Springtime on the farm

We found a perfect spring day to visit Brother Call's farm.  It's only a quick 30-minute drive, but it feels like we're in a whole different world out there.  The surrounding farms are lush and beautiful, and Mt. Rainier is close enough to touch.  He put them to work by planting squash.  He dug the hole while they dropped in the seeds.  Not sure how much "help" they were, but they were eager to work on a real farm.

Here's the part they really love to come for...such city kids!

Here's a progression of Lydia trying out raw rhubarb.  Check out the pucker on her face after she tastes it!

                                    

  

If we can't have our Grandpas close by, we're sure lucky to have a special guy who loves these cuties as if they were his own.  What do Grandpas do best besides give tractor rides and have a pocket full of candy at church??

Preschool Graduation

I'm working backwards to get caught up, so the most recent event was Seth's preschool graduation.  I didn't get many good photos of the whole group since it was in a dim church, but it was so cute to see all of them singing the songs they learned in class all year.  Here he is all ready for it to start!

Each child in all of the classes had their name read, and they came forward to receive their certificate and a beautiful scrapbook with parent-made pages put together by the teachers.  Seth still loves to get it out and look at it.

Seth has really loved his time in preschool.  I'm sad that the teachers retired their business at the end of this year, so our other kids won't get to attend, but I'm thankful for such a great experience, caring teachers, and the preparation he's been given to head into kindergarten.  Thank you, Mrs. Stephens and Mrs. Richards!

12 of 12 - June

1 - I don't usually take the kids with me to a doctor appointment, but they were really good as they sat and read Dr. Seuss books.  They loved hearing the baby's heartbeat too.

2 - Before we came home from the doctor, we stopped at the library.  I just love how the computer ear phones make Lydia's cheeks chunk out.

3 - One of my new favorite books "The Hundred Dresses."  We're doing a Relief Society activity based on the book and hope to collect as close to 100 dresses as we can for the local clothing bank.

4 - The new patio is in!  There's a little cleanup around the outside that needs to be done, and I'm already planning on where to put the furniture and the pots of flowers I want to plant.

5 - Going gourmet for lunch - mac n' cheese and nectarines.

6 - Sadly peony season isn't too long, so here are some of the last beauties in full bloom.

7 - But right behind the peonies are the lilies just starting to come out!

8 - This is kind of hit and miss.  She only takes a nap about every other day or every 2 days.  Makes for a happier little girl in the afternoon.

9 - Seth gets a little time in the afternoon to play some PBS games on the computer...such intense concentration!

10 - I made these freezer enchiladas, some to eat tonight and others to eat after baby's born when I don't have time to make dinner.

11 - I already mentioned how I don't like my picture taken when I'm pregnant, but here's a shadow profile at 34 weeks along during a brief period of sun coming in the kitchen window.

12 - For some reason, I thought it would be a good idea to pin together a scrap quilt I'm working on.  My back was hating me later, but it's nice that it's all put together and ready to quilt on my machine.

12 of 12 - May

So, I have some serious blog catching up to do, but for now, it's time to get back into my 12 of 12 routine.  January and February I was feeling too awful to want to take pictures and post them, and March and April the 12th just flew by without me noticing.  So here's May 12th, a Saturday, the day before Mother's Day.

1 - I'm not sleeping very well, so I was up early and decided to be constructive.  I'm doing some sewing for a friend's business and got a bunch done before the kids woke up.

2 - I really dislike photos of myself while I'm pregnant, much less pregnant and still in pajamas and pre-makeup and hair, but this is my in all my prego glory.  I needed to practice the song the Primary sang the next day for Mother's Day at church.

3 - We spent an hour or so cleaning the church today.  Yes, this is just the outside of the building, but I felt weird taking photos of us washing windows, taking out the trash, and cleaning bathrooms.

4 - I took the kids to the Issaquah Farmers' Market, and the kids were mesmerized by these little solar butterflies that flutter around and are powered by a tiny solar panel.

5 - Seth's turn with another cute little butterfly.

6 - Check it out...75 degrees.  I've been waiting for the sun and warm temperatures!

7 - Seth and Lydia's friend had a birthday party, and I love this one of Calvin giving Seth a party favor.  He looks so heartfelt and sincere as he hands over his packet of awesome dinosaurs and stickers.

8 - Too many peonies to count.  I can't wait until these pop open.  They're my favorite and remind my of my Granny.

