The Plan

Christian did not go down easy for his nap today, and I did not want to risk waking him up.  So as soon as I closed the door to his room, Tes and I tip toed outside.  I took my tape measure, a pad of graph paper, and some yarn.  It was time to plot out the new garden.  Tessie and the chickens followed me around the backyard as I measured and roped off the garden area.  Lucy eventually joined in the parade, and between the seven of us, we managed to make a relatively easy job, well, not easy.  Tessie took over measuring for me, and scared the hens repeatedly by zipping the tape measure up too close to them, but all in all, everyone seemed to be having fun.

Once I had all my measurements, and I was happy with my plan, I sat down to draw it out.  Tessie abandoned her measuring job and wandered over to see what I was doing.  Inevitably, I had to run back in the house to get her her own graph paper and pen.  The two of us sat side by side, and drew out where to place our garden beds. Tessie was bent over her paper, focused on her task.  A light breeze was blowing her hair across her face occasionally, and she would reach up absently to brush it aside.  This project, our garden, is as much hers as it is mine, and watching her plan every little step with me, is truly beautiful.

Hard at work

Tessie's Plan

Something From Nothing

I have a very short tale to tell tonight.  I know that I just recently wrote about starting our vegetable seeds, but tonight's post is related.  I was watering the seedlings this evening, when I noticed little green shoots protruding from several different pots.  I couldn't believe it, and immediately called Tessie over to look.  We both leaned close, held our breath, and stared at the tiny plants, bursting through the soil.  Tes was beside herself with excitement, and couldn't wait to show her dad when he got home.  I know that this was what I should have expected to happen, but to be perfectly honest with you, it surprised me that I actually managed to make something grow from practically nothing.  Maybe my dream of a garden stands a chance after all.  What a beautiful surprise!

Family Game Night

I have always loved board games.  We used to play board games all the time growing up, and Nick and I played a ton before we had kids.  We still have a box in the garage full of board games like Scrabble and Monopoly, and they have been patiently waiting for us all these years.  We have been waiting for our kids to be ready for Family Game Night, and yesterday we decided Tes was ready.  I stopped by the store on my way home, and picked up Candy Land, the essential first game for every child.  Tessie was so excited to see the game, and we promised that we would all play after dinner.  However, we ended up having a last minute dinner with our neighbors, and so the game was put off. 

Tonight, we kept our promise, and set up the game.  Tessie literally jumped up and down for most of the game.  She couldn't believe it when she got to skip ahead to almost the very end of the board, and shouted "I'm winning, I'm winning!" with a triumphant look on her face.  Then the game turned.  She had to move backwards, and Christian shot ahead.  Her face started to fall, and I was worried she might get upset.  Christian won the game, and Tessie looked very confused.  She told us that next time she would pick cards that let her win, and we had to explain that in games there are rules, and you have to follow them.  We told her that sometimes she will win, and sometimes she won't, but it is still fun to play.  I don't know how much of that lesson she really absorbed, but it is a hard one to get.  No matter what, our very first Family Game Night was a lot of fun, and I see many more beautiful games in our future. 

Long Overdue

Today was my day to go to the dump.  Exciting, I know.  I don't look forward to dump runs, primarily because I carry all the bags in the back of my car.  That would be my nice, new car.  At least, it used to be nice and new.  As I pulled into the dump, a truck in front of me pulled up to a dumpster, and the driver got out.  Then I was in for a happy surprise.  The driver of the truck was  a good friend of mine, who I haven't seen in months.  We greeted each other with big smiles and hugs, and caught up with each other's lives, while we stood in the middle of the dump.  I had to laugh at the absurdity of our meeting place, given the fact that we have been trying to get together for so long.  Dump or not, it was a beautiful visit, and one that was long overdue.

A Beautiful Retelling

We have a very regular bedtime routine in our house.  Every night, after dinner, I give the kids a bath, get them in their pajamas, help them brush their teeth, and deliver them to their dad.  Nick usually reads the kids two books.  The rule is that they each get to pick one, although Tessie often picks one out for her brother.  Tonight played out in the usual way, but book time made me happier than usual. 

Tes picked out a dinosaur book for her brother, a good choice, and a Barbie Mermaid book for herself.  The Barbie book encouraged rolled eyes from both Mom and Dad, but Nick settled down on the couch between the kids, and dutifully took the book from Tes.  Then he started to read it, and I had a hard time keeping a straight face.  He started off telling the story of the mermaid "Fred" although he was quickly corrected by Tessie.  From there, he continued to take artistic license with the telling of the story.  The story was much more entertaining than the actual text, the kids thought it was hilarious, and I very much appreciated the new telling of Barbie the Mermaid, in fact, it turned out to be pretty beautiful.

Vegetables!

For months, Tessie and I have been talking about our vegetable garden.  We have been planning, researching, and imagining the possibilities.  For me, a vegetable garden represents so much.  It is a piece of my childhood, a way to get closer to nature, the best way to get organic veggies, and one of the greatest gifts I can think of to give my children.  I have been dreaming of what it will mean for them to grow and harvest their own food.  Today, we started the journey.

We had already been collecting seeds, but it was time to get them in some soil.  This is the part where I offer up a confession.  I know nothing about gardening.  For all my dreams of a gorgeous, prolific garden, I have absolutely no idea where to begin.  This is made so much worse by the fact that my mother is a genius in the garden.  She had the most amazing vegetable garden when we were kids, and now, even in the desert, her flower garden looks like a New Mexican Eden.  I have trouble keeping my house plants alive.  But in spite of this, I am determined to feed my family with food I have grown them.  That, and I promised my daughter...

So we stopped in at a local nursery for supplies.  Tessie was jumping up and down with excitement, and Christian thought if she was excited, he should be too.  We got a little advice, some seedling soil, and a few more packets of seeds, then headed home to get to work.  Christian had no interest in digging in the dirt, so Tes and I were on our own.  After a call or two to my mom for some advice, we got to it.  Tessie filled our little pots with soil, stuck our labels in, and, very carefully, placed the seeds in the pots.  The process was long, and she lost interest temporarily in the middle, but she came back around as I carried our future tomato, cabbage, broccoli, lettuces, arugula, and spinach to sit in front of a sunny window.  She watered, and hopefully didn't drown, each pot, then stood back proudly to examine her work.  After she had run back several times to see if they were sprouting yet, I explained we would have to wait about a week.  "And then we will have vegetables!" she declared.  I laughed and gave her a hug.  Our little garden is off to a beautiful start.

In Love

Today was a rather typical day in Mom Land. Unfortunately it leaned more heavily on the rough side of typical, than the pleasant. It was early afternoon, I was in the middle of a mountain of laundry, and Christian had just woken up from his nap. In an effort to stay away from the bad moods that had permeated the morning, I put a movie on upstairs for the kids, while I got Tessie's ballet stuff together. As it turned out, ballet was cancelled, but that's another story.

Christian was sitting next to Tes on the floor, something I am trusting more and more, and I felt enough confidence in his strength, to step out of the room for a moment. As I walked away, I told Tessie to keep an eye on her brother, so he wouldn't fall. I didn't think she could really do much if he did fall, but I knew it would make Tes feel good to have the responsibility.

I walked back into the room, holding Tessie's leotard and tights, and froze in my tracks. The kids were sitting next to each other, their heads leaned in close together, and Tessie had her arm around her brother, keeping him safe. They didn't budge when I approached. The morning had been filled with tantrums and frustrations, and as it turned out, the afternoon would too, but at that moment all was forgiven and forgotten. I was in love with how much they were in love, and it was perfectly beautiful.