from the garden...

we went to the botanical garden a week or so ago, when the weather was nice. the tulips were in bloom and the orchid show was going on, lovely and whimsical with flying umbrellas and hats, flowers growing from high heels hanging in the trees! the kids had so much fun, including tess who was afriad of the tulips! it was hilarious! they were bigger than her though, so i can't really blame her. she must have felt like alice in wonderland. i think we all did a little bit.

a few photos from last year in the garden at this time.

getting ready for easter...

1. they asked if they could paint eggs for the egg tree and i told them they need to be blown out first but that i had to put the baby down. when i came back they had already done them all themselves! who are these big kids?
2. she likes it up there
3. getting ready to go eat vietnamese food with my husband. alone!
4. yay, tofu for lunch! this girl loves to eat (and dance)
5. almost ready for their big day
6. and 7. collecting from the yard to dye eggs
8. sisters
9. nerf battle in pj's with a purple tie around his head
10. dying eggs

tomorrow i will share the results of our egg dying this year. we have been doing it for several years now and they always come out different. i also have to help get the boys off on their camping trip tomorrow and comfort a sad sister who will feel left behind. hope you all had a lovely weekend? i went to the wren's nest. it was really interesting. i learned so much. i will have to share more soon. i also did a lot of sewing. i always forget how much i love it. it's been a while and sidney was surprised when she saw them, gasping "they are so beautiful... how do you do that!?" always nice to hear:) jack henry also won the pinewood derby this year and came home beaming with a trophy. good times.

scenes from the week...

1. so much work to to finish before i can actually work on my office itself
2. french toast et asterix, for breakfast
3. and 4. scrabble is mosre of a cooperative game at this point but fun
5. sleep is so rare these days
6. this face in the morning makes everything worth it
7. sisters in the tub, a washcloth beard is always fun

well this week was kind of a doozy and i can't say i'm sorry to see it go. it started off with a not too pleasant trip to the dentist and didn't really go up from there. little sleep and little patience leave me looking forward to trying again next week. hopefully the weekend will be what i need to start anew. hopefully. next week it will just be me and those two cute girls above. jack henry is going camping with just papa... they are going to the beach. i'm a little jealous but maybe i can find a way to make the week extra special for us too.

have a lovely weekend my friends. xoxo

in a matter of minutes...

phew! life is very busy when you are 8 months old! i took these over a very short period this afternoon while the older kids played outside (see her looking for them out the window? maybe under the rug?). so much to do and see and try to eat! so why is it i'm the one ready for a nap?

no naps for me (or her either for that matter). i am spending any spare moments i can grab working on a cake topper that needs finishing and mailing off. i got as far as setting up my desk in my new "studio" space and that is it. baby steps. too bad i'm not as effecient as my actual baby at getting things done.

kiai!...

walking home from the dojo

my kids started martial arts this week. sidney was so hesitant at first. we visited the class "just to watch" but she assured me she did not want to take one... until about half way through. i think the dressing room and outfits got her interested but truly she is such a little spit fire. she never lets her brother get the better of her. she is tough, and i think this is the perfect outlet for her to show that. her brother loves it too. he has been interested for quite some time and i'm glad we finally decided to do it. right now they are taking classes three days a week. it is a short walk from our house. the baby loves to watch too... and shout when she hears them yell "kiai"! if they keep it up just think how much she will know by the time she is old enough to take the class. watch out for my three little ninjas! kiai!

in the yard...

a little bit of our morning outside in the yard before the rain came (and still in pajamas). we discovered a yard full of violets, which tessa found fascinating. she carried this one around all morning and only occasionally tried to eat it. the children played on their balance beam/bridge that papa made... the chickens love it too and were playing follow the leader behind them! then the kids tried to see if chickens like to eat violets as much as babies (seems so). the baby was decorated with flowers from the pear tree and violets too. she seemed not to mind. charlie was chased, his favorite game. we cleared the path to the bridge and had several turns in the newly brought out hammock swing. everyone ended up muddy and we tromped back inside to spend the rest of the morning reading. our current favorite is 'the evolution of calpurnia tate' but we are also reading 'the mysterious benedict society... and a septimus heap book, it's amazing we keep them all straight!.