July 4th, National Mall

Our Garden Groweth

The garden is coming along nicely...I have bean plants climbing a trellis, tomatoes that need only plump up and ripen a bit, zucchini plants blooming, and hungry baby birds who are safe from the cats' clutches, as they have been confined indoors while the nest boxes are being leased.  I couldn't focus the picture well from the angle I was standing, but I believe there are four tiny wren babies in the nest.  Mama didn't seem horrified that I was looking in on her babies.  She watched from a nearby tree, then quickly went in to check that everything was okay. 

We're Going to Disney World!

Indeed, it's true.  On Molly's 5th birthday Daddy made the big announcement.  No better time to go visit the other princesses than when you are in the prime of your career as a princess, you know.  Here are some photos of Molly's big day.

It was an all-Molly day starting with presents from Matty and me as soon as she woke up. Her godmother then came at 10:00 and whisked her off to Build-a-Bear Workshop to, well, build a bear, but she built a horse. With wings. And a party hat. And a regular outfit and a dress-up outfit. And mary-janes. And blonde hair that you can comb and style. Amazing. Then Miss Kim bought her candy, which she consumed in its entirety. Then Miss Kim took her out to lunch and she chose a big girl lunch of sesame chicken and rice--definitely not McDonald's. (That's my girl!) Then when she came home we had a lovely dress-up tea party with four of her bfsf (I know you're wondering what that stands for, but grammatically it's correct!) Then, after we took the pooping cat to the vet, we went out to Panera for broccoli cheddar soup in a bread bowl, which is what she requested. Then home for cake and ice cream with the family and Daddy's big announcement. Wow.  I was exhausted at the end of the day.  Amazingly, she did not turn into the Birthday Monster that so many overly-sugared kids do on their big day.  She was perfectly composed from start to finish...just like a princess should be.

It's not Snowing Anymore

I can't believe that "snowpocalypse" was my last entry on this blog!  If you would like to know what I've been up to, more is posted at The Accidental Homeschooler, where I've been focusing more of my attention.  I haven't been taking quite as many photos, either...had my nose in the books and my fingers in the dirt.  Nevertheless, this last April weekend was utterly gorgeous, and we had the unique privilege of both kids going away to visit friends, and so Mom and Dad got some diggin' and spring cleanin' and dinin' out done.  It was a blast, and I got to remember that I really like my husband, even when the kids aren't around.  Here's us sending them off with Aimee.  They were so excited and when they got to her house had such a good time visiting with her family that they called and asked to stay another day!  Even so, they both reported that it was good to be home when they snuggled down into their own comfy bed last night!

Here are some of the lovely signs of spring that are all around our house right now:

Mr. and Mrs. Bluebird have scouted out the neighborhood real estate and established that we provide the coziest nest boxes around.  I couldn't be more delighted!

Our square foot garden beds are taking shape.  We have planted a 4x4 ft. strawberry patch, and in the far bed there is parsley, lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, onions garlic and scallions planted.  In the bare dirt that you see, we will plant tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and (if there's room, which there may not be) squash.  We have plans to build another couple of beds in the next few weeks so, I may get my squash after all!

Glen has done his duty by building the beds, maintaining the compost, building and planting a potato bin.  Winnie does her part by walking the fence and guarding the perimeter, even if sometimes it's a little awkward getting over those finials!

What is Affectionately Being Called "Snowpocalypse..."

This amount of snow is just crazy.  I'll let the photos and videos speak for themselves.  I will say that the kids were very pleased to come inside to fresh warm cookies and hot chocolate after playing outside for quite a long time.

Two Cats Gets a New Look

Okay, I've been piddling around nearly all day with my blogs and their looks and their content.  I've received some inspiration and encouragement from some friendly voices on a forum I visit (too often!).  I've taken out the overly-busy and too-cute background, settled for neat and clean colors that I love, and Two Cats is ready for 2010.  I also played around with my camera and came up with this

Now if only I could be so productive in the rest of my life.

And the Truth Is...

