New Blooms, Rain, and More Oranges

Suddenly, it is spring here.  I didn't know if we would really have a true, bursting-from-the-ground sort of spring out here.  Granted, it's not nearly as dramatic as cherry blossom buds after a cold and barren winter, but it is here: the trees are pale green with new leaves, there are new flowers bursting from the ground, the fruit trees are starting to blossom.  Flower are all over, and it's still novel to me to be in a place with native blooms that I surprise me from my own dining room table (above, bouquets from the girls, below tulips from Ben!).

For the past week and a half it has been raining.  Our kids are little enough that they have sort of forgotten what to do in the rain since we've been living in a drought ridden state for the past 8 months or so.  We used to be really good at rainy days, but it's the sort of thing you have to practice, you know?  A morning of rain is one thing, but we had many back to back days of solid rain, and Clara and Dorothy were looking at us like, "You mean I can't just stroll outside in what I'm wearing?"  So we had to teach them about all of the things you can do on a rainy day, like lounge around the house and do puzzles and read and maybe get around to sloooowly making something for dinner.  It's good to have a rainy day like that every now and then.

I adore baby Josephine.  Of course I adore each of our babies, but being the sixth child in the family does sort of make Josephine the center of a lot of love.  There's Josephine, sleeping right through snuggles, kisses, pokes, and jiggles.  We have our steady refrains for children who are interacting with Josephine, sung on repeat and hesitantly heeded, "With an open hand" (to prevent poking), "on the top of her head" (to prevent kisses on the mouth, nose, eyes.  We've seen it all, folks), or "Give Josephine a bubble" (which is our last ditch attempt to convince to give her a little room).  Luckily, she seems to adore all the attention, eagerly following her siblings with her eyes and increasingly smiling at even the sound of their voices.

Oh, and we're still picking oranges.  I remember when we first moved here, I looked in horror at oranges that had fallen from orange trees and were left uneaten (just right there, on the sidewalk, or in someone's yard, or their lawn waste).  But now I get it.  The past month we have gone from cherishing the incredibleness of having fresh citrus in our backyard to the grim reality of moldy oranges on the lawn.  We're harvesting those oranges every day and we are only about half way through.  As of this evening, we have newly harvested oranges ready to give out to any friend/potential friend/neighbor/teacher/passer-by ready to receive them.

I'm joining in with Like Mother, Like Daughter today!

Pansies, Trees, Monsters

*Pretty*

I'm so glad I put some pansies in the window boxes on a whim a few weeks ago!  Usually by now, pansies would be leggy and wilting due to warm weather, but thanks to our cool spring, they're still just fine!  Another couple of weeks until it's time for petunias, I would say.

*Happy*

The best homeschooling days seem to be the ones that are born of spur of the moment ideas.  This morning, a fallen branch in the front yard led to a lesson on trees, roots, photosynthesis, and different types of leaves.  Nature study has been such a fun way to get all of the kids involved in homeschooling, and it never feels like a chore! I was glad to have that sweet potato growing on our kitchen table, as it served as a great illustration on roots.  And there's my trusty leaf gatherer working hard in the yard.  There is actually some green stuff growing on the ground, which in itself is a small miracle (weeds, grass, who cares.  You can't be picky in these parts).

*Funny*

An artist and her work.  This one is entitled "Monster."  Lily is actually amazing at all things monster and robot related, whether on paper, or in Legos.  I actually just love this monster.  Such personality!

*Real*

Hugo continues to adore the twins (above, with Dorothy), and we continue to heavily censor his interactions with them, because this love is too strong!  A typical interaction might look like this.

Hugo:  There's a baby.  This baby is really happy.

Hugo bends down and starts kissing the baby.

Hugo:  I kissing baby's face.  Hugo smiles.  

Dorothy:  cries

Hugo:  This baby is really sad.  Hugo exits stage left.

Oh well, the love is there.  One of these days he'll figure the rest out.

Joining in with Like Mother, Like Daughter this week!

Babies, Bowling, Boo boos

*Pretty*

I thought I had nothing pretty to show you guys this week, and then this happened.  Oh my goodness.  These two are the sweetest little things I could imagine (not that I'm biased or anything).  Blond haired, blue eyed identical twin girls.  And I thought I never won anything.

*Happy*

We took Lily bowling with some friends this weekend for her special fifth birthday treat.  She had a perfectly clear vision of what being five entails, and it definitely involved bowling.  Of course bowling with little kids is really fun.  It was pretty awesome to watch everyone figure things out (I do believe Hugo managed to bowl in our lane one time, but definitely most of the time in other unused lanes).  And I maintain my assertion that there is an entirely different technique to bowling with bumpers!  I swear, it's all about the zig zag, people.

*Funny*

My kids have a very cool aunt, who always seems to come up with just the perfect gift for every occasion.  For Lily's birthday, she sent her some "real make up!"  as the girls seem to tell everyone, including eye shadow and lip gloss.  So, as you can see, they wasted no time in becoming absolutely beautiful.  I wish I had a picture of Hugo, who was also covered in a rainbow of colors (oh, son of mine with four sisters, I am so sorry for what we will put you through!).  And just to show that Hugo doesn't mind, there he is playing dinosaurs with Ben. 

*Real*

Can anyone guess who that is with scrapes all over her knees to welcome the spring season?

ding ding ding!  You guessed right if you said Lily!  She looks like Ben's side of the family, but is as tough as the women in mine.  She will wipe out hard enough to make adults gasp and even scream (not me, I have learned to keep it cool), and then brush off her shoulders and resume play as if nothing happened.  Tough as nails, that one.  Oh, and the rain boots.  It is muddy out there!  

