Seedlings Emerge!

I was amazed to go out to our veggie patch this morning and see that the radishes, carrots and lettuces have already sprouted! We had two nice warm days and then some cool rain today in the morning; just what they needed apparently.

Sabbath

Today we played hookie from church and caught up on the house and yard and each other. Todd got to work on his train, I did some more garden planning and wrote out our grocery list. The kids played out on the back deck while I folded laundry and cleaned up the kitchen. We went for a lovely walk this evening at Lake Wilderness and the trail that goes up to the Episcopal church's labyrinth park. (It is part of the Cedar River Trail). It was just a really great day to take a breath, take stock of the past week and gear up for the next couple weeks which will be hectic and busy. We have two retreats at Samish Island coming up: Fine Arts Retreat is next week and then the following weekend is actually the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Samish Island Campgrounds. I am really looking forward to both of these events but also dreading the prep! I'm doing children's crafts at the Fine Arts Retreat and also co-leading the Sunday morning celebration service. Then the next weekend, I'm doing a few things for the 50th celebration. I'll be really ready for a break on Mother's Day weekend!

Cousin Kaleb's First Birthday Party!

The birthday boy!

Kaleb liked watching the kids in the bouncer but he wasn't so sure about it when he actually got in there. Too squishy under the feet!

Makayla and Evelyn having fun on the bouncer.

"I like to move it, move it!"

Folks enjoying food, sunshine and each other.

Evelyn leans out to smile at Lauren and Jade's new puppy, Tucker. He is an adorable Chihuahua mix. So sweet with all the kids and totally worn out at the end of the party!

The mad dash for candy after the pinata broke open!

Jade, the keeper of the pinata!

Our friend, Jake, takes a swing!

Waiting (sort of patiently!) for their turn to hit the pinata.

Evelyn discovers four wheel drive! She had so much fun with this push button automated ride on. It was just her size! Too bad she never learned to steer!

Kaleb's big sister, Makayla, with Finley and their friend, MacKenzie, in the pink pants. It was really hard to get all of them in the shot when they are jumping!

On Saturday, after our gardening bit, we headed over to a birthday party for my niece, Lauren's, son's first birthday party! I can't believe he's one already! It was really fun, the weather was perfect and the food was excellent. Lauren's mother-in-law is from the Phillipines, and boy howdy, can she cook! I don't even know what each dish was called but it was all so yummy. They also had a roasted pig! Lauren had all sorts of fun activities for the little kids set up; a bouncer, sandbox and sandtoys, a big tent with a place for the babies to get out of the sun and play with toys in a clean setting and a pinata! It was a construction theme, all very cute! Lauren also made fun t-shirts for all the grandparents with a picture of Kaleb on the front.

Raised Beds and Raising Kids!

Filling our first raised bed on Saturday. This is our first attempt to really grow food. We've had strawberries and tomatoes in containers and had fun with them. This time we are going for carrots, corn, cabbage, peas, chives, basil, cilantro, mixed meslcun lettuces, bush beans, scarlet runner beans and pumpkins! In fact, we have decided to not only plant in these two raised beds, but also are going to take out a good section of lawn next to them and add more garden space. We may be too ambitious but it has been so fun so far. I've been reading as much as I can and asking people for vegetable growing advice based on their experiences with gardening in this area. It is amazing to tap into the passion and knowledge that surrounds vegetable gardening. People become very ingenious at raising temperatures around their gardens when they are told something won't grow in our climate. It is like a personal challenge to prove the gardening zoning books wrong. Some people even have hardy figs and banana trees in their gardens!

Evelyn playing in the backyard.

Finley jumping into the raised bed before we filled them up with dirt.

We put pea gravel on the bottom and then a layer of landscaping cloth to keep weeds down and improve drainage. Then we filled them up with the four way mix of topsoil from Palmer Coking Coal Company out in Black Diamond. They used to be a mining company and now they provide all sorts of landscaping materials and soils and gravels. I learned that they have the exclusive contract with Safeco Field for their ball field materials needs! In anycase, its good rich dirt with lots of compost mixed in. We also added veggie food, too. I can see that I will also need to put straw or some kind of mulching on top to keep the soil from compacting from the rain, too.

Todd testing out the beds! Little did he know just how much he'd need a bed after he got finished loading all that dirt in, one wheelbarrowful at a time! Nothing like hard, physical labor to make you appreciate what our ancestors must have gone through just to grow enough food to survive. And, gulp, what many people in the world still have to go through with subsistence farming. They don't have any one to bring in loads of good topsoil!

Finley's Special Day Back in February

Finley and Teacher Cindy on his day to be the Very Important Person, February 27, 2009.

When it is your turn to be the V.I.P. we sing a special song and you get to fill the Teddy Bear's belly full of little bits of information about yourself. As in your favorite color, what your favorite food is, what games do you like to play, are you afraid of anything, etc.

Finley's friends sitting and listening as the teacher read Finley's information cards. Teacher Barbara in the back. (Kids are Hamant, Trace, Gavin, Emily, Kyra, Ayden, Logan, Sidney and Jaedon.)

I forgot to get these pics on here in February. In Finley's pre-school each child got to have a day when they were the "Very Important Person." They got to wear a crown, write down some things about themselves to share with the class, be the line leader and have a favorite story read by a parent in class. When it was Finley's turn the teacher asked Todd and I to bring in our instruments to play for the kids. It was really fun! We played a few tunes and then let the kids take turns "playing" the instruments. I was a little apprehensive about having my violin in this situation, but we had the kids line up and they were all so gentle and respectful of the instruments. We actually held the instruments while the kids strummed or held the bow. We had the upright string bass, my violin, Todd's banjo and my guitar. Finley has a great time being the Very Important Person! It was a great exercise for the kids to learn about empathy as they listened to what was shared about the special person and then the teacher asked them what they remembered. They always remember everything the special person shared, like what vegetables they don't like to eat, or that they like to ride their bike, or play games, etc. I was amazed at how they have been such good listeners all year. So many times it seems like they are not paying attention at all but then they surprise me!