Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes

It's that time again! Blueberry time!

I got these pics from Kasey because I didn't take one single picture!

Following tradition, we spent a beautiful summer morning picking blueberries together.

 Corbin parked himself under a bush and ate every blueberry within reach for a solid hour.
Quincy and Reese filled our 2 gallons, then ran around in the blueberry fields with their friends for awhile. The weather was perfect, and as always, the experience was totally worth lugging everyone out the door by 6:30am.

First up: Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes!
Every time I make these, I end up trolling Nat's blog for 30 minutes, trying to find it, which is totally worth doing, because the recipe is amazing (and so is Natalie), but I figure I should probably post it here, so you can enjoy it, too.

Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes
from Martha Stewart Living, June 20091 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. cornmeal
1/4 c. sugar, plus 2 t. for blueberries
1 1/4 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
1 1/2 c. buttermilk
1/4 c. milk
3 T. butter, melted and cooled
1 egg lightly beaten
2 c. blueberries

Mix (barely, lumps are fine) and cook pancakes at about 300* (medium heat) on a griddle.
Eat with none other than...homemade blueberry syrup!

Chameleon

On the last day of school, Reese brought home a watercolor that she painted during art hour at school at some point during the year. 

It is really good/beautiful/interesting/pretty/thought provoking and we just can't stop looking at it. 
We had it framed last week and humble Reese was flattered when she saw something she had folded and shoved into her backpack now matted and placed in a frame, but it really is a fantastic piece and we are all happy to see it hanging it in our home. 
I love this painting because my Reese created it.
I love that she chose to paint a chameleon.

This year, Reese has developed an ability to make herself fit in and be useful in nearly any situation.  Adaptation to change used to be very difficult for Reese, and in one year she has taken this weakness and turned it into a strength. She isn't needy, require a lot of attention, or focus on herself.  She chooses to blend in---not to hide, but to be helpful and use her gifts to help others shine.  She has compassion and a great desire for everyone to be happy and comfortable.  This gift could not have come at a better time for our family, and as parents, Aaron and I recognize what a great blessing Reese is to us.

 
I love my sweet chameleon.  She is just the child I need her to be.
I am hanging her artwork to let her know that she isn't forgotten, but appreciated and valued for all of her colors and the many things she is and can be.  Reese has a big personality, yet she chooses to be totally selfless.  She inspires me to be less stubborn and to give more of myself to my family.  I want to be more like her and serve with everything I have to give, even when it means sacrificing to make a change that requires more work or makes make me less comfortable.  I hope that showcasing her artwork will serve as an expression of gratitude to Reese for her talent and as a visual reminder to all of us that when things are hard, we can find a way to adapt and make the situation better. 
I am so grateful that God created Reese and gave her to me.  I'm sorry that the cell phone quality photos are absolutely terrible, but take my word for it when I say that both chameleons are magnificent works of art. 

Memorial Day Weekend-Saturday Fun

Dude, we are killing our summer bucket list, and loving every minute of it.

On Saturday, we threw together an impromptu BBQ with the Zebley's, Glovers, Meadows, and Nielsons.  Special shout out goes to Kasey for taking photos the whole night! We left our camera in OKC and as you can tell from recent posts, my phone doesn't take the greatest pictures.  Thanks, Kasey for documenting all the fun for us!

We had the kids bring their bikes and they decorated them with red, white, blue ribbons, crepe paper, star garlands, and pipe cleaners.

Bikes on parade! We're going to let the kids take their bikes to ride around at Tanyard Creek on Monday morning for the ward breakfast. I loved decorating my bike for 4th of July and Memorial Day as a kid, so it was fun to see the kids get creative with streamers, etc.  New tradition!

The food was incredible.  Everyone brought great stuff to share, there was a ton of food, and we just. kept. eating. The kids got sticky with watermelon and then caked in dirt in the backyard.

Glass bottled Crush sodas and snowcones added colored mustaches and an extra layer of sticky to the mix. The best thing about the snowcones was that the kids were already done with dessert and back to playing when Tia brought out the homemade ice cream for the grown ups to enjoy. :)

What a great night. The kids were great, the food was excellent, the company was wonderful and it was just a really nice, relaxing evening with some of our people.

An extra shout out to the girls.  Everyone hung around an extra 10 minutes and helped clean up.  Many hands made really light work, and a party with no mess leftover? Sign me up for another!  Thanks for a fun night, friends!

Beautiful Lengths

The day finally arrived.

