This Weekend's Project!

I have been so excited about gardening this year that I just couldn't wait any longer! I got Karl on board and told him about my ideas for our garden this year...

We have a pretty big square area in the very back of the yard by the play structure that has been fenced off from the chickens and has served as our garden for the last 2 years. Last year we had bell peppers, corn, tomatillos, peas, carrots, and then added a (now VERY huge) artichoke plant. Last year the corn and tomatillos pretty much took over all the little things growing in the garden and made it pretty impossible to harvest. This year I wanted all the fun plants that the kids can pick things from and nibble to be easily accessible, so we built some planter boxes!

I am so happy with how these turned out! They are tall, but not too tall that Dillon can't reach them. We made 2 but only had the dirt for one this weekend, so we planted some of the seeds we had on hand. We planted a cherry tomato plant, green onions, lettuce, peas, carrots, and radishes. The second box will hold soybeans, a yellow cherry tomato plant, and lots of strawberries. Yum!!

I can't wait for summer! With any luck we will be able to get TONS of fresh fruits and veggies straight from our backyard- pesticide free and yummy!

This year's yummies include:

Peaches

Apricots
Green Apples

Mandarins

Red and Yellow Cherry tomatoes

Strawberries

Soybeans

Green Onions

Lettuce

Radish

Carrots

Peas

Corn

Artichokes

Bell Peppers

Tomatillos (They're basically weeds. Planted them 3 years ago and they keep coming back!)

Possibly potatoes for the same reason as the tomatillos!

At last the pictures!:

Dillon helping... notice that once again his shoes are MIA. Grrrr...

Nailing the boards. In case you're wondering, Cam popped his head over every once in a while. He had Erwin over and they were doing crazy things on the trampoline. Oh and Uncle Brian surprised the kids with gift cards to Game Stop so the kids kept running in to play with their new games. Thanks again Unkie B!!

At last, the finished project!! We stained them with Redwood stain and I think they look just amazing! The kids had such a great time planting, they will be thrilled when everything grows!

Day Two Update

Good news to report! Dillon got up this morning at 7, played on the computer off and on for a bit, and then at 10 when he tried to log in again, it didn't let him on. He came over to me, took my hand, and said "Come on Mommy, when i clicked the robot (his icon) my computer said it was time for quiet time playing in my room." He and I played with Legos and cars for over an hour! I got up and did some laundry and he stayed in his room and kept building on his own for another 20 minutes!
So far today (It's almost 3 o'clock) he hasn't played or even asked to play his computer. Cameron invited Erwin over and all day today they have played in their room or in the backyard. No fighting, just fun. It has been SOOOO nice!!!

Here's today's newest activity.... The boys room fort!

How could I not have noticed?

