A Very Rainy Spring, Yes Indeed

We've had a lot of rain the past couple weeks. The grass is getting greener, yay! The downside to all the rain has been some local flooding and loss of lives.

We've had a few warm days, but mostly it's been chilly. I haven't been willing to part with my warm clothes yet! I've never been one to change my wardrobe on the dot when the calendar says it's spring. I like to wait until it feels like spring.

Life around here has been pretty normal. Having bronchitis really set me back for a couple weeks, but now I'm back in a comfortable routine of school and working around the house.

Hosanna: She's almost 7 and that really amazes me! I keep telling her not to grow up, but she keeps on not listening. As always, she spends time doing creative things with crayon, paper, and various odds n' ends. We're working on her reading skills, but so far she hasn't quite "taken off" yet. She's a great helper around the house and I can usually count on her to do a job properly. She keeps us all amused with the funny things she says. Yesterday she told me that while she still wants to be a doctor and help people, she also wants to be a vet and help animals. She said, "I'll be a vet the first part of my life, then I'll help people after that."

Caleb: Amazes us with his auditory skills and ability to memorize scripture. Recently we purchased a beta fish and aquatic frog for our little plastic aquarium. He's enjoyed keeping an eye on them and can't wait until he can find a spring tadpole to watch develop. I have a feeling this is going to be another summer of close encounters with frogs and lizards and bugs, oh my!
Caleb loves to do schoolwork and listen to me read stories about Pooh Bear. He just lost his first tooth and is trying to wiggle the next one looser so he can get the $2 his Grandpop promised him for pulling rights.

Drew: No longer seems like a "little baby"! He's almost 15 months old now and trying to walk. The others didn't start walking until 15-16 months. They just seemed content to crawl everywhere. Or, in Drew's case, scoot himself around in an upright position. His recent achievements include knowing how to open the doors and take himself outside (yikes!). He continues to try and talk more. Yesterday he surprised me by taking a few steps on his own when I asked him too. I didn't think he would, but when I said, "Drew, walk!", he just did it! Made me think he secretly knew how and was just waiting for the right moment to spring it on me.

Ahh, the rain has stopped again. I think I'll go outside and breathe that fresh spring air...

Baby Curls

A quick shot of Drew on the go

Recovering

It's wiped me out, this virus, for over a week. I'm glad to be feeling better today! It's 70 degree weather & I've got the windows open...the breeze feels so good. Earlier when I was outside with Drew, I reached for the door handle to come back in and got stung by a unknown assailant. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something black fly away. Maybe it was a wasp. Whatever it was, that sting sure hurt! First I put a baking soda paste on it. Then when my finger swelled to twice it's size and the paste broke off, I rubbed an herbal ointment on. It seems to be helping. Well, hopefully that's my first and last sting of the year!
Hosanna and Caleb are at their Grandma's house, playing outside with their cousins. It's too beautiful a day to be stuck indoors!

Delightful, Delicious!

I am sitting here dreaming about layer cakes and looking out the patio door at the blue spring sky. I've never been much of a cake baker, preferring pies, brownies, and cookies, but a recent issue of Better Homes & Gardens featured a scrumptious list of layer cakes which inspired me to try one. The one pictured is Buttery Yellow Citrus Cake. Mmm, it was good! Next, maybe I'll try a German chocolate layer cake.

The platter I served it on is part of a set my Grandma T gave us as a wedding gift~Priscilla pattern.

Pooh & Company

I can't believe I missed out on this gem of a book until recently, when Mara gave the children "The World of Pooh" for Christmas. We're about halfway through and enjoying every chapter. Hosanna and Caleb listen attentively as I read, but I think I'm picking up on the humor more. The style of writing is very endearing; definitely a book for all ages!
I've decided that Hosanna reminds me of Tigger, and Caleb is Owl.

Here's an excerpt from the chapter entitled, Tigger Has Breakfast:

(Pooh is composing a poem about Tigger)

" 'But whatever his weight in pounds, shillings, and ounces,
He always seems bigger because of his bounces.'

"And that's the whole poem," he said. "Do you like it, Piglet?"

"All except the shillings," said Piglet. "I don't think they ought to be there."

"They wanted to come in after the pounds," exxplained Pooh, "so I let them. It is the best way to write poetry, letting things come."

"Oh, I didn't know," said Piglet.

Drew