Both girls finally met the minimum 8 inches of length to cut off for donation. 

Haircut day!

They felt pretty special and were pampered well at the beauty college.  Several students came and other patrons came to congratulate the girls on their generous decision to donate their hair.  Both stylists and one of the teachers took some pictures to pin on their before/after wall. 

 We chose Pantene Beautiful Lengths because they only require 8 inches (opposed to 10 or 12 like most other programs) and even though Reese had nearly 12 inches to donate, Quincy only had 8, and I so was not patient enough to wait out another 4 months for her to grow 2 more inches of hair.

 There is a Pantene Beautiful Lengths expo coming up in about a month at the John Q Hammon's center.  I saved the pony tails in bags for them to take to the expo to donate.  They'll get little goodie bags and get to see the finished wigs on display to show what happens to their hair after it is donated and how new hair can make someone look beautiful.

What really happens is that someone that feels like total crap from chemotherapy and then suffered the nightmare of losing their hair will receive the gift of knowing that someone out there wanted them to feel better and happy and did something totally selfless to help make that happen.  No matter how Pantene spins it, I think that's the real beauty of donated hair.  Feeling loved and giving love is what makes them all beautiful.

I wasn't totally impressed with the dude that ended up cutting Q's hair, and am certain I could have done a better job, in less time, than he did.  We didn't quite get what we were going for, style wise, but hey it was $7 and what he lacked in talent he made up for in praise and compliments toward my little girl.

After their haircuts, I let them have their nails painted (it's only $2 and they were sooo patient during the 1 1/2 hours (yes. really.) it took to have their hair cut and styled by the students.)
They wanted alternating red, white, and blue nails for Memorial Day. Quincy somehow ended up with all red nails with blue sparkles on them, except for her middle fingers, which were painted white.  Seriously, guy? I know it's only a $2 polish job, but come on. White middle fingers? Really?  He was really pleased with the results and I'm thinking this must have been his first time painting nails. Oh well, at least Quincy is happy, and her nails are just the right mix of patriotic and slightly offensive....totally her.

Look at my beautiful daughters.  Beautiful on the outside with pretty new haircuts, and beautiful inside for their big hearts.  After a year of growing your hair out, it isn't easy for most people to make such a great sacrifice and chop it all off, but they were excited and willing and did it happily. 
Reese said she hopes her hair goes to a little girl her same age and hopes "she feels that she is pretty when she gets her new wig." 
Quincy wants her hair to be "painted and dyed white and given to an old grandma 'cuz she has no hair left."
 
Way to go, Reese and Quincy!

Worth Waiting For

Four months ago, we made a giant wheel of white stirred curd cheddar...

 ...and tonight, at book club, we busted into that bad boy!  I don't know why I am always surprised, but I was a little shocked that it actually had the sharpness of cheddar to it.  We were nervous whether or not it would "turn out" as we tucked it away into the cheese fridge for aging, but here it is, four months later, a perfect medium cheddar.  Totally delicious and a totally different flavor than the buttery gouda we also snacked on.

4 months is a long wait, but totally worth it for some cheesy excellence.  This is turning out to be a pretty fun little hobby.  Time to make more!

A boy and his girls

Corbin is quite the lady chaser. 
The Dodgers shirt is a weak attempt to spare the few remaining California genes.
Not sure how well it's working...my kid runs around the yard, barefoot, chasing chickens with a stick.
We're pretty Arkansas.

Anticipation

The concord grapes I planted last spring are growing rapidly.

I can't wait to get our juice on!

"Greens, greens, and nothing but greens!"

This is just today's pick.  We have another bowl full in the fridge! 
We will eat all the green beans we can stand, this week, and the rest will be blanched and frozen for Baby Willy's baby food. 

Tomorrow, we're starting it off right with bacon wrapped green beans.
Awww yeah.

True sign that summer is here

 

 Um....she did shower, last night, I promise.

2012 Summer Bucket List

Our Summertime bucket list is a little out of control, this year.  We have about 90 days of Summer ahead of us, and we've already checked off quite a few things on the list, so it might actually be possible to do most of the 100.  Right now, we're only a few days in and our engines are hot with summer fire...but I wonder how long we (ahem I) will last until the dog days of summer hit and the lazy days set in. We had family council a few sundays back and discussed fun things to do this summer as well as resonsibility and what chores we expect the children to maintain. It seems like a pretty fair trade, and everyone agreed on the jobs they've been assigned.   Then the fun part began...the 2012 Summer Bucket List! (highlighted in red = check! I'll keep coming back to this post to update what we've done.)

