How Does Your Garden Grow?

We have been talking and contemplating planting a garden. Yesterday we did it!! Well between Tuesday and today, we finished getting it ready. Daddy Piper's work has stopped for the time being so I took advantage of his muscles and put him to work. Tuesday was spent getting the ground level and supplies for building the raised bed. Wednesday was spent building the raised bed, filling it with dirt, manure and good soil and then planting the goodies. We did it based on the Square Foot Gardening concept, giving each item a square foot to grow and then switching around the vegetables next planting season so that the soil gets used to grow different stuff each time. This time we planted the following: Tomatoes, Basil, Carrots, Radish, Onion, Chives, Cilantro, Green Beans, Corn & Squash. We also planted a tire in the ground to do potatoes but I need to find seed potatoes to do this I guess, according to the sources I found online. The kids were having fun helping. I did learn though that neither of the older 2 like to get dirty. Almost immediately after getting their hands in the mud to plant seeds, they want their hands washed! Baby J hung out in his Einstein or in the Pack-n-Play, enjoying the wonderful weather.

L standing next to the ground being prepared for the raised bed. We had to level the ground out before we could out the raised beds down.

S standing next to the level ground, on the tire we are planning to use for the potatoes. This was back breaking labor. I wanted to save the money on a tractor and do it ourselves, so we did it all by hand. I did help about 2 wheelbarrows full but Daddy did most of it.

Here Daddy and the kids are bringing around the manure and top soil for the raised beds. Daddy handing J to L to hold for a second. I happen to catch it from the across the way. She did great holding him all by herself.

Daddy Piper and L realize I caught them on camera after her holding J : -)
Daddy and his helpers hauling the material over to the garden area.
Daddy and Baby J
Baby J after a hard day working in the garden.

Swimming Fun

I don't have any pics from today's adventure, darn it but it was a fun one!

I let the kids skip naps in favor of visiting a friend's house and going swimming in the afternoon. This was no small decision on my part. I am known as the Nap Nazi. We NEVER skip naptime around here. This particular friend doesn't observe naptime and wanted to swim in the afternoon. I went back and forth and finally decided in favor of the activity for the main reason - why not!

So off we went after lunch, to swim and have sundaes. I was soooo nervous taking L, S and J swimming by myself. Daddy Piper didn't have work and I tried to convince him to join us by he skipped out to finish some stuff at home, alone with no help (I wonder what that is like - finish a project without little helpers around??). L did a great job swimming this time. S did wonderful listening and floating with his life vest thing on and Baby J enjoyed his floatie. I learned Baby J doesn't like to get splashed in the face : -) Everyone had a great time. We played in the pool for about 2 hours. I particularly like this friend and her son. L gets along great with G.L. and his mama is a neat person. She's always quick to help with Baby J when things get busy with the other 2 and never makes me feel bad about. S also enjoys G.L. He thinks he is something special. We headed up their apartment and enjoyed ice cream sundaes and some play time. S got to play with the remote dinosaur thing from the GeoTrax DVD and was so awed by it. We might have to get him one for the next holiday/special prize.

We headed home about 5 and home by 6. Everyone fell asleep in the van within 2 minutes of leaving the parking lot. When we got home, both L and S woke up crabby from the missing nap issue. We moved the kids inside and starting getting ready for dinner. Thankfully I had put dinner in the crockpot before I left! L got her hands washed and ready for dinner and S opted out of dinner to rest in the chair. Daddy ended up moving him from the recliner right to his bed where he slept until 7 the next morning!! L and Baby J got all our attention for the night. It was fun to shower our attention on them for the evening.

Daddy's work has slowed down. It sure is nice to have him around but I am worried sick about the state of our personal economy. I know something will break loose and things will pick up but I am worried ;-(

My boys were playing around on the kitchen floor today. S has really taken to Baby J lately. I suppose it has to do with J being more fun and interactable (is that a word?!). S is very attentive to J and enjoys being a being brother to him.



Later this evening, the older 2 ran through the sprinklers outside. They had a ton of fun getting wet and cooled off before their shower and bedtime.
I have no idea what L is doing here. When I uploaded the pics, I found this one. I guess it will remain a mystery what she is thinking at this moment.

Family Time

Daddy's work has come to a stand still again (oh please let more come soon!!) but we are trying to enjoy the time together rather than dwell on the financial stress this could cause us.

