Before and After: Landscape Edition

We've done a few landscaping projects this summer. Chris did all of the yucky hands-in-the-dirt type stuff and I tackled the picture taking, encouraging, child wrangling, and water fetching. It worked out well.

 I love before and after shots of houses and landscaping. For this reason, my TiVo and HGTV are well acquainted. While inspiring, before and after pictures make things seem too easy. Things that once you begin, you realize aren't really very easy. Or quick. Or inexpensive.

First project: planting flowers:

 

I've been wanting to plant hydrangeas for the longest time so for Mother's Day we bought three bushes and some flowers for our front flower beds:

Our dog never relaxes. We put him on medication. He's still a nervous wreck. I wish he could relax.

The best "helper" anyone could ask for, it's hard to find such enthusiastic help these days:

Look at our little pathetic flower beds. First lesson in flower planting: you need lots and lots of flowers (or lots and lots of patience) if you don't want your flower beds to look pathetic. It took Chris all day to plant these:  

These pictures are from today. This is where the patience part comes into play. Much bigger and better, huh? I think next year I will plant a mix of all white flowers instead of having different colors. 

Our hydrangeas aren't looking so well these days. My friend tells me I need to water them more. I'm wondering if they need more sun. Any suggestions? And to add insult to injury, everywhere I look this summer: huge, beautiful, white hydrangea bushes. 

Our other BIG project: trees!

We desperately needed some in our backyard for both shade and privacy. These are before pictures:

The little flower pulled up a chair to watch all of the action from our deck, what better entertainment for a toddler?

The truck went back and forth thirteen times.

Our poor grass (it recovered quickly)!

And the finished product:

Much better, although not as much of an impact as I had thought. This is what I was expecting (photo from lindsayfincher.com via google images):

Apparently that is the backyard at Buckingham Palace. Nice, right?

I wonder how long it will take for my trees to get that big? Twenty years? Will my trees even get that big? I can see the before and after photos now. Grow trees grow!

Lastly, remember these birds? Well, they all hatched and left the nest:

But not without a fair share of drama. As I mentioned we checked on the nest every day. One morning I went to check and they had all left the nest. As I was walking away something caught my eye. One of the birds was hanging by it's foot from a branch. It had somehow gotten a piece of string/twine of some sort wrapped around it's foot (I think it had been used by mama to make the nest) and when it went to fly away that piece of whatever got stuck on a branch. 

I couldn't just let the poor thing hang there until it died or it's leg came off, so I put on some gardening gloves and got to work bird rescuing. I was able to hold onto the bird long enough to free it from the string but it was obviously injured and eventually fled under a tree.

 I like to think it's little bird family nursed it back to health. That some day, possibly while watering my hydrangeas, I'll be visited by a little Robin with an odd but able gait. She'll sing me a song of gratitude and then fly away.  

I'm thinking I should rename my blog The Bird Whisperer.

Two Words

Why and Wow.

Why did I have to go and try Nutella for the first time the week before I have to wear a bathing suit in public?

Big mistake. Huge.

Have you ever had it? It's a chocolate/hazelnut spread. It's the peanut butter of Europe. I picked it up on a whim at the store thinking it might be a good snack for the little flower. There are 180 calories in two tablespoons. Good for her, bad for me.

I was so smitten I googled it. Among other things I learned that Nutella's Facebook page ranks third in number of fans, behind Barack Obama (holla!) and Coca-Cola.

But, as good as Nutella is...let me tell you, you Have. Not. Lived. until you've had homemade strawberry jam:

I used a Barefoot Contessa recipe using green apples instead of pectin and blueberries for color.

It's somewhat runny, but chunky and positively SUBLIME. I could never go back to store bought jelly/jam again. This pot, probably about four pints of strawberries, made four jars. 

I bought the jars, water bath, and utensil kit at Target. I was a little intimidated when it came to sterilizing everything but it really wasn't that difficult. You can easily find directions online, I used this and this for guidance. I'm hoping I can make another batch or two in the coming days. I would love to eventually get a pressure canner, but for now...baby steps.

