Friday, March 30, 2007

Winning the weed war

I feel a little bit silly about being so fixated on this, but above is our jungle of a flower bed in February....
and here it is as of yesterday. Soon, soon I will start planting flowers. And Jan Michael was able to mow the front yard yesterday since we've had two straight days without rain, so the lawn is a little less jungle-y too :)

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Of mud and hammers

Geared up for a hard (and wet) day's work.
I sent him off with a hug and "Try to stay dry. Meanwhile, I think I'll take a nap with the boys in front of the fire." :)
Smiles that make me smile
2/3 Pearson men
After two-and-a-half years of non-stop picture taking, Derek has the idea! He said to me two or three times yesterday, "Auntie take picture Derek." So I did :)

More from Saturday

Caleb on safari....
Gotcha, giraffe!
Derek spent a good long time practicing his scissors skills. Danny says another favorite past-time these days is potato and carrot peeling :)

A little bit sloppy! Thanks to Derek for lending his house-building clothes.
Brent and Danny's house! So fun to see the progress week to week.
In the kitchen and....
the dining room.
End of the day snuggle

Thursday, March 22, 2007

"You can't stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes." - Winnie the Pooh

Monday, March 19, 2007

Raindrops keep falling on our heads

Well, my goodness. How will I ever whip our backyard into shape if it doesn't stop raining? I suppose I could put on a raincoat and galoshes and sally forth anyway, but I'm not that dedicated.

Today, in my very high anticipation of warmer weather, I went through my closet and put all of my cold weather clothes away (this may be a little premature, but I can dream) and hung all of my warm weather clothes up. And boy, if that isn't motivation to do some extra tricep extensions and lunges, I don't know what is.

Finally, things I appreciate about spring (which officially begins Wednesday):
- the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival
- little birds chirping away in the early morning
- the smell of freshly cut grass
- Easter eggs
- our anniversary, Jan Michael's birthday, Sara's birthday, my Dad's birthday, Danny's birthday, Brent & Danny's anniversary, and my birthday

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Birthdays

Today my little brother turns 23. I called him an old man this morning on the phone and told him 30 was just around the corner, which he didn't seem to appreciate so well. He lives far away and looking at this picture makes me miss him. Sigh.
Yesterday was the birthday of my very dear mom-in-law, and I put this picture up, even though it's from last May, because she's surrounded by people that love her, and that's where she deserves to be.

* One more thing: It is currently 7:03 p.m. and it is not dark outside yet, which warrants a huge fist pump. Thank you, daylight savings time.

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Coming soon....

..to the flowerbed in our front yard: A delightful assortment of perennials, including Alyssum, Clarkia, Coleus, Columbine, Echinacea, Forget-Me-Nots, Foxglove, Pansy, Viola, Linaria, Nemophila, Nemesia and Mimulus. Since I'm only familiar with about three of these flowers, I'm excited for things to start growing so I can see what in the world I've planted. One of the best things about this seed mix is that I just had to scatter them around and rake a little bit of dirt over the top. I had enough of digging holes when I planted tulips earlier this year, thank you. (I'm a lazy gardener. The most brilliant, beautiful result for the absolute least amount of effort is my motto.)

Sunday, March 04, 2007

Family time

I had to crop myself out of this because I have a dumb smile, but Caleb is about the cutest thing ever when he sucks his thumb, so this picture is a must-see :)
Precious father-in-law, precious husband!
This was Derek's immediate response when I asked if he would have his picture taken with his uncle and auntie. Jan Michael was standing nearby with the camera and was able to capture his woe. But then....
he recovered :)
I love my family.

Saturday, March 03, 2007

Window #2


No more garden box, wahoooooooo!

We're headed to Centralia in a few minutes so Jan Michael can help Brent out at the building site. I'm spending the day with Danny & the boys, and then we're planning to eat dinner with my folks. This weekend should yield some nifty pictures :)

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Snow agaaaaaaaain

So if it has to snow just when flowers should be blooming instead, it's better to take advantage of it rather than sit inside and sulk.
He was supposed to be building a snowman, but he got sidetracked.

Buried alive!