For The Birds

The boys decided they just HAD to make bird feeders today. They learned how to do it from watching "Special Agent Oso" yesterday and couldn't wait to smear peanut butter on pine cones.
We all got to work after naps. I thinned peanut butter with a little water and added a little pancake syrup to make a bit more "glue." The boys had already collected their pine cones from the yard. I found a few foam paintbrushes and took them, our glue, and a bucket of birdseed outside. This was defintely an OUTSIDE job.


The kids painted them and then rolled them in the birdseed. My job was to tie yarn onto each one. (Notice the lack of photos between painting and hanging them on the trees--my fingers were too sticky.) :o)
We now have yummy bird feeders all over the yard. I hope our feathered friends like the--after the wind goes down and they come out of hiding!

The Pug

Here's another Landen-ism for you.
A few years ago--probably around the same time Landen started comparing his bodily waste to landmarks--David's dad got a new tractor.
David told his toddler son, "We're going to call this tractor the 'Paw-Hog'!"
Landen, who was just started to speak English and part from the Landen-ese that we were so accustomed, immediately starting calling that tractor, "The Pug."
Soon it wasn't just that tractor. Any tractor with that style was now given that name. He even had toy Pugs. When I'd choose a tractor and ask if it was a Pug, David and Landen would just look at each other and roll their eyes. How ignorant was I to not know a Pug when I saw one?
I still can't tell.
Shortly before Landen started school, we wondered how his little farmer friends would take to this news that certain John Deere tractors were called "Pugs."
As it turned out, there was no traumatic day when he came home crying with the realization that there was no such thing. Somewhere between that first day and the last, the name just kind of faded out of our household.
Until today. Landen was having a spat with his brother over which tractor was his.
He went downstairs and came back up exclaiming, "Nathan! My Pug has more horsepower than yours!"
Oh, Pug. It's good to have you back.

Descriptive Language

This is gross, I'll warn you, but I just have to document it.
This morning Teresa looked in the toilet after she finished and said, "Baby poop!" That immediately reminded me of Landen's descriptions for the same when he was about 3 years old. Our bathroom was decorated with lighthouses at the time and after a road trip with Grandma, he learned all about the radio towers that dotted the countryside.
Soon after the trip, he started using quite vivid descriptions after using the toilet such as, "Lighthouse poop!" and "Radio tower poop!"
That kid surprised us with his words then and still continues to surprise us at 6 years old!

Stormy Weather

We had quite the excitement weather-wise in our area on Saturday night. There were huge tornadoes about 20 miles from my hometown where my parents live and more about 30 miles south of where we live.
When bad weather comes up, I gather up my cherished possessions (all three of them) and hit the basement. This is what I did Saturday night as David was out blading the gravel road outside our house. (That didn't seem like the opportune time to finish such a task, but whatever . . . .)
David came in the house to find us all downstairs reading books. He couldn't believe that I hadn't prepared more. I didn't have shoes or coats for anyone and I still hadn't gathered flashlights when the electricity went out.
To tell you all the truth, David only heightened my anxiety when he came in the house as the storm hit. All he worried about was the sump pump not working and other mechanical things that could go wrong with such a storm. Every time he required my help, it made me more and more frustrated that I couldn't stay in the same room as my children and throw my body over them if need be.
If our house blew away and I didn't have shoes or a coat, I could borrow one from someone. There's plenty of things I would miss if I lost them, but nothing I couldn't go on without. I couldn't borrow a Landen, Nathan, or Teresa.
I am happy and thankful for my husband who thinks of the things I do not. But, his actions also brought out the "Mama Hen" in me.
When there's danger heading our way, don't mess with the nest. Today's weather is much like Saturday's. We'll see what the evening brings.

New Plants

I have been planting something nearly every day this past week. I did a little online research on annuals and perennials last week (I am such a gardening nerd this year!) and discovered the sweet potato vine. I stocked up on those for my pots and will include coleus and vinca vine in them. If they do what they should (and survive the especially blustery day we are having today), I will have beautiful cascading leafy pots by the end of the summer.

The kids and I checked out our local greenhouse yesterday for some spikes to fill the backs of the pots. They didn't have any of those left, but we found some other really cool plants instead. Check out the Corkscrew Rush and the Chenille plant:

The only problem was they like shade, so we gave them their own home on the deck.
I've done a little research on the chenille plant, and that should cascade as it grows, too. The corkscrew will be a fun accent. We also found some fiber optic grass to fill in the perennial bed.
I want to show you my Hobby Lobby purchase, too. It changes every day as the kids rearrange it for me. It's fun and gives our outdoor space a little extra color. The ants on the bottom represent my kiddos--Landen and Nathan on the raft and Teresa with the watering can.


Happy Gardening!