OUTSIDE!!!

Two little boys. Perfectly sunny 60-something degree day. They did NOT want to come in the house. They played happily outside for hours and hours. I love being able to enjoy the sun and watch the boys make up games, tell stories, pretend and act out scenes, and putter along all day. Children are truly happy when outside in the sunshine, playing on the grass (I just can't get much work done!!!!).


My boys, who fought and cried much of yesterday (cloudy, windy and cold) were happy ALL day today. They dug holes, caught bugs, played basketball, kicked soccer balls, raced with trucks, dug in the sand, drew on the chalkboard, cut dandelions, rode their bikes, played at the park, had a camp-out, watched birds visit our yard, and helped with the garden.


I'm tired just typing about it, but they just kept going and going! Only tonight, after dinner, did they want to sit down and do quiet stuff. Somehow they still had energy, even then, to sit happily focused reading, working on their sticker books, and writing.

Tomorrow looks to be another warm sunny day! I have 3 more flats of plants to go in the garden - and we now have the canopy on our gazebo for a nice shady spot to sit and take our projects outside! Until then...

May Faire.

Today we visited the May Faire at a local (ish) Waldorf school. We like to attend many public events at this school - they are well run, it is a beautiful place, and everyone is super friendly. Today was a great day to be outside - nice and cool. The boys played and wandered and explored for hours. There were animals to visit(goats, lamb, rabbits, guinea pig), a fairy glen, musicians, games, crafts, food, and big open spaces to run and play in. And, of course, the May Pole with a May Queen, dancers, and an orchestra of students.


For G, the big hit was the cookie table (!), a wooden "pirate tower", sandbox, and play area.


For A, he loved the animals, the May Queen (!), and one special ride. The Flying Fox. We didn't know at first if he would do it.

Well, he did. Fearlessly.


Several times. Look at that smile. It was high and fast - he LOVED it and didn't want to leave!


We hadn't realized that A was watching the May Queen - but when he bolted into the cake walk to talk to her, we realized he wanted to be introduced. She was a sweet girl (one of the students), and spoke with him a few minutes. He was so happy - he asked about her dress, her crown of flowers, and said "I've never met a real May Queen before!" She curtsied and said "Well, nice to meet you", and my sweet, sweet, 5 year old did the deepest bow he could, and replied "Pleased to meet you too." (heart wrench!!!)

Before leaving we visited a few vendors who were also moms from the school. One had hand made soap from her goats milk - the boys LOVE good soap, so we selected several. The other mom had beeswax and honey from her farm, and of course we couldn't pass that up. We now have several pounds of beeswax. Ah, it smells SO good. I can just put a big block under my pillow, right?


What a fun day!

Homes for the Birds.

Both A and G have been wanting to paint birdhouses for a long while, and today I had all of the supplies ready to go for them to paint with the "mom paints".


The boys know that there is a difference between the watercolors and the acrylics. They get excited when they know we are doing a project with these paints (and brushes), and want to use every single color and every size and shape of brush.


I first primed the raw wood birdhouses (we used the pre-made wooden birdhouses because, well, power tools and a spunky 3 year old don't mix!) with an artists white gloss indoor/outdoor acrylic paint. The boys then painstakingly painted over that, and ended up with some colorful funky birdhouses. After the paint dried, they added some rub on decals of insects to add the final touch.


After I added a quick coating of water based varnish, we took them out into the yard and each selected where he wanted his birdhouse to hang. While we may not ever have birds living in them, they add some great color to the garden, and the boys love that! A now wants to know what type of birds might nest in something like this, and also where do mourning doves nest (and could he build something the right size for them), so tomorrow we are off to find out more!

One of my favorite things in the world is to see the boys run to the door, screaming happily at dad the moment he walks in from work, SO happy and excited to show him (NOW!) what they have created.

More Gnomes!

I don't know what it is, but while we are all pretty happy and busy, I'm also just wiped out! Could be the tons of work, lack of sleep, and hours of manual labor in the yard (hmmm)...I definitely need a creative boost (or a vacation!). So rather than having a post *about* something today, well, here are more garden/gnome shots.


A said my photo yesterday wasn't low enough, so today I knelt in the mud for my sweet boy and got a better shot. A's has the mushroom, and G's has a flower. They really like the gnomes - both boys have elaborate stories about each one.


So many things are close to blooming in the yard, I can't wait! Now, off to work on re-charging my creative batteries (with library books)! How do you re-charge?

Feels Like Summer.

What a glorious day. It was 80º. Just one day only, but that is enough.

This morning we met a fellow mom blogger and her two boys at our local botanical garden to let the boys run and play. And run (and run and run and run) they did! A and G both had a blast, and after only 45 minutes were hot, tired, and done. A said he hadn't felt this hot in AGES.

From there we visited a local garden center to pick up a few things, and to arrange delivery of mulch. Back at home, the boys helped me prep the rest of the garden until the delivery came. After that, we shoveled, raked, and smoothed mulch (for hours!). Such a summery day!


The boys are so great in the garden. They are young, so I wouldn't say they "help" (things take longer when they are involved), but they participate whole-heartedly and happily. Today they used their shovels to load their dump trucks with mulch, drive the trucks to the beds, and dumped their loads.


We found some lawn decorations this week as well--gnomes and rain gauges. All good to make the boys feel that this is their garden too. The gnomes visited many places throughout the garden this afternoon - and settled in great spots. We have a few craft projects coming up to make some more garden decor - just right for little hands.

We also planted some things today - 2 red currant bushes (yay!), swiss chard, cabbage, peas, beans, and some flower seed to cover the utilities. We added some soil amendments to our square patch, and will soon plant some root veggies there. We also have soil for pots. So much more to do!



It was a long day of work, but we broke it up with lots of play - bubbles, t-ball, basketball, and bicycling. A has also been carrying around a notebook and writing the words for everything we are doing. "Mom, how do you spell mulch?" I think A fell asleep before his head hit the pillow tonight - tired, happy boys.

The forecast is rain, cooler temps, and clouds. But that is just right for me. The yard looks great, some things are planted, and I need a day inside!