9 - Our great friends invited us and another family over for a bbq dinner, and here are the kids taking a break from running around and digging in the dirt for Brooklyn to read them a story.

10 - An early Mother's Day surprise - red and purple tulips from my sweetheart.

11 - Here's a progress shot of our backyard project.  We tore out our old, rotted wooden deck and are waiting for concrete to be poured.  Can't wait for it to be done!

12 - After baths and before bed, the kids helped me make a frozen lemonade pie for dessert the next day, that is, if you consider "helping" licking the beaters.

Three

This blog post is brought to you by the number

as in:

Three Musketeers

Three Blind Mice

Three Mile Island

Three Dog Night

Three Stooges

AND as in the number of kids living in our house by the end of July. That's right! We're expecting baby #3...due July 24.

12 of 12 - December

Oops...trying to get caught up and realized I didn't post my monthly collage for December!

1 - A frozen, foggy, frosty morning out the front door.

2 - Seth is spelling more and more, and I love seeing what he comes up with. Here he's spelling Star Wars: "Stowr Wrs." Before I taught him how to spell Lydia's name, he spelled it "Lideu." :-)

3 - Reading the morning paper over breakfast...the Toys R Us is his favorite section.

4 - Christmas treat-making day. In the middle of making crock pot candied pecans and apple cider caramels. I don't make candy at any other time besides Christmas, and then I go all out!

5 - Lydia and I shopping at Joann's to use my 20% my whole purchase coupon while Seth was at pre-k.

6 - Here's the successful batch of fudge, as opposed to the complete disaster red velvet fudge from earlier. This one was SO soft and delicious!

7 - Cute Lydia taking her favorite sheep for a walk around the house in her stroller. We got her this stroller for her 1st birthday when she was just starting to walk. My how she's grown!!

8 - Our newly-decorated Christmas tree. We got a steal of a deal on an after-Christmas sale last year, so I've waited almost a year to see it for the first time.

9 - Leftover dinner of last night's lemon chicken pasta and all the fixings. Thank you, Giada, for an awesome "everyday pasta."

10 - Ready for bed and ready to unwrap tonight's bedtime Christmas stories. Until I have a better advent idea, I'm going to do this one again!

11 - Finishing up Christmas cards and neighbor/friend gifts. My to-do lists are getting shorter as Christmas gets closer.

12 - Today was the 9th anniversary of my dear Granny's passing. I'd only been married a few short weeks when she died, and I've thought of her almost every day since. She had tons of family history books, and she saved every photo and little homemade card we ever made and put a book together for each of her grandchildren. I took some time to look through mine and remember what a great lady she was.

12 of 12 - November

1 - I got another 5-pound award at Weight Watchers, a total of 16.6 altogether. Who doesn't want to start off their Saturday morning at 7 am with applause and praise?? I was so excited that I allowed my photo to be taken post-workout/pre-shower.

2 - Cozy Saturday morning cartoons!

3 - Lydia trying out her cupcake panties. We've all been relying too much on the pull-ups, so we're being more vigilant and prepared to do a little more laundry. She's doing great!

4 - A rare lunch together as a family. And an added treat was hot chocolate on a cold, rainy day!

5 - The kids and I made this tree a couple of weeks ago for the front window. They painted with watercolor paints on coffee filters. After they were dry, we cut them into leaves, and I cut out the tree. It's nice to look at especially now that most of the leaves on the actual trees outside have fallen.

6 - Seth is really loving to draw, and his pictures are getting more detailed. This is a drawing of Martin and Chris from Wild Kratts flying through the air to save Arthur.

7 - My sewing machine deserves a rest after this past week, so it's covered up and taking a well-deserved day off.

8 - A quiet afternoon with some hot cider and the latest Glee episode online.

9 - Mexican 7-layer dip isn't just for parties! I've been wanting this for a while, and I try to make Saturday dinners easy on myself. So we had chips and dip and the season's first satsuma mandarin oranges. They're like candy - yum!

10 - Getting ready to give Seth a haircut so he looks sharp for the Primary Program in the morning. He thought he'd try it himself, but we both decided it might be better for me to do it.

11 - It's like Christmas morning in the mail! I was dreading going out in the rain to get the mail, but both my BHG and Martha Stewart December issues came today.

12 - Sorting through the stuff Mom and I put up for sale at the Holiday Trunk Show on Friday. If you weren't able to come and you want some great holiday decor or handmade gifts, let me know! We're having fun with our budding business, Lemondrop!