depot, Lowe's, and Walmart. After pasting them on the wall for a few days, we finally narrow down the color and get the room painted. It's an aqua blue color - would be GREAT for a beach house - and is so invigorating and refreshing - I absolutely LOVE it!
After the paint dried, he spent an entire weekend rearranging the room - making it more organized than before - carving out space for each child and each subject/topic. He spent days creating and printing wall art to hang up. One of my favorite's is the "Weekly Schedule" wipe off sheet that lists the days of the week and what to look forward to for that day. The kids look at it every Sunday night and get SO excited for the week to come.
He also has "Question of the Week", "Number of the week" (for Buddy Boy), and "Book of the Week" sheets that keep the kids minds churning all week long.
Ryan is SUCH a creative man and is really putting it all in this year with the kids. It's paid off too, the kids have looked forward to school almost every day this year. There has been an occasional "I don't want to do anything today" attitude, but after someone missed out playing an awesome new board game after lessons were finished - the attitude was nipped in the bud.
Lulu has started soccer practice (or football as some call it) and says she has the BEST team ever this year. It's hard believe that this will be her third year playing. She spent a lot of time playing soccer with her siblings this summer and I was surprised at her aggressiveness and drive. I'm hoping they carry over to the soccer field with her teammates - 11 girls and 2 boys. We shall see.
Since my last post, we said goodbye to a wonderful woman - my grandmother. We saw her in April for my grandparent's 70th wedding anniversary and she was doing fabulously. Shortly thereafter she found out that she had jaw cancer. The cancer was successfully removed, but unfortunately the surgery took it's toll on her 89 year old heart and she just didn't make. After spending just over 2 months in the hospital, she passed away on August 16th - one month ago today. She was an amazing woman, always loving, always giving. She epitomized what it was to be a Christian woman, wife, mother, aunt, grandmother, great grandmother, and great-great grandmother. I only hope I can be 1/10 of the woman that she was.
I casually mentioned painting the school room next summer, next thing I know Ryan is hunting down paint chips from Home Depot, Lowe's, and Walmart. After pasting them on the wall for a few days, we finally narrow down the color and get the room painted. It's an aqua blue color - would be GREAT for a beach house - and is so invigorating and refreshing - I absolutely LOVE it!
After the paint dried, he spent an entire weekend rearranging the room - making it more organized than before - carving out space for each child and each subject/topic. He spent days creating and printing wall art to hang up. One of my favorite's is the "Weekly Schedule" wipe off sheet that lists the days of the week and what to look forward to for that day. The kids look at it every Sunday night and get SO excited for the week to come.
He also has "Question of the Week", "Number of the week" (for Buddy Boy), and "Book of the Week" sheets that keep the kids minds churning all week long.
Ryan is SUCH a creative man and is really putting it all in this year with the kids. It's paid off too, the kids have looked forward to school almost every day this year. There has been an occasional "I don't want to do anything today" attitude, but after someone missed out playing an awesome new board game after lessons were finished - the attitude was nipped in the bud.
Lulu has started soccer practice (or football as some call it) and says she has the BEST team ever this year. It's hard believe that this will be her third year playing. She spent a lot of time playing soccer with her siblings this summer and I was surprised at her aggressiveness and drive. I'm hoping they carry over to the soccer field with her teammates - 11 girls and 2 boys. We shall see.
Since my last post, we said goodbye to a wonderful woman - my grandmother. We saw her in April for my grandparent's 70th wedding anniversary and she was doing fabulously. Shortly thereafter she found out that she had jaw cancer. The cancer was successfully removed, but unfortunately the surgery took it's toll on her 89 year old heart and she just didn't make. After spending just over 2 months in the hospital, she passed away on August 16th - one month ago today. She was an amazing woman, always loving, always giving. She epitomized what it was to be a Christian woman, wife, mother, aunt, grandmother, great grandmother, and great-great grandmother. I only hope I can be 1/10 of the woman that she was.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Christmas in July
Ryan and I are preparing for another wonderful school year and are full of anticipation and excitement. We've purchased our curriculum and have it neatly organized on the book shelves (which won't last very long.. we know...). We've checked the state standards to see that we're preparing grade-appropriate materials and lesson plans. We're finding awesome arts and crafts to go along with special units. I'm preparing recipes for yummy snacks and desserts to help reinforce special units.
It feels like Christmas is coming!!
Seriously. It feels like we've put energy into the perfect presents for our families, like we're making all of those wonderful Christmas cookies, cakes, and desserts. Like we're making homemade Christmas tree ornaments and cards. I can almost smell the pine needles and cinnamon!