Here's what we came up with:
1)      Create Summer Jams 2012 CD
2)      Chuck E Cheese
3)      Drive Thru Safari
4)      Drive-In Movie
5)      Blueberry picking
6)      Get pool passes
7)      Hunt for crawdads and picnic Blowing Springs
8)      Make snow cones
9)      Go fishing with Daddy
10)   Read chapter books together
11)   Library summer reading program
12)   Keep a summer journal
13)   Get haircuts
14)   Paint nails
15)   Run through sprinklers
16)   Blow bubbles
17)   Play the Wii
18)   Game day
19)   Pajama Day
20)   BBQ w/ friends
21)   Go bowling
22)   Make pizzas
23)   Get a redbox movie
24)   Have a picnic
25)   Go for a bike ride
26)   Visit Pam Guest and take some pictures or flowers to her
27)   Sidewalk chalk
28)   Playdates with friends
29)   Sand park
30)   Sports Camp
31)   Swim/kayak in the lake
32)   Make homemade salsa
33)   Wash the cars in swimsuits
34)   Pickin on the Square
35)   Farmer’s Market
36)   Go to the mall
37)   Paint with watercolors
38)   Water balloons
39)   Visit Ross and Marge
40)   Silver Dollar City
41)   Go to the Temple
42)   Have a cooking lesson
43)   Go to the zoo
44)   Visit family in Ca
45)   Jump on Uncle Mark’s trampoline
46)   Tour a candy store or factory (Discovery museum)
47)   Go to the Beach
48)   Gilroy Gardens
49)   Have a garage sale & sell eggs
50)   Play in Auntie Hollee Ann’s playroom
51)   Bake a pie
52)   Grow a garden
53)   Release our butterflies
54)   Sleep in a hotel
55)   Ride in an airplane
56)   Go to Monterey/Carmel
57)   Look at the stars/watch a meteor shower
58)   Baseball game
59)   Fireworks
60)   Movie theater
61)   Catch lightening bugs
62)   Go on a hike at Tanyard Creek
63)   Decorate bikes for Memorial Day/4^th of July
64)   Make s’mores
65)   Collect shells/rocks
66)   Casa de Fruita
67)   Make homemade pickles
68)   Play mini golf
69)   Make bead bracelets or necklaces
70)   Memorize Articles of Faith family challenge
71)   Take family pictures
72)   Schedule daily Learning Time (sight words for Q. Chapter books, math flashcards, and journaling for R)
73)   make Chore Charts
74)   Ice cream party
75)   Father’s Day surprise for Aaron
76)   Campfire
77)   Back to School Family Theme Celebration
78)   Help clean the church
79)   Watch Stuart Little Movie after we finish the book
80)   Get our home ready for baby brother
81)   Host book club
82)   Write thank you notes
83)   Fly a kite
84)   Play with glow sticks
85)   Living room/backyard campout--(the girls did a bedroom campout on a big mattress on the floor in their room)
86)   Sew burp cloths for baby brother
87)   Catch bugs/butterflies
88)   Bella Vista Fun Run 1K or NWA Run for a Child 1 mile
89)   Plant new grass in backyard
90)   Donate 8+ inches of hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths Expo
91)   Preschool story time at the library
92)   Skype with Grandma Lynda
93)   Play soccer
94)   Go down the waterslide at Metfield pool
95)   Can tomatoes
96)   Update 72 hour kits
97)   Get breakfast with Grandpa
98)   Frisco Festival
99)   Eat funnel cake
100)   Visit the dollar store

The Big 3

Corbin was a delicious little nugget of joy on his special day, and kept us entertained all day long.

First thing in the morning, he was playing on the patio, and I turned the corner to see him standing, hands free, on the very top of the cozy coupe car.  He shouted with great pride, "Mom! Wook at me! I awesome!"

I freaked out and worried that he was going to fall and break his arm. Sensing the immediate rise in my blood pressure, he climbed down and surprisingly to me, he did it with the ease of a Chinese acrobat.  I snagged this pic with my phone of his final dismount.

He said "yeah, I awesome" all day when anyone wished him happy birthday. So cute!

 His best buddy, Cole, came over to play for a bit and the two ran around the yard with sticks and rocks (as always) and covered themselves from head to toe in dirt to celebrate the day.