Things have been better around here. I got some extra sleep this morning after waking up to hear S tell me how beautiful I look. Such a wonderful thing to hear at 5:30 in the morning. Wish I could have appreciated it more. I did say "Thank You" nicely, even if inside I was cringing because of the early hour. Today was music class. What a fun class!! We joined this with our homeschool group. All 3 of my babies love this class. After class, my 2 S's got badly needed haircuts. They tried a new place and both came home looking so handsome. At least this stylist cut their hair straight : -) L and I hung out while they were gone. Time alone with L is precious. She is such a thoughtful, thought-provoking little girl. I strive to be a good mommy to her and fail her often - no doubt about that. I need to try and nuture our relationship more. At times I feel like she and I are falling off course from what I want us to have.

Tonight we went for another bike ride as a family. We did this for the first time on Sunday. I grumbled and moaned when Daddy suggested it late Sunday evening. We have baths at 7 around here and at 6:30 Daddy brought up the family bike ride idea. I was not happy with the sudden interruption of our nightly schedule. It tickles me to write this because when I spring something on him at the last minute I expect him to jump on it but if it's done to me, I become so inflexible... guess I need to work on this. Okay back to the story. So we went for the bike ride. It was the first time in about a year and half that I had been on a bike and I was a bit wobbly but it was so much fun!! The kids enjoyed seeing Mama on a bike and participating in the family fun. Baby J took a ride in the stroller and fell asleep (see pics from here), the older 2 rode their bikes. It was really fun. Well anyway we did the fun time again tonight. We also did it last night but I walked with the stroller instead of riding bike. The kids both still have training wheels and they get stuck on the dirt so I thought the stroller would be better so I could help them without getting off my bike to help. It didn't work that way - I was too slow with the stroller. So tonight I was back on my bike and Daddy pulled Baby J. I had already gone for a 35 min walk prior to the 30 minute bike ride. Everyone had fun again. We came home and enjoyed tacos and strawberries for dinner while Baby J had sweet potatoes (he is loving sitting at the table with us and eating dinner!!).

After dinner, it was still so nice out so we headed back out to play some family soccer. Daddy set the cones up to mock a field in our front yard. It was supposed to a practice of sorts since both teams cancelled practice this week. L kicked S's butt - 2 goals to none but he stayed with it and kept challenging her. Fun times, ya'll!!

Everyone is down for the night now. I am enjoying some computer time before I head to bed too.

Apron

My apron came today from my latest apron swap. It is sooooo adorable. She made it from a tea cloth and used a doily to make the pocket. Her sewing is wonderful. I feel so happy when I wear it. I wore it tonight cooking dinner - in my dress and heels to boot : -)
p.s. notice J is in his highchair at the table now!!!!

Catching Up

We did a ladybug lesson last week. We learned about ladybugs and did a craft to go along with it. Here are some cute pics from that fun time!!

Jack was not impressed with the lack of attention during lesson time. Here he shows his full displeasure :-) His mood didn't improve much either when S put J's hat on his head.
At least snuggle time later proved to be fun for all 3!!

My baby is now trying to get the crawling motion down. He can get up on all 4 and rock and scootch himself backwards but not forward yet - THANKFULLY!!! My baby girl didn't crawl until 10 months and my oldest baby boy crawled early like 7 months and looks like my babiest boy is following close behind.
We spent Saturday at the soccer field. Both kids had games, although they were an hour and half apart so we made a quick Target run. I had some great coupon scores this weekend as well. Spent $70 and got about $250 worth of groceries - WOOHOO!!!!! We had some great family time all weekend. It was relaxing. We got more fruits and veggies from the co-op on Saturday. I tried a new location and it worked out good so now we can get it every week. We go through so much of the fresh goodies and this really helps my budget. I am trying to stick with $75 a week for groceries and $15 for the co-op. This dropped my budget by half or so. I was spending $800 a month and now I am closer to $400 and that includes stockpiling stuff. I was able to get out for a few hours on Sunday to meet with the other moms from our homeschool group to plan some future activities. Great breakfast and wonderful conversation always helps.

We went on a family bike ride last night. That might be the most fun thing we have done together to date. The kids rode their bikes, I rode mine and Daddy rode his and pulled J. Baby J fell asleep on the ride.
We also spent some time this weekend planning our summer vacation. It will be fun to take a cross country trip with 3 kids under the age of 5, right?!

