a new table

Sarah wanted to go to The Scrap Exchange, so we went. Most of the time, we find little things, like fabric scraps and plastic vials to add to their doctor bag. I'd been looking for a table to replace one in the playroom and I happened upon a $2.00 find. It was too short, but I figured Brian may be able to help solve that. And he did. After adding longer legs, priming, and painting, we have a very nice "new" table.

NC Botanical Garden

Brian had the camera when we went to the garden last weekend, and he captured some great moments . . .

Writing notes to the fairies

and mailing them.

Digging in the dirt

and spreading seeds.

Racing around the "track"

and catching her breath.

Peeking through the hole in the wood

and looking from another perspective.

Oh yeah, and the natural beauty too.

Sarah and the Cherry Tree

Everytime we go outside, Sarah climbs the cherry tree. She climbs up, hangs out for awhile and plays house, and then jumps down. I'm so glad to have a pint-sized climbing tree in our yard. No child should go without one.

A Woodworking Project

Brian decided to create a table for the kids with some scrap wood. They watched him work and helped when they could, with Sarah hammering and Eric stacking legs. Sarah chose the paint colors and did a great job of painting, while Eric did his best to stay focused and on task, which was very helpful indeed. I'm very impressed with the table and inspired by the patience shown throughout the project. What a team!!

The kids used it the other day when we had lunch upstairs - it was their drink table. Eric has only jumped from it twice and appears to be showing restraint and respect for the table he helped create.

Sarah's Amazing Animal Facts

We were doing errands yesterday, and Sarah was looking at a book that had lots of random animal facts. It piqued her interest and she asked lots of questions. She also shared her own wisdom about the animal kingdom. Here we go -

Sarah: Rattlesnakes live in the desert.
Me: Yes, they do. They also live other places, too.
Sarah: But they REALLY like the desert, because it's hot and dry.
Me: That's true.
Sarah: Tarantulas live in the desert, too. They're spiders.
Me: Yes, they are.
Sarah: And they're really big and furry. But they're not poisonous.
Me: True.
Sarah: Rattlesnakes are poisonous.
Me: Yes, they are.
Sarah: (Looking at the book and moving from the desert to the Arctic and beyond.) This fox is a snow fox, because it's white.
Me: You're probably right. (I can't confirm. I was being a good driver and not looking at the book.)
Sarah: Some foxes have brownish red hair, but they're not snow foxes.
Me: That's right.
Sarah: Foxes eat chickens.
Me: Yes.
Sarah: Do foxes eat moose?
Me: No. I think wolves do, though.
Sarah: Oh yeah. Wolves. Big horn sheep have really strong antlers, so they could protect themselves from wolves.
Me: Probably so.

And this was only the beginning . . . you gotta love it.

We Are Family

I love this picture! What a happy family! Everyone's looking at the camera AND smiling nicely. And bonus, we're in the woods! One in a million here, people.

that sound?

Eric's new thing - everytime he hears something, he asks, "That sound?" and puts his hand to his ear. For example, tonight I was reading to him and the air conditioning kicked on. He put his hand to his ear and asked, "That sound?" I told him it was the air conditioning. And then he asked, "In my room?" I pointed to the vent on the ceiling and said, "Yes, the air comes out in your room." He said, "No see it." I said, "You can't see the air come out, but you can feel it." He said, "Oh."

In the last couple of days, he's asked about the toilet, the shower, Sarah talking, the dishwasher, Brian walking upstairs, and all sorts of nature and not-nature noises outside. Each time, he stops, puts his hand to his ear, focuses as much as he can, and asks, "That sound?"

Summer Bath

What better way to celebrate summer than by taking a bath outside? And this one's much bigger than the one inside so you can pretend to be a shark or a bunny, a frog or a butterfly, and swim, hop, or flap the length of the pool and back. Hooray for summer!

tomatoes, peppers, and thyme, oh my!

I've enjoyed gardening for many years, and when asked, I have always confessed my preference for beauty over practicality, for flowers over food. That being said, this is my first season with tomatoes, peppers, and lots of herbs, all in containers on the deck. The kids love picking the vegetables and they're actually eating them too! (BIG for Sarah.) She's decided she likes tomatoes, but not peppers and Eric's fine with all of it. I'm actually considering turning a perennial bed into a vegetable garden.

We've enjoyed our small crop this year and a larger garden would be most likely be a very happy learning experience for all of us. And I'm just imagining preparing the bed, planting, and picking. I haven't even gotten to cooking and eating. So here's what I'm thinking - more tomatoes, more peppers, some cucumbers and melon, some snap peas, and maybe even some green beans? My dad swears, even though I swear that I hate them, that I would love them just picked. Maybe, just maybe, I will grow some green beans in my garden next year.

Two Kids, Three Camps

First camp - Princess Dance Camp. Sarah loved it, and she made a perfect princess. Each day, she came home "so excited" and "couldn't wait" to go back again the next day. The recital at the end was quite cute, and we saw an element of her personality rarely revealed. She was shy and nervous, which was really sweet. We asked her about it, and she said, "There are a lot of people here." And she was right, there were.

Second and Third Camps - Potty Camp and Dump Truck Camp, the latter in the sandbox, with a very sandy naked bottom. Eric has successfully completed potty camp, and is officially a "big boy," with underpants to prove it. This is a big moment in our house. We are now diaper free . . . after more than 4 1/2 years. (I'm not counting night time diapers - they don't count, do they?)