What a treat it will be to pop a jar open this Winter and have a little taste of Summer. That is if these jars last that long.

Wow!

Weekend in Review

We had a very full, very fun weekend.

On Saturday, our neighborhood had a "parade". I was surprised by the turnout (pleasantly so). It was great to finally meet some neighbors. We met another family whose daughter goes to the same preschool as the little flower.

 There were three fire trucks- a big hit with all of the kids as you might imagine. Everyone followed behind and met up for popsicles at the end. We even went for a ride in a firetruck- all the kids were speechless:

That night we enjoyed sparklers, s'mores, and a backyard fire:

The next day we went to our CSA farm to pick strawberries. We were allowed to pick up to five pounds for free (as part of our share), we ended up picking seven. I will freeze as many as I can, but our freezer is small. I'm planning to make freezer jam and muffins. Then I'll only have five more pounds to worry about!

Superbaby decided she'd had enough after about three minutes of picking strawberries. She was hungry and the sun was beating down so we took shelter in the car most of the time:

I hope you had a lovely weekend!

Everyone Loves a Parade!

Particularly me, today.

 The little flower has been busy all week at preschool preparing for the school's Independence Day parade. The kids in her classroom each painted a t-shirt and made a shaker for the big event. We were running late this morning despite my getting up early. I forgot to run the dishwasher last night so this morning I had to wash lunch containers. Then we stopped for EVERY traffic light on the way to school. Then, because we arrived so late to school, the parking lot was full so we had to park further away than usual. The little flower was so good about not dilly-dallying this morning. When we got out of the car she happily ran alongside me saying "I'm excited!" I could hear the music playing outside and I felt horrible about being late. We made it just in time. The teacher was waiting at her classroom door with little flower's t-shirt in hand. 

You know that scene in Gone With the Wind, when Scarlett is digging in the dirt for potatoes (I think, it's been a long time) and she says something like "as God as my witness, I will never be hungry again"? That is how I felt today about being late. I will NEVER be late to a special school event again!

Anyway, little flower joined her classmates and I found a spot outside to watch the festivities. Here's my girl, holding her shaker: 

She wasn't sure what to think:

This is one of her teachers, Mollie. She is from Kentucky like my husband. We like that:

Right about here my eyes welled up with tears. I couldn't really see through the viewfinder but I kept shooting. I felt so incredibly lucky to be there and to have her (and the little one on my chest) and to live in America! It was seriously one of the cutest things I've ever seen:

She realized I was there, but didn't crack a smile. Still a little unsure I believe:

Everyone met up for popsicles after the parade. Another parent told me the school also has a Halloween parade. I really hope Chris can come to that one. He would love it and I need someone to man the video camera:

I can't wait to hear what she has to say about the day. I know I had fun:)

Happy Fourth of July!

CSA

We have been looking forward to joining a CSA for well over one year now. We missed out last Summer because of the timing of our move from California. Yesterday was our first pick-up day:

We opted for a half share so our pick-ups will be every other week. Our share consisted of:

red leaf lettuce- 1 

green leaf lettuce- 2

scallions- 1

pint of strawberries- 2

broccoli rabe- 1

spinach- 2

swiss chard- 1

cucumbers- 2

basil- 1

tomato plant- 1

 

I thought the long drive and visit to the farm would be a fun activity for me and the little flower. Unfortunately, lately she and I have had little time together, just the two of us. Turns out, trip to the farm? Not such a fun thing. It was HOT, bright, and not the idyllic farm setting I had pictured in my mind. Our visit consisted of pulling up to a nondescript shed, walking inside, and transferring all of our goodies into our bags for the ride home. I'm going to see if I can start picking up our shares at a closer location. We'll save the farm visits for you-pick days.

I had to snap at least one picture while we were there:

 

We came home and had a huge salad for dinner. I've had fun today looking for recipes in which to use all of these new-to-us foods. I made strawberry lemonade today. I would love to make some sort of strawberry muffins/scones but I hate to use my oven when it's so hot out. Looks like I'm going to have to learn how to make jam and quick.

