When the kids heard that there was going to be a parade in town, they got so excited. Well, at least two of them were excited. Poor Baby E actually hates parades. You see, parades inevitably have emergency vehicles in them, be it a police car or a fire truck. He covers his ears whenever he sees them. Much to his disappointment, this particular parade had dozens of emergency vehicles. But excepting Baby E, the other kids had a blast. They collected candy and waved at all the people going by. They particularly enjoyed watching the horse drawn carriage and the John Deere Gator.

We ended the evening by sitting in our driveway watching our neighbor’s fireworks.

Yesterday evening the kids wanted something to do. I recommended that we all go into the back yard and harvest all the wild raspberries (also known as wineberries) that we could before the birds got them. We had noticed the bushes last summer, but they hadn’t produced very many berries. This year there was no disappointment. We spent the better part of an hour picking berries. Amazingly, more made it into the containers than into my kid’s mouths and when we were finished we had managed to collect a quart of berries. I looked online for a pie recipe and this morning my mom baked one for us. When it was finished it sat on the counter where I stared at it longingly whenever I walked by. We had it for dessert this evening and it was delicious!!

We can’t wait to go berry picking again. Next time we will make jam!

We went berry picking in the backyard this evening. We filled s bucket with berries and I’m hoping to make a pie tomorrow. This post is short and sweet because we have no internet from a storm that came through and my photos won’t load.

During spring I planted a bunch of plants in pots around my front flower garden. I planted tomatoes, beans, pumpkin, zucchini, mint, and peppers. We have been diligent to water them every day and keep the pots free of weeds. Today was our first harvest. We got a few tomatoes and a bunch of beans. Add in the berries from the backyard and we had such a wonderful, delicious, and colorful dinner. I absolutely love picking veggies that we have grown ourselves!!

To celebrate the anniversary of our first year in our new house we met up with Tim’s sister and family and we went for an adventure. We had heard that there was a waterfall at the park we visited weeks ago. The one that used to be a golf course back in the day. Today we decided to find that waterfall. After a lot of walking (and eating lots of berries along the way) and some help from some friendly cyclists, we finally found it and it couldn’t have been more perfect. The waterfall was tucked away off the obvious path. It was just the right size to climb up on and we even sat in it and felt the freezing, rushing water fall past us. We all had such a lovely time and the cool water was a perfect compliment to the heat of the day.

The heat this week has been unbearable so I’m so thankful for the evening storms that have been coming through to cool us down. Tonight’s was pretty impressive with lightning displays that lasted hours. Thankfully the kids were already asleep, so Tim and I could sneak outside and watch it from a distance. As it rolled in, the wind picked up fiercely and the rain started. We made it back inside right before the deluge!

I cried the day I pulled away from the office parking lot and headed to my in-laws house for our final night before our move. I had just driven away from ten years of my life and I had no idea what the future would hold. (Perhaps if someone had told me, I would have turned around at that moment and begged for my job back, but the not knowing was a blessing. )

From the moment C had been put into my arms all those years ago, my dream had been to be a stay at home mom and now I have been one for a year. 365 days of being by kids’ sides as they grow, learn, and explore. I often get asked how I enjoyed my first year at home and of homeschooling, and to be honest I can’t process it away from the chaos and uncertainty we lived through during the fall and winter. In many ways, we stunted there… and yet in more ways we have thrived!

I’m so incredibly thankful for this past year. I have grown in so many ways and I can’t wait to experience what this next year holds!

Happy “Dream Come True” anniversary to me!

One day they won’t seek refuge in my bedroom. They won’t ask to curl up in my bed until daddy gets home. They won’t want to rest on my lap or listen to me read. They won’t beg to play games or tell spooky stories.

But for now they do, and so we will.

This afternoon our local library offered a live animal presentation given by several marine biologists. The kids got to learn about different creatures in the ocean and they got to see a lot of marine animals. There were clams, snails, crabs, hermit crabs, and a frogfish. They even let a few kids come up touch some of the animals. C got to pet the stone crab.

Along with enjoying the animals, we learned some pretty interesting facts as well…

• Stone crabs earned their name by how strong they are. Their left claw is used for cutting, while their right claw is used for crushing. They have the ability to break finger bones, so handle with care!
• You aren’t allowed to kill stone crabs. You can harvest their legs and throw them back in the ocean. Apparently they grow back.
• Speaking of growing back- the arms of a hermit crab can fall off if they need to and will grow back. They can also grow new eyes if they happen to lose those in an encounter.
• Large snails bite down on clams in an attempt to open them. If successful they slurp out the clams.
• Small snails have two different methods of flipping themselves over- one uses their foot, and the other is inward momentum.

The absolute highlight of the event was when they brought out a real live shark. It was a bamboo shark- not much longer than about eight inches. It was still young, and apparently that type of shark isn’t aggressive. They even let a few kids touch it. That was definitely the animal that got the kids the most excited!

The presentation was really well done and the kids had such a great time!