We have a little tree in front of our house that is growing nicely but the square around the bottom wasn't doing too well. The City planted the tree a few years ago and we have taken care of it, all the while procrastinating planting the dirt below the tree. With all the great weather we've been having, I thought it was time to dig out the weeds and get a nice herb garden planted there. I headed to Sloat Nursery, got our supplies and put the kids to work!
The brick boarder was a little tricky because we had to try and break the bricks in just the right spot to make them fit. Like they say, measure twice, cut once! We did it all with success our tree looks amazing! I'm super practical and wanted herbs planted so I could use them cooking...now to just make sure people walking their dogs will keep the dogs out!
Of course the kids couldn't let the extra bricks go to waste...especially with a hammer handy. Most of it got got pounded out into powder, mixed with water as they tried to make paint.
We celebrated St. Patrick's Day for the first time this year, thanks to school. It's kinda a non-holiday in our house simply because we're not Irish, not Catholic (St. Patrick) and don't really believe in Leprechauns. I guess I could take the biblical aspect of it and use it as a teachable moment but ugh, do we need another holiday to celebrate? Well, school is a whole different story, it's a pretty big deal, or just an excuse to have a class party. Either way, it was a big day for the kids and they were excited! We woke up and put on our green...except Cameron doesn't have any green clothes so we went with Aqua pants and a shirt with some green on it.
Ms. Marcia was explaining to the kids that while they were out for recess and little Leprechaun snuck in the classroom and hid a special treat...ohhhh, the excitement level rose about 10 notches. They all enjoyed healthy GREEN snacks, made life-sized Leprechauns and when out to find the special treat!
Timo's class had a story on Leprechauns and used clovers to decide if they believed in Leprechauns or not. Green snacks all around for everyone too, including green jello, and then they set off to find the little Leprechaun that left foot prints on the floor! Everyone was in search for the pot of gold and found little pieces of gold coins along the way. (chocolate covered coins). They finished off their day making loom bracelets, Timo was put in charge of teaching those who didn't know how to make them....guess it's good to have a sister sometimes!
We've officially stared baseball season! We are so lucky this year that Timo's school has a coach pitch team so he gets to play with some of his buddies in class. And each Friday, at school announcements, the team is recognized and cheered on for their game the next day. Go Argonne Wolfpack!
Timo was super excited for the first game of the season, ready to play! I'm really surprised how focused he is this year...a big difference from last year. His catching is much more improved, accuracy and hitting are all way better than previous years. What a difference between 5 and 6 years old.
We got to pick out numbers for our child's jersey this year and I couldn't help but pick my old track number, #24...he, he, he. (just fyi, I asked Timo what number he wanted and he was pretty committed to #10947, so I made the decision for him.) And since he's still in Coach Pitch ball, they only play three innings, everyone gets a chance to hit, no one gets out and there is no score. It's kinda nice, I think Timo would still have a hard time dealing with getting out or not crossing home plate each time...
We have great coaches this year, all dads of boys on the team. Each one is high energy, enthusiastic and really takes their time with each player. They expect a certain level of respect and ask each boy to give 100% each practice and game. I'm so grateful for all they are investing in our team!
We went out to celebrate after the first game...
It was a long day and everyone was feeling silly by the time dessert rolled around...
Timo got to be catcher for the 2nd game and loved it. He kept saying he was Buster Posey. I love the little catchers outfit that fits them, he was so cute!
What's a game without a bloody nose? All par for the course with our little allergy boy. But he was back up and ready to go in no time...ready to hit it out of the park!
Here's a video of him hitting at the first game...I didn't expect him to hit it on the first pitch so I was just pressing the record button and missed the pitch, but you get the idea. This was the last inning and the coaches told the kids they were too clean. They wanted them each to slide into home plate to get a little dirty...something Timo had no problem with!
The kids did great on their report cards and parent teacher conferences so we went out to celebrate at our favorite Mexican restaurant, Tommy's!
To say we LOVE our bean bags would be an understatement. It's their new reading spot. I love working in their school library on Fridays, I get to check out 6 extra books each week! I try to do three story/easy reader books and 3 science/non-fiction books, so we have a revolving door of new books each week. Friday afternoons/evenings tend to be quiet in our house....
But not forgeting rainbow looming...they have figured out how to watch you-tube to learn new ways. Most videos are a little too advanced for them (or they pick the more advanced ones), so I think it's just an excuse to use the tablet...
Saturday morning cartoons have become a norm lately...or just an excuse to snuggle with Daddy...
Who says Cameron doesn't play with dolls?? She loves her Avengers Dolls!!
I had a wonderful afternoon with my daughter a few weekends ago. I had a baby shower to go to and decided Cameron was old enough to go along too. We left a little early and had a hot chocolate before walking over. She was so excited to be going to a "grown up party".
There was "diaper decorating" there and Cameron made a special one for baby Arrianna. It says "you are cute" with a little smiley face. She did so well at the shower, but was almost just as excited when Daddy and Timo came to pick us up, she does not like being away from Timo for too long.
We had a full moon the other night and Daddy got out the telescope! It was so cool to see the moon so close!!
In case you ever wonder what we do on weekends? Well, it isn't house work!! This is what our living room typically looks like at the end of a weekend, chaos. But that's what Mondays are for, right?
It's not secret that we love music in our house. Well, now the kids go to a chorus class once a week in school and have really enjoyed learning new songs...oldies to us parents. As they are practicing at home, I start signing the words with them and I get a looks of shock "Mommy, how do you know the words??" Here are two of the songs they performed for us. Young found the music online and played it along for them...now all we need is a karaoke machine!
And Cameron, our music lover, is showing us her moves that Daddy taught her....Daddy would be proud of her "clubbing dance" moves!
I'm finally getting around to Timo's basketball season...now that's it's over. We signed up through the local YMCA because one of our friends was on the team and I think it was a great choice for him. First off I love the values the YMCA tries to instill in it's kids. But they also have smaller teams so each player gets lots of game time and lots of personal attention from the coach. Timo had a great season, had so much fun and really learned a lot. I think the most valuable lesson, aside from ball skills, was to work as a team. The beginning of the season the kids thought it was all about getting the ball and shooting and trying to score. By the end of the season they were all passing it around, looking for who had the best shot. It wasn't all perfect but you could tell they were starting to grasp the concept of working as a team.
Grandpa was visiting for Timo's first game back in Dec...so special! Each game was so much fun, watching all the little kids try to run and dribble at the same time. Timo might not have been the best player on the team but he was for sure the most energetic!
Here a little sample of his shots at the last game...a great finish to a really fun season. We're already rallying our friends to join the team with us next year!
