A Rainy Weekend

Rainy weekends are good for a lot of things.  One advantage for me is always reorganizing.  I took on the chore of going through the kid's clothes this weekend.  As the seasons change, moms and dads have to change out the kid's clothes to match the new season approaching.  

This always gives us an opportunity to give away clothes and items we no longer need.  I have big Tupperware containers that have each of the boys specific sizes in.  For example, I have a bin for 5 year olds that aren't being used.  So, I was able to put away the 3 yr old clothes Kalen just finished using and tuck them away for Brayden to use next year.  Refolding the clothes that the kids will be using is a refreshing feeling.   I came across a bin of 2 year old clothes that I didn't know about.  That was nice.  

Kalen, my little wardrobe modifier, loved getting in on the action yesterday and today.  At one point today, Kalen and Brayden were both going through bins and trying things on.  My little photographer/reporter, Madelyn, was on the job with the camera.  She totally initiated the photo opportunity.  I didn't think it was all that exciting.  As I looked around at the kid's faces, that were full of glee, I soon knew that this was indeed special.  Maddie's pictures show their excitement.  

The kids really enjoyed a weekend of play.  I breathed deep several times throughout the weekend as the kids would run after each other from room to room just playing.  They imagined they were the characters of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, horses in a race, and then there was the train play as they got out all three clothes hampers. (Miraculously, the hampers were empty.  That doesn't happen often.)  Of course, there were moments when someone would get thrown off someone else and there were tears and/or screaming.  It's going to happen right?  All in all, they proved that they could really get along well and use their imaginations.  

Last night, as I folded all the clothes that were in those hampers, Scott and I watched the Carolina game.  That was fun.  Thankfully, the Tarheels are headed to the Final Four!  Go Heels!  Scott says that this is the first time he truly has something invested in these NCAA games.  

The best advantage to all this rain is the watering of the earth and our precious garden.  We bought some new vegetables and herbs to plant.  We picked up some yellow onions, peppers, more tomato plants, parsley, and chives.  Our lettuce, broccoli, collard greens and chard are doing very well.  When we get another warm day, we will put the new stuff in the ground and/or in containers.  We are loving the fact that soon we will be harvesting our own produce.   

A Quote for the Day

"We should all do what, in the long run, gives us joy, even if it is only picking grapes or sorting the laundry."

E.B. White, Letters of E.B. White

Our Night Eater

Our little pet marsupial still comes around. I have not reported much about him in a long while, but that doesn't mean that he has not been active at the compost bucket. We believe he is quite fond of our leftovers.

For my newer readers, we have a Virginia Opossum that climbs up on our back deck and chows down at our compost bucket. We spied him tonight before the kids went to bed. He is not scared of our movements. He is always so determined to get his grub.

Don't worry Mom, Dad and the rest of you, we don't interact with our pet. He/she is so amazing to watch.  Maybe we should name him/her.  Any suggestions?

Highlights

Life is good and full.  Many times throughout the day I catch myself just taking a big deep breath, trying to take everything in.  We have many ups and downs throughout our week.  Here are some of the ups . . .

Aunt Shanda gave Julian a Lego set for his birthday.  He has had fun putting some of the creatures together.  He made a spider and a wasp. It is amazing how he can put those things together.  I commented to him about how incredible it is that he can put things together so well.  He responded with, "Well, you could do it, Mom."  I quickly said, "Oh Julian, Mommy can't do that as well as you.  God has given you a special gift that Mommy doesn't really have."  He looked at me in wonder.  Thank you, Shanda, for supporting this very special interest he has.

Julian had his first soccer practice Monday.  He did well.  We all were out there watching him.  He really enjoyed it.  His team is called Orange Crush.  His first game is Saturday.  :)

I finished another knitting project.  I started it weeks ago when I was sick.  I made Scott a gray hat.  It turned out alright.  I also made a baby hat a few weeks ago.  Those are really fun.  

By the way, Scott's ankle is doing a lot better.  He went to a little rehab session yesterday and the trainer was impressed by Scott's determination.  He is healing well and pushing towards a soccer game next week.  We'll see.

