Potty and Gardening fun...

This is what happens when you ask Kate if she would like to sit on the potty.
















I know, not super sanitary. However, I took a picture and made a big deal of froggy sitting on the potty which led to.......

THIS!











Whatever works, right! :)

(I added that cute, appropriately-placed planet sticker from the Microsoft Paint program)

Anyway, back to gardening. Yesterday, Jackie and I worked in the yard. In the front yard, the irises were drooping so we tried to prop them up with some stakes. The irises are so tall and the flowers are so big the stalks end up essentially leaning over to the ground.

We watered the butterfly garden. The black-eyed susans and cone flowers are doing well. We watered the tomato and cucumber starts. I fear we may have lost one tomato start, but we watered the area anyway just in case. We also planted four sunflower seeds. I am trying to grow thyme and sweet basil in my hanging baskets. The thyme package said 'Guaranteed to Grow'. We'll see! If the thyme grows, I plan on making delicious chicken pancakes.

Jackie wants to plant carrots. I'm not sure where we could plant them. I'm thinking maybe we could move the hostas along side the garage to the front of the house, and then add soil to make a raised bed. If we do that, I have some radish seeds to plant, too.

Finally, we hung a bird feeder from the peach tree by our fence. We'll see what kind of birds (critters) we get.

I hope everyone has a great day.

Gone Fishin'

Today, Dave and I really wanted to spend some good old outdoors time with the girls.  Dave especially wanted to take Jackie fishing.  He had given her a fishing pole for her birthday and she's been itching to use it since. 

We piled in the car and drove to Potato Creek State Park.  Dave took Jackie to a bank just off the paddle boat/canoe rental shore.  Wouldn't you know it, she caught a 'huge' bluegill on her first fishing trip.  Dave said she reeled it in and everything.  When I asked her how it was to reel in a fish she shrugged and said, "Hard."  She was so proud of herself.  Apparently, it was the biggest catch of the day on their outing.  After they looked at the fish, Dave let it go.  I'm not sure what Jackie was expecting, but she was not expecting the fruits of her labor to be let go so quickly and said, "Hey! What'd you do that for?"

Dave caught three fish - a small bass and maybe some bluegill...?  Jackie used red worms as bait.  This morning, she and Dave went to the bait shop and she was jumping out of her skin with excitement.  When they came back with the bait, though, she was less exuberant.  Dave had not only gotten red worms (which Jackie had no problems with) but also wax worms.  Her face kind of went sour when she told me about the wax worms.

While Dave and Jackie were fishing, Kate and I rented a bike with a toddler seat and scoped out the bike trails.  I had taken Katie on the bike trails before when she was younger, and she did really well.  When I put her in the seat this time, though, she just kind of groaned and said, "I don't like it...bike."  Then, when I put her helmet on: "I don't like it...hat." 

Once I started pedaling, though, I could hear behind me, "Yay, you did it."  Then silence for about 20 feet or so and then, "All done, Mom?  You done?"  It was a hoot. 

I told her we just started and that we'd have fun.  We rode around for over an hour.  "What's dat, Mom?" she'd ask, pointing to her right.   "Woods, Kate." "Oh, yay...woods."   Silence. "What's dat?"  "More woods."  "What's dat?"  "A bird."  "Oh, hi, birdie!"

Of course, it dawned on me that I would like to know the names of the woods and the names of the birds.  My sister, Megan, would know these things.  I, on the other hand, have taught Kate what a Robin looks like.  Much more than that and I'm out of knowledge...for now. 

All part of the journey.

Today, though, Kate and I were treated to many, many red-winged blackbirds.  Those birds I do know, and they are one of my favorites.  When I was a kid, my very crafty mom made my sister and I some red-winged blackbird hand puppets out of dark brown and white polka dot remnant fabric.  She added yellow and red stripes to the wings.  Every time I see a red-winged blackbird, I think of those polka-dotted puppets and my mom.  It's funny that's the reason why I like red-winged blackbirds.

Anyway, back to the bike ride.  We ended up at what I would call a babbling brook. There was a little bridge there and when we came up to it, Kate said, "Off...off. I wanna see."  So we parked the bike, took off the helmets, and for about 10 minutes Kate watched the water, ran around, and called out to the boys climbing on the logs and rocks in the water, "Cah-full, Cah-full." (Careful)

Back on the bike to return it to the rental cabin, got lost on the trails but eventually got there.  Kate got a red bug juice.  Got a blue one for Jackie.  Walked to the spot where Jackie and Dave were fishing.  

It was really cute once I spotted them on the bank: father and daughter fishing.  As Kate and I walked up, though, Jackie casted off and caught her hook on Dave's stomach/shirt.

It was a good time to start packing up for home. 

All in all, Jackie said she liked fishing.  Dave is secretly, ardently hoping she will like fishing but he's trying very hard not to push and to be patient.  He is imagining family fishing trips and some good daddy/daughter times.  

Jackie is urging me to get my fishing license, which I'm sure I'll get.  I have this notion though that if I am going to fish I need to bait my own hook and learn to take the fish off my own line to thrown them back (see how presumptious I am that I will catch fish?).  Right now, I'm a bit of a weenie when it comes to hooking the red worms and I can't even get myself to look at the wax worms. 

Speaking of which, they are in a container in an insulated lunch bag in our refrigerator.  I hope that's okay.  Dave said they needed to keep cool.  I wonder if he just meant to put them in the basement.  Hmmm, better check with him.  Jackie was kind of bug-eyed when I put them in the fridge - "Um, mom, do you think that's a good idea you know in case they crawl out of the lunch bag..."  Her other fear was that we'd forget they were there and Dad would take his lunch to work only to find out he had brought worms instead.

Well, I don't know how long blogs are, but this post was very long so I'll stop for now.  Kate's potty story will have to wait. 

Soon I will learn how to upload/download/incorporate pictures.  Still leery about posting pictures of my kids on the internet, but this blog apparently is only accessible to those you invite.  We brought the camera to capture the 'first fish', but promptly left the camera in the car and I had the key tied to my shoe.  We have to get much better at planning these kinds of things.

I did, however, take a picture of Kate's frog pillow sitting on her potty seat.  I know that does not seem very sanitary, except I can tell you that nothing has happened while sitting on that seat.

Okay, bye for now.  

This blogging thing is very cathartic.

The beginning...

Well, I never thought I would be a blogger, or that I would even consider a blog, but I find myself wishing for a way to share the everyday happenings of my little brood with loved ones.

This has been a year of ups and downs and major changes for our family.  We are about to start on a new adventure with me staying at home with the girls.  I have gone through the feeling sick to your stomach have I made the right decision phase, the will I ever be successful at work again phase, the we need the money phase, the will I be a good stay at home mom phase, to now...the mild pit in the stomach but knowing this is the best thing for me and my family phase. 

I am really and truly looking forward to this journey of self-renewal and self-discovery. 

I am looking forward to reconnecting with my husband, family, and friends. 

Most importantly, though, I am really looking forward to being more of a part of my girls' lives. 

Thanks for stopping by!