Soccer Star

What a difference a year makes

First Day of Preschool, September 2012

Last day of Preschool, June 2013

Not sure how it happened. I swear, I dropped off a cheeky little bug. Today I picked up a grown up (super sassy) girl. 

 So, of course we celebrated together this afternoon with Popsicles on the porch.

Father's Day 2013

 Father's Day was a low-key affair this year. Cam just wanted to grill meat and play catch with his dad. So they did. Cam and Jim used the mitts they have had since Jim was a wee lad, the same ones they played catch with when Cam was also a wee lad. Clem is still wee so she used her pink one.

 Alas, this game of catch didn't last very long. As with most things having to do with this Young Scientist, it turned into a ballet performance for one.

 

 Meanwhile, Cathy chased a somewhat mobile Dutchy all over the backyard. He went for a Sunday drive,

 and climbed on top of table tops.

 Until he could be talked into his favorite story in Grandma's Arms, in actual Grandma arms. (You see what I did there??)

This Week in MY Garden

 One of my very most favorite mama blogs to keep up on is Amanda Soule's  Blog. I don't know her in real life but her blog gives me life envy. She lives on a farm in Maine with her five kids and husband. They grow a TON of stuff to feed their own family. AND Amanda makes a lot of her own and her kids clothes using their own sheep's spun wool. AND they do whatever that is to make syrup. It's all very Little House on the Prairie. Amazing. Seriously, life envy.

I digress, the connection here is that each week she posts about the progress in her own garden, so I thought I'd do the same.
Our family will not exist on these meager portions of produce any time soon. Our vegetable garden is for funsies. A hobby. A partial commitment from Clementine. A learning opportunity for myself.

Above is our spindly little blue berry bush. The little bush that could (be trampled on by my children). It's GOING to produce fruit this year, I just know it. There's already little baby berries starting to blue on the vine. I. Can't. Wait.

 The cinder block raised bed may not look like much. It's not much, really. There are zucchini plants at either end of the bed and cukes spread in between. Our third harvest of carrots is in this bed, doing their thing underground. (Why am I growing zucchini again this year?? you ask. Obviously, you've seen the zucchini from last year still in my freezer. Well, last year I grew 60 pounds of zucchini on 3 plants. I'm hoping that my math isn't too far off expecting about 40 pounds this year. Much of which will be donated to the Bellingham Food Bank. The rest, I will eat...someday!)

 Here's mama's pride and joy. The raised bed brimming with veg. Across the back you will note the peas reaching to climb the supports there for them. In between, my broccoli. 8 broc plants this year. Oh, yes.
Four pepper plants already starting to bloom (ready for Epsom salts!). The two pepper plants in the middle are PURPLE PEPPERS which Clem picked out. Who ever heard of such a thing??? I hope they are tasty. And vibrant.
On the left corner, our first carrot harvest that somehow got mounded rather than spread in a line (probably the cat digging in the garden is my best bet. These babies will be ready in about 40 days and I'm hoping to see some crazy mutation happening below ground. With a mound like this, I ought to!
Next to the first harvest, is the second carrot harvest. A rainbowed assortment. We'll see what they decide to do.

Come to mama. 

Strawberries!

 In the non-edible portion of the backyard are my ready to burst hydrangea. This was, along with the done-for-the-season lilac bush, the very first plantings I did in the yard 4 years ago! I love seeing all my babies growing and thriving here.

 And my wall of roses. This will be the last season of roses that live  here. They were planted too close to the house (by me) and while gorgeous, they don't have the space they need to grow. Next year we will replant the healthiest ones elsewhere.

Clem's Happy Place

 (The Koi Pond at Bakerview Nursery. She begs me to take her there to visit her fish.)

Squire Lake

 I love me a good walk through the woods. So does my adventurer/explorer sidekick, Clementine. My husband, not so much. (And Dutch is thus far staying neutral.)

When I got the wild hare to drag my family into the woods on this sunshiney day and make them walk around, I wasn't sure how to sell it to Cam. But he went along with my idea and we had a great time trekking around.

With Dutch in our new Ergo, we marched up switchback after switchback until we came to Squire Lake. 

 The lake was full of lily pads, dragon flies and butterflies.
Somewhere out there is a resident beaver who has built her/his home at the other end of this lake.

 I know these two can't wait to get back!

Kindergarten (OMG!) Open House (sob!)

(Clem is suddenly a shoe-lace tying machine!)

 There are no words to describe how lucky I feel to have this little girl of mine coming to MY school for Kindergarten in the fall. Lunch dates with my sweet girl?? Yes, please! Only one drop off in the morning? Sign me up! Some amazing teachers ready to stuff this kid's head full of ideas, problem solving, music and friends? It doesn't get any better than this.

 Last week, my school held Open House for new Kindergarten students. Clementine started a countdown several days in advance. Every  morning she confirmed the number of days left until Open House and frequently she asked questions like "Will I learn to read at Open House? Will Emmy (her friend from preschool) be there? Are you going to be my teacher?"
The four awesome Kindergarten teachers had set up centers for the students to play and use, then the principal (my boss) gave a little welcome and the teachers (my friends!) gave a little PowerPoint presentation. Cam came in at this point and we sat at the back, where I beamed like a crazy person.  Seriously, have I mentioned the luckiness???? I die!

 The students each got a folder and a backpack with our school name (Clem is wearing her's wrong side out, of course) plus some helpful hints for parents and some practice/games to do at home.

When it was all over with, Clem said "Mom! Ask my teacher for HOMEWORK!!" I was feeling quite proud of myself for NOT crying during Open House and am hoping this is a good omen for the first real day of Kindergarten.