Christmas Season is not yet ended.  I realize that.  We have not celebrated the New Year or Epiphany yet.  I know.  But I'm ready to get back to the routine of regular life, school and piano lessons, play dates and field trips.  At Christmastime I love the break from the routine, but it's so strange how after a while, the break is no longer constructive.

The Most Christmasy Christmas!

Our Little Blizzard

It's Looking Like Christmas!

Cows, Not Cats

I called our friends to invite them to play yesterday afternoon, and on a whim she invited us to join them on an outing to a local dairy farm.  Some other families were going to investigate the possibility of buying a cow share so as to get raw milk.  I was interested, it sounded fun, so off we went.  It was muddy, but very nice for the children to see all the animals, and we were delighted with the new calves.  Here are a couple of the fun moments on the farm...Oh yes, and I am seriously considering a share to have the raw milk.  It's wonderful stuff.

Why is it always About the Cats?

Albert has not yet come home.  We don't dismiss the possibility of his return, by any means, but it seems some newcomers to the family have worked their way on the scene.  If Albert-ol-boy does come home, well...we'll have a lot of cats.

We had to check for him at the local shelter, of course.  When we did, the kids and I roamed around and looked at all the pets that were there for adoption.  Certainly we weren't looking for ourselves--just admiring all the cute, cuddly, wonderful, adoptable, heart-melting creatures that were begging every passing soul to rescue them.  Matty and I found ourselves lingering in front of one cage in particular.  Four eyes, eight legs, loud purrs, sweet snuggles...oh brothers!

These guys snatched about ten minutes of our sanity and here we are...Jack and Oliver are now part of the Mine family, and I'll say it again... "NO MORE CATS!"

...Until the next time one really, really sweet cat tells me she's been waiting just for me and really needs a home...ugh.  My allergies really can't take it.

That Darn Cat

Albert, our little roving hunter, is missing.  He disappeared Sunday night when he scooted out the door past my legs, and we have not heard from him or seen him since.  We are all missing him so much, and have not lost hope that the little vagabond might return, but so far...nothing. 

Fancy Nancy Girls and Regular Guys

Aimee and Molly went to a Fancy Nancy debut at Border's, complete with a fashion show for the girls in dress-up clothes. Molly had a completely wonderful time. Matty and his dad went to a gun shop and then out to eat lunch like only men can do. Matty ate almost as much as Dad. He had a wonderful time as well. I was informed that it was especially fun to go out to eat with Dad, because "you don't let me do stuff like that." I said, "like what--eat too much?" and he laughed and said, "well...yeah." good thing he's got a dad.

We Met Jan Brett!

The kids and I had an opportunity to meet Jan Brett. We have been very inspired by her the last couple of years. She is the author and illustrator of many books for children, and they are some of our favorites. Comet's Nine Lives, Trouble With Trolls, Gingerbread Baby, among her others, are books that demand all the attention of the child and the reader, because of the detail of the pictures that go along with the stories. She is a delightful woman and very sincere, and she seems to take genuine interest in her audience. Her whole countenance changed when Matty presented her with a picture that he drew for her and wanted to give to her. She encouraged him to keep his artwork and instead signed it for him!

Matty was thrilled to have his picture taken with the hedgehog who was stationed at the door to greet the people. Molly was scared of it until we told her it was just a person in a costume. Then she was able to get close to it.

We waited for three hours to get our book signed. The kids made use of the time and practiced drawing their best Jan Brett pictures while they waited. I was really impressed with Molly's ability to copy and make it actually look how she meant for it to look. I'm sensing some natural ability here, perhaps? (Mom crossing fingers, praying for a "yes!")

While they waited to meet Jan, both the kids stretched out on the floor and drew pictures of Jan's favorite animals--hedgehogs. Below, Jan is admiring Matty's artwork that he presented to her.

Keeping the Tooth Fairy Busy

Last night Matty lost his second of the two front teeth! I have to note, however, that his tooth fairy is notoriously unreliable and has been known to pay interest for no-shows. However, last night she did show, and he awoke clutching three dollars in his fist this morning. Her unreliable ways were getting expensive...perhaps she's learned her lesson.

A Day In DC