I am SOOOO proud!!

Elijah is reading, and he brought home his first reader from Montessori today!!! Strangely enough, Hannah just read me the last (#40!!) book in this series this morning...

How to use a rotary phone

My parents had rotary phones until I went to college (1992!), which is way later than most people I grew up with... But my kids have never seen one.

I thought this video was pretty cool.

Earth Day Projects (Tackle it Wednesday!!)

After the ice storm, we had our electric line run underground. They cut a 20 inch trench out of our patio... I'm not in the mood to pay for a new patio, so I decided I could fix it myself. I also wanted to get my container garden ready for the herbs and veggies I'm planting this year.


The dogwood is in bloom, so I have the requisit photo of that :)


It's hard to tell, but there is hardly ANY sand in the kids' sandbox... that will soon be remedied! However, I forgot the after photo, so just pretend that it's now brimming with sand :)


Leah and I trekked to Walmart at 8:40 this morning and bought 10 pavers, 10 bags of playsand (4 went straight into the sandbox), and 8 bags of organic potting soil.


Last years' containers were emptied into the trench along with 6 bags of sand. This is all a lot of fun with a toddler sitting on your supplies :)


Little Miss Can't-Keep-Her-Shoes-On


Elijah was very interested in the 'helicopter' seeds from all the maple trees (those things are like WEEDS!)


Typical of Leah...


Practically DONE! I still need 2 more pavers because I didn't bother to measure :) The containers are ready for planting! My plants will arrive in about a week (I buy the veggie plants from the kids' school fund raiser). I even bought 7 foot stakes for the spiral tomato cages I ordered (talk about exciting!!).




Hannah and I planted the herb seeds this afternoon. We planted basil, cilantro, and oregano (a perrenial!)


We transplanted a few daisies and mini-sunflowers we started inside. I imagine we'll have some more to transplant soon. We also started some BIG sunflowers that we will be planting along the fence line. Apparently honeybees really like sunflowers, and we want to do our part to save the honeybees!!

Family Night

We've been having Family Night on Mondays for the past 4 weeks, and the kids think it is the BEST thing ever! We read some books, sing some songs, play a board game, and eat something sweet that is usually made special for that night. The kids rotate what they are in charge of. This week Hannah picked the book, Elijah picked the game (and helped me make the brownies), and I'm not sure we sang a song :)


Elijah picked Go Fish for the game...








Yay!


Yay!!!


Then the sun came out from behind the storm clouds, and there was a GORGEOUS rainbow.


Then the storm clouds gathered in the dining room... This is what typically happens during our Family Night, Elijah gets mad about something. He was mad that he didn't win (only he really DID win, but apparently he wanted to be grumpy about something!).

For Grandma and Grandpa

Easter Cuties!!

Today the kids got to wear their Easter clothes to church since I was sick last week. They looked SUPER cute!!!!!!


Unfortunately, the lighting isn't as good as I like to get... It was raining quite hard this morning, so opening the door wasn't the option it usually is. Leah and Elijah weren't terribly cooperative either, and I'm actually amazed that we got a good picture!!

Leah's Skirt

I finished up Leah's skirt that matches Hannah's. I think it turned out really cute, and it has fewer mistakes than the first skirt did. It went super fast because it's SO tiny!!

I thought the nap picture was a classic, and couldn't resist taking it or posting it.


Leah's turning out to be quite the ham when I get out the camera!










If only she'd had her eyes open!!!

Food Chain costume pictures

[note to grandparents: I will mail you a 5x7 of both kids]

Playdate with Jed

First off, my azaleas are in bloom, and they are SOOOO pretty!! I love them!


Yesterday, the kids were playing Winnie-the-Pooh, and I happen to have Tigger and Piglet costumes... The Tigger is 18 months size, and Piglet is a 2T. Elijah wore the Tigger and HANNAH wore the Piglet w/ the legs unsnapped. The sleeves came to her elbows and the legs came to her waist. Anyway, when the big kids were done, Leah wanted to try on Piglet as well.


Today I watched Jed for 90 minutes while his Mommy had a doctors appointment.


Jed is about 6 months older than Leah, and as always, they had a good time. Lots of parallel play going on with these two!!






Leah was posing. She loves to see the pictures on the camera display.




They had a grand time looking through the mailbox at each other.






Jed couldn't resist the John Deere! Too bad it wasn't outside and it didn't have the battery in it. I'm not sure I trust a newly 2 year old's driving skills...

Songs for the school play

Hannah's song for the school play, Food Chain, is The Panther Song.

Elijah shows what he remembers of his dance for the school play, Food Chain. Then he gets distracted and starts singing Hannah's song, The Panther Song.

Happy Easter!

We didn't make it to church because I'm sick, so no pics of cute dress clothes... They'll wear them next week.


We colored and decorated eggs yesterday


The kids really enjoyed that


I'm not sure we can eat 18 hard boiled eggs this week though... We've eaten 3 so far :)


The Easter baskets. Elijah got a Wii Diego game, Hannah got a couple of Reader Rabbit games for the computer, and Leah got some Sandra Boynton board books... as well as candy and bunnies


The egg hunt starts


I had them go one at a time


and limited them to 10 eggs each turn


That way Elijah would actually get to FIND some of the eggs!


I love this action shot... he just spotted an egg!


Elijah did better than I expected... he's typically not a great finder


Leah woke up at this point


Chocolate for breakfast!!!


Here Leah, have some M&M's


Leah picked up on the egg finding pretty quickly


See the azaleas out the window?? Pretty!




empying the loot from the eggs


that's a lot of candy!!!