mid-winter break

This has been such a fun week.  The weather here has been GLORIOUS!  The sun has shined EVERY DAY!  It's amazing how happy the sun can make you feel.  It's easy to forget during those dark and scary winter days.  The kids and I have been going on many adventures, which bring on many phrases like - "you're the best mom ever!" and "this is the BEST day ever!!"  I love how they find great joy in the little things :)  Prepare yourselves, I took A LOT of photos.

Our first adventure was to English Camp.... 

 

 

  

Ava had a bumble bee come and land on her flower clip.  I was too busy shooing it away to get a picture.  It was funny.

  

  photo credit - Stella Carolyn Parsons

  

  

Jonah is not real crazy about the camera.

  I said, "make a crazy face" and this is what I got.

 

The next day it was out to Cattle Point.  The kids love it out there because of the trails.  I didn't get many photos because, well, the kids were running and I didn't feel like chasing :).

 

 

  

 Then it was on to 4th of July beach and I think out of all the adventures, this was their favorite.

 

 The kids said to me, "mom be careful" when they saw me put my feet in the water.  They crack me up.  Daily.

We may not be known for our sandy beaches, but how many of you can say you can build a fort on the beach?

  

  

 

Ava was lining up her shells on a log.  That's my girl, all neat and orderly. :)

Stella found many shells to add to her collection.  She was thinking of having a sale today and selling some of her shells, but the day got away from us...next time. ;)

  

Before you head down to the beach there is a nice grassy area.  The kids were running around and playing tag before I suckered them into posing for me.

  

 

The last adventure was to American Camp.  Stella asked, "Mom, are only Americans allowed to come here?"  It's so pretty out there.  I think it's going to be my new favorite photo spot.  I'm taking photos of a family next week and I'm hoping it will work to go there.  The "house" has a cute little porch, there is a nice, big open field and the view is pretty much amazing.

   

 

around the house...

...there is a lot of dust.  The windows are dirty.  There are toys everywhere.  There is sidewalk chalk, not on the sidewalk, but on the house.  We have a stray cat that comes and eats our cat's food and likes to pee in our garage.  I told Jonah he can practice on the cat with his BB gun whenever he sees it.  We got a compost bin for Christmas.  We're figuring since we have rocks instead of dirt, we'll just make our own.  Also around the house...

Stella has been wearing her "country girl" shirt, or so she calls it.  Along with her country girl shirt, she told me she needed a braid in her hair because, "country girls wear braids."

Jonah's learning to read and write his A B C's.  I wish I could say it's an enjoyable time for him, but to be honest, I believe he'd much rather make believe his pencil was a sword or a knife.

 

Or pretend his paper is a race track for his race cars.

 

 

Each day he is getting better.  We gave him a little goal incentive.  If he learns all his letters he will get a new bike.  So far we apparently have around 15 c's in the alphabet - it seems to be his, when-in-doubt-say-c, letter. :)

 

I'm still making signs.  Tiffany and Deanna, yours are coming soon.  I promise.  Cross my heart.

 

Our living room has turned into jump central.  As soon as we get home from dropping Stella off at school, Ava will run to the couch and say "Jonah, Jooooooonah!  Jump!"  And Jonah happily obliges.

 

 

 

Jonah got a bubble wand that makes ginormous bubbles for his birthday.  Stella likes to make them and Jonah likes to pop them.  The other day Jonah came in and his hair was wet.  I asked him what he was doing and he said, "popping bubbles."  Yeah, they're big.

  

My bed has become the hot ticket for jumping and watching movies.

  

Sometimes Ava "works" around the house in her "work" goggles.  From the looks of it, it's a special kind of work.

Ava has staked her claim on the window sill.  Whenever I start making dinner, she'll run over and want to help.  Ava, listen to me, don't ever get too big to sit up there.  Okay?  Did you hear your me?

 

 

Sean started a big fire to burn up all the branches from the trees we took down last summer.  It was a hot fire.  Sean got a little too close and had some major singed eyebrows and eyelashes.

