Garden 2010

Last summer, I ventured into the world of gardening. I called it my "trial year" since I am not known for having a green thumb. I figured if I could keep a scattering of tomato plants and herbs alive, then I would allow myself a larger garden the following year. Enter spring, 2010. I'm calling it the "Year of the Garden."

Jason put in two days of back-breaking work to create my tiered, raised bed garden. We used nearly every inch of our compost pile to fill it with the dark, nutrient rich soil (with lots of little worms). I've been growing little seedlings indoor for the past few weeks. I was able to plant zucchini right away, but the others will have to wait a while. In the trellis planter are some green beans. Also on the menu for this year's garden: tomatoes, cucumbers, cantaloupe, sweet corn, basil, rosemary, red and green peppers and lettuce. I can't wait to harvest!

At the park

After a dreadful winter, we've finally made a few trips to our favorite park. I don't normally take my camera (gets in the way when we play hide & seek), but today I wanted to catch a few shots of the boys in action. Evan's favorite thing to do (anywhere, anytime) is jump-- the higher, the better. Grant loves to swing. And almost always, Evan finds a new "friend" at the park to play with. He picks up and plays with just about anyone-- boy, girl, younger, older. He almost never asks their name but always remembers to tell them goodbye.

Race expo fun

Jason & I ran the Atlanta ING half marathon on Sunday. No pictures of that, but I'm sure you can imagine what it looked like: a bunch of people running down a big street. The day before, we took (dragged) the kids along to the race registration expo. Thankfully they provided something to entertain the youngsters:

Of course, Grant didn't meet the weight requirement... go figure. He sat quietly and watched.

That time of year again...

Sidewalk chalk!

Photo shoot

Since the last 3 posts have not included photos, I thought I'd share a few from an impromptu photo shoot.

Conversations on death

Evan recently broached the subject of death with me. The first was during a viewing of Sleeping Beauty (thanks Disney)-- have you seen that movie lately? It's pretty violent and scary for an audience of young kids. I'll hold off on showing that one again for a while. The questions came flooding in during the dragon slaying scene (Why did he kill him? Did he die? Why?). My answers: Because the dragon was bad. Yes. Because the prince killed him. Thankfully Evan doesn't yet have the cognitive ability for insightful follow up questions, like, "Does that mean we kill people when they are bad?" Good question Evan, let's discuss capital punishment...

The other conversation happened today during a quick ride in the car.

"Look Mom, a soccer field!"
"No, that's a cemetary."
"What's a cemerry?"
"Well, it's a place where people go when they die."
"Where do they go?"
(oh boy)
"Well, when they die, they get buried in the cemetary."
"What does buried mean?"
(oh boy)
"Buried is when you dig a hole and your body gets covered up by the dirt." (is he traumatized yet?)
"Does everybody die?"
(wow)
"Um, well, yes, eventually."
"Oh."
(phew!)

It's not that I think children should be shielded from such topics as death, but I do believe there is a delicate way in which to deliver the explanation. ie, one that does not lead to pre-k psychotherapy sessions. I get the sense that we are only at the tip top of an iceberg full of questions about death, life, and other so-called "grown-up" topics... Doesn't Disney make some kind of "Why People Die, and Other Unanswered Preschool Questions" movie?

Supportive brother vs. non-supportive brother

One minute, Evan's telling Grant things like, "Great job, buddy! You can do it." And, "Here, let me help you..."

The next minute, he's saying things like, "Ha, ha, my car is fast and yours is slow!" And, "You can't go to the potty because you go pee pee and poo poo in your diaper."