memorial weekend

The start of our weekend was shadowed by dark clouds that seemed to follow us wherever we went.


The first stop being here. This store is so fun for some reason...even though we rarely buy anything. This time was no exception. The kids started picking up things on every aisle. At one point, Joaquin was lugging around a backpack, trekking poles, a water bottle belt and a sleeping bag.


Diego was chillin' in some sunglasses and checking out the kids books after running around the store, knocking things over and getting lost under every clothing rack. He's like a mini tornado. You can see where he's been, but rarely catch a glimpse of him.


I believe tears were shed and bargains were trying to be made as we walked away empty handed.

This weekend was our preview of next weekend. We're planning a camping trip on the coast and had never even slept in a tent with the kids before. So we set up in the yard. This is a HUGE tent. I think it sleeps six. The kids found every blanket in the house and lugged them out to make a cushiony base.


Playing with the zippers was the first order of business. If there's no chance of rain, we can sleep with the blue tarp off and it's a full view of the starry night sky. How exciting!


We ALL slept out there the first night. Me, not so well... everyone else was fine. The ground was real hard. (Yes, I know...it's camping.) A couple of noisy bugs were dive bombing the tent in the middle of the night. And cars kept driving by!

The second night, Diego and I slept in the house, and everyone else camped out again. That night, Kitty got in a cat fight and was trying to get into the tent, but ended up running off somewhere. The kids said she was protecting them from some wild animal. (She's fine, by the way.)

We hit the pool Monday afternoon...the crowds were leaving and it was still packed.


I love Diego's reaction to the water. Super cautious...which actually makes my job as life guard so much easier. We sat on the side playing catch with his ball. He watched the waves lick at his toes. We learned that the small ball will rise up and down with the fountains on the edge of the pool, but the big ball was too heavy.


And we learned that ice pops have to be eaten real fast.


Every last drop.

welcome....

...to our garden.


This is where the wild things grow. Our tomato plants have definitely gotten out of hand and are threatening to take over the entire plot.


But when you see these precious babies growing, it's hard to imagine pulling one or two out. I'm hoping they'll all just get along and make space for everyone. Although, I know this is not how gardening works in the real world.


Here are some cucumber blossoms hiding beneath the leaves. This morning we just read an interesting book called In the Garden with Dr. Carver. I'm so impressed at how one individual can make such a difference in the world. I came across this teachering guide that goes along with the book if anyone's interested.


And these are cantaloupes...we just threw the seeds out in a row. (Obviously, I didn't really think they'd grow.)


And our pepper plant is slowly coming along. He's in a pot, safe from all the fighting for sun that the other plants are doing.


I didn't get a picture of our three strawberry plants...their season is about up, but we probably got about forty or fifty strawberries from them....they never actually made it to the house...they were just eaten up by whoever was watering the garden.

fine art

These pictures were taken several weeks ago at the Virginia Museum of Fine Art with Juan Pablo's iPhone.


Any idea what happened next?

encantados

Encantados.
Botos.
Bufeos colorados.

These are the names for the pink dolphins of the Amazon.

Who knew there were pink dolphins in the world? And how different they were from ocean dolphins?

Isabela and I learned so much about them from this amazing book. It's not your typical boring non-fiction book with facts and figures. It's written as an adventure story with you in the Amazon jungle. You definitely want to check this one out from the library.



I loved how her shoebox habitat turned out. Lots of details from the jungle to the river.



She wanted to make a stuffed animal dolphin so we found this pattern, and she sewed one using the blanket stitch. Very doable for a second grader, although I did help cut them out and tie the knots.


After learning about these, we're all ready for a trip to the Amazon.

thirty-three

I love Bolivian traditions!! (I was just trying to make it feel more like home for Juan Pablo.)


Of course, the kids wanted in on it, too.


The good thing is there really wasn't much left to eat.


I made these cool streamers real quick with the sewing machine with directions from MADE. These were the only colors I had on hand, so GREAT! they can double for July Fourth.


The rest of the day, except for our delicious steak dinner, was pretty much shot because of my bad mood. I felt much better after we ate cake though.

i heart faces-flowers

No faces.
Just flowers.
This one is from Coroico, Bolivia. I've never seen one more beautiful.


Check out others at i heart faces.

a new world

Our produce box this week looks delicious...along with some amazing new recipes to try.


Peek into this brown paper bag at those mushrooms. You mean they don't grow in a blue styrofoam box covered in plastic? So cool.


Dinners are definitely less hectic since we joined The Farm Table. Most of the ingredients for the recipes they provide are common and I already have them on hand...except for the vegetables that arrive in the box, some of which I've never bought in my life.

How about these turnips?


I don't think I've ever eaten one before. And yesterday, I ate mustard greens for the first time in my life. And who knew sweet potatoes could be roasted....not covered in brown sugar....and be just as sweet and delicious.

It's like discovering a whole new world.

raw, baby!

This is the boy who refuses all things green.


And he's eating that broccoli, not just holding it. I think he even got it in his nose.


He likes it raw. Just like his momma. But for some reason, since the other kids like it cooked, I don't think I've ever let him try it raw.

He'd been asking me for ice pops and I offered him some broccoli I'd been chopping. He turned up his nose and walked away, but immediately came back and took one off the cutting board. He smelled it. Investigated it. Then took a bite. Really I couldn't believe my eyes, so I grabbed the camera to show Juan Pablo as proof.

He ate a whole bowl of it. (And yes, that's a cherry Kool-Aid stain around his mouth.)

the truth about mother's day

The truth is...I am a little scared of this day.

The elusive, magical day, in which I feel like a wonderful mother and am remembered for the trivial work I do around the house cooking and cleaning, a day that is filled with such high expectations.

Not to mention the fact that I lost my own mother eleven years ago. Or the fact that in Bolivia, mother's day is on a different day, so when May hits, I tend to remind Juan Pablo that mother's day is just around the corner.

Mother's Day for me rarely happens on the holiday of its name.

The real day happens here:

cheerful, belly-laugh giggles, while tickling tiny feet on our bed before night-night

a helpful hand folding clothes, when I never even asked

a child who exclaims, "This is the best meal I ever had!" after I've been chopping, stirring, and cooking for 45 minutes

holding hands crossing the parking lot....with my two older kids

"The house looks great!" when Juan Pablo comes home late from work

Small gestures and simple words.

What any mother wants, I imagine. And the act of trying to fit all that into one day is silly.

So, while we celebrated the special day with a trip to the strawberry patch, and a trip to the pool, I am mindful of it everyday, because if I'm not, I'll surely be disappointed.

keeping quiet

Holding my tongue.

Lately, that's been the life lesson I've been failing at. The kids are making decisions, and I'm learning to let them.

I never liked to be in charge, but somehow, as a mom, I've gotten used to deciding when, where, what, and how. And letting that go is hard.

Like when Isabela had her choice to go anywhere for her birthday, she chose Chuck E. Cheese. My mouth dropped open when she said it, but I slowly closed it, trying not to say a word.


It was in that moment that I realized her choices are not going to be the same as mine.

So we played video games.

And eyes glazed over.

And long-sought-after prizes were won!


And although it's a little painful to see her branch off from me, it's also exciting. If I keep quiet, I learn more about her. Who she is inside. Her likes. Her dreams.


So I shush. And I observe. And I admire the precious girl God has placed in my care. From the top of her head, to the tips of her colorful toes.