Today was a trip to the mall to get clothes for L. She has outgrown so much of her clothing lately that she was in badly need of new clothing. It was fun to shop with her. She really has her own opinion now but thankfully she listens to reason still : -) S got new clothes yesterday since he too has outgrown everything lately. J is still wearing all of S's hand me downs but he is almost out of S's summer clothes so J may need new stuff soon too. I sure hope not - clothing is expensive. I bought some new shoes. I got a pair of killer black heels for J's baptism this summer. They are some rockin' shoes, let me tell you!!!! I feel so ladylike in them. I tried a dress on this evening and loved how I felt in a dress - so proper and womanly. I wore it while I finished dinner and while eating. I have heard that women are treated more womanly while dresses and I can see that.

Baby J is not sleeping so hot. He is close to crawling so maybe that's why. I sure do love having him though - lack of sleep and all! He is such a happy, laughing baby. It doesn't take much to make him smile or giggle. He is really enjoying his solids these days. He has been introduced to a ton of things and seems fine with all of it except for avocados.

S and L are back in their bunkbeds. S is completely potty trained at night now so he moved back to the top. L is too scared on the top so she sleeps on the bottom. They both get up and potty during the night and right back to bed. This is an accomplishment. L just started being able to do this. She would cry and cry from her bed instead of just getting up. One thing I find amazing about mothering 3 different kids is how different they are despite trying to raise them the same. Another thing I enjoy/regret seeing - S turns to L alot of times for help instead of me. I like that he feels he can go to her but I regret that I am not the first one he runs to all the time.

I just look at my 3 and feel so lucky to have them. Being a mom has been hard lately but I think I am seeing the light on the end of the tunnel finally. I have been trying to talk with them lately, mostly L about respecting their father and him being the head of our household. I grew up in a house that didn't respect men at all. I am not sure when I picked up on that but being respectful of others wasn't a top priority on my home growing up. I hope not to project that same idea on my own children.

Lots of rambling tonight. I need to write daily so my posts don't end so long!

S's words

"What if we had feet on our heads then we could walk upside down. Wait - no that would be so silly!!"

Still Good....

Even 48 hours later, I am still feeling better. I am still amazed at the attitude factor. I am forcing myself to be happy at times but it's working. I think the "fake it till ya make it" slogan might apply here : -)

We went to church yesterday. It was nice. I am enjoying the local Lutheran church. It feels very welcoming and not stuffy and yes traditional (long story but I do love a traditional church). L REALLY enjoys Sunday School. She says she enjoys learning about Jesus but I think it's mostly the other little girls she enjoys :- ) J stays with me. S was sick and that's whole 'nother story by itself. I want to get confirmed. I need to look at the "fast track" deal for adults. I am listening to L and S play Wii - fun times!! So church went well and then we had the afternoon to fill since we skipped a birthday party due to S being sick. I ended up hitting all 3 grocery stores for my coupon bargains while the older 2 slept. J slept part of the time with me. He is not sleeping very well these days. I think it's a growth spurt thing since he in the verge on crawling (my baby - crawling! I already want #4!!!). I did pretty well shopping - $145 worth of groceries for $50 - not too bad!!

Today was a haircut and eyebrow wax (the wax was waaaayyy overdue!!) Then J and I ran an errand for Daddy. J is my constant companion these days. I really need to pump, especially since I am heading to Vegas in a month and have NO milk pumped. The older 2 stayed home with Daddy and enjoyed the weather. When I called to check in, all 3 were playing Cooties (S's recent potty prize for being dry all through the night - good job buddy!). And I was able to finish my apron for my latest swap this afternoon. L made herself a scrapbook while I was sewing. It was pretty cute with hand drawn pics of her family (us 5) and one of Pongo, a couple of her with her brothers and one of just her mommy and daddy. She is quite the artist these days. I had put a chicken in the crockpot prior to running errands so we had that for dinner - YUM! The kids even helped with dinner dishes. Of course the floor was soaked but it was fun, fun, fun to do the dishes with them. They both scrubbed the dishes and then I put them in the dishwasher. J was fussy today for some reason. I think it goes with his growth spurt/not sleeping well thing he has going on. I sure hope he starts to feel better soon though. It was a nice day again. I enjoy Daddy Piper being home from work once in awhile - feels like a "free" day. It is easier to enjoy the day knowing more work is secured for the week.

