to finally get my nose pierced. Dad, I’m sorry if you’re freaking out.
But I LOVE it.
Sometimes, preschool is more fun for the mommies than for the kids. Sarabeth and I laugh about this all the time as we’re painting salt dough pumpkins and throwing leaves at each other while our children play with toys or watch us with bemused expressions. We went to the pumpkin patch last week, to Ramseyer Farm. The mamas were all really happy to be at this farm, because they have acres of pumpkin fields, dotted orange and green, and it’s just really cool and fun! ALL of our children, however, had taken crabby pills that morning, so it was kind of a struggle to convince them that this was supposed to be, um, FUN. I only took pics of the happy parts.
That really BIG pumpkin? That’s mine. (Nobody is surprised by this). It weighs 47.5 lbs, and I lifted it all by myself. At $0.25/ lb, it cost me $11.75. Which isn’t a bad deal for a monster pumpkin that is almost as tall as me when I am sitting down. I also hefted a 50 lb bag of potatoes into my trunk. The bag is also as big as my pumpkin.
This past weekend was so beautiful. Balmy, warm, sunny, perfect.
We tried to really enjoy each moment, because around here, we’re never sure how long the beautiful weather will last. (Not much longer, apparently. It’s supposed to rain on Thursday, which is my birthday, and that is breaking my heart.) But this past week of gorgeousness has been a true gift.
We lay on a blanket in the backyard and watched the blue of the sky.
Myles liked that part a lot.
We had a fire in the back yard and made s’mores, much to Aiden’s delight. He would eat s’mores breakfast-lunch-and-dinner if we let him. We don’t.
He loves to pose when his face is a mess.
And the best thing? A BIKE RIDE. I know! It’s been so long, which is only my fault, but yesterday, I couldn’t resist the idea. So I went out and grinned like a fool the whole time, huffing and puffing red-faced up little hills and feeling my legs burn and wondering why in the world I don’t do this all the time.
I hope you all had equally beautiful weekends.
It has been gloriously beautiful around here, finally. Warm, blue skied, perfect. The leaves are dry and kind of crunchy, and the air is so clear. We’ve been spending lots of time outside, especially in the woods. Aiden likes to play “in the river,” which is any body of water, even a puddle. So Sarabeth and I took the kids to the park to play in the river.
So, in case you’ve been wondering about the title of this post, let me explain. Jillian is the forest fairy. And Aiden? Well, he’s the troll, under the bridge, wanting to know, “Who is that trip-trapping over my bridge?”
I don’t know what has gotten into me lately, but I have been all about making stuff.
Like salt dough pumpkins: (really, these were for Aiden to do. Ahem. Yeah, ok. They were for me)
Ridiculous. I love them.
And gnomes and needle-felted stuff.
Those needle-felted pumpkins make me so happy, I can’t stand it. I found wool roving at the Yankee Peddler this year, dyed it with Kool Aid, and poked the life out of my fingers until I got the hang of it.
And the fall banner for the mantel. It was time for a new one, and this one seemingly appeared from the netherworld. Really. I just sat down one day and started and then it was done. That is my favorite kind of project.
I’m hoping the creative streak continues. I’ll keep you posted.
How’s that for a great title, hmm?
My boy is all about the walk lately. Actually, “the walk” is a misnomer, as he spends the duration of this activity running. I walk, however, so we call it a walk. Usually, I am the one holding Myles’ leash, but Aiden is always, always begging to hold it. Today, I thought, why not, and they took off together down the trails. Aiden was ecstatic, Myles was confused and kept trying to find me. Eventually, he caught on, though he wasn’t sure that he wanted to run the whole way with Aiden. It was a glorious day, despite the hoards of starving mosquitoes that saw us as an all-you-can-eat-buffet.
Last night, Aiden, Kristen and I ventured out to the county fair. Chad was working there as a volunteer for a local ministry, so we didn’t get to see him, but we had SO much fun! HEre is my favorite photo from the night:
bwahahaha!
Some other views:
Hands in the air, we think influenced by The Emperor’s New Groove: “Yzma! Put your hands in the air!”
Pony ride. . .
. . .and the subsequent joy!
I was there too!
He was actually smiling for my camera last night. A bit of a miracle, that.
We went over to Erika’s today to have lunch and hang out and swim in the pool. This is Aiden’s first time in a pool this year, and he was a bit hesitant at first. He needed to hold my hands when he jumped in and he needed me to “swim” him around. After about ten minutes, though, he remembered that he is a fish. No more hand-holding. No more mommy at all. Check it out.
He looks so gleeful in that middle shot! I love it!
Erika’s sweet baby Grayson is as edible as ever.
nom nom nom!
Do not wake the sleeping Buddha.
We had a really good time!
Here are some pages I’ve made recently.
Our Thomas the Train Adventure:
Some fun catching crayfish:
A Fourth of July Grandpa hug:
I’ve been getting some complaints. And some pleas. And finally my DAD even told me he wishes I did more with my blog. So, ok already. I won’t promise that I have anything riveting to say, or that I’ll even edit my photos first, but I will post something, at least once a week.
This dude has been silly-face central lately.
SERiously. If only long, cold, dreary winter days flew by so quickly!
From when the tree was still up!
It has since been cut down and is currently in five billion pieces all over the back yard. We are working on it.
Tilling up the new front bed. It has some green things growing in it now. Onions. Broccoli. Swish chard. Jalopenos. Bean seeds. Leeks.
Favorite.
A little porch tea time for me.
It sounds so cliche to say that spring feels like a miracle every year, but it really does, especially after the winter we just had! The green alone is amazing–it glows. When the trees start blooming and the early perennials start flowering, my heart wants to burst. I am always so relieved when life comes back. It has been very rainy, however, so I haven’t been able to dig around in my garden as much as I’d like. I’m not going to complain, though.
Here are some pictures of our spring days.
Flowering quince
Bleeding Heart
Sweet Myles, always looking so distrustful!
Sweet babes at a recent get-together
Tree damage! THrough the roof!
Cute guy going out to save the day. Love that man!
A jar of violets from the yard. Ill-fated attempt to make syrup. But pretty!
Cute Kieran! Love those eyes!
Muddy boy
Pretty mama with her chicks
Heidi riding a chicken.
Tire swing!
Monkey bar boy! Just like his daddy when he was little!
cousins at the farm park
Goofy loves
Sunset walk
Sorry so MANY pictures, and all unedited. I’ve been getting ready for a birthday party all day, so my photo time has been limited.
Working on contentment today. Treasuring what is here, in my grasp, for right now. Today is all I ever have, anyway.
