Garden for Children

Today is the day! The day that we have been counting down to for two weeks. The day that the special shirt and shoes can be worn. The day that some parents jump for joy while others cry. For most schools in Iowa, today is the first day of school.

As a teacher, I loved going back to school. I looked forward to all the new school supplies, the new bulletin board design, and the new students. Even the old students had a fresh start. The smell of waxed floor, shop, and dirt (from the attached greenhouse) was always a welcomed calling card.

 

 

When I left teaching I didn't miss any of it, but that was when I had a 3-year old, a 2-year old, and a brewing baby in utero. I had a year of babies with more potty training talk than any contemplation of school.

Last year both boys went off to preschool-3-year old and 4-year old. It was tough, but they were only there half days every other day. Today my 5-year old started Kindergarten, which means he will spend more time at school than at home. I coped by avoiding to buy school supplies for as long as possible, which my mother-in-law did mostly. My husband took care of the uniform, which meant he ordered 5 pairs of the same pants and shirts from Amazon.

When my Kindergartener asked me how many days until the first day of school, I knew I had to start sharing his excitement. He was happy to tell his little brother that he was going to the big kid classroom with bigger toys.

So everyone in the family woke up bright and early this morning, and both boys dressed in the school uniform. My preschooler doesn't start school for another week and doesn't have to wear the uniform, but he wanted to be like his "best big brother." He even wore his backpack to help drop off his brother. When it was time to say goodbye, my Kindergartener could not wait to play while my preschooler cried.

I made the usual "first day of kindergarten" sign and I looked up kindergarten to check my spelling. The first definition that came up was "garden for children." I will now think of it like that.

Baby #4

When asked why we keep having babies after a friend confirmed that he was never having any, I pointed to my belly and said that this is our way of contributing to society. We had a good laugh about it; however, when I was teaching that was the goal, so why shouldn't it be the goal as a parent? If children are the future, why not have a whole house full of them. Well, not like the lady that lived in a shoe.

Sixteen weeks has flown by. It seems like just yesterday my doctor was congratulating us after telling me that this fourth baby would just walk out. After I gave him a good frown, everyone laughed.

This pregnancy has been very much like the others, in which it has me vomiting with just the smell of men's aftershave. I will spare you the more gruesome details of my first trimester, and hope for a nicer second trimester. This baby is making a very plump appearance in the start of the second trimester, which wasn't the case with my other babies.

The boys and girl were told about their new sibling with an ultrasound picture in the play place at McDonalds. My oldest immediately rubbed my belly and started talking to the baby like his best playmate. Now both boys rub my belly, talk to my belly, and give it kisses. I frown at my husband when my oldest tells me he should carry his 1-year old sister around because I shouldn't be carrying around two babies. I wonder where he got that idea.

Almost halfway through the pregnancy has me wondering about the gender. We won't find out, but I like to guess. What's your guess?

Bunny Burial

"Should we feed him to the cat or let the angels take him?" My 5-year asked when our bunny died. I expected him to be upset with tears, but his eyes were dry waiting for my reply. My 4-year old was in much the same condition. I think I was more upset then they were. I told them we would bury him and let the angels take him. I think they were expecting the bunny to magically disappear with the angels. They didn't ask questions, but instead went to get their shovels for the burial.

The morning routine for the boys has been to go outside immediately upon opening their eyes. Sometimes they remember to get dressed, but they always remember their rubber boots. The morning of the bunny burial the boys had been playing with their bunnies, gently of course. They put them back in their cage and we went back to unpacking. The cage was located in full sun, but it was a cool morning so I wasn't concerned. By mid morning we went back outside to move their cage into the shade, but it was too late. The male bunny, Thumper, died and the female was huddled around the water bottle in sad shape. She recovered nicely, but the damage was done. I explained to the boys why Thumper had died. They accepted my explanation, and started looking for an appropriate  place to bury him.

Now that we only have one bunny, the boys spoil her. They insist on carrying her around everywhere. They even sing her a goodnight lullaby that I sing to them.

We Bought a Farm

With chickens in our backyard and pigs at my parent's place, it became clear what we were missing-a farm. After slowly driving by countless properties for sale and some suspicion of stalking, my mother-in-law emailed us about an acreage with a square farmhouse for sale. We went to look at it the next day.

A row of giant pine trees blocked the view of the property from the gravel road, so our stalker tendencies wouldn't have proven valuable. The white square farmhouse came into view once we turned into the drive. It had three porches with rocking chairs and a swing. The roof was green metal with a lightening rod that looked like it belonged on a barn. The detached two stall garage came into view with a giant shed behind it. As we toured the property, the ponies and kitties entertained our kids. Along with the play set and trampoline the owners had for their grandchildren.

I had told my husband that when we looked at a place we would just know or we would see a sign. Our sign was in the back shed. The owner had a 1951 Kaiser Sedan. This car was special to us because we almost named our second son after it. Our AMC collection of cars would fit nicely in that same shed. My husband gave me a big smile, and I knew that we would make an offer, which we did later that day.

Three months later and it's officially ours. We are in the process of moving and putting our current house up for sale. The long absence from the blog has ended. I'm more excited than ever to share our adventures now that we bought a farm.

