So what's new..

A lot of people ask me this, and I ask a lot of people the same thing. When I am asked this I find that each time I stutter....ahhhh welll not much, mothering stuff. And then later I think....that was a strange response, but really each day is filled with funny stories, creative games, outdoor adventures, and cooking/cleaning experiments....so while I have a moment of peace and quiet (both kids are napping!) I will share some of our latest doings. Oh, and sidenote since I no longer think to ever carry a camera with me it has been an added bonus to have the iphone, although the quality isn't great it has been wonderful to catch random moments:

This is our post-lunch, pre-nap clean up time together. I put music on and try to clean up the toys and sweep, naturally children love to help, and here are my great little helpers...

Today we were having so much fun gardening, and looking for salamanders that when I came to find out what Kate was doing (she is famous for eating dirt and rocks), I found her laying in our asparagus patch. Then I realized it was close to 1 and quickly approaching nap time...woops

Kate is picking up signs daily, she knows cat, dog, pig, cow, duck, bird, tree, more, milk, eat, water, poop, diaper change, sleep, light, gorilla, monkey, drive....this is her sign for tree.

Adam rototilled (spelling?) the garden this past weekend, and ever since the kids like to spend most of there time "working" I get a little nervous when I watch Charlie heave the huge hoe over his head and slam it back down into the dirt, but he actually is pretty careful

This is a new part of our evening, and I highly recommend it. We light the candle, read a few stories, turn off the light and talk about our day...I LOVE IT and so does C

Our newest thing is to occasionally go out to eat, here is our breakfast at the airport yesterday, both kids sat happily for 35 minutes watching the planes land and take off. This was Charlie's breakfast, of course in true Charlie fashion he choose to eat most of my eggs instead.

Our couch is no longer a couch. It is a trampoline part time and a garbage truck the other times. Again my new challenge is to sit back and watch the kids make up there games rather then constantly put everything back in it's place, it isn't easy but I am getting better at it.

 This probably looks gross to you, but I am proud of it. It is seitan scaloppine with lemon-olive sauce. It was great, everyone including kids devoured it.

 

Kate's favorite thing in the world is the zoo, and the petting zoo is the funniest thing to watch. She raced around laughing at the goats, doing the dog sign, and doing this silly walk. She was also totally in love with the ducks, this is her duck sign.

   

Adam used to take Charlie to the zoo every Sunday and they loved it. Recently Charlie asked if I could take him and when I tried to lie to him about the animals sleeping and the zoo being closed, he rejected my answer. He was right! The zoo is super easy to take two little kids, and we all have so much fun. Here is the cutie:

Since the puffer (train) has been closed for over a month, we always treat ourselves to a ride on the carousal. I try to get him to go on the animals that go up and down, but he has a real special relationship with this giraffe. Se La Vee

  

And a day doesn't go by where both kids don't stand by the window and check out what is the happenings. Our favorite things to see are: garbage truck- hands down, bikes, motorcycles, school bus, kids playing, kids skateboarding, birds on wires, dogs pooping...

 

When I told Adam that I had spent 60 dollars on 12 beautiful silk scarves for kate's birthday, he couldn't believe it. But after looking at this picture, can you understand why I would do such a thing? And by the way...these scarves have become hats, skirts, ropes, parachutes, rivers, grasses......

  

Once a week he goes to ice cream with Pa, but if that doesn't happen I pick up the slack....

  

And of course we have hard times like this picture shows. Where we are all having an off day...usually happens because we are tired and hungry.....

 

But on the very same day we have moments like this.....

  

Our couch....company actually sits on the floor on these cushions..dare we put our couch back together and deal with the wrath of sir charles.

  

More and more we get to do fun things like this. We do playdough, paint, draw, and recently we started playing games: hi ho cherry-o, and candy land....don't say it to his face, but charlie is a cheater, just like I was as a kid.

  

And perhaps our favorite thing to do in the world is take walks. We take walks out to the bluffs almost everyday. Sometimes we are seen looking like this, a sweatshirt, pajama bottoms, and worker man boots, all shade of blue, all different patterns. But let me tell you that it is no easy feat to get us all out of the house all at the same time...and some battles just aren't worth fighting.

  

 Imagine how happy kate is that after 12 months of watching us walk and play is such natural beauty, she can finally walk as well. If only she would go the right direction....

So next time you ask me what's new and I look at you with a blank look it is because everyday is so full of ups and downs, adventures and escapades, hysterical moments, and sometimes some tears.....and I can't possibly put it into a few sentences, and unless you are my sister, my mom, my brother, my dad, ellie or Amy...you probably don't want to hear Every Little Thing about what I am doing and feeling!