In other news...as part of our long drawn out potty training process, I bought the little flower some cotton training pants. She wanted to wear them as soon as she saw the package:  

One of these days I'm going to put these on instead of diapers, have myself a stiff drink, and hope for the best!

Hello Summer!

It has been a very mild Spring in our neck of the woods. Just last week the little flower asked for a sweater while she was outside playing. I was beginning to wonder if we were ever going to play in our little frog pool in the yard, let alone have enough hot days to make a pool pass worth our while. Well, no need to worry I suppose. It was 88 degrees today, perfect for a trip to the splash park (or as the little flower would say 'plash park'):

 We've been expecting you Summer...please stay awhile...

Bird Action

We have baby birds!

We checked the nest just as the first egg was hatching last weekend:

It took a few days for all of the eggs to hatch:

They are the most pathetic looking things:

The chicks stay in the nest for two weeks so it should be fun to watch them grow. I put some books about birds and nests on hold at the library. Chris and I are learning right along with the little flower. I'm almost ashamed to admit that before reading up on them, I couldn't point out a Robin. Now I know all sorts of things about them and the little flower will, too. I'm not ready to buy a pair of binoculars just yet, but I now can understand why birdwatching could be interesting.

 You can't beat nature for learning opportunities! 

First Day of Preschool

The little flower started preschool today. We decided to start this Summer instead of waiting until the Fall. She'll be going three days a week from 8:30am-12:30pm. She is more than ready! I think she was disappointed that I was taking her to school instead of the school bus.

Here she is putting her lunch away, annoyed with me because I keep asking her to "smile for Mommy" (very bad pictures I know, an excited toddler and indoor lighting on a cloudy day don't make for great pictures):

She let go of my hand and ran off to play as soon as we entered her classroom. I knew she would. I had to ask her to come back and give me a kiss.

I used to think that her first day of school would be traumatic for me. I would sit and hold her as a baby and think of how I was going to sedate myself when the time came to leave her with someone else. My how things change. Don't get me wrong it is bittersweet, but I know she's happy. So I'm happy. I make no promises about Kindergarten... 

 

Go get some Kleenex and watch this.

This is pretty much how I feel when Chris comes home from work after a long day with the kiddos: 

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Okay, maybe not that happy, but close. 

Glad to know I'm not the only one.

I particularly feel this way about the little flower after she falls asleep at night. It is a nightly challenge to get her to go to sleep. She wants fresh juice. Then she wants to say good night to Superbaby. Then to Mommy. Then to Daddy. Then she wants to sleep in our bed. Then she wants her other baby (whichever one she doesn't have at the time, requiring us to search downstairs). Then she wants to read. Then rock. Then she wants me to sing. Then she wants to take her pajamas off. Then she wants to say good night to the ladybug that she saw on the porch earlier in the evening, but not from her bed, she wants to walk down to the porch and look for her. If we say "no" because we want to stop the madness she wails. Then, of course, she asks us for a kleenex.
Once I know it is safe to check in on her I quietly slip in to her room. I adjust her covers so she won't get too cold (since remember now she's only in a diaper). I put her juice cup on her nightstand and lower the lights. Then I watch her sleep peacefully and hope she had a happy day. I hope I didn't raise my voice too much or speak in anger. I wonder if she learned anything. I wonder if I gave her enough attention, hugs, and kisses. Just in case, I give her a soft peck on the forehead and whisper "Mommy loves you". And then...I run like the wind out of there before she wakes up...
 

Waiting

We discovered this nest last weekend while planting flowers in our front yard:

I walked a little too close to one of our Crab Apple trees and scared mama bird off. She nervously flew out of the tree and stood nearby in our driveway. It reminded me of this sign we recently saw at a botanical garden:

It says:

Don't be alarmed. Be aware. Nesting birds may swoop close to your head (they are protecting new babies).

The little flower and I stopped to read the sign and as I slid my finger under each word I read aloud:

Stay with your mommy and hold her hand. No running please (it will scare the birdies).

She looked at me as if to say 'you're silly Mama' and chuckled. She totally knew I was pulling her leg.