4 years old already

"I'm a grown up now." My 4-year said the week following his birthday. My 5-year old was happy to correct him. He explained that he's older and he's not a grown up yet, so little brother was definitely not a grown up.

Last year we celebrated with a big cowboy party complete with a horse. How could we top that? A whole petting zoo? At that rate we would be going to Disneyland for his 10th birthday, not to mention his sibling's birthdays. So I stopped trying to come up with a better party.

I made his birthday dinner special with guests that included his grandparents, decorations, cake, games, and presents. The menu was the usual Iowan cuisine of ham, cheesy potatoes, calico beans, and Jello. This hearty meal was followed by a nap by grandpa and the birthday boy cuddling on the couch. Grandma, or Elmo as the grand kids call her, fell asleep on the other couch while my husband gave our oldest a lesson on the Super Nintendo. Mario Brothers made for good birthday fun.

After everyone was refreshed from their rest we ate birthday cake, which was a homemade vanilla cake complete with homemade vanilla frosting and strawberries. The birthday boy had a 3 layer cake all to himself. Each layer was actually made for each one of the kids. The largest bottom layer reserved for the birthday boy.

This sugar induced excitement made tearing into wrapping paper a snap. Weeks before his birthday he proclaimed he wanted a xylophone for his birthday, which I can only thank Curious George for, so his grandparents started off his musical talent with one. Hotwheels cars, a whistle, coloring books, and Legos were also added to his toy collection when we told him to open the front door. "A bike!" He exclaimed as he opened the door jumping around. The Spider-Man bike was ridden around the living room even after the guests departed.

As evening fell on his birthday the kids put their pajamas on and we drove to the drive-in movies to enjoy The Beauty and The Beast. The birthday boy seemed to enjoy making blanket nests around our mini van better than the movie.

His birthday didn't need horses or cowboy hats. It just needed all of us together doing our normal things like eating and napping with a little extra frosting.

 

Dino Diggers

 

"You two dig up dinosaurs?" Jurassic Park. I used to show Jurassic Park to my classes for a couple of reasons. It related to my genetics unit, and it is one of my favorite movies. I can't wait to show it to my toddlers. To feed their dinosaur obsession and to prepare them for all of the Jurassic Parks, we attend dinosaur exhibits and have many dinosaur toys. Our 1-year old even gave the boys dinosaurs when she was born. The Easter bunny heard about their dinosaur collection and gave them dinosaur models to dig up and put together. 

Sitting around the dining room table with trays and tools in hand, our toddler boys started digging in clay blocks looking for dinosaur bones. My husband and I tried to help, but I observed and documented the activity. Their comments are below:

"This is only for kids." My 3-year old told me when I tried to brush clay away. 

"We are scientists." My 5-year old said excitedly. 

 

"I wish these dinosaurs were real." 5-year old comment. 

"I think I found teeth." 3-year old comment. 

"This is just like Curious George." My 5-year old likes to do most everything Curious George does. 

"Daddy, I can't work with your big hands." My 5-year old told my husband after he tried to help. 

"This is more fun than books." My 5-year old said refering to the Curious George dinosaur book.

"Mommy, be more careful." My 3-year old reminded me after I stabbed myself with the minature wooden digging tool. 

"Stop blowing off the dust." My husband continued to remind them when we were coughing through the dust fog. 

My husband and I super glued the dinosaur bones together, which was a real challenge because some leg bones were broken in the excavation. My 5-year old had a T-rex and my 3-year old had a triceratops. Instead of having the delicate models fight with each other, they settled for painting them.  

It's always such fun to try something new and see what the boys will say. Now if they would just be old enough to watch Jurassic Park. 

Easter Tradition

"Let's tear apart the boat for Easter." Was my husband's suggestion of family fun for the long Easter weekend. I'm pretty good at taking things a part or demolition, so I agreed.

The last couple of years my husband has taken the opportunity of a three day weekend at Easter to visit a friend's shop to help and learn. This yearly visit has turned into our own project weekend mainly because our kids are old enough to help. All the years of accumulating projects, my husband was just making sure that he had family fun time ready.

The boat that we will tear apart is a 1964 Century Resorter with a V8 AMC/Jeep engine in it. The boat has rotted wood under the water line with an unrecognizable interior. The neat part about it is that all the metal is copper or brass or chome. We bought it so my husband could feed his obsession with obtaining Jeep engines.

Right now the boat is parked in the back grove out of site on my parent's farm. It has been sitting there for a couple of years, so I'm excited to downsize our collection. I'm also excited at the opportunity to recycle, up cycle, or just break and burn.

The boys are able to use screwdrivers, so this will be the first project that they will contribute to. Our 5-year old loves to help, so he will be a dedicated worker; however, our 3-year old would rather break things and move on. I see him spending more time on the trampoline than the boat. Our 1-year old will contribute by playing with the cats on the grass or being in the boat directing work.

Our family will do the usual Easter traditions of coloring eggs, hunting for them, and eating great food at family events, but working together towards a common goal is more important to me. It's also a tradition that I hope to continue.

Note: My husband will more than likely have pictures and video of the process, so be sure to check it out.