saturday games

Here's a look at a typical Saturday:

I remember a time when I would check the sites for local events around Richmond and every weekend was a different adventure.

I miss that.

But now we're a team sport family.  Weekday practices, weekend games, it really takes over your life.  I need to find a way to reign it in.

But I won't harp on the negative.  Last weekend, we ALL got to go to Diego's game together, and that is unusual.  

While I heard they lost 18-4, we stopped counting long before that.

Get it out of there, Diego!

Usually, I'm really distracted during games because of a certain little sprite running all over the place.

But I was right behind the goal when Diego scored!  Go, Diego, Go!

The rest of the time I spent taking pictures of Carmen....it's so much easier than the blurry action shots of soccer.

She played pass the ball a little with Joaquin on the sidelines, but he doesn't pass it enough for her liking.

Who knew soccer balls were such great chairs?

And big sisters are great chairs, too!

I can't say I'm sad to see soccer season coming to an end.  Bring on the lazy days of summer!

front porch

Carmen spent yesterday eating cookies and watching me come in and out from the front porch, rinsing off the shirts from the tie-dying party.  I thought she was safest propped up on the counter munching away.

But speaking of front porches...I splurged the other day with Isabela and bought new cushions for our bench and swing.  That then made me buy some impatiens for the planters that have been empty all winter long.  Yes, these like shade.  I'm finally learning.

The swing is so much nicer with a little cushion on it.  But poor Carmen has caught her mother's fear of bugs...the other day, a bunch of gnats around her head sent her ducking, running, and crying to me as fast as she could go.  I don't know how she'll make it through summer!

Peek-A-Boo, Carmen!

What's that sign there, Carmen?  ELITE?

Joaquin came home from soccer tryouts last Friday...the Elite Team...his quote, "I suck, and if I don't make it, I'm never going to try out again."

That's the spirit, Joaquin.

Well, I guess he doesn't need to worry about never playing again.  He made it!

I love our front porch.  It sold the house for me.

It's great for messages, watching the world go by, receiving packages, drying clothes, riding trikes, and messy painting.

Do you love your front porch?  What do you like about it?

twelve

Twelve years ago I became a mom for the first time to the most wonderful baby.  She smiled at everyone.  She never cried.  And most importantly for a new mom, she slept like a baby.

She has grown into an AMAZING twelve year old.  She's on the verge of becoming a black belt in taekwondo, she plays a viola beautifully, she can cook anything from homemade wontons to creamy cheesecake, and she does every extra credit assignment in school, submits her work for contests, and often wins!

She celebrated these wonderful twelve years by shooting all her friends (and even her tag along brother) with lasers.

We threw together this party at the last minute...far from the glory days of my party planning.  One mom even told me she had asked her daughter, "Are you sure there is a real party?"  She had doubted Isabela's scribbled invitation written on the left side of a torn piece of paper.

But as it came together, it all made sense to us...lasers are colorful...and so is tie-dye!  (Oops, we forgot to mention that on the invitation.)

We headed home for an unusual lunch...homemade chicken noodle soup in bread bowls, root beer...

...and, of course, Isabela's famous cheesecake.  She even made the whipped cream herself as the girls looked on.  Blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and cantaloupe to top it off.

Can you believe there were exactly 12 candles in the box?  This is the same box we've been using for everyones birthday for the last couple of years!  Hurray for tall candles!

The tie-dye shirts turned out amazing.   It was a little scary having so many squirt bottles of stainable liquid laying around in the grass, but I ended up with just one spot of 'red blood' on my jeans.

I spent yesterday rinsing and rinsing the color out, and now my hands are only a slight shade of blue.  Today, Isabela took the shirts to school to deliver to her friends with this warning:  

Possible Tie-Dyed Skin After Wearing.  AND Hand Wash Only.

(We know from experience.)

Inspiring

Silly    

Able

Beautiful

Easygoing

Loving

Adorable

Happy Birthday, Isabela!  We love you!

happy Earth Day!