For FHE we celebrated our birthday boy with presents and "chocwat-cake" (Corbin's current favorite thing in the universe, second only to animals.)  He learned his colors recently, and knows most of them, except for brown, which is referred to as "chocwat-cake" every time.  I'm not opposed to the color name change. I'd much rather tell people I have chocolate cake eyes and hair, than plain old "brown". 

No candles were necessary for this child....his only birthday wish was a big fat face dive right into his cake...which he did with a years worth of pent up enthusiasm and anticipation.  We started singing and he went right in and sported a frosting goatee, chocolate eyebrows, and a sugar high until bedtime.
Monday was also Reese's last day of school, so our family party kicked off summer in the best way possible---staying up 2 hours past bedtime! We had a great night, (nope, no one slept in for me the next day. The first day of summer began promptly at 5:15 am when Aaron left for work.) and even though the children were tired the next day, leftover cake made for an excellent breakfast and pepped everyone right up! 

Birthday Boy

At bedtime, tonight, we each gave Corbin an extra kiss goodnight.

When this guy awakes, tomorrow morning, he will be a big three year old. 
THREE! 

There's nothing we can do to stop the clock,

but I'm ok with that.  With every day that passes, he gives us another reason to be totally in love with him.  I love his little mouth, his pointy teeth and his stinky feet.  I love his heart shaped belly button. I love the way he emphasizes the R's at the end of words, like "tig-ORs", "wat-OR", "yog-ORt", "tract-OR" and "caRs".  I love that he could probably climb out of his crib and be out of his bedroom in 5 seconds flat, but has never even tried.  I love that he wants to play 24 hours a day and makes every mealtime an adventure. I love the way he loves his sisters.  I love that every night, he prays for "horsies, rubbies, blankies, kasey, rocks, dirt, yuckies, animals, sticks, gwamma" and most recently, "my balloon that went night night up to the sky". I love his kisses. I love the way he drags out his, "ooooooh-kaaaaaay" when he finally concedes to obedience.  I love that if the hose is on, he knows it, finds it, and soaks everyone in the yard with water and a mischevious smile.  I love how easily calmed he is by Reese's presence. I love that he sleeps with like 10 blankets.  I love how he lines up his toys and carries his backpack everywhere.  I love how he greets total strangers in the store with, "Hey guys! Wook at my car, guys!" and I sort of love that he kicked the old lady at the library who pinched his cheek.  I love that he is exactly how imagined Aaron was as a child.  I love his chocolate eyes.  I love his crocodile tears and sticky fingers.  I love the tiny mole on the inside of his pointer finger. I love the way he sings. I love how he kisses owies all better. I love how he asks, "it's good?" every time he offers me plastic food. I love that he talks in his sleep. I love that he runs everywhere he goes.

and I love that he's mine.
Happy Birthday, to our not-so-baby guy. We love you!

A trip to the dentist

revealed that someone has a couple of cavities...  

Ahem...pay no attention to the fact that she wore two left flip flops (in different sizes) to the appointment.  She's fancy.

"Girl put your records on..."

Of all the songs that my daughters like to belt while they're in the shower, this one is, by far, my favorite. 

I love them. Get your soul filled girl power shower jams on, girls!
"Tell me you favorite song. You go ahead, let your hair down..."

The Father/Son Camp Out and Girls Night Out

Aaron and Corbin went on the Father/Son Camp out last night, so the girls and I decided to have a date of our own.
Their first choice was to get chicken nuggets from "Old Mc Donald's".
I was hoping for something a little more um...upscale.

So they suggested Chick-Fil-A. Hahaha...my girls certainly know how to class it up! I'm actually kind of impressed that they recognized the difference in niceness between McDonald's and Chick-Fil-A.

We ended up grabbing takeout from Station Cafe, and eating on a blanket on the square.

Summer is here and that means Pickin' on the Square. 

We ate in the perfect weather at sunset and the girls danced and ran around to live music.

Then they began a game of sitting back to back with their arms linked, then trying to stand up.

I took a video of the hilarity.

We finished up with 10 cent rides and a bag of saltwater taffy from the Walton 5 & 10.

 The boys returned covered from head to toe in dirt and s'mores, and reeking of campfire.

I've seriously never seen Corbin's face so dirty!  One wiggly Corbin made this the best shot that I could get with the phone, but everyone had an enjoyable night.

Cleanliness is next to Godliness

Aaron had volunteered to help clean the church, this morning.  We decided to make it a family activity and went together. 

