Spaghetti Anyone!

Someone decided she was going to help make dinner yesterday. When no one was looking my youngest dragged her stool to the counter (no easy task) and emptied bottle after bottle of spices into my spaghetti sauce.

When I found it, there were empty bottles all over the counter and a very large clump of garlic floating in my sauce. I debated pitching it, but decided I could make it palatable by adding more tomatoes, and tomatoe paste to the mixture. This morning I have two huge crock pots full of a very basil heavy spaghetti sauce. I guess we're stocked for winter.

School Days!

School, around here, looks a little different than last year.

 

Our lives are full of new adventures right now!

Our Summer so Far

Wow, I did not intend to be away from blogging for so long. Things got a little hectic around here and, being the inexperienced blogger that I am, I didn't realize how putting off posting a few times could so quickly turn into an epic absence. Well, to quickly catch you up, here is a snapshot, or snapshots, of our summer so far.

Tackling uncles in Grandma's front yard.

I say so far because there is still plenty of summer left to enjoy.

1st time 4-wheel rides thanks to some awesome, crazy (he let my 9 yr old drive!) friends.

I cling to summer for as long as humanly possible so you wont see me admitting it's late summer until most kids are back in school.

Checking the pressure in his tires. He's serious about his bike riding.

In fact I was quite shocked and disappointed the first year I sent my oldest off to school and realized just how much shorter our summers together were going to be.

Exploring our amazing Lake Michigan sand dunes while camping at the shore.

And it's not officially autumn, until I've picked my first apple and had to wear my jacket at least 5 days in a row. Yes, 5 days in a row, anything less could just be the freaky Michigan weather playing a trick on you. So even though we have all been enjoying the warm summer sun for a while now I think I still have time to wish everyone. . .

 "Our Lake"

Happy Summer!

"The World is Almost Filled With Dandelions!"

A favorite quote from my son last spring.

I hope everyone is enjoying their spring. We are buried, once again, in dandelions and loving it.

 We are also taking walks to visit the horses who live nearby,  playing in the mud, and truly loving the outdoors. Inspired by 5 Orange Potatoes Outdoor Challenge.

For more inspiration to get outdoors with kids:
The Magnifying Glass
Children Nature and You
Blue Yonder Ranch
The Boys Book of Survival
Last Child in the Woods
And don't forget your local parks and recreation sites.

If you have any that you'd like to add, let us know in the comments. We'd love to hear about them.

Happy Spring to you!

Today, He Wanted to be an Elephant!

When I turned from the computer while checking e-mails this morning, I saw this little guy busily cutting, drawing and gluing. It was serious business.

Little sis was happy to play along.

He's a little irritated that I took the photos before the glue for the strap was dry, forcing him to hold it up to his face instead of wearing it as he intended.

Yay for Babywearing!

If you haven't heard yet, you need to check out the great stories, pictures and giveaways, going on all week, to celebrate babywearing over at Clean! Here's a pic of my youngest in her Moby wrap on a hike that no stroller could have tackled.

I was slow to the babywearing crowd and didn't start until number two. I had lots of time for cuddling with number one, but when baby 2 showed up 18 months later, things got a little tougher. I started wearing her around the house so I could get things done and I was soon hooked. She slept better, cried less and we were able to bond in a way we never would have been able to if I didn't wear her. For my son I fashioned a home made sling with a large piece of fabric, he loved sleeping in there. And for my last baby I finally invested in a Moby wrap and loved it. It's comfy and soft and you can slip a sleepy baby out of it without waking them when you need to, plus it's the most affordable carrier that comfortably fit our big, strong daddy man. The most helpful time for me to wear my babies was at the grocery store. It's so much easier than carting around a big, heavy car seat and the babies slept the whole time so I could focus on getting the job done, not trying to find a discrete place to nurse. There was also a lot less toddler chasing because there was plenty of room for them to sit in the cart. If you spend time with a baby, plan to have a baby, or you just want to know what all this babywearing stuff is about you need to head over to Clean for the Babywearing Celebration.

Story Time Missed

Someone stayed up too late last night and woke up too early this morning.

When I looked up after cleaning the morning mess and doing some laundry, I saw the picture above, she was waiting for me to come read her a story. I wish I'd stopped working long enough for her to drift off to sleep with her story.