I read online that the eggs hatch after fourteen days. We quickly check the nest every day, trying not to stress mama or get dive-bombed by her. I'll keep you posted!

  

And I'm a Nurse!

Yesterday we met some friends downtown for a walk around the Capitol building. It was a gorgeous day. I've never appreciated nice weather as much as I do these days. I totally took the weather for granted the entire five years we lived in Los Angeles. I'm happier here so I'm sure that has something to do with it. That and the Winter we just endured.

The little flower insisted I take a picture of her and "orange baby" (we're working on calling her a more mainstream name like Lucy):

We stopped at some really neat shops that I wouldn't normally make a special trip to visit. Even though Madison is relatively small I get flustered at the thought of going downtown. It's the parking I think. We had lunch overlooking Lake Monona:






The little flower had so much fun with her buddies...right up until she tripped over her sandals while running and skinned her knees. I immediately felt guilty for choosing sandals instead of tennis shoes for her to wear. And for not having band-aids or Neosporin in my purse. 



We passed some Lilacs and just had to stop and admire. The little flower thinks smelling flowers, or anything for that matter, is the coolest thing:



We stopped on the way home to get some band-aids and a first aid kit for my purse (all good Moms have one you know).  I let her choose which kind she wanted and she chose Curious George. She couldn't wait to get home to "fix my knees". Here she is all fixed up, as you can tell by her face this was serious business: 



That t-shirt was a gift from friends along with a matching "Little Sister" t-shirt for Superbaby. She was so excited to wear it. Thanks Conrad, Vivian, and Logan!

Smiles for Mama

So you saw some almost smiles in yesterday's post.

Here are some real smiles from today:

And one of my favorite pictures of Superbaby, even though she's not technically smiling:



I just love the expression on her face. It's so her, two days shy of four months old (but really only about a month old).
I hope you are smiling today:)

Smiley McSmilerson

Big news...Superbaby is starting to smile! 

So, so much better than a who the heck are you and where did you come from gaze (although that's pretty darn cute, too). I'm so glad I had my camera nearby for these shots. The little flower loves to play with Superbaby when she's in her swing. I have to intervene often because she tends to get a little overzealous, but as you can see Superbaby didn't seem to mind (this time). It's not a big toothless grin yet but you can see she's thinking about it:



The little flower is adjusting very well to life as a big sister. She patiently waits a little longer for some things (more like a lot longer). She doesn't put up too much of a fuss if I ask her to walk instead of be carried. She eagerly shares my attention. She's very caring and concerned about her little sister. If I could just get her to stop stealing Superbaby's diapers to put on her own baby life would be perfect. 




And our other big news...
Superbaby weighs over NINE pounds! Heck, even the little flower gained a few pounds. She's been holding steady at twenty-five pounds for almost a year and she's now over twenty-seven.Thank you breast milk and cheese:)

May 8th?

Has it really been that long since I wrote a blog entry? Holy cow time flies. I will fully admit that I'm a "why do today what I can put off until tomorrow?" person much of the time. But I really have been quite busy lately.

 My Dad came to visit*:

then my Mom came to visit:

I edited these photos to look seventies-ish but looking at them now I think everyone appears to have gone a little heavy on the self tanning lotion. I'll have to work on that.

We've also been busy with landscaping stuff (and by we I mean Chris- although I did pick out the annuals he planted). We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into with such a large yard. This is our first Spring in Wisconsin (and in our new house) so it's been fun to watch everything bloom and to learn the names of the plants/trees/bushes/flowers in our yard. To my delight I discovered we have a Lilac shrub/tree in our backyard. I literally followed the scent and found it. I love little surprises like that.

Probably the biggest reason for my absence as of late is...sleep. I take it where I can get it these days. If my two little ones are sleeping, I'm not far behind. I used to blog during naptime. I'll get there again. I hope! 

 

*The thought of editing/posting multiple pictures was a bit overwhelming to me today. Instead of not posting at all I picked two of my favorite photos from their visits to share. Not posting at all is for losers. 

