Tom recently had to replace one of the poles for our clothesline, and after the project we had a wheelbarrow full of dirt and gravel in our back yard. And. Well, my kids would sleep out here if I’d let them. David asked me if he could put water in the mud. This kid just
SPRING IS HERE! Let’s all pop a Claritin and go roll around in a bunch of pollen because it’s not going to snow again FOR AT LEAST SIX MONTHS! The transition seasons are wonderful — capricious, but wonderful. And while the chill of fall if foreboding, the warmth of spring is exciting. The only thing
Tom and I have always predicted that our kids will either love running or hate it. That’s what happens when you spectate your first marathon as a three-month old. When it comes to your parents’ passions, there is no half way. We expect they’ll have similar opinions about Virginia Tech football, Java Chip Frappuccinos and Microsoft
I got an email the other day from Babycenter.com that said kids should play outside everyday to burn off some energy, and because, “Being outdoors also provides sensory stimulation (the sun, the birds, the dirt) that can’t be replicated indoors.” Great idea, Babycenter.com, but where are you when it’s time to clean up this mess?
Two years ago, Tom and I planted a vertical gutter garden on the side of our shed, and we love it. You can read about more about how we did it here, and see them growing here. Last year we didn’t plan them because last spring I was really pregnant, and at that stage in my
I bought these potted hyacinths last year when I was aching for spring. After the flowers faded, I plopped them in the ground and hoped for the best. Now here they are. They’re a bit battered and bruised after the winter, but who isn’t? I planted a bunch of tulips, too. They’re bravely unfurling in
Tom told me that this week was the coldest on record in March. We are so lucky to be alive during this historical moment. Winter is, I hope, having its last gasp; snow, ice, frigid temperatures. I did posts in honor of summer and fall, and though winter is not my favorite, I’m also a
A few weeks ago Tom was traveling, so the kids and I went down to Franklin County to spend the weekend with my parents. There was a snowstorm a few days before our trip, and when we arrived there was still a bit on the ground, so my dad took David sledding. I’m not a
By now, these snow pictures are two snows old. This is before the southern snowstorm that’s currently outside, before the three-inch snow-pacolypse that knocked out our power, left us without internet and cancelled schools for a week, and after the “2014 Cold Wave” better known as the Polar Vortex. This was our first snow, a typical
October 31 is sort of the deadline for carving pumpkins, right? So this morning, as soon as Mary Virginia went down for her nap, I took David outside to carve our pumpkin. I was hoping for a really fun, sensory experience, but I’ve done this nonsense long enough to know it probably wouldn’t go how