Saturday Shenanigans

It started with a hole.

They said "Can we dig a big hole in the yard?"

"sure." I said. 

"But you will have to fill it in again when you are done."

When they began to fill the hole with water and requested swimsuits i said, "you may not come in the house until you are rinsed clean."

May be needless to say, but they were outside for many hours. 

I hope the sight of these crazy muddy children brought a little joy to your day...

 i know they brought plenty in to mine.

(the clean one is a sweet neighbor boy from down the road... the crazy muddy four are mine)

a week of home

I am trying very hard to keep things still this week.

Any day that I don't have to leave the house feels like such a treasure. My children can't handle more than two days in a row at home (and usually that second day is full of bickering). It's a delicate balance getting them days out and me days in. Spring break. It's going well.

I have been, almost constantly, daydreaming about summer.

I just can't wait for the warmth and the time outside. We have more big plans for those few short months, and I can't wait to enjoy last years project.

I have been substituting as an assistant teacher at a Montessori preschool this year. Mostly, I would cover when someone was sick, had an appt, etc. Now I am working a full schedule covering for a teacher that just had a new baby. It has certainly been a busy time for us, but what an incredible place and equally incredible group of women. The project above was inspired by one of their activities. I gathered beautiful objects from around the house and printed the matching words on card stock. My little readers go through and pair each object with it's matching card. So easy, so fun, and so visually appealing. 

I am really hoping to start some new projects over this "break." I had this sad feeling that the week is almost over, but then I reminded myself that it is only Wednesday morning... and one full day at home is full of possibilities. 

spring things

  

As far as I'm concerned... spring is here.

When you have a day where there is pouring rain, hail, and then bright sunshine and clear blue skies all in the same afternoon, that is spring in Oregon. The grass is also a pretty good indicator for me. It slowly changes color as spring approaches and when the days reach a certain length, suddenly, the grass begins to almost glow. It is glowing now. The trees are budding and the flowers are popping up... although the flowers have popped up before and then died from snow the next day... I've seen it... I don't trust the flowers anymore. My other indicator that I haven't really witnessed yet... is the birds. When it is truly spring I wake up and hear them singing, loudly, in the morning. It is the most fantastic way to wake up.

I was shocked that Easter is this month. Wasn't it in April last year? Was it? and it seems that just a few years ago it was at the end of April...? hmm. I have four (wait... no five) calendars and, somehow, not one of them had Easter in it. so, I looked it up online and gasped when I saw that it was in March. Just because it feels like everything is happening early this year. Which I am enjoying. Certainly not complaining... just observing. 

This winter was hard on me. The combination of short days and basketball was a bit too much. My two older children both played on separate teams. There was a practice almost every night of the week, and games (plural!) every weekend. My usually slow, restful season was ridiculously busy. I'm going to have to get used to it though because they both loved basketball, especially my daughter, and can't wait for the next season to come. 

But there is spring... I am really excited for spring. We are taking a break from sports this season. The older two kids, and possibly Matt, are going to do the mountain bike racing... which is much less of a commitment and really fun, but no soccer. I have received a bit of guilting over this decision because of the loss of an opportunity to increase their skills, but we have decided to take a break anyway. Not entirely for selfish reasons either, but because we can tell that the kids also need a break from this stimulating schedule. We need a season of rest. We all need time to slow down. I think it will be wonderful. It has been two years since I have had a spring without sports, and I am ready for it.

 I am not a sports person (at all), but I am certainly a spring person. 

signs of life

 I got this sudden, overwhelming urge to make something... anything... and my last carving was months ago. Quite a few of these carvings are things i have carved before... either for someone else or something i had made for myself that was broken. It felt really wonderful to get a little creativity flowing again. I feel like this little frenzy opened somewhat of a creative window inside me. I just feel different... slighty... like i have a little creative breeze flowing. Does that make sense? I broke out the sewing machine this weekend and it has been a long while since i have worked with fabric. I do enjoy the feeling of the fabric moving slowly under my hands and through the machine.

 I filled up my old notebook and retired it, so it was time to decorate my new one.

New number cards for the snack table at the little montessori school i'm subbing at. They set out trays of carrots, and pieces of cheese, crackers, etc, with little tongs and put these cards next to each thing so that the children know how much of each food they get to have and they come and serve themselves when they get hungry. It is adorable to watch.

I would like to introduce you to my new niece, Vivian Irie, who was born on February 17th. I got to go hold her and ... oh... that sweet newborn smell... and those tiny hands and feet... there is something so incredibly special about a brand new baby. I also gained a new nephew this month! Luca Giorgio was born on Feb. 11th. I have many photos of him on my phone but i need to get some transferred over to my computer so i can introduce you to him in my next post. I love watching my family expand and i am so excited to witness the lives of these two beautiful little people.

Speaking of new life... we have also expanded our farm family by four little chicks. They have been handled almost constantly but in my experience that makes for some really friendly chickens. I make sure they get breaks from the children of course, and they have to handle them gently or they loose their baby handling privileges. It has been going well. I am so glad that my little girls get to enjoy this wonderful experience the same way that the older two did.

They have been everywhere... these chicks... playing in the dollhouse, taking a ride in a little toy truck, hanging out on the desktop or snuggling in a lap. We are all thoroughly enjoying their presence in our home and our lives.