 

   

All over the place

I found this at a thrift store for $1.50:

I have no idea what I'm going to do with it but I think it has potential. Any ideas? 
I do, however, know exactly what I'm going to do with this:


It was brand new in the box, $6.00!
I found this little smocked dress, too. I love blue dresses. I love smocked dresses. Jackpot! I think this was $5.00:



This pillow sham was $1.00. I want to make pajama pants for the Little Flower with the material. I don't have a pattern but I'm envisioning little eyelet ruffle bell bottoms. It will be my first sewing project, wish me luck.



This is Superbaby holding her head up. I love when I hold her on my shoulder and she tries to do this. Eventually her head gets too heavy and falls full force onto my shoulder. It always makes me smile:




 I do believe that is the start of an actual fat roll on her arm. She has some on her thighs also. I never thought I'd see the day!
 My friend, Nikki, made us the quilt she's lying on in the photo. It's adorable- Thanks Nikki! 
 

6pm-ish

This photo pretty much sums up life at our house at this time of day:

And yes...she is scratching her bare bottom.

Due Date

Yesterday, April 30, 2009, was Superbaby's due date (and our five-year wedding anniversary).

She'll be three months old on Monday.



How lucky are we that we've had three bonus months with this little being? Three more months to look at this face, smell this head, hold this body, feel this love?



Very lucky. It's official, my new necklace even says so:



Not that I would ever need a necklace to remind me.

Just what I needed...

...something else to keep me up past midnight. 

I've discovered Picnik:

I might never Photoshop again!

I Heart Faces- Week 15

Self-Portrait:

Mommy and Superbaby

I couldn't resist joining in on the fun this week. One of my favorite photographers is judging! I love looking through all of this week's entries. Go check some out for yourself at:

 I heart faces.

Big Sis/Lil Sis

I bought these t-shirts from a shop on Etsy. Aren't they adorable? I think I'm going to order another onesie in a larger size for Superbaby, she'll grow out of this one very soon: 

The wires in the top picture are for the apnea monitor. It's gone off a few times in the last few days. Yes, that freaks me out just a little. She didn't turn blue and we didn't have to stimulate her so that's good. It still freaks me out though.

The Little Flower is a very sweet big sister. If she hears Superbaby fussing she'll run over and say "it's K" or "mommy's coming".

Chris was on vacation this past week. The girls and I (and our dog, Piper) have been spoiled by his presence. It's always more fun with Daddy around. Chris and I were able to sneak away for a quick lunch at La Brioche True Food. Yum. We're both looking forward to returning.

Superbaby was over six pounds when I took her back for a weight check. She's already grown out of some preemie outfits...hard to believe. She's breastfeeding more now, almost every feeding which makes my life much easier. I don't ever want to see another breast pump again as long as I live.

I took a sewing class- yay! I'm looking for a simple little dress pattern to make for the girls. You know, with all my spare time:)

Both of the girls will see a pediatric opthamologist next week (preemie follow-ups). It will be the first time I take them somewhere by myself. Wish me luck, I NEED IT!

Last but not least:

Those windows are open. Fresh air, warmth, and sunshine...ahhhhh.

Have a Happy weekend:)

Everyone's Sleeping...

...except for me. I'm doing this:

I could spend hours upon hours editing pictures with Photoshop. Today I downloaded the latest action set from Pioneer Woman. I'm really loving her Seventies action.

I took the girls (I love saying that!) to see their pediatrician yesterday: 

Superbaby needed a weight check post-discharge. She's lost a few ounces so I will take her back next Friday for another check. She seems to be eating well so I'm hoping by then she will have gained back those ounces and then some.

The Little Flower came along because she has a bad cough:

Turns out she has another bilateral ear infection. She's on antibiotics again (she just had this same thing a few months ago) so I'm hoping she feels better soon. It's very difficult for her to understand why she can't touch or hold the baby as much as she would like. And it's even more difficult to explain to a two year old that she shouldn't cough directly into her little sister's face, or ours for that matter. Even Superbaby can only take so much germy droplet exposure.

We mustered up the energy to stay awake long enough to watch Slumdog Millionaire last night. I thought I would like it and I did. Chris was pleasantly surprised. I want to get the soundtrack and dance Bollywood style with my girls. Did I mention I love saying that? My girls, my girls, my girls:)

Life is Good

Superbaby is eating/sleeping well.