This week brings some fun plans. We have L's dance tomorrow and a quick trip to the DMV to take of care of some paperwork, Wednesday is our homeschool group (an Earth day activity!) and Thursday is the new music class we joined. We had a trial class last week and it went pretty well. I had thought the class ran about 15 minutes too long and then teacher said she accidentally went over so the class is supposed to be 45 minutes. We signed up for it. It runs for 6 weeks. We have done Kindermusik in the past and this is similar but more age appropriate. Our kids really enjoy music so this is great for everyone! Even Baby J could enjoy the singing and music playing. I had done Kindermusik with L when S was this age so it brings back some fun memories from that time.

All in all things are looking up around here. I am feeling better about life. I hope to shake this thing finally. I super duper hope to get past it and close this chapter of grumpy, irritable, depressed mommy for awhile. I have shut myself off from a few close friends lately due to my crabby self and hope to correct that. I miss seeing some of these wonderful women!!

Life just gets better and better....

It is amazing how much attitude has to do with life. I have had such a better attitude and things have gone more smoothly around here.

Today was fruit and veggie co-op day so I got my yummy stuff early this morning. Almost too late - they switched the time on me. Then it was more soccer fun. It was picture day to boot! We spent over 3 hours at the soccer fields - don't be jealous : -) L did great getting together with her team. Her and S did a buddy picture - can't wait to get my button!! L had her game so we were watching her until time for Coach Daddy and S to get their pics done. I guess S decided today was meltdown day. He totally lost it getting ready to do pictures. Daddy called and Mama rushed over. He did okay then, even smiled big for his pic only to start crying again for the team picture - WTF?!? Back to take care of L, coaching her while she was playing goalie. Finally S's team showed up (okay I am late now all the time but not 30 minutes late - again WTF people get here on time!). L's game finished up and then it was time to head to S's field for his game. Daddy, L and S went to the restroom came back and S was in total meltdown again. He cried and cried for his entire game - never even went out on the field. I was so proud of Daddy for holding his temper in check because I was having a hard time with my own! Baby J hung out and enjoyed the morning outside. I brought along a blanket for him so he rolled around and stole the hearts of everyone close by : -)

Okay more update later - time to watch a movie with my man!!

Amazing Day!

Amazing day around here. I think I might have turned a corner on this whole depressed/hate life thing....

I realized today that one thing has been bothering me to no end lately (you know other than the state of the economy, lack of funds, etc.) - I am having a hard time taking care of 3 kids. There I said it - having 3 is no walk in the park. It is easy most of the time - like when we are at home but other times, like out and about at the zoo, park or homeschool event, I just can't do it all. I can't be the mother all 3 need all the time. This has been lurking below the surface for some time now. I seem to always need help from someone to get through the event, I am always late (so rare for me), well - basically I am not in control of the situation. This 3rd child has turned my life UPSIDE-DOWN and I can't get a grasp on how to right my world again. Well today was the day that all the chips fell in a row and I did it - I was the mother everyone needed, just when they needed it (whatever IT may be - milk, snack, kiss after falling down or just a smile across the way). It felt soooooo good to have a wonderful outing with all 3. I don't mind getting help from another mommy friend but it just seems like since having Baby J, I am always in need of assistance. And this has really been bringing my down, waaayyy down. L has turned to other mothers when she needs something lately, S seems to know just when J is going to melt down so he in turn melts too. But today - oh how the stars lined up right and the day went great. It was not a perfect day but it was so wonderful to feel like I might be able to handle mothering 3 after all.

We ventured out in the crappy weather to attend our weekly homeschool event. As you can tell from the above, I had fun. The kids all enjoyed themselves. We were at the zoo, saw the aquarium, enjoyed the company of our homeschool friends, ate at Chik-Fil-A (3 bathroom trips in 30 minutes - must be a record!) and home for rest time before soccer practice tonight. DELIGHTFUL DAY!!!

Touching the horseshoe crabs.

S playing with J.

Checking out the aquarium and in awe that it goes ABOVE their heads!

Baby J watching the penguins swimming and walking.

Riding the train through the African Safari. An ostrich came super close to the train!

