How does your garden grow?

Last year one of my work friends gave me a left over jalapeno pepper plan that she didn't have room for in her garden. We planted it with little understanding of growing things and not much research. Just put the plant in a pot and let it go.

We were pleasantly surprised when a) it flourished and produced A LOT of peppers and b) the girls got extremely in to the process. The downside of course was the peppers were too hot for them to eat so they didn't get the taste the rewards of our semi-effort (I did stake up the plant so it wouldn't fall over.). At that time we decided to do a garden this year and plant things the girls could eat and enjoy.

The gardening time has arrived. We decided to do a container garden because I am not real fond of the idea of taking up my yard space for a garden. I know. I am weird. But everyone has their preferences.

I researched square foot gardening and decided to do a 4x4 container. SP built the container with a little help from our home improvement expert C. This year we are experimenting with a box that has a bottom and wheels. The idea was to be able to move it if necessary but I am not sure that is going to be needed. Also, not sure how the bottom will work with root growth.

I am planning to grow everything vertically, been researching that too. The first question that will come to your head when you see the list below is how can you possibly grow watermelon vertically? It's possible but who knows if we'll be successful. More to come...

I used the soil mix recommended in the book. Not going to go crazy and try it any other way because I don't know what I am doing. If they spell it out as being successful I am for it. The girls both helped mixing up the soil and getting the box ready. I think they honestly had more fun getting dirty than they did anything else, but that was sorta the point right, to get them involved? At one point R was rubbing the soil mix up and down her legs. Nothing like a dirt bath.

We planted the following...

• 4 tomato plants (includes heirloom and cherry)
• zucchini
• beans
• cucumbers
• basil
• onions
• carrots
• red pepper
• green pepper
• watermelon (R's selection)
• strawberries (C's selection)

So far we have produced two very small strawberries that the girls promptly ate. Everything else seems to be taking off to the point where I am not 100% sure what to do with it all. The girls get super excited about seeing the plants grow and that in itself makes this a success. If we manage to actually get some fruit and veggies out of if, well that will be a huge bonus.

Shark!

What a surprise to find this happening in C's mouth. It's called Shark Teeth and supposedly pretty common.

Count down to Summer

We are quickly approaching the end of the school year and the days are jammed packed with field day and picnics and graduations. My mind is swirling trying to nail down our Summer plans as this will be the first time we've had to find things for BOTH girls to do. Ideally, we'd have a Summer sitter who would stay with them but that's not in the cards this year.

I am slightly nervous about our plans and hope it works out. There will be about 6 weeks where they are at a local facility that we are familiar with that offers a kids camp. While there it's all swimming and gymnastics and play, play, play. I am worried R will be too stimulated and become a mess. C will be fine and adjust ok.

To try to ward off too much drama I have set up time each week with R's former OT to do a session mid-week. We haven't been doing OT since she started the new school in February, but I think having this one-on-one quiet time will be good for her. Crossing my fingers it works.

I honestly cannot believe that we are at this point. That by Wednesday of next week R will be out of school and by the first week of June C will be too. I get so caught up in it that I often forget to live in the moment. I am trying to do more of that. To see what is in front of me when my nature is to plan ahead and foresee what is coming. So here's a brief insight into my girls at this moment.

C

• Soccer player who seems to have a bit of her Dad's athleticism. She seems to enjoy soccer and hopefully will continue on with it.
• Gymnast who recently completed her first "fun meet" and did great. She really stepped it up with the older girls and we were so proud of her.
• Gentle, mothering soul who is going to be a great care giver and mommy one day. She has such a nuturing way about her that I am trying to develop and let shine.
• Sassy pants who is currently testing the boundaries of 6 year old life. She's got a mind of her own and not afraid to use it.
• We've done a few play dates now with kids from her class and I am not longer worried that she isn't making friends. While her teacher felt there were issues at the beginning of the school year, I felt confident she just needed to warm up and get comfortable which she has done.
• Hair eating/chewing is a new habit that we are trying hard to break. Not sure where that is coming from. Gross.
• Her eyes still light up with her smile and it's contagious.
• Forever a cuddle bug who still wants to be loved on and held. I hope that continues for a long, long time.

R

• Gymnast who recently started back in a group class and while for many this is no big deal, for her is HUGE. Crossing our fingers it continues to go well.
• Singer of all songs both made up and on the radio. She'll sing for hours songs that are in her head.
• Silly, goofy girl who likes to make you laugh and her cackle is music to our ears.
• Sensitive still and wants deep massage of her hands and feet...sometimes her whole body. The good news is now she can ask for what she feels she needs.
• Shy and slow to warm up but once comfortable there is no stopping her.
• Curious and smart to the point where we can't fool her anymore. She remembers more than we do.

I love my girls. I am happy to see Summer come but sad that it means they are growing up.

Happy 4th Birthday

Dear Ramsey,
You are now 4! And as you so perfectly put it..."I don't feel 4." I don't feel like you are four either. Where in the heck did time go?

For your 4th birthday we had a Fr0zen themed party because that is your absolute FAVORITE movie...EVER. Sven...pronounced SPEN and Olaf are tops of your list as the greatest characters with Elsa and Anna not far behind. Finding Fr0ze stuff was not an easy thing to do as every other child in the city also loves this movie and items are hard to find in the stores. So, I got creative and made my own.

