Ballerina Girls

Ballerina Girl

You are so lovely
With you standing there
I'm so aware
Of how much I care for you

Thank you Lionel Richie! Any other children of the 80s wonder how much brain space is lost to those lyrics we sang along to 20+ years ago? Anyway, our little ballerinas were part of a performance yesterday celebrating the end of their summer dance workshop. They made us very proud, not only with their dance know-how but also with how all three worked together in the class. Great job girls!

Crafty Kid Tuesday

We've been trying something new around here. I've been struggling for a while with how to get my kids to feel more motivated to tidy up after themselves without a battle or nuclear explosion from me. As my belly expands, it becomes harder to ignore the plain truth that I just can't do it all. So, last week after a near sleepless night I came up with a new plan. We have a master schedule for the summer (that includes time to clean-up) and each girl has set responsibilities. The rewards are a weekly family game night on Friday and Tuesday crafts with mom. The girls hold us accountable for the rewards which has helped us hold them accountable for the chores.

Yesterday was our first craft day. We broke out the Air Dry Clay Aunt Kelly and Uncle Tim sent for Christmas. Thanks guys! The girls liked the mixing and kneading. They worked really hard on their masks, pots and other creations.As soon as Sam smelled the earthy goodness of the clay he said, "poop!" and ran to get a diaper. When he and Seth realized that clay is similar to Playdoh, they set to pounding it.
Mommy got to play too! All kids need modeling, right?
The next step is painting. I'd love to wait until next Tuesday but I have a feeling I'll be talked into it later today or if I'm really lucky tomorrow when Daddy is home.

The face of injustice

Mark caught this priceless image of twin injustice the other night. Seth is our choosy twin much like his sister Chloe. He couldn't understand why he didn't have matching shorts to go with his pajama top. He obviously doesn't remember putting them away for me a couple months back. He put them away so well they haven't been unearthed since. The dilemma ended with Sam giving up his shorts so that he and brother could get some much needed sleep.

Summer's midpoint

Summer vacation is halfway over. Bummer! The kids have been having so much fun together. I've been enjoying the relaxed schedule, especially in the mornings. Mark gets to swim and his 'honey-do' list is shortening. None of us could ask for anything more.

In honor of this milestone, this midpoint, I thought I'd share some fun summer photos that are too good to keep to ourselves.

We started the summer with a ball rather than a bang.Seth learned to scoot himself around the track on his trike.Our crew waiting for the 4th of July festivities to begin.Tea party time! Madelyn's the only one who likes tea. The other four come for the snacks.It wouldn't be summer without bubbles. Madelyn demonstrates her slip and slide prowess. Two summers ago we tried this at our Texas house. The girls weren't quite brave enough to hurl themselves down the shoot so Daddy tossed them. Now, it's a whole different story!Sam & Seth waiting for sisters to get their hair done for family pictures last week.Sam loves Daddy's iPod.We had some friends over this weekend and they had twin babies. Guess who can't wait to be a big sister again?For the remainder of the summer my goal is to take more pictures of Chloe and to keep enjoying every minute!

Gardening Update

It's harvest time in our garden. Well, at least for the squash and zucchini. Who knew that those little seeds I planted in the garden back in May would yield so much? It's a little out of hand really. That picture up above represents one day's harvest. Yes, fourteen squash, four zucchini and one cucumber (our first). I've frozen some, given as much away as folks will take, and try new recipes daily.

In other news, the pumpkins are coming in nicely. Those pumpkin plants are something of a bully. They've been trying to outrun our watermelon plants and are threatening to invade the stand of corn.After three seedings, I finally have green beans growing. Woohoo! A vegetable my family enjoys! And look what else is sprouting up...Madelyn!
And here's Catherine...

Christmas in July

Last week was like Christmas in July at our house. Mark and I got up every morning (that he was off) at 5:30 a.m. so we could make the most of the cool morning hours. We were sealing the playset and adding the fun stuff. One morning we had the slides and ramp ready, another it was the fort, and another it was the monkey bars and swings. Each morning the kids would come out rubbing their eyes to a new toy. Chloe is always first awake and boy, did she reap the rewards of being the early bird by getting to test drive everything.

Here's the complete set:
The kids are almost overwhelmed by the number of things to do. Seth and Sam giggle together on the glider. They love to bonk their heads against the wood on the upswing. Seth bonked so much the first day he had a bruise on his forehead. Silly Seth!Madelyn is our biggest monkey. She loves hanging upside-down. I'm handling it better than last year when she discovered this talent. I used to get incredibly nauseous watching her do this worrying about imminent disaster.Chloe and Catherine like the glider too. Chloe likes to enjoy a slow and steady ride while Catherine likes to take it to new heights.Madelyn demonstrates her ability to fly.Sam gives Dad his best smile as he climbs up for another run on the tube slide.

Backyard update

The mystery is solved. Those boxes I posted about a couple weeks back have all been unpacked and reassembled into a gorgeous playset for our kiddos. We still have a few projects lined up but we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the mighty transformation that has occurred since we started pursuing this vision in October.

The before...our backyard was a place we hardly looked at except for when it rained because then we were worried about erosion and flooding. We would venture out to pick weeds and burn them once a season. We would also observe the wildlife: bunnies, quail, the occasional coyote. This was the view from the south BEFORE.AFTER (from the south) The dirt section will be grass soon. We're still working on finding the right contractor.
This was the view from the north BEFORE.AFTER...the top level of the yard will have fruit trees in the fall.I don't think the after pictures do it justice. You'll have to come see it for yourself!