dandelions and more

Whitney using the sippy cup like it's supposed to be used.

I'm really impressed with this particular tree.  Last year it had hardly any blossoms because it was so overgrown.  I pruned it like mad, and even thought it died because I had pruned so much off, but this year, the amount of blossoms tripled.

Whitney likes to take pics by her daffodils

This is a favorite part of my yard now that they are blooming

Whitney wanted a picture with the pig, so here we are

She also wanted a picture by the horse...

.... and with the sheep

This is what Tucker is doing currently when I ask him to smile

The park after the tulip festival

Yep.  The park was the best part of the tulip festival

Me trying to be as awesome of a photographer as the photographer that was selling pics in the gift shop.  Yeah.  His pic is definitely worth more money.

An example of a tulip field

by the pink tulip field

Look!  Rojo!

Tucker is smiling at the tractor that just drove by

What a crazy and fun couple of weeks.  The sun has started shining every couple of days or so.  Now that I've been here for a year, I know that it won't really get much warmer than this, so might as well pretend it's summer and put on short sleeves and sandels.  Which is what we did.

We went to the Tulip festival.  Apparently a bit early as we could only find one field with some colors blooming, but it was incredible regardless.  Tucker thinks the tractor was the best part and Whitney thinks it was the scariest.

I feel like I haven't spent as much time playing with the kids as I normally do.  It was spring break here two weeks ago, so I took advantage and had the neighborhood girls play with Tucky and Whitney while I went to various appointments and weeded the yard like crazy.  I think it all worked out well.  Tucky and Whitney now have some great friends, a quarter of the yard is weeded and my teeth are clean, hair is cut and physical taken for me.

I went to a continuing education course all day one Tuesday, so they were at a friend's house all day.  

Jim also has been with them a bunch at night.  One night I went to a gardening class for this area, another night I went to Activity Days and then I did some babysitting swap nights with my friend so Jim and I were out one night and I was with her kids another night.   Another night Jim took them while I went kayaking (yep, not getting any warmer, so might as well go with good light) at night after he had gone razorclamming in the morning.  Tomorrow I plan on being with them in the sun (if it stays like the weather says) all day long.

Since I've been out of the house more these last couple of weeks, I haven't kept up with inside stuff as much, like cleaning and cooking or blogging, but I finally got it done today, even though it is sunny.  Feel lucky.

A note about dandelions. They are amazing little weeds. First of all, they grow, I'm sure nationwide. They've been in all lawns I've mowed. Amazing that they can live in temperate climates, deserts climates and a temperate rainforest (which is, I've found out,what I live in: a type of rain forest) there is even an intersection in town that bass a dandelion growing on the manhole dead center of this intersection. I usually can't stand those weeds, but Whitney taught me better this week. We were on a walk and I squatted down low to point out some forget me nots that were starting to bloom. We looked at and admired these flowers, then continued on. Very soon after, there were some dandelions. Whitney promptly squatted down, just as had, to admire those a dandelions. I didn't copy her behavior, so she promptly stood up, as if she wasn't supposed to do that. I felt bad later, as I had inadvertently taught her to value one flower above another. What is wrong with dandelions anyway? They are obviously survivor plants, and are even partly edible. It taught me a lesson, too, about people. May I never inadvertently teach her to value one person above another. Still on the subject of plant values. I went to a free gardening workshop a few days ago. They had the discussion of moss. It is very prevalent here. It's in everyone's lawns. There are services here that specialize in removing moss from lawn. I guess just like how there are services in Japan or remove lawn from moss gardens. Th grass/moss is always greener on the other side.

 Today Tucker was entertaining me by taking care of Baby. He started out feeding her banana, then played tickle with her feet and wanted me to make her laugh. Then he put her in time out. After that he went and got other baby and played "big snuggle". It's what they call it when I carry them both at the same time. It looks so funny to have him carrying two babies, but it must be what it looks like all the time around here.

Whitney is starting to go to the bathroom without supervision, including washing hands. She loves her independence, even though at times I cringe or want the process to go much, much faster. Today she wanted to go in our bathroom instead of hers, which has the stool in it so she can do all this alone. I died laughing when she came into our bathrooms, pants down around her ankles carrying the stool. She had walked all the way down the hall and around the corner like that. What a lot of work.

This week Tucker may have shown 5seconds of interest in potty training. Now that Whitney can tear the toilet paper off and throw it in herself, it might be worth it. He sat on the potty just for that reason. So he could tear the paper and throw it in. I have all my toilet paper rolls off the holders for a reason.

They love to pick out their clothes.  This is how it goes.  I give them a choice of two shirts (or underpants, or pants, or pjs).  They get a huge smile, hop from one foot to the other as they glance back and forth between the two choices, then grab the item of choice with both hands and pull down fast while saying "that one!".  Well.  That is, until I had Whitney pick out her Sunday dress the other day.  I gave her the choice between her Hawaii/daddy dress and another dress.  She didn't even look at the other dress, just smiled really big at the hawaii dress, danced and, before she could pull on it, Tucker said "Whitney!  That one!"  He, too, wanted her to wear the Hawaii looking dress.  It made me laugh.

Tucker likes to wear his chugga-chugga-choo-choo pjs.  They can get in and out of the tub now, so he will climb out and sing the whole name while he goes looking for it, all soaking wet unless I stop him.  There are a few favorites in the house.