Well, actually this weekend at Hobby Lobby I DID smell pine needles and cinnamon - they have their Christmas and Thanksgiving decorations in full swing. I love it! On top of that, Micheael's is setting up all of their Thanksgiving displays and Christmas will be just around the corner...
Going back to the school year, we've decided to make this school year a lot more fun than previous years. We'll still have workbooks and worksheets, but we're going to implement a lot more hands-on learning in the forms of more board games, more experiments and baking, and more field trips.
I cannot wait!
I just wish I could bottle up this excitement into a little perfume bottle. Then, during the year when I'm tired, worn out and thinking "Ugh, just three more months to go" I could squirt the bottled aroma on my wrists and voila! I'd be pumped and ready to go.
If only it were that easy.
Since it isn't, I decided to blog about it. In hopes of coming across this posting in the months to come and remembering just how excited I was right before school began.
Here's hoping it encourages you, too!
It feels like Christmas is coming!!
Seriously. It feels like we've put energy into the perfect presents for our families, like we're making all of those wonderful Christmas cookies, cakes, and desserts. Like we're making homemade Christmas tree ornaments and cards. I can almost smell the pine needles and cinnamon!
Well, actually this weekend at Hobby Lobby I DID smell pine needles and cinnamon - they have their Christmas and Thanksgiving decorations in full swing. I love it! On top of that, Micheael's is setting up all of their Thanksgiving displays and Christmas will be just around the corner...
Going back to the school year, we've decided to make this school year a lot more fun than previous years. We'll still have workbooks and worksheets, but we're going to implement a lot more hands-on learning in the forms of more board games, more experiments and baking, and more field trips.
I cannot wait!
I just wish I could bottle up this excitement into a little perfume bottle. Then, during the year when I'm tired, worn out and thinking "Ugh, just three more months to go" I could squirt the bottled aroma on my wrists and voila! I'd be pumped and ready to go.
If only it were that easy.
Since it isn't, I decided to blog about it. In hopes of coming across this posting in the months to come and remembering just how excited I was right before school began.
Here's hoping it encourages you, too!
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
A little of this, a little of that
Baseball and softball season went off without a hitch. This year was the first year that we didn't have overlapping practices and games. It was really nice even though it meant some weeks we were all the ball field four nights in a row.
Doodle Bug primarily played catcher and outfielder. She was one of the best batters on the team - frequently being one of the only players to hit off of the other team's pitcher. All of her playing skills improved and I'm hoping to work with her between now and next season to keep some of them a bit sharp.
Little Man is a GREAT second and third baseman as well as outfielder. Near the end of his season, while playing outfield, he had some amazing catches and throws. Parents on the other team often commented "Wow, what a throw." Makes my mama heart proud. I'm hoping to keep his skills sharp during off season as well. We'll see how that goes.
School is winding down for the kids. They've actually finished my subjects (writing, math, and science) and only have the subjects Ryan teaches left. Little Man will finish his work this week while the girls will finish their work next week.
Lulu absolutely LOVES playing teacher with Buddy Boy. Whenever he has a craft, worksheet, or lesson she just LOVES to help him with it. She says she wants to be a teacher and I think she'd make a wonderful one. She has the patience and gentleness to work with little ones.
While we're on the subject of future careers, Doodle Bug wants to be a fashion designer. Ryan got the girls some fashion books that come with clothing templates to use as a reward during afternoon school. They LOVE it. They both come up with fabulous designs and great color schemes. Doodle has even sewn some Barbie clothes for her dolls and they're not too bad! I told her we need more designers to make tasteful clothing for girls. I'm having a hard time finding tasteful clothing for her. She turns 11 soon but is wearing juniors sized clothing, a lot of which is inappropriate, so it's getting harder and harder to find clothes for her.
Makes me wish I was better at sewing so I could make some cute clothes for her, but I'm not. God has gifted me with other hobbies instead like gardening and bread baking.
Our garden is doing wonderfully. Many of our tomato plants are taller than I am - I have to keep cutting off the top stems in hopes of deterring further vertical growth. So far it's working. I started spraying aspirin water on the plants (one 325mg of aspirin to 4 cups of water) to combat powdery mildew on the tomatoes and it worked! It's actually making the garden thrive - I never would have guessed it. The cucumbers and the sugar snap peas are not too fond of it, so I'm trying not to spray these plants.
Over 4th of July weekend I hope to pull up our potatoes and carrots and to harvest some cucumbers, sugar snaps, and lima beans. So exciting!