This week, the kids have been going out back behind our fence to explore in the natural area and patch of pine trees.  All four of them go back there together and root around for creatures.  They have found that a lot of bugs and snails live under some big rocks we have back there.  They have created some little habitats in containers and captured some of them.  They love the snails.  At least once a day I have heard, "Mom, I got slimed by a snail!"  Good times.

Today, we are heading to the museum and back home for movie night.  The fun never stops.  We have not been to the museum for awhile.  We plan on spending the whole afternoon there.  I don't think I have mentioned it lately, but I truly enjoy how much there is do with my kids here in Durham.  As a homeschooling family, it has been so nice to pick and choose (weekly) from so many rich activities.  I miss our small town moments we had in Boone.  There is nothing like it.  However, city life has it's benefits.  I am coming around.   

Rethinking the Meat Guzzler

A week or so ago, a friend sent me a link to an article in the New York Times.  It is entitled Rethinking the Meat Guzzler.  It is a powerful take on our need to reduce our meat consumption.  It is not graphic.  Please, do read it.

Have you ever seen a real feedlot or a photo of one?  I hadn't.  It is quite disturbing.  There is no mention within this article about the details of what goes on within a feedlot, but you can imagine.  

*At about 5 percent of the world’s population, we “process” (that is, grow and kill) nearly 10 billion animals a year, more than 15 percent of the world’s total.*

The author of this article is not a vegetarian.  I am excited and thankful to see this type of information in mainstream media.  I would love to see meat eating reduced.  You all know about my compassion towards animals. 

*Animal welfare may not yet be a major concern, but as the horrors of raising meat in confinement become known, more animal lovers may start to react. And would the world not be a better place were some of the grain we use to grow meat directed instead to feed our fellow human beings?*

In Bill Cosby's words (although not pertaining to this), "Come on People!"

Our Julian is 8!

Today, our firstborn son turned 8!  Julian is growing up before our very eyes.  

Let me tell you 8 fabulous things about our little man. 

Julian is . . .

a morning person

an amazing reader

a fierce protector

so good at putting things together

a fruit lover & overall healthy eater

a facts guy

loyal

& artistic

Today, at 5:53pm I recalled the moment he was born.  I remember the sun shining in on my hospital bed.  I remember, clearly, the unexplainable joy that I experienced when I heard his first cry and cradled him in my arms.  God has blessed us richly with Julian.  He has taught us so much through him.  We are so thankful for him.  

Celebrating Jules

Happy 8th Birthday to Julian!

Grandma and Annette showed up and surprised Julian with some gifts and hugs.

Grandpa and Nana treated Julian to lunch out at Mellow Mushroom.

  

Our little Superman Brayden enjoying himself.

My sweet family in Downtown Durham outside of Mellow Mushroom.

Jan and Jerry (Nana and Grandpa) with the kids.

Julian gets a Playmobil Roman Ship.  

Vegan Chocolate Birthday Cake

Kalen sprints to find eggs in the backyard.  He really enjoyed this.

Madelyn and Julian finding their fair share of eggs.

Julian was truly honored today.  We had so much fun.  We started out with breakfast at Weaver Street Market, a darling little hot spot in downtown Carrboro.  We had oatmeal with this delicious berry topping, along with bagels.  Yum! We then went over to the Farmer's Market and bought some chard and tomatoes to add to our garden.  We also spoke with some nice folks about Obama.  They had some signs and pins and info about the campaigning that is currently going on in NC.  We proudly took a sign home with us.  We went home and were surprised when my Mom and Annette showed up.  What a sweet treat it was to see them.  They wanted to see Julian for his birthday and gave him some gifts.  Soon after, Shanda, Jan and Jerry came.  They treated Julian to lunch out at Mellow Mushroom.  

We had cake, enjoyed a backyard egg hunt, enjoyed the sun & opened some gifts.  As always, we love spending time with the Morrisons.  

Julian requested one of his favorite meals; cabbage, green beans, black-eyed peas, and cornbread.  With that, he had some of Nana's special homemade applesauce.  He and Scott ran out to Blockbuster and he chose a movie to watch this evening with the kids, Disney's Dinosaur.  It is a cute movie with an emphasis on togetherness and family.  But before that, he had a special bath time with Kalen and their Roman ships.  What a day it was!  