The Little Flower is adjusting well for the most part. She has her moments. Some of those moments involve her newly found ability to spit. Loving that- NOT.

Chris has been home the last few days. We were finally able to hang a mirror in our guest bathroom. I bought said mirror last summer and it's been parked in our mudroom since then. He goes back to work tomorrow but he's off again for a whole week later this month.

I was able to nap with the baby all morning. Chris was able to nap this afternoon. Much needed and appreciated.

Chris is picking up take-out for dinner.

We still have Sunday's episode of the Amazing Race on Tivo. I'm hoping since we napped we can watch it tonight:)

I'm sitting in my bedroom pumping, watching Ellen, and listening to this sweet thing make those delicious newborn noises:

 

She totally smiled for you right as I was taking this picture with my Mac:)

She's Home!

Words can't describe how ridiculously happy we are:)

Crossing our Fingers

On January 2, 2007 we brought our beautiful Little Flower home in this:

It is the sweetest little cable knit one-piece with little red and pink embroidered flowers (I love the details on the arms and legs). I adore this piece of clothing. I wish I had thought to buy one in every size available. The Little Flower outgrew it quickly. 

This is the morning after she came home. Same outfit (still clean):

We're hoping that tomorrow we'll bring our Superbaby home in the same thing.

We're ready!

More Visitors!

We had the pleasure of hosting more family from out of town last weekend. We visited the State Capitol (I almost spelled this Capital- I'm naught reel smart) building, the Madison Children's Museum, and of course the NICU:) I would love to have a few hours to sit and play around with Photoshop on our desktop, but until then here are a few pictures:

 

For the record, I love my in-laws. Part of the reason we chose to move back to the Midwest was so that we would be closer to our families. We want our girls to feel connected to and loved by their extended family. After each visit we are reminded that they are and it is such a comforting feeling to us as parents. 

 

Wordless Wednesday *

*AKA- I'm tired and I still have to pump before I can sleep but Superbaby's Paw-Paw, Aunt, and Cousin came for a quick visit and I just had to share a few pictures:)

Swimming Lessons

The Little Flower started swimming lessons a few weeks ago. Chris has taken her every week but because he was on call this past weekend I took her instead. I seized the opportunity to get some shots of my little swimmer. Here she is in her warm-up suit that I bought her when she was a few months old. I just knew it would come in handy some day:

This is her teacher, Jess. Little Flower talks about Jess all week long. Probably because she does cool things like this:

She's learning how to float on her back:

And jump into the pool:

And swim to the side and climb out of the pool:

And of course splash!

We were worried that she might not want to be left alone with the instructor but she did just fine from day one. I would like to think that's because she knows we are close by...

...watching oh so proudly:)

Rough Day

Yesterday was a rough day for Superbaby (and Mommy). She had an eye exam which required two rounds of eye drops and from the looks of it some sort of medieval device that holds the eyelids open. It left marks. I wasn't happy. This poor baby wasn't either, I could hear her cries from the waiting area:  

She had the same sad, grumpy look on her face the whole day. The nurse was saying this is a textbook "I'm stressed" sign for a NICU baby:

I'd say so. The VERY good news is that there are currently no signs of ROP (Retinopathy of Prematurity). A second exam will be done in a few weeks.

It was so warm here yesterday I decided to take the Little Flower to the playground near our house. All I can say is it's going to be a fun summer! She had so much fun exploring. When we arrived we were the only people there and she asked "Where'd kids go?" I explained that I was the only fun Mommy in town:)   

People really get out and enjoy it when the weather is nice here. It's one of the things we love about Wisconsin. The Winter is brutal at times but it really makes you enjoy the Spring! 

On my mind ...

I found this blog a few weeks back and have been following it ever since. I can hardly imagine what this family is going through. It's obvious their faith is carrying them through this time. I hope the thoughts and prayers of others are helping as well. 

Happy Birthday Cora

*You can click on the image above to donate to Cora's Playground*