Kate's Week with the Grandparents (a.k.a. My Spring Break!)

Over the week of Spring Break, my mom and dad offered to watch Kate and give Josh and I a little stay-at-home vacation. It was wonderful! Kate spent a fun-filled week in the country, while I had a productive and relaxing week at home. I slept in every day, completed my entire to-do list (everything from spring yard clean up to finishing Kate's baby book), Josh and I ate out multiple times that week with no kiddo in tow (think of it!), and I even had time for some pampering for myself. Now, I've felt a little guilty sharing my wonderful spring break with some other stay-at-home moms, who--whether they admit it or not--tend to have a glazed look of envy when they hear about my week. So, if you're thinking the only pampering you know involves diaper cream and wipes...forgive me, I just had to share. :)


Here are some snapshots that my parents took during Kate's week with them:

Sitting on Grandpa's tractor:

Checking out the bunnies & chicks at their local co-op:

At the Tyler Zoo:

Helping Grandma clean up:

Ah, fresh country air!

The Good Earth...and the Bad

I decided to start a vegetable garden this year. I've wanted to ever since we moved into our current house, but the timing never seemed to work. I thought this spring would be perfect, since Kate is old enough to help "tend" the garden--and she loves playing and digging in dirt anyway.

So last week, I decided to break ground on the garden. Had I known the extent of "breaking" that was required, I might not have been so eager. Every single shovel thrust hit rock! I knew the ground around here was rocky, but come on. It's only a 6' by 6' plot, but you'd have thought I was busting up a driveway. But I trudged on...using muscles I didn't know were there until I felt them hurt the next day. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday went like this. Shovels and shovels of rocks. And, when I dug past the rock, there were about 6 inches of compact clay that might as well have been rock. Finally on Thursday night I asked Josh for help, and strong fella that he is he was able to finish up most of the plot. Of course, I told him it was much quicker for him since he didn't have Kate stopping him every 2 minutes to look for earth worms (or "wormen" as she calls them--thanks, Backyardigans).

During those first few days, I thought about what God said to Adam after he and Eve ate the forbidden fruit: ". . . cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth to you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return." Yep. I think I have a new appreciation.

After toiling in the garden all week, we finally prepared a bed that I think--hope--will bear some decent crops. Of course that's after eight cubic feet of compost and a whole bunch of raking/hoeing/aerating. So, today Kate and I planted our first seeds--some purple hull peas and sugar snap peas. I know she will enjoy watching them sprout and grow, as well as the watering and fertilizing along the way. It'll be fun, but it sure would be nice if we had perfect soil to begin with. I guess there'll be no need for compost in the New Jerusalem . . . but Austin's another matter.

The Last Days of Winter

These pictures are from a trip to our neighborhood park that Kate and I made specifically to play in the leaves. I realized that winter was drawing to a close and Kate hadn't really played in leaves at all this year. So, we went to our park, which has a wonderful grove of oak trees, and made a big pile of leaves. Kate was tickled to sit in it and inspect each twig, acorn, and leaf she encountered. I love that she's an outdoorsy girl.

Then & Now...

Prom, April 1996

Prom, February 2009

My parents came into town to watch Kate so Josh and I could go out for Valentine's Day. We attended a "Second Chance Prom" hosted by our Sunday school class at church. It was fun to dress up and spend a night on the town with friends.

Now it's time for so long...

As if we needed any more proof of Kate's fascination--nay, obsession--with Blue's Clues, yesterday morning Josh was heading out the door for work as usual and he said, "Bye Kate."

Kate replied, "Bye Steve."

Hallelujah! We're on the mend!

As our family and some friends know, for the past few weeks Kate has been battling a terrible sickness that kept her running a high fever for 9 consecutive days. We made three trips to the doctor during that time, and after testing her blood, urine, and a chest x-ray, they deduced that it must be super-duper virus that just had to run its course. We were so thankful that her fever broke on Wednesday and she seems to have made a full recovery. Thank you to everyone who prayed for her! (Now we just have to wean her off tv, eating on the couch, waking up every 3 hours, wanting to sleep in our bed, and every other bad habit we allowed in order to keep our sanity over the last two weeks.) Oi vey.

Christmas Wishes

Josh and I are discovering how much fun it is to enjoy Christmas through the eyes of a child. We pray the years ahead are filled with the same joy and wonderment we were blessed with this year. From our family to yours, Merry Christmas!

(Though we wish we could claim credit for these pics, the props belong to Rocky Conly. Thanks Rocky!)