I've talked to some friends and family before about how Dillon doesn't really play with toys but it hit me on Wednesday that Dillon doesn't play with anything in our house, ever. I spent a good portion of Wed. dusting Dillon's toys. Dusting them! Because they aren't played with. Not a single toy in our house moves on any given day. It's not that he doesn't have anything fun either. He has 5 bins under his bed: Rokenbok construction, a huge train set, G.I. Joes, Legos, and Playmobiles. He has an entire toy cabinet filled with action figures, cars, dress up, etc. We have at least 10 little kid board games, an arts and crafts cabinet, "homework" books and coloring papers, crayons, pencils, paints, etc. galore. In the living room he has puzzles, books, little people sets, I could just go on and on and on. And 99% of the time (I can almost say 100%) NOTHING moves. NOTHING gets played with. I don't know how I didn't notice any of this until now.
So what does Dillon do during the day? Well he plays out in the backyard either on the big wooden or small plastic playstructure, chases the chickens, wrestles with the dog, or jumps on the trampoline. We also spend a lot of time out doing things. We go to different parks several times a week, play afterschool on the playground at Cam's school, and we go to The Jungle and Chuck E Cheese quite often. He also has one favorite thing that he spends waaaaay too much time with. His computer. Oh and to be honest, both the boys watch too much t.v. For a while we had restrictions on the tv and computer, but lately, we've really let it slide and they spend way too much time doing both.
What's my plan? Well, we installed Windows 7 on Dillon's computer. (Thanks Uncle Kurt!) It has great parental controls and we were able to set up specific hours that the computer will operate. We set it from 6am-10am. Since we don't normally get home from getting Cam until almost 9am, that means he gets about an hour a day. Today has gone really, really well!! He got up and played from 7:00-7:30, Karl took the boys and dropped Cam off at school, got home around 8:30. Dillon played until 9:30, went back to play again at 10:02, and the computer wouldn't let him log on. He complained for a few seconds, I told him there was nothing I could do, the computer was magic, and he got out some pens and has been drawing me a picture of "a monkey getting shotted by a bad guy" Oh joy. But at least he's using his imagination. Which by the way, is the whole point of this rambling post. I am worried that without the ability to play with his toys, he will not develop his imagination. I love that we do so many fun things, but we really need to work on quiet playtime. If you have any ideas on any toys that would help, his birthday is coming up and I would love to cycle out some old toys and bring in some new toys that really require some imaginative play. Thank you!

"Monstah Twucks"

We had the wonderful and unique experience of seeing Monster Trucks on Sat. Night! Dillon's friend Logan was turning 4 and his family decided to take all of us to see Monster Trucks at the Oakland Coliseum! It was something we probably would have always talked about doing, but never actually made it to, so this was really special!
I have never, ever seen Cameron so amped up about anything before. He was yelling, cheering, booing, all full volume. It was really cute to watch so much enthusiasm. Most of the pictures of the trucks that I have to share were taken by him, he did a really great job!
Dillon had a great time too. He is on such a routine that at about 7:15 he fell asleep on me! I couldn't believe it, it was louder than anything I have ever heard before. We let him sleep for quite a bit, but woke him up when the Monster Trucks came back out to do the freestyle competition. He loved that part!
We had such an incredible time! The kids had fun, us adults had quite a good time too! I have a little snuggle bug on the couch on this rainy day that wants to hang out with his mommy, so I'll leave you with some more pictures...
Boys having fun....

Group shot of the kids before the show started... No, Dillon was not really asleep. It seems to be his new favorite way to pose though.

Dillon and Logan in their matching outfits.

Family group shot at the very end. We didn't get home until midnight, but it was well worth it!

I Never Would Have Thought...

As I pulled into Cameron's school for drop off this morning I realized I was just one black minivan lost in a sea of minivans that surrounded me. Sure, there were quite a few SUVs thrown in there for good measure, but I was still one of many that looked just like mine. As all the parents were pulling up and pushing their auto side door openers and letting their little ones out clad with umbrellas to shield them from the storm, it hit me. I never would have thought when I was 16 and had a little baby boy sleeping in my arms, that I would be so lucky to be stuck in suburban bliss. I never thought I would be driving my minivan, happy as a clam, my kids decked out giggling with their headphones on to the latest movie on DVD. I didn't have any idea where my life would take me, I was fully unprepared for all the life changing decisions that were to be made.

Once you have kids, a love that you could never even begin to imagine takes hold of your heart. You get excited about a shiny new minivan because it has so many things for your kids, even though you always thought you were more of a lifted SUV type. You take off your jacket and give it to your son in a rainstorm because once again, his got left at home, so you shiver while your out running errands. You stay up at night thinking about their problems and how to fix them. You do all these things with ease, because as a mom, you never stop to think about yourself.

I never would have thought my life would turn out this wonderful. I have such a great marriage and a husband that loves me unconditionally. After more than 10 years together, we still hold hands, snuggle up on the couch, and honestly miss eachother when we're apart for any amount of time. My family is my life, and as much as I complain about the boy's bickering or get stressed out, I never would have thought I would be this happy.