We loved our Earth today!

Carmen and I spent part of the afternoon at the second grade gardens planting a pollinator garden with one of the classes.  Check out our new cedar boxes!  Aren't they beautiful?

The bed has tons of plants that we are hoping will attract butterflies, hummingbirds, and yes, even bees.  Some of the things we've included are yarrow, coreopsis, lavender, milkweed, aster, bluestar, begonias, alyssum, oregano, bee balm, lantana, and lamb's ear.  I think I include lamb's ear in every garden, just because it's so cool.  The kids always think so, too.

Here it is after they planted it.  We added a little landing spot with rocks for the butterflies to warm up  on and there's a thermometer and rain gauge, too.  

I made that bamboo teepee for the sweet pea plant.  They are so easy to make.  I can't wait to see it covered in flowers.  Pollinator.org has lots of great information on creating these gardens.

Last weekend, we went to Crestwood Elementary's Nature and Plant Fair.  Diego saved some of his carrots to feed the bunnies.

Isabela caught a very unusual chicken.  We're still working up the nerve to get our own backyard chickens.  I think it will happen one day soon.

I thought this goat was so cute kneeling down to chomp on the grass.

They always set up lots of interactive stations for the kids to learn more about nature.  Good bugs vs. Bad bugs is always good to know.

I bought this sweet pea that was planted at our own school garden....check out the bee on Isabela's finger.  It's a yellow jacket and would NOT leave us alone.  I was freaking out a little, the kids were fine.  I was very thankful for the VCU Bug Lab that captured him and put him in a bottle to display.

Diego is still fascinated with insects.  He pet a horned caterpillar...these were being eaten from the inside out by some parasitic wasp.  Pretty gross.

And does anyone remember Isabela's pygmy goat love?

FLASHBACK to 2011!

And sweet Diego!  I miss that baby!

How did you celebrate Earth Day?

happy spring and belated birthdays

Happy Spring!  And happy birthday to Diego!

Diego was looking forward to this paper birthday balloon from his teacher the entire month of March!


Instead of a party, we took him to his most favorite place of all time...skyzone.  Bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce, miss!



Diego makes this look WAY more fun than it actually is.  I tried a flying belly flop into the foam pit (no picture necessary) and nearly cracked myself in half...backwards.  Plus those blocks suck big people under and make it very embarrassing to try and crawl your way out.  Just warning you.

And just a few days later, it was Carmen's birthday!

I convinced JP to build this frame house for her.  I may like it more than her, but it just needs a few more touches, like this mud kitchen, to make it feel like home.

I also thought it would be cool to build a new sandbox, but my wise husband convinced me to just use the plastic one the neighbors had given us.  

It already had a cover and was just the right size.  Carmie likes it....

...but so does everyone else!  Have you ever seen a bunch of giants crowded around a tiny sand box?

Last week, I took my two littles to the park.  

We tested out Diego's new fishing net, but those teeny tiny fish in the creek were too fast for us.

When I was little, I used to catch crayfish in the creek behind my house.  Now wouldn't that be magical today?!

Carmen gave her new red boots a try.  

I need to get some of those so I can stomp around in the water, too!

We had the little playground all to ourselves, so I let the kids play as long as they wanted.  Diego loves to swing and tried his hardest to make it go full circle all the way around the bar.

Carmen is fine with a gentle push.

She looks so grown up here....

...and just like my mom in this picture.

Carmen's favorite thing is the slide.  This one is only three feet tall.  It doesn't matter to her.  It's still just as fun.

“I think, at a child's birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift should be curiosity.”

~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Diego has been gifted with curiosity and it's wonderful.  It leads us down new paths and new experiences!  Happy Birthday, Diego!

"Why fit in when you were born to stand out?"  Dr. Seuss

Yep, this quote is perfect for Carmen.  You can hear her coming a mile away.  Happy Birthday, sweet girl!