I've also taken up bread baking again (ok, well I've only done it once - this weekend.. but I hope to make it a regular occurrence again). I have some sour dough starter from my aunt and grandmother and have pulled out my old sour dough recipes. Three years ago I made sour dough every single week. It was wonderful to have fresh homemade bread in the house and to be able to gift the bread to the neighbors. I even started making cinnamon rolls, pretzels, pizza crust, cookies, and cakes. I never realized I could do so much with sourdough! So now I'm starting it up again and hoping to make one additional recipe (along with the fabulously soft and yeasty bread) each week. This past week was pretzels. Next week I'm going to try cinnamon rolls (which freeze amazingly well).
It feels so wonderfully domestic to tend a garden and make homemade bread and I am thoroughly enjoying it. I never thought I would say something like this when I was 13 or 14.. but honestly, what do 13 or 14 years old know anyway? (I can see myself saying this same thing when I'm 40 or 45 - "What do 30 year olds know anyway?") Anyways, I'm thoroughly enjoying life and hope that you are as well.
God bless.
-Mary
Doodle Bug primarily played catcher and outfielder. She was one of the best batters on the team - frequently being one of the only players to hit off of the other team's pitcher. All of her playing skills improved and I'm hoping to work with her between now and next season to keep some of them a bit sharp.
Little Man is a GREAT second and third baseman as well as outfielder. Near the end of his season, while playing outfield, he had some amazing catches and throws. Parents on the other team often commented "Wow, what a throw." Makes my mama heart proud. I'm hoping to keep his skills sharp during off season as well. We'll see how that goes.
School is winding down for the kids. They've actually finished my subjects (writing, math, and science) and only have the subjects Ryan teaches left. Little Man will finish his work this week while the girls will finish their work next week.
Lulu absolutely LOVES playing teacher with Buddy Boy. Whenever he has a craft, worksheet, or lesson she just LOVES to help him with it. She says she wants to be a teacher and I think she'd make a wonderful one. She has the patience and gentleness to work with little ones.
While we're on the subject of future careers, Doodle Bug wants to be a fashion designer. Ryan got the girls some fashion books that come with clothing templates to use as a reward during afternoon school. They LOVE it. They both come up with fabulous designs and great color schemes. Doodle has even sewn some Barbie clothes for her dolls and they're not too bad! I told her we need more designers to make tasteful clothing for girls. I'm having a hard time finding tasteful clothing for her. She turns 11 soon but is wearing juniors sized clothing, a lot of which is inappropriate, so it's getting harder and harder to find clothes for her.
Makes me wish I was better at sewing so I could make some cute clothes for her, but I'm not. God has gifted me with other hobbies instead like gardening and bread baking.
Our garden is doing wonderfully. Many of our tomato plants are taller than I am - I have to keep cutting off the top stems in hopes of deterring further vertical growth. So far it's working. I started spraying aspirin water on the plants (one 325mg of aspirin to 4 cups of water) to combat powdery mildew on the tomatoes and it worked! It's actually making the garden thrive - I never would have guessed it. The cucumbers and the sugar snap peas are not too fond of it, so I'm trying not to spray these plants.
Over 4th of July weekend I hope to pull up our potatoes and carrots and to harvest some cucumbers, sugar snaps, and lima beans. So exciting!
I've also taken up bread baking again (ok, well I've only done it once - this weekend.. but I hope to make it a regular occurrence again). I have some sour dough starter from my aunt and grandmother and have pulled out my old sour dough recipes. Three years ago I made sour dough every single week. It was wonderful to have fresh homemade bread in the house and to be able to gift the bread to the neighbors. I even started making cinnamon rolls, pretzels, pizza crust, cookies, and cakes. I never realized I could do so much with sourdough! So now I'm starting it up again and hoping to make one additional recipe (along with the fabulously soft and yeasty bread) each week. This past week was pretzels. Next week I'm going to try cinnamon rolls (which freeze amazingly well).
It feels so wonderfully domestic to tend a garden and make homemade bread and I am thoroughly enjoying it. I never thought I would say something like this when I was 13 or 14.. but honestly, what do 13 or 14 years old know anyway? (I can see myself saying this same thing when I'm 40 or 45 - "What do 30 year olds know anyway?") Anyways, I'm thoroughly enjoying life and hope that you are as well.
God bless.
-Mary
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Ides of March
I cannot believe it's been almost four months since my last post - yowzers!
As always, things have been quite busy around our household.
The kids enjoyed a nice Spring Break and had plenty of time to play, ride bikes, read, and get into trouble.
We went to the Jacksonville Zoo last Friday. We hadn't been there in 3 years, so it was really good to be back. The kids were able to touch sting rays, feed a giraffe, watch the penguins, and said "This was the best field trip ever!" Unfortunately, Buddy Boy was sick (fever, very tired, snotty nose) so we cut our visit short. But, we decided to get the annual family pass, so we can go again as many times as we want to until next March - woohoo! Next time I think mom's going to join us, so that'll be great.
