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."

In kid speak

There are several things that the boys say that crack me up on a daily basis. Some of my faves:

Grant likes to say (after throwing a ball): "NICE shop!" (aka shot)

Evan likes to say: "That's basgusting!" (aka disgusting)

We're still here!

Life has gotten busy, which means little time for blogging and lots of forgetting to take pictures. Nonetheless, the kids are alive and well. Here's proof:

Things Evan says

I'm not feeling good. [followed by fake coughs]

Look at my magic trick -- I can stand on one foot!

So, I want to be a ballerina. Quinn said that. [note to self: Evan needs to spend more time with boys, less time with girls]

I've got my heart set on Tess.

I'm going to marry on Tess. She's my princess.

Let's dance to the rhythm!

Favorite songs to sing: Feliz Navidad, Tempted by the Fruit of Another, Chicken Fried

Children's Museum

We were recently treated to a year membership (thank you!) to the Atlanta Children's Museum, "Imagine It!" and what a treat it has been! A few weekends ago, we went as a family on the weekend when it was too cold to do anything outdoors. The kids love it and since provides an alternative way to run out their energy, I love it too!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Snow much fun

We may not have 40" on the ground like DC, but we had a substantial snowfall this afternoon. Later in the afternoon, while the snow was still falling, we bundled up (Grant wearing snow boots, Evan wearing rain boots) and headed for the nearest hill. We had called around to the hardware stores to see if there were any sleds, but they sold out earlier in the morning. Turns out, we weren't the only ones anticipating the snow. So we gathered the best alternative options we could find: a garbage can lid, a trash bag and a cookie sheet. The trash bag and cookie sheet won, by far. But really, the boys had more fun throwing snowballs than anything else.

On a cold day, bring the sand box indoors

Well, not exactly sand per se; birdseed is a lot easier to clean up! This kept the boys entertained for almost a full hour! Only had to step in a couple of times to stop Grant from flinging birdseed at Evan -- I consider that a success.

In Memory of the Colts

We had spirit! Just wasn't enough to win the game.

Star Student

This week, Evan was chosen to be "Star Student" at preschool. He was the line leader, special helper and was asked to bring in a poster with pictures, a special toy and book. We (me) worked hard on his poster to capture some of the most important things in his 3.5 year old life: Family, hot dogs & beans, trains and drums.

Stay tuned for later this week when I reveal to you the cool Valentine's Day shirt (mom-made) he's wearing beneath the poster.

Perspectives: A boy and his trains

Preschool buddies

One of the perks of preschool is getting to know other families with children the same age. I've come to know two other moms that have kids in Evan's class. We're now part of a weekly kid swap rotation. On Fridays, all 3 kids go to a designated house from 9am-12. In the process, the kids have become good friends. In particular, Evan's BFF (maybe first girlfriend? he does say she's his princess) is a cute little curly-haired blonde named Tess. Added bonus is that Tess lives just around the corner from us. Here's a pic from one of their recent playdates. The sweet little brunette on the left is Quinn.

Latest sighting of Bigfoot in Peachtree City

Peachtree City's latest claim to fame: Bigfoot. We were lucky enough to catch him on camera:

I couldn't help but gasp at my growing son's large feet today when, in the mail, we received his SIZE 12, EXTRA WIDE shoes.

Circus day

Yesterday at Evan's school was "circus day." They had a special performance and did activities related to circus themes. The kids were also invited to come to school in silly, mismatched clothes. Evan thought this idea was really funny. He went to school in style!