Jaguar ABOVE our heads in his cage. One of the dads touched him and he hissed at him - no duh!

L checking out the jaguar.

S looking UP at a jaguar.

That is a lion in the distance from S and L. Not too far in the distance though - this zoo was awesome for seeing the animals!

Feeding the animals. This was a llama that ate right out their hands nanoseconds after putting money in the feed machine thing.

p.s. Taxes are in the mail.
p.p.s. J slept from 8 last night until 7:30 this morning - STRAIGHT THROUGH!!!!
p.p.p.s The other 2 did not sleep all night so I was still up :-(

Happy Easter 2009

We had a wonderful Easter. J's first Easter began and ended so nicely. The whole weekend ended up being just what we needed as a family. Saturday's rain day eliminated all plans (soccer & a birthday party for one of our favorite kiddos was canceled). We spent the day scoring some free milk, making more freezer jam, making some cute Easter eggs and lounging together as a family.

Easter morning brought baskets from the bunny for all 3 kids and that silly Easter Bunny left a trail of eggs from the kids' bedroom all the way to the living room! I was so happy that I was already up with Baby J, nursing him on the couch. I was able to see the look on the kids' faces as they walked out from their room. It was a look of amazement and wonder. So awesome to see!!! We realized a bit later that the Easter Bunny must have spent quite awhile outside because there were dozens of eggs in the front and back yards too!! L and S enjoyed finding all the eggs. There were some hanging from the trees, stuck to the windows and laying under the play set - they were EVERYWHERE :- ) Baby J didn't really get the whole Easter egg idea but did enjoy playing with his plastic eggs from his basket. We didn't make it to church, unfortunately, but did get in quality family time. I made a delicious ham dinner complete with mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cool-whip salad (thanks Lisa!) and Cherry Delight for dessert. In the evening, we set up the tripod to get some family pics. They turned out okay and then we monkeyed around, letting the kids play with the camera and take pics. We got one that I LOVE. Why do I love it so much - we are all laughing and having a good time together... my favorite kind of picture!!

We had a great holiday together. I was pleased with the whole weekend - nothing I would change and that says a lot!!

Our first attempt at a family pic. Come on J, look at the camera!

My whole world wrapped up in a picture.

Baby J is sitting up all by himself. What is up with this goofy face?!?

Mama and her babies!!

This one is my fav. L set up the self-timer feature and her and I dove into the picture at the last minute. Everyone is looking and so happy - a great reminder of how the whole day went!

2 Teeth!

Baby J has 2 teeth now!!! He cut his first tooth on 4/1 and then next one popped through on 4/6. They are front and center on the bottom. It's crazy to think my baby already has teeth! He tried 2 chew while nursing a couple of times but I quickly popped him and took his milk away and he didn't like that one bit so no more chewing : -)

Weekend Update w/ Pics

S played his first outdoor soccer game yesterday. He did great. It was also Daddy's first time coaching. Everyone had a great time. L, J and I almost missed the beginning since J was sleeping but we made it and were able to cheer him on. He thought he was such a bigshot out there : -)
Now there's L who KNOWS she's a big shot : -) She did great as goalie and defender. She blocked 2 goals (but allowed 2 also, darn it!). She is really enjoying this season since there are 2 other girls on her team, unlike last season. Saturday was 2 hours spent at the soccer field and a ton of fun. Next week the games are at the same time so Daddy will take S and I will handle L. I suppose I will have J too since Daddy can't coach and take care of a 6 month too (or can he??).

Today I also made my first batch of freezer jam and canned it.

Baby J is 6 Months Old

Where has the last 6 months gone?!? I took Baby J to the dr today for his 6 month check-up. He weighed 17 pounds, 26 inches long and his head was 44MM long (the dr measures the head this way for some reason). Everything was pretty much 50% except his head was 25% this time, a reverse from last time. He only got one shot and one oral since we split the vaccines now. He did great and had no adverse reaction this time (thank you God!). He is rolling both ways, loving carrots, apples & bananas, sleeping in his own bed (when he's not falling alseep on the floor or couch), laughing out loud constantly and is trying to crawl. He gets up on all fours and rocks back and forth. I suspect crawling will come quickly - YIKES!!!

p.s. Didn't want to spend the extra money on a new computer right now but I sure love it. It is super fast!!!!