Happy belated Easter

Grandma puts chocolate in Easter eggs. How cool is that? Grandma R was in town for a couple of weeks taking care of Aunt J. It was fun to get to spend more time with her. And they both came over for dinner. So much fun to share a good meal with people you love.

And then there was Easter afternoon. Where we tried to see how wet we could get. The street in front of our house is not graded very well in one spot. Right in front of our neighbor's driveway the water collects up to 6" or so. Then it eventually runs down to the grate in front of our driveway. The boys have a blast running through all the water. They also "help" it by running the lenth of street between the puddle and the grate, pushing the water towards the grate. They use shovels, feet, sticks, etc.. Sometimes they build dams with the neighbor kids. That's one I probably need a picture of too.

It's blurry, but I needed a picture to remind myself in my later years just how they got that much water inside the boots. After this, they proceeded into the garden for some good ol' mud time. When G finally came inside, his boots were completely full of water and so was every stitch of clothing. For not being absorbant, polar fleece pants can sure hold a heck of a lot of mud and water!

Spring is Here!

The magnolia grove, upper part. I forgot to take pictures lower down where there were more blooms. Oh well.

Yesterday, C had a day off work. So we thought about doing yard work. But then it turned into such an awesome day we decided to play instead. We headed up to Hoyt Arboretum for a hike amongst the trees. We were afraid we had missed the blooms, but we just caught them. The blossoms were starting to fall from the magnolias. The show was gorgeous nonetheless. And it was a clear enough day for a view of Mt. St. Helens.
We hadn't been on many hikes last year because G was too big to carry, and too little to do much hiking. This year should be great for hiking with him. He had fun yesterday with his big boy backpack.

One of Oregononian's favorite flowers, the Trillium. Three petals, three leaves. And so pretty.

The big kid on the move. I tried to get him to say "hi" but he would just poke his hand back and finger wave at me. I guess he was just too busy. Of course, it wasn't too long before he didn't actually want to carry the pack anymore. It regained it's coolness factor when he discovered it was packed with a juice box, cup of fruit and his own bag of potato chips. That kid will do just about anything for potato chips. He's his momma's boy!

The "Clubhouse Tree"
This tree is actually 2 Climbing Oaks that make a cool clubhouse formation. M decided it would be just the tree to plant in our backyard. Then we talked about how we would have no backyard left if we did that. Oh, well.

"Let me see.... After I finish the pickles in this jar, there's maybe 15 pickles in this jar. That should fill up another half hour."

It's really spring! We have seedlings started. M is helping keep a notebook so we can learn about seeds, plants and how they grow. He's already learned that the smaller seeds sprouted first. And that seedlings are nearly white when they emerge, but turn green within a matter of hours so they can start making food. All that and mom will have fresh kale in just a couple of months. Whoo Hooo!

Finished outfits!

So that one innocent use-the-stash-shirt sorta snowballed. Now we have two outfits. Well, I did use fabric almost exclusively out my stash. I had to buy the yellow for G's pants as I don't normally have a lot of yellow. That should be changing really since orange and yellow are his 2 fave colors. M likes his sailor look. He also likes the fact he can go from pants to shorts in just a minute without having the extra leg pieces to find something to do with like the zip-off kind. All the patterns are from Ottobre 3-2006. I really want to buy more issues, but have told myself I need to sew enough from this one to justify the $20 I spent on it. Although if I was buying Burda or something, it would cost me that much for just 2 patterns. I'll sew up some more pants for the kids and a baby gift, and maybe a dress for my niece, and call it good.

A new shirt from Ottobre pattern mag (click on in english on left side of page). I am loving the way it is turning out. Of course, it could stand some buttons and button holes. And someone who takes more time with the inside details.... Although I did french seam the side seams and sleeves so they didn't look too corny rolled up. It is one of those projects that snowballed on its own. I was looking through my mag and wanted to make something. Then I found a piece of fabric. Then I thought, "oooh, trains!" and this is where it got me.
G loves trains, and is growing out of any clothes with trains on them. So this is a good addition to his not-so-small wardrobe.

Grandma R made the boys these great sweaters for Christmas this year. I had a hard time getting them to sit still. I guess I could say I was just trying to get a front and back view in one picture. She gave them matching pants too. But they wear them so much they are never clean at the same time or when I want to take their picture. Good job Grandma!!

Marsden Wagner Rocks!

I just read some of his new book, Born in the USA, and it is wonderful. It is organized well, a good mix of research and personal experience, as well as real-life stories. Too bad I didn't get to finish it. I ran out of time before it was due back at the library and since it is a new release, I couldn't renew it! Arghhh. I'll have to buy it I guess. He shows how broken the US maternity system is. It is so much more dangerous to deliver a baby in the hospital in the US. Did you know that we have the highest infant mortality rate in the industrialized world? We also allow drs to get around reporting maternal death as maternal death. So there is no accurate count of how many mothers are killed by their own sOB/GYNs. We are also one of the few industrialized countries that assume women will automatically be seen by a surgeon for a routine pregnancy. Would you go to a surgeon for a sore throat? Heck NO! Every other medical field is trying to find alternatives to surgery. ACOG even released a policy statement to guarantee the rise in the surgeries they perform--c-sections. They said it is too dangerous to have a vaginal birth after a cesarean (VBAC). No research other than stating that uterine rupture has incresed lately. Well, duh, they were using cytotec to induce contractions. Click on cytotec and tell me what you think.
Reaffirms my resolve to not deliver in a hospital if humanly possible (if the situation ever arises.) Wish I had had all this info 8 years ago. Please share this life-saving information with the women you love. Hospitals are wonderful, life saving places. For people who are sick and need their life saved. Birth is a natural, healthy process. There is nothing wrong with a pregnant woman or her babe. The hospital is likely the most dangerous place for her and that is sad.

GAK!

We love gooey stuff apparently. First the mud, then gak. It is this totally cool goop made from white glue and borax. Truly a great way for a couple of boys to spend a day inside.
Here are the instructions according to OMSI. We also played with adjusting how much water we added to the glue. It makes the flubber either stiffer or slimier. G wasn't sure what to make of it at first. But then M showed him how it bounced if you make a ball out of it. That got his attention!
Here's the pictures. We made a royal mess.
Okay, my computer is being fussy. The pictures will come soon.

Here they are (3-27-2007)