I was so impressed by my children, today.  They worked really hard for 1 1/2 hours without a break.

Aaron vacuumed all the classrooms and worked with a few other guys that were there to clean the bathrooms, chapel, and kitchen.

The kids and I went through every classroom in the entire building and:
-gathered any loose items and put them in the lost and found

-folded and stacked the chairs

-cleaned the chalkboards

-wiped the dust and dead flies out of the windowsills

-emptied the trash cans, and

-picked up anything off the floor that was too small to get sucked up by the vacuum.

Then they cleaned the nurseries, wiped down tables, swept out the entryways, and cleaned out the chapel overflow, mother's lounge, and copy room and foyer for the stake offices.

They went up on the stage which had been used as a seminary classroom all year (and was seriously disgusting) and threw away a bunch of garbage including a moldy banana and a stash of Sonic cups. 

I was actually kind of grossed out when we got to this room, but the girls set to work like Mary Poppins in a playroom.  They sang and danced and worked quickly and thoroughly.

They did a nice job and found many classrooms and closets and corners that had been ignored for awhile. Reese even asked how the teenagers "could stand to leave their classroom so messy" and "just leave their scriptures thrown in a pile on the floor...don't they need these, Mom?" (they are seminary scriptures and are kept at the church, but I took this as a sign that she is ready for a set of her own to be responsible for...and yes, the pile was pretty pathetic.)  Quincy and Corbin stacked them in the corner.

By the way, parents of youth: the Bella Vista Ward Young Women most definitely take the cake for most messes...or at least for leaving the most trash behind with their names written on the garbage. We know who you are! Take your gum-filled handouts and programs home, or throw them away, girls! ;)

The kids did everything with a cheerful and willing attitude and didn't quit until their job was done.

  

And when they were done, they put a bunch of rocks back into the flower beds in the parking lot while we waited for Aaron to finish and lock up.   

I've always known that my children are good workers and that they appreciate cleanliness, but it brought me joy to see them cleaning (messes that they did not make) in God's house with a sense of respect and ownership.  I'm curious to see how the children will react if they see any messes tomorrow.

It was a good experience for them.

On a side note: It has been a few years since I've helped clean the church building.  Aaron helps fairly often, but I'm usually home with one or all of the kids.  It was nice to see the church so sparkly and clean. Since we are the third unit to meet in the building on Sundays, we never really get a chance to see it in such nice condition, especially the bathrooms.   It made me a little more conscious of how small efforts like putting away hymn books and wiping off the chalkboard can make a difference to the next person who uses the space, and even bigger difference to the volunteers on Saturday morning. 

It was a good experience for me, too.
I love to clean, and cleaning the church with my family was a great way to start out our Saturday.

Jam

I made 14 jars of blueberry jam last week.  I gave a couple of them to friends for birthdays, but we are burning through the rest of the lot like firewood in subzero temps! 
Next year, someone remind me to save on dishes and lids and just use quart sized canning jars. We love our PB&J's up in here, and blueberry is definitely the family favorite.

"She got the way to move me, Cherry Baby!"

My sweet friend, Sue, generously gives me some of the sour cherries from her tree, every year.

I know it is not easy for Sue to reach the cherries on the high branches of her tree and this act of service is one that is truly selfless.
Sue's husband passed away on Sunday morning and Sue was on my mind, all day.

After church, Aaron and I were talking about her and Jim, and Aaron thought about our own cherry tree and walked around the fence to check on the cherries.  They were ripe!

15 mintues later, we had 4 cups of perfect cherries.

Aaron suggested that I go over to Sue's to visit, then offer to pick her cherries for her and bake her a pie. 
After the kids went to bed, I made a card and some cookies, then picked up Kasey and a couple ladders and we headed over to Sue's to hopefully do a little service and cheer her up.

   She got home right when we were unloading the ladders in the driveway.
The first thing she said when she got out of the car was a tearful,

"I'm so sorry to tell you this, girls, but the cherry tree died!"

Oh. man. Did I feel like a jerk. 

I'd thought I was going to visit my friend and offer some comfort, company, and bring a little distraction and normal-ness to her day, by doing something we do together every year.

Instead, poor Sue was left feeling sad about one more loss in her life, that day.

Regardless, we still had a really nice visit, and I am so glad we were there right when she got home from dinner so she didn't come home to an empty house.  I'm headed back over there today to plant her geraniums and help her get ready for the arrival of her children who will be coming in from all over for the funeral in the next few days. 