And would any of you consider helping out the Gama family?  The kids and I were lucky enough to meet Katrina and the boys when I was pregnant with the twins and she was pregnant with Shaela.  It sounds like they've had quite a trying few months.  My prayers are with their baby girl!

Linking up with LMLD this week!

Easter Feasting

*Pretty*

There are few things as pretty as a clean home ready for guests!  I have been trying to only make three things for any given event, but this Easter I cheated and made four.  Challah bread, deviled eggs, leg of lamb, and a ham.  Ben actually did the crux of the work on the deviled eggs, so I guess that makes three afterall.  Who doesn't love deviled eggs?

And of course our guests brought enough delicious side dishes to create a veritable feast!

*Happy*

A true southern lady once taught me the best way to entertain.  Get all of your food started ahead of time, and then right before the guests arrive, set the table with a glass of wine in hand.  The menu doesn't always cooperate, but it definitely makes for some relaxed entertaining when it does!  Only these days, I need a professional baby holder in order to accomplish anything, and I managed to find the most handsome one around, complete with bow tie and straw hat.

*Funny*

Our welcoming committee.  No, no, actually, he was writhing in pain over having eaten too much candy, remember?  I was pretty much just holding him and his belly full of candy in my arms.  I am happy to report that he is now feeling entirely better and doesn't understand why I won't let him binge eat the rest of his Easter candy.

::Real::

A few days before Easter, we decided to go ahead and invite a few friends who might be still looking for a place to go.  Thinking our house was not very high on the list of cool places to go on Easter, we figured only one or two people would probably accept, but each and every one of them came!  Over twenty people, spanning three generations, fit around a table in our tiny little house.  I must admit, for a moment I was a little nervous we wouldn't have enough food, but there was plenty: leftovers, even.

Joining Like Mother, Like Daughter, for Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real! 

Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real

*Pretty*

The view outside, and inside my window.  We have a beautiful coating of snow along with sub-zero temperatures.  Perfect weather for admiring the snow from a warm house (with power!  We are so thankful!).  

And inside, Zosia has been doing some copywork along with handwriting practice every morning, and her handwriting has improved so much over the past few months (by the way, the coffee is mine, not hers.  I believe it was my first of three cups that morning?  Yikes!  Does it help that I take mind with a lot of milk?)!  Anyway, it's amazing how handwriting practice has increased her confidence in writing things down.  This week's copywork has centered on the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., whose life and work we've been studying.

I still remember when I was in grad school, the dean of the school (who was teaching my seminar) burst into tears while reading the Mountaintop speech aloud to us.  It made quite the impression on me: a grown, respectable man weeping in front of a room full of students.  I found myself in his shoes this week when I was trying to explain the significance of Martin Luther King Jr. to Zosia.  I couldn't hold back tears as I told her about segregation, and the fight for human dignity that took so many years to triumph.  And yet of course as we look around the world so many injustices remain.  Poverty, discrimination,  a disregard for the sanctity for human life.  It is so meaningful for me to talk to Zosia about these things because she, more than any of our other children, seems to have a passion for justice and equality.  It feels like such a gift to be able to help steer the mind and heart of a child.

*Happy*

We always seem to wake up with one or two of these babies in our bed.  Face covered in breast milk, grunting and squiggling in that newborn way.  I absolutely love it.  This one is Clara.  I'm afraid that Ben and I have already started mixing them up from time to time (but we can always tell them apart with a good, close look).  We tried tying some yarn around Clara's ankle to help with differentiation, but it fell off.  I'm afraid that when things get crazy, we have defaulted to calling them "this one" or "that one."   Not the end of the world for a three week old, but this simply must stop! :-) Any tips on keeping them strait?

*Funny*

Not too many months ago, Hugo had long beautiful locks.  I gave him his first "real" haircut, which he didn't like.  At all.  He received many compliments on his newly coiffed hair, and would always respond, "No like it!"  A few days later, we were playing the body part identification game in the bath.  When I got to eyebrows, Hugo responded, "Eyebrows all gone.  Mommy cut my eyebrows."  He frowned.  Apparently, as I was cutting his bangs, he was quite certain that I was cutting off his eyebrows.  Poor little guy!  No wonder he didn't like it.

So of course we did what any loving parents would do and just waited as long as possible to give him another haircut.  Yesterday after dinner he seemed particularly chill, so I invited him to the kitchen and very stealthily trimmed his bangs.  And?  He didn't care!  Ben came in and helped me distract him while I cut his hair as short as possible, realizing the likelihood that he might not want another haircut for a long time.  I cut it like I usually cut Ben's (about one finger-length).  It's a bit patchy in parts, but I figure in a week or two it will be just fine.

*Real*

Whew, having two newborns sure does help increase the quantity of laundry in a house!  I'm realizing that it's not the baby clothes themselves, which are so tiny.  It's all of the items of adult clothing that get spit up on, the sheets, burp cloths, and then the clothing of the bigger kids, who are now getting into all sorts of messy fun (seriously.  Mud?  Peanut butter? Paint? I have no idea what is on my children's clothing).  I've settled on two or three loads of laundry per day.  The good news is that it's getting done and everyone is wearing clothing.  That's the goal, right?  It's almost easier to fit a chore in when you know that you must do it every single day.  So two loads it is for now, and then when we transition to cloth diapers (the babies are just big enough!  I just need to get around to setting up a system), we'll throw another one in there and not even notice it!  See how I'm playing mind games with myself?

Linking up with Like Mother, Like Daughter today!  Because sometimes the best I can do is upload a few pictures with captions in a given week.  :-)  I hope you'll bear with me!