On Saturday, we decided to take the kids to Orlando - who doesn't like Orlando? We enjoyed a nice suite at the Nickelodeon resort. The kids LOVED the resort. Pictures of cartoon characters were everywhere, and the resort was very kid-centered. We watched two episodes of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at the pool (they called it a Dive-in movie - was pretty cool). Before leaving on Sunday, we played putt putt golf at the hotel. Buddy Boy (who was feeling MUCH better) had the best shot on each hole. My little athlete.
Spring season also means baseball season. Little Man has graduated from t-ball and is now playing baseball. His coach is great and has been working with him to throw the ball better. He loves it!
Doodlebug is playing softball again and also has a good coach. She's playing with a group of girls that have been together for years, so they're pretty tight knit. Her easygoing personality allows her to fit right in. She's having a great time and has kept a lot of her skill from the past four years. It's going to be a great season.
We started our spring garden right after Valentine's day and already see radishes, carrots, and lettuce sprouting. We've actually eaten some of the lettuce and it's quite tasty! We can also see the potatoes starting to bud - exciting!
I've started some pineapple tomatoes, roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and green peppers in seed trays and they're starting to sprout after 2 weeks of cold temperatures. I plan to plant some eggplant, more tomatoes, and some fruit this weekend into another seed tray.
We also have a golden jubilee and blueberries to plant - just waiting for this final cold snap to finish.
I'm hoping this year's garden will be better than last years for multiple reasons. Number one - I have a little bit better idea of what to do to keep the plants healthy and happy. Number two - we started last year's garden in the middle of June - we've gotten a four month head start. Number three - we got the kids their very own 2x2 square foot garden and got another 4x4 garden, so we'll have 150% more space. Number four - Ryan got me some amazing gardening tools for Christmas that have already made gardening easier.
I promise to take pictures of the garden this year and to actually post them. (We bought a new DSL camera and it takes beautiful pictures - I hope to post some of the kids soon.)
Hope and pray everyone is doing well.
As always, things have been quite busy around our household.
The kids enjoyed a nice Spring Break and had plenty of time to play, ride bikes, read, and get into trouble.
We went to the Jacksonville Zoo last Friday. We hadn't been there in 3 years, so it was really good to be back. The kids were able to touch sting rays, feed a giraffe, watch the penguins, and said "This was the best field trip ever!" Unfortunately, Buddy Boy was sick (fever, very tired, snotty nose) so we cut our visit short. But, we decided to get the annual family pass, so we can go again as many times as we want to until next March - woohoo! Next time I think mom's going to join us, so that'll be great.
On Saturday, we decided to take the kids to Orlando - who doesn't like Orlando? We enjoyed a nice suite at the Nickelodeon resort. The kids LOVED the resort. Pictures of cartoon characters were everywhere, and the resort was very kid-centered. We watched two episodes of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at the pool (they called it a Dive-in movie - was pretty cool). Before leaving on Sunday, we played putt putt golf at the hotel. Buddy Boy (who was feeling MUCH better) had the best shot on each hole. My little athlete.
Spring season also means baseball season. Little Man has graduated from t-ball and is now playing baseball. His coach is great and has been working with him to throw the ball better. He loves it!
Doodlebug is playing softball again and also has a good coach. She's playing with a group of girls that have been together for years, so they're pretty tight knit. Her easygoing personality allows her to fit right in. She's having a great time and has kept a lot of her skill from the past four years. It's going to be a great season.
We started our spring garden right after Valentine's day and already see radishes, carrots, and lettuce sprouting. We've actually eaten some of the lettuce and it's quite tasty! We can also see the potatoes starting to bud - exciting!
I've started some pineapple tomatoes, roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and green peppers in seed trays and they're starting to sprout after 2 weeks of cold temperatures. I plan to plant some eggplant, more tomatoes, and some fruit this weekend into another seed tray.
We also have a golden jubilee and blueberries to plant - just waiting for this final cold snap to finish.
I'm hoping this year's garden will be better than last years for multiple reasons. Number one - I have a little bit better idea of what to do to keep the plants healthy and happy. Number two - we started last year's garden in the middle of June - we've gotten a four month head start. Number three - we got the kids their very own 2x2 square foot garden and got another 4x4 garden, so we'll have 150% more space. Number four - Ryan got me some amazing gardening tools for Christmas that have already made gardening easier.
I promise to take pictures of the garden this year and to actually post them. (We bought a new DSL camera and it takes beautiful pictures - I hope to post some of the kids soon.)
Hope and pray everyone is doing well.
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