Crunchy Cons Excerpt

I am reading a chapter in a book called Crunchy Cons by Rod Dreher.  The chapter is entitled Education,  my husband thought I would enjoy it.  It speaks mostly of homeschooling.  He writes:

The ultimate point of all education is not to accumulate facts and technique, but to become virtuous - that is to discover how the knowledge we acquire ought to be applied.  This is the difference between knowledge and wisdom.  We are called to be wise.

I like this.  I think his words and thoughts on this are true.  It makes me think of the book of Proverbs.  Although I want to educate my children about a number of things, mostly, I want to give them skills in order to put the needs of others first and treat them properly.  I want their ways to be pure, nice and decent; comfortably exuding self-restraint and kindness.

My Patient

This morning I got a call from Scott at 7:35 am.  I knew something was up.  He goes on Tuesdays and Fridays to play basketball with some guys from our church.  They play ball at 6am.  I know, true love of the sport, right?  

So, he calls and tells me that he hurt his ankle.  Long story short, he did indeed hurt it badly. We took him to UNC's health care place and they took care of him, sending him away with crutches and an air cast.  Thankfully, he didn't break it, but he sprained it pretty bad.  

The thing that has made Scott so sick about all this is that he was suppose to play soccer tonight.  He just joined a league and has been so pumped about being out there playing one of his favorite sports.  Oh, how he loves his basketball and soccer.  That was the first thing he thought of as soon as he heard his ankle pop, I CAN'T PLAY SOCCER TONIGHT!.  

He has been in my care all day.  Although I wish him well, I have enjoyed him being helpless today.  It has been a wonderful opportunity to pamper him.  He is eating it up, of course.  

I had to post some pictures.  Let's just say we are even now, after all those sickly photos he posted of me when I was ill.  :)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pre-Christian Irish.

The kids and I watched part of a Veggie Tale (the Sumo one) this morning and it told the story of St. Patrick. Look him up on Wikipedia if you don't know his story. It is quite interesting.

Snakes, Geckos & Toads . . . Oh My!

Saturday, our family visited the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh. This museum was hosting a free, all day event about reptiles and amphibians.

You can see from the photos that we truly had a hands on experience there. It was wonderful. The kids were able to touch, hold and learn about lots of creatures. They were able to hold some snakes and geckos. Scott and I were so proud of how open the kids were to touching and holding these amazing creatures.

The museum was packed with people. The building has four levels and all of them were loaded with live reptiles and amphibians. Needless to say, we were quite tired when we left. We were able to come home, rest and regroup and then go out to our friend's house for dinner and play. When we returned that night, we found a little toad by our front steps. Julian ran for his field guide and described it as an American Toad. Kalen couldn't contain himself as he ran for something to put the little guy into. Scott captured it and Kalen was able to hold it. After the little toad was checked out by the whole Morrison family, Kalen released him back into the wet grass. What a full, critter friendly day!

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

God's greatest gift to me this past week has been the sunshine.  I speak of it often, I know.  With getting over these sicknesses and dealing with some attitude problems, it has been so freeing to step outside and feel the warmth of the sun.  It has been so revitalizing.  

Yesterday, we had some friends over.  Payton and Jordan came over to our house and Kalen went over to their house to play with their little brother, Blake.  This is a trade off that I have worked out with my friend, Lisa.  It is so nice.  One reason it is so nice is because we live five minutes from one another.  Also, it is wonderful to have these kids in our home, sharing our toys and just living life with us.  

We have enjoyed our neighborhood park this week as well.  The kids call it the "squirrel park".  You could probably guess why they do.  It is a great little spot to roam and play.  

Today, we filled up the water table.  I did this mostly for Brayden, but the others enjoyed it as well.  Madelyn and Julian went out with Scott for the afternoon.  Kalen and I had some quality time together while Brayden slept.  We played games, had a fun snack, rode our bikes together, played ball, folded laundry, put sheets on Maddie's bed, and had a little rest time.  Kalen is a great pal and a super helper. 

 

I love summer, it is my favorite season.  However, I am really enjoying Durham this time of year.  Having the windows open, seeing the kids bare feet, and feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin . . . it is just glorious.  

Tomorrow, we are going to an event at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh.  They are doing this reptile and amphibian all day event.  We'll come home for naps and then we are heading to our friend's house for the evening.  Should be fun!