Last night, I realized I still have 4 cups of my own cherries in the fridge.

So to honor Sue and Jim, (and also Neil Diamond, because I just can't eat cherry pie without a little "Cherry Cherry") I made mini cherry pies.
 

 +

this recipe and 5 ramekins

=

midnight mini cherry pies at the Willy's.

Or Pie Babies.
a Che-rry Bay-bay! (said in Neil Diamond's voice)

When you eat it, you automatically start singing, "Baby loves me, yes yes she does!"

bap-bap! ba-da-bap-bap-ba-dap! 

Sue's cherry tree may have died, but luckily, her friends now have cherries to spare and we will be bringing her pie every year to let her know how just loved and appreciated she is by everyone who knows her. She is humble, cheerful, wonderful, and definitely sweet as pie.

Motherly

This picture is an oldie, but a goodie.

I am celebrating womanhood today. 

Maybe it's because I am pregnant, but I felt extra lovey and womanly and domestic today and I loved it.

Today wasn't about avoiding chores and housework.
Today, I didn't skip cooking or doing dishes. 

Today, I didn't escape to a spa.

Today, I didn't steal away to a quiet, empty room with a good book.

Now, before I get flame, just know that I don't say that to slam women who did enjoy those things, today. Mothers work dang hard, every minute of every day and I totally appreciate that many of us are given a break from our never ending responsibilities as a gift from loved ones to show their appreciation for all that we do.  Totally deserved.
Today was perfect.
Today, I celebrated my mother, her mother, my husband's mother, mother Eve, sisters, aunties, grandmothers, teachers, friends, and every woman who has ever been a "mother" to me or to my children. I am so grateful for the examples they have given me.  Being a woman isn't easy and I admire the ladies in my life who do it so well.

Today, I enjoyed womanhood, sisterhood, and motherhood.

Today, I did cook and clean. I did pick a booger (no! not mine!), change a diaper, and read stories.

Today, I cleaned up the aftermath of a shower collision between the girls and the shower drain cover that came loose, tripped both of them and resulted in a lot of screaming, several sliced toes and fingers, and a trail of tears and bloody footprints that led from the bathroom all the way down the hall to the kitchen. 

Today I did laundry (not common for a sunday, but bloody towels and bathroom rugs do not wait), scrubbed carpet spots, and kissed boo-boos. 

Today, I went through almost an entire box of band aids. In one day.

Today, I calmed a tantrum and assigned 2 "time outs".

Today, I was appreciated and given 1,000 hugs and kisses and "I love you's"...and a few "I'm sorry's".

Today, the car was cleaned out by the girls and I got an adorable scribbly card from a barefoot Corbin.  

Today, I slept in and was brought Sunday waffles in bed.
Today, I helped my daughter overcome a fear.
Today, Aaron thanked me for mothering our children.
Today, I read scriptures and prayed with the children.

Today, I felt the Spirit when I heard my daughter singing the sacrament hymn as loud as she could, the very best that she could while following the words in the hymn book with her finger.

Today, I wore the mother's day necklace that my girls picked out and gave me 3 years ago.
Today, Corbin sang Happy Birthday to me several times.
Today, I felt strength as I hugged a friend who's husband died this morning.
Today, I ate popsicles and played in the backyard after dinner with my family.

Today, I am a queen. I was raised by a queen, and because I am a queen I wore a paper crown given to me by two little queens that I get the luxury of raising. 

Today, I called my mother, told her I love her, and thanked her for mothering me.
Today was like many other sundays in many ways. 
Today wasn't perfect, but it was perfect, because:

Today, I got to be a mother and do motherly things.

I love my family.
I love being a woman.
I love the women I came from.
I really love being a mother.

"It has it's own weather system"

Check out the enormous head of broccoli we picked tonight!  Quincy was happy to show off her favorite garden treat for the camera.  Corbin was obviously frightened by the sight of such a large vegetable and can be seen running for his life in the background. 

Nesting

Today, as I walked out out onto the patio, a cardinal flew out of the kiwi bush, as usual. 
Those beautiful birds have eaten nearly every kiwi off the vine, and every time we come outside, we startle a bird out of there.

I was irritated until today, when the thought occurred to me that the reason there always seem to be birds in the kiwi plants was because there was a nest in there.

So, I stood on a chair and held the camera in the air and pointed it into the well hidden area that always seems to be full of birds.

