Was It Really THAT Warm Out?

Absolutely NOT.

These girls are crazy.

First Ruthie wanted to get naked and climb into the birdbath we have on the south side of our house. Sorry Ruthie, house rules, you can't be naked outside. At least a swim suit is in order. Of course, once one puts a swim suit on, the others follow suit. Three crazy young girls running around outside in their bathing suits and one Mama in long pants, long sleeve shirt and a lined sweatshirt who still felt chilly. Then Ruthie did try to climb in the birdbath and broke it. That's when Mama caved in and set out the pool. Hot tub, actually. That hose is hooked up to the laundry room sink and warm water is pouring out.
Sophie joined them:

Let the jumping begin!

I love Ruthie's method:) I don't think she actually cleared the side with her feet, but water is a soft landing, luckily. I love how she squinches her eyes shut in preparation.

I promise Anna didn't actually land on Sophie.

Synchronized jumping.

There you have it, the favorite chilly day hot tubbing methods of 4 little girls.

Spring Fun

Everything is so new and fresh in the Springtime. The games the girls played last summer have been forgotten and are being newly discovered all over again by girls just a little older and just a little more mature. It warms a Mama's heart to see how the games change as my girls change, to watch Ruthie joining in the games in a way that she couldn't last year, to see her making up her own mind about how and what she wants to do, what she wants to wear, where she wants to go, the games changing as the other two make a space for her to be included.

Chalk play mixed with water play gives brilliant colors for sidewalk art.
Tree climbing has begun again in earnest around here. Anna climbing just a little bit higher than last year. Ruthie climbing for the first time on her own.

The colors of Spring, the smells of Spring, fill the air as the girls climb.

Simply glorious. Who wouldn't want to climb that tree with those incredible pink blossoms?!

Even in the garden Spring has begun. The greens are starting to poke up their little heads. This year Josie has a spot in the garden all her own. She's planting carrots, eggplant and strawberries, by her own choosing.

She and her Daddy'O carefully place the strawberries in the ground:

Even the finches are back, sitting on their eggs in their same spot right outside our door. The Daddy finch loves to sit on our bedroom windowsill and sing. It reminds me to soak in the moment of today, it will be gone all too soon.

Follow the Leader

Two cuties headed down the trail:Little Anna Needy and little Ruthie Clement

Exploring:

Adventuring:


Splashing barefoot through the creek:

I won't be left behind!

Follow the leader

Wherever they may lead.

Ready for anything

Onward Ho!

All in a good days adventure.

Let's Go Fly a Kite

"With tuppence for paper and strings

You can have your own set of wings.

With your feet on the ground

You're a bird in flight

With your fist holding tight

To the string of your kite."
"Oh, oh, oh, Let's go fly a kite!
Up to the highest height!
Let's go fly a kite
And send it soaring.
Up through the atmosphere,
Up where the air is clear,
Oh, let's go fly a kite!"

"When you send it flying up there

All at once you're lighter than air.

You can dance on the breeze

Over houses and trees

With your fist holding tight

To the string of your kite!"

I just thought I'd get a little classic Mary Poppins stuck in your head on this beautiful, almost Spring day:)

Now go fly a kite!

Compost Season Has Begun

Notice that I didn't say gardening season. The weather is finally starting to warm up, but with a last frost date still 6 weeks away, I'm not in a hurry to plant anything in the ground. But that's okay because I got to do my next favorite thing, playing with the compost! The best thing about being the garden liaison here in our community garden is that I am in charge of the compost (the other main benefit is that we get two garden plots instead of just one). So yesterday the girls and I headed out to fill the huge compost tumbler out at the garden. We have two big black bins that families in our apartments can throw their compost in year round. When the weather is warm enough I periodically fill our compost tumbler with the raw material in the black bins, along with weeds from the garden, leaves, and other garden waste. If I do it right I can have finished compost ready to put on the garden plots every 2-3 weeks. Of course, the mice enjoy this ready food source all winter long. They've had quite an easy life in the black bins. Until I came along with my shovel and pitchfork yesterday, that is. You should have seen them, two or three mice scurrying up out of their holes with each shovelful of compost. They couldn't quite figure out what had happened to their nice homes. Anna, Josie and Ruthie loved watching them, as long as they ran away from us when I scared them up. A few of them were pretty disoriented and had to be encouraged in the right direction. Today when we went out to spin the compost tumbler there were no mice to be seen in the almost empty black bin. Until next winter, little mice! We've enjoyed watching you scurry away from us all winter long as we came out to your home to dump out our compost. I hope you find nice summer quarters.

Chocolate Cookies

Gathering ingredients:

Mixing up the cookie dough:

Putting them on the cookie sheet:

Chocolate cookies for Ruthie to eat! (Seriously, you have to watch this girl, 'cause she will eat those cookies!)

The funniest part to me was the fact that we made real brownies the day before and said we were eating mud.

I just don't understand why the piles of laundry seem to grow exponentially in the spring time.


And another fun shot of Anna in her fancy dress, spinning in a puddle:

Lying In the Grass

Isn't she a cutie pie?

What mom can lie in the grass and not have a little one sitting on her, grinning and bouncing up and down? Can you see little Ruthie back there?

Enjoying the warm sun, the green grass, the blue sky, the smiles of little ones, and my new earrings.

P.S. My new earrings were made by Jillian Lukiwski of The Noisy Plume. You can read her blog here and visit her etsy shop here for more fabulous jewelry. I love them!

New Black Boots

They may not be quite as stylish as my sister's new black boots that she got for Christmas, of the sleek, high-heeled variety, but they sure are fun for puddle-stomping in the spring rains that are headed our way!Four pairs of puddle-stomping boots on four sets of feet, headed out to find the deepest puddles around.

As you can see by the wool mittens on those hands, the first of the spring rains are definitely not as warm as the barefoot ones to come. But they are a sure sign that spring has arrived! It was rain, after all, not snow!

Amazement

Sometimes in the midst of the stress of having three young kiddos, a husband going to school full time and my own emotions taking me through a rollercoaster ride each day it is good to remind myself of all the amazing things in my life. To share a few (in no particular order):

-Spring! The cycle of the seasons never ceases to amaze me. Winter is officially over and our days seem full of the warmth of sunshine and flowers starting to bloom!

-It is amazing to me that little Ruthie stays asleep after I put her to bed at night and doesn't wake up 5 minutes later.

-There is plenty of money in our bank account!

-The worm that Josie found:

-Our friend's new baby girl, Irelyn

-Ruthie's constant smile, despite the stress and chaos around her

-Grace

-Onions coming up in the garden: