Half the Energy, Twice the Spunk

Today Tyler asked me what 'precise' means.
Yesterday he wanted to know what 'ensure' means.

Go ahead - try to come up with a 5-year-old-friendly definition for those... I dare ya.

This evening he announced that I was being 'dictatorish' (he was right - I was).

That is all.

Much of our days are spent outdoors this time of year. The long winters make for 'yard junkies' come summer.
Since we were fortunate enough to luck into a massive yard, we have spent the better part of 2 years getting it established as our 'paradise'. The end result is a very blurry line between 'outside' and 'inside' come the warm months... most of our meals happen on our deck (bringing me one step closer to my ultimate dream of a 'hose-down kitchen')... the boys live in their play structure and pool... and they have no concept that the gravel driveway is for anything more than the exclusive use of their tonka trucks.

The other aspect that the boys are fully involved in is our garden.





It spans the entire yard - we have a large 15'X15' plot in the corner of the front yard with rows of potatoes, squash, onions, beans and the like. We have pots... everywhere... pots on the steps, pots on the deck, pots on the walkway, pots in the driveway, in the greenhouse... pots of Tomatoes, peas, tomatos, beans, tomatos, squash, cucumbers, more tomatos, flowers, roses, and (you guessed it) tomatos... did I mention the tomatos?

The neighbors have jokingly called us the tomato ranchers... between what we planted, and the seedlings we 'adopted' from our neighbors who ran out of room, we have over 20 tomato plants.

The boys both helped prepare the plot and the pots, plant the seeds, transplant the seedlings, pull the weeds, and are now getting into helping pick the potatos and beans and onions that have been ripening (a tast made MUCH more appealing when they realised that the garden is FULL of worms, slugs, centipedes and spiders)! Eating food you have grown yourself is such a treat!



Our days are spent wandering from the house to the deck to the pool...
The boys have found many different ways to put their 9$ wal mart special blow-up pool to good use..
Though I had to break it to Tyler that no, we cannot stock it with trout... He understood though - he did afterall point out that the fishooks would pop the pool anyways.
Regardless - troutless as it is - they enjoy it just the same. Today the water ended up black with mud...



I would be remiss to point out that mom too loves the yard. While I don't necessarily get too gung ho about the pool (though that may change since I've discovered Tamara's blog and her families fantastic use of their small pool I'm sure laps lie in our future too), there is a simple, carefree bliss that goes with sitting on the deck, in a patch of shade, with a good book and a glass of orange juice.




Life continues to be good.

K

Every now and then they sneak up on us...

Days where the lines between this bizarre, challenging, scary, yet delightfully unique life we are leading and that universally percieved 'normal' it always seems everyone else is leading blurs.

A day where all the 'scary' of Brandon's disease fades into the background, and from the moment we wake up to the time we settle the boys into bed, everything seems perfectly as it should be.

Today was such a day for us.

It was a day of lounging in the sunshine on the deck, playing in the grass, the inflatable pool, chasing the cat, capturing fishflies and dragonflies and slugs and worms. It was the dinner time BBQ with family, fights with cousins over who gets the toy sword and who gets the cap gun. It was music, and highway driving with the windows down, counting motorbikes on the way. It was wandering out in the water as far as we dared at the beach, sand in our shoes, scrapes and bruises. It was heat (oh the heat!), beach umbrellas, cherry freezies, and tonka trucks in the mud.
It was quiet time at the table with crayons, and 'loud time' downstairs with the aforementioned cousins. It was fresh muffins and apple juice in bed, settled in for 'movie night'...

From start to finish, it was all just so 'normal'.

We get so little 'normal' that when it sneaks up on us, it's such a treat.




Wishing you and yours many Ordinary Days of your own. May you recognize and enjoy them when they come.



K

Some long awaited pictures...

I'll let the boys do most of the talking for this morning's escapades...


This morning we changed the whole 'pool' thing up a bit... Turns out the slide doubles as a fantastic water park...



Much fun was had by all...



Brandon ADORES water... Between the relief from the heat (and do we have heat this week!) and the general 'fun' factor - he is always game for a dip!


Tyler pretty much throws his heart into anything and everything he does... water included.



More of the same...



The facial expressions are awesome :)



Tylers 'shiner'... if you ask him what happened he will plainly inform you that "my brother threw and ambulance at me"... to which Brandon adamantly responds that Tyler hurt his arm first by throwing a zamboni at him... (He frantically signs 'tyler' 'throw' 'cleaning truck' (his sign for their toy zamboni) 'wrist' 'hurt'... for a kid that can't talk this boy has plenty to say!).
Sadly I witnessed the whole thing and they are indeed telling the truth.


This about sums up the morning...

As I said earlier - life is good.

K

Pictures to come!

The boys are doing GREAT!

Brandon is quite tired these days - I suspect it's the heat wearing him down - but he is healthy and in good spirits, so we have little to complain about.

With a forcast full of sunshine and heat, we plan on spending our days on the deck and in the yard.

Life is good!

K

Everyone is healthy.

Everyone is doing well.

Everyone is adjusting to the endless swarm of mosquitos.

As for the rest, I'll let the pictures do the talking!



Mr. Drama himself.... apparently the slide is not so easy to go down when you're in wet shorts...



Cannon Ball!



More showing off...



Brandon too enjoyed the pool very much...



I swear this boy has a million expressions...



Pensive moment (actually he was looking at a bug he had just captured...)



Brandon's cannonball!