Looks like we won't have any kiwi (again) this year, but we do have ourselves a very pretty plant and a homey home for a mama cardinal and her babies. 

I might be biased, but I think my backyard is a lovely place to three lil' chicks.

Happy Nesting, Mama Bird.

Reasoning With Reese: Don't Be Jealous

Reese: Mom, are you jealous that me and Quincy and Corbin love dad and not you?
Me: What the heck? You don't love me? Why would you say that?
Reese: No...you know what I mean, like are you jealous that we're all excited when dad comes home and we all want to sit by him and be around him and see him and stuff and then you...you know, you're just always there?
nice.

Harvested

There are massive quantities of broccoli, spinach, kale, lettuce, strawberries, and fresh herbs coming out of the garden right now.  Green beans, squash, and beets any day now!  We are loving the early harvest for spring veggies, this year.

The Best Part of My Day

Reasoning With Reese

The one where Reese finds something wrong with the universe and creeps us out a little:

Reese: Mom, isn't Great Grandma Tenney (Mima) like...90 or something?
Me: Yes, she is 91, almost 92.
Reese: Well, um...shouldn't she be dead by now? 

Later, I tried explaining how lucky we are to still have Mima with us, but she just jumped in with
"But it doesn't make any sense. She's the oldest one I know. She should be next."

and then Quincy chimed in with "Nuh UH, Dad's gonna die first. He's the oldest. Wait. Who is older, Mom?  You or Dad? That's who dies first. Ok, maybe it's Grandma or Grandpa next. They are old..."

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The one where I fess up:

While driving past NWACC
Reese: Hey look, there's your college. Why do people go to college?
Meg: To get an education.
Reese: What's that?
Meg: It means "to learn".  You don't stop learning when you grow up.  You are always learning new things, even when you aren't in school.  If you want to learn about something specific, like history or art or how to be a better speaker or something, you can learn about it at college. 

Reese: But why did YOU go to college?
Meg: Because I wanted to learn some new things.  I got to read a lot of books for one class, and I learned about how to be a better teacher in another class, and...
Reese: Yeah, but you don't need college for that stuff. You already know everything. Right?

(Yeah. I was pretty tempted to say, "Right!" and end the convo there. I did the right thing and sold myself out as a non all-knowing being to my child.  At least I hope it was the right thing. She's only 7...seems like I should have gotten away with "knowing everything" for at least a few more years.)

*****************************************
The one where Reese uses brilliance and logic to charm her way out of doing chores:
Reese: Ugh. It is always going to be like this? Where you tell me, "Quincy is only 5", and that's why she doesn't have the same rules or have to help clean our room as much? 

Me: You will always be 2 years older than Quincy, so...yes, I think so. You always have at least a few different rules because you are different children with different talents, but also because you are different ages.  Get used to that answer, because you will probably hear it again.

Reese: Well then can't you start using that answer for me, too? Someday, I will be 9, but today I'm only 7, so you could make it a little easier for me too, so I don't have to help as much, either. 
Me: laughs, why would I make it easier? You have rules for a 7 year old Reese, not a 5 year old Quincy.  She isn't you. You each get your own rules and chores.

Reese: Because if you said I don't have to help clean up sometimes, that would make it fair.  I'm always gonna be 2 years older than Quincy, but today I am two years younger than the 9 year old myself.  That isn't fair that you say, "Quincy is only 5, you are two years older" and not "Reese is only 7"

Backyard Bathing

The kids have been spending a lot of time in the backyard, latley, since the weather has been so nice.
Their current favorite thing to do is play with bubbles in the water table. 



 Sometimes they play with cars or plastic characters in the bubbles.  Sometimes it is Barbie and her mermaid friends having a pool party.  Sometimes they just get rags and sponges and "wash" their bikes and the slide.  Sometimes they wash themselves or make bubble beards. 

If they stay out there long enough, Corbin inevitably finds the hose and convinces one of his sisters to turn on the water.
He sprayes everyone down.
I hear screaming and squealing.
Everyone ends up soaked and blames someone else for "getting them soakin' wet". 
I shrug and figure soap + water counts for a bath.  They come in and put on dry pajamas and we call it good. 

PS- chickens do not like being bathed with bubble water by children.
In case you were wondering.
PPS- my favorite things about these pictures are Quincy's flip flops on the wrong feet and her hand selected white on white outfit with her shorts rolled 3 times at the waist.