Charlie's thoughts on Spring

no leevs on the tees yet

gras is groin,

jest rit,

peapel eeting owtsid

we droo pictrs

We had gorgeous weather today. Uncle Jim and Aunt Josee, and Bob, their dog, came out to visit, and so did Uncle Paul, and his new wife Rosalie. Uncle Jim finished the hardware on the gate he built for our side porch. And we all played outside before sitting down to enjoy baked sweet potatoes, baked potatoes, a giant farmer's market salad, and baked beans, as well as ham, chicken breast, and salmon that Uncle Paul grilled. Tonight after dinner, Chas and Simon sat down to draw and write in their journals. I asked Chas how do we know Spring is here. And above is what he wrote. "no leaves on the trees yet, grass is growing, just right, people eating outside, we drew pictures". I am still having trouble with some viruses on my computer, so I am unable to run the photo manager program in order to post pictures. I'll keep working on it. Hope you everyone else is enjoying Spring as much as we are.

A busy morning for Mia Beth

The boys are with Nana this morning. A perfect time for me to finally try that old yoga video I bought 7 years ago. The opening of the video suggests a warm, quiet place out of direct sunlight, free of distraction. Hmmm. I wonder if I could see the benefits anyway, despite the baby crawling over me, pulling my hair, falling headfirst on the marble fireplace (she's going for _two_ black eyes), stripping the already pathetic ficus of a few leaves for her breakfast, sipping sour milk from a stray sippy cup (don't ask me where she found it), tearing the boys school work off the fridge (it's very colorful), and trying to place that odd taste, what is it? oh yeah - the applique butterfly on her sweatshirt. She screams in frustration when trying to crawl on the linoleum, it's slippery stuff.

Now that my yoga routine is finished, she has moved on to safer things, eating a wooden puzzle piece with one hand and banging another on the wall with the other hand. Oh did I mention we have only been up for about 45 minutes? It is now 8:21 am.

Later just us girls are off to Lowe's to do some research. The kitchen floor needs to be replaced, and I have drawn out a built-in bookshelf/bench deal that I want to build for the foyer. Also, I want to add wainscotting to the front of our tub surround in the master bathroom, and build a gate for the side porch so the kids can play out there without fear of falling down the stairs. I also want to buy a storm door for the front door. And add a light in th laundry closet. I know this sounds like a lot, and it is. Some of it may not get done, but if I try to do one project a month then before I know it, Tim will be home.

I guess Mia is finally tiring out, I think it is nap time.

Undeterred...

Our sweet Mia is progressing rapidly in her pursuit of forward movement of the vertical type. She likes to get to her feet. I wouldn't call it 'pulling up' as she doesn't really get a hold of anything, rather, she uses her strong legs to get to her feet and balances herself with her hands. A favorite target is the boys' playroom chairs, but the underside of the playroom table presents an obstacle; she has the same problem with the underside of the coffee table when climbing onto the shelf below. Today we offered her a small plastic stool that goes with their art easel, and she was successful in climbing to a standing position! And she was so delighted with herself. The next skill to master is getting back down, it seems. She is now trying to pull up on the chair I am sitting in. Her frustration abounds, loudly.

Simon rescues a pinecone...

Even though, after two emergency room visits in a six month period last year, he has earned the nickname 'Crash', our dear Simon is such a gentle spirit. He has been known to wrap a truck in a blanket and hold it to his cheek, and he is always ready to fill an empty cat bowl or prevent his sister from mouthing a rogue plastic bag or stale cracker.
Today, while visiting Nana and Pop Pop in Garner, a favorite retreat on a napless afternoon, we looked up to find Simon standing in the road holding a pinecone. I ran to him and knelt down in the yard (amidst about 2 dozen pinecones), took his hands and looked him in the eye. I began explaining to him about how cars can hurt you, etc. He held up the pinecone and began his own explanation, 'those two cars were going to crash into this pinecone and break it.' It was a beautiful pinecone.

sigh...