 

My dad got pretty close with the tractor and if the tractor had eyelashes and eyebrows, they would be fully gone.  Did I mention it was a hot fire?  One week later and it is STILL burning!

 

We have a few big mounds of dirt.  It's where the kids like to play.  It's dirty.

 

Maybe one day our land will be flowing with milk and honey...or maybe just grass....one day.

 

Ava can put on her own hat.  I like it when she does.

Stella likes to dress up and wear earrings.  It doesn't matter if she's just going out to play in the dirt piles, the girl needs her earrings.

After almost 10 years, I'm still madly in love with my husband. 

and also, around the house...

...there are 30 little piggies I can't get enough of.  Even when they are dirty like Jonah's.  Or have horribly long toenails like Jonah's, which according to him, he doesn't want to have cut because they are his CLAWS and help him CLIMB.

Everyone loves a good giveaway

Go on over to  www.thesavvyphotographer.blogspot.com   for information on what to do for a chance to win this awesome bag!  I hope I win!!

Just one of the things I love about being a mom

It's Saturday night.  Sean's away at class and will be home on the late ferry.  The 3 little children are on our bed watching a movie.  I believe it was Ava's choice, which could only mean they were watching "Pooh Pooh" (Winnie the Pooh...why is his name Pooh bear??  why would they do that to such a sweet little bear..??...anyway...).  I came and joined them on the bed.  The second I laid down Stella asks, "mom would you like me to do your hair?"  I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm pretty sure I'd let a perfect stranger play with my hair.  Well, OK, maybe not a stranger but I like it when people play with my hair.  I really really like it.  So I responded to Stella saying, "I think I'd like that very much."  She then bounces off the bed in pursuit of some "hair pretties."  Then Jonah looks at me and says, "mom would you like me to rub your back?"  ummm, let me think... "YES PLEASE, JONAH!!!"  Stella comes out of my bathroom with some supplies; a brush, a few hair-ties, and my ped-egg .  Stella announces, "mom, I thought you'd like this too (waving the ped-egg around) because you know your feet are kinda...(scrunched up face)...rough."  Jonah then makes it known he'd like to use the ped-egg (sawing things, even things like calloused feet, is appealing to him.)  Stella and Jonah worked it out.   They decided they would take turns, each getting 10 minutes.  Jonah would rub my back for 10 minutes while Stella attempts to saw away my summer feet, (which have now turned into my winter feet) and then switch.  Awesome!  They could play with Jonah's hot wheels cars on my back for all I care.

It was a good night.  Stella made me look awesome with a sweet new hair-do, and Jonah made my feet super soft with several - "look at all this dust" - comments.  Ava took over where Jonah left off on my back and worked the deep muscles which involved a lot of climbing.  I loved it.  I remember doing the same thing with my mom and now I know why she was willing to stop what she was doing whenever I would ask. :)

What do you say kids, same time same place?

A friendly game of tag

I visited Andrea's blog this morning and was tagged by her.  It's a friendly game.  One that was easy enough for me to want to play; no 1,000 questions to answer.  Just post your favorite photos of 2009.

 

Favorite photos of 2009

 

There are many things I love about this photo of Stella.  It was from our last family outing of the summer; a trip to the park.  I love the rainbow lens flare going through her face.  It just...suits her.  Even straight-out-of-the-camera this was a good one, but I love how it looks with PW's 70's action.

 

This is one of my favorite photos of Jonah.  I loved the whole series of shots I got from that day.  It was the first time I actually pre-planned a photo shoot for one of my children.  You know, got them dressed, grabbed a prop and found a neat spot.  I loved it.  From that day on my eye has constantly been on the look out for cool locations and my mind has been constantly working for what would make a cool photo.  Who knows, maybe this photo was the beginning of something for me... 

I will always love this shot of Ava.  Capturing her in her room while holding her favorite baby, will always be special to me.  It was hard to choose (and no, not because I take such great photos) which photo, out of the ones I took that day, that I liked best.  They were all so full of her personality.  She's happy, and she jumps, and she spins and she runs...it warmed my heart that I could catch her taking a breath looking out the window to Bramma's (grandma) house.

Now it's your turn.  Tag you're it!