We held your birthday the Saturday before your actual birthday because this year your birthday fell on Derby Day. You will one day learn that most people around here are doing Derby things and having a birthday party on that day just doesn't work. No slight to you...and secretly I love that you are a Derby baby because it's one of my most favorite times of the year.

Because of the timing of your birthday, it was like birthday week for you. There was lots of celebrating with ice cream and candy and visits with friends and family. I think you really enjoyed yourself. Who doesn't love an entire week dedicated to them?

I am looking forward to what this next year will bring for us. We have grown a lot, you and I, as we navigate through all that comes our way. I think you handle it better than I do pretty much all the time. Your sense of humor is a constant and your smile is contagious. I hope you never lose that silliness because it perfectly captures who you are. I plan to laugh more with you and worry less this year. You deserve that.

I hope you feel the love we have for you because it's almost too much to contain. Wishing you the best, most enjoyable, most fun year ever!

Happy Birthday sweet girl!

Love Mommy

Gift

In a week we will be celebrating the 4th Birthday of Miss R. 4 years. Holy Hell. My girls are no longer babies and never will be again. They are silly, mischievous, smart little girls who will definitely give SP and me a run for our money as they grow up. They already do that now which makes us have to think quicker and smarter just to keep up.

We have now been in our house in Louisville for 3 years. The memories of being in Cincinnati are fading a bit as new memories here take their place. It will always be the birthplace of my girls but I really feel like Louisville is home. It's where I feel most rooted and grounded with my family and hope they do too.

I love seeing them interact with each other and all the kids in our cul-de-sac. It reminds me of my childhood and all the close friends and fun times I had growing up. There is definitely something of value in having those early friendships and spending so much time playing outside.  I am glad we're able to have a home that allows them to experience that.

For the moment, I feel our family is calm and content. The girls are healthy. Sp and I are healthy. We are happing and enjoying life.

I am not sure what the future holds for us, but right now I am enjoying the moment. This is not always easy for me to do, so I am working on it. I don't want to look back three years from now and regret one single thing.

What will she become?

C loves to watch the DIY channel. LOVES IT. She prefers to watch that channel over most movies, cartoons and kids programs. Her favorite is Nic*le Curtis. She'll sit for HOURS and watch show after show. Lawn remodeling. Bathroom remodeling. Whole house renovation. Doesn't matter.

For her birthday we got her a tool belt and tool set. A real one. Not one of those rink dinky plastic sets. Sure, it's all pink, but the stuff works. I even used her tools to take apart the dishwasher recently. They do the job.

She's got some random pieces of wood outside and she'll hammer, screw, bang around for as long as we'll let her. I am fascinated by this. I am in awe of her.

Looking around I don't really see many kids with their own tools, a desire to watch the DIY and overcome with sheer joy with the prospect of building me a garden box. It's uniquely beautiful and we are doing all we can to encourage her interest.

Today we were at the hardware store to buy wood for the garden box and they were having one of those kid classes. She has been begging to go, but her slacker parents forget...often. Just our luck that today was the first Saturday of the month and build a bird feeder day.

So, we built bird feeders. C was very into it and almost split SPs thumb hammering. R lost interest in about a second and I ended up building her bird feeder. It was really fun and I hope we can remember to do that more often.

I can only imagine where this interest of C's will take her. Seems like the prospects are wide open and I am going to just sit back and enjoy watching her little mind work. Such a cool little girl.

We aren't that different

This morning R presented herself in the bathroom where I was getting ready full of jazzy confidence. She had dressed herself and was damn proud of it. Her picking out her own outfits has become quite a thing and today was no exception. She had discarded the shorts I picked out last night and opted for a purple pair to go with her blue and pink Minnie Mouse t-shirt. On her feet were socks that did not match and a pair of Nike's that were a size too big. Such a sense of accomplishment was evident on her face, and I just rolled with it.

Together R and I went to find C who was also getting dressed. She had not really deviated from the outfit she selected last night, but she had picked a fetching pair of black knee high boots to go with her shorts and t-shirt. She LOVES those boots. They are hand-me-downs from her friend from school. She wears them whenever she can. But today, heading to Spring Break Camp, she had to leave the boots behind and she was not to happy about it. In the end, she opted for flip flops and that seemed to brighten her mood.

I can remember having my own sense of style from a very young age. To be different was just my way and not because I was "choosing" it necessarily, it was just what I liked. Sure I may have worn black, and nothing else for years. Or had a pair of faux snake skin pants that I rocked with a lime green shirt. Chances are, no one looked like me but everyone looked at me, and that was ok.

I still like to wear socks that don't match. Black is still a color of choice in most outfits. I don't care too much about trends or any of that. I just wear what I like and what makes me feel good. I am trying to do that with my girls.

It would be real easy to try and control what they are wearing because it doesn't match or fit someones idea of "normal", but I am not going to. As long as they look appropriate and clean, it doesn't really matter to me. Like those knee high boots...can't really play safely in those shoes so I had to draw a line...but otherwise go for it. I did.