Matias' First Sewing Project

Matias has been begging to use my sewing machine lately.  I saw this on a blog and it seemed like a perfect first project, and oh-so-right-up-his-alley.  He picked out a collection of his current favorite books: Frog and Toad are Friends, Scrambled States of America, Stuart Little, What I Saw on Mackinac, Buster Bear and To Market To Market. We photocopied each cover, cut them out with pinking shears, and then he sat on my lap and worked the sewing machine pedal while we sewed them to some bias tape.  Tada!!

This little girl of ours

Oh, this precious almost-two-year-old Violet of ours!  She is becoming such a little lady and such a personality of her own.  At any given moment, she is an artist, a writer, a singer, a swimmer, a baker, a gardener (or at least garden eater!), a naturalist, a snuggler...and always with 100% of herself put into it.  She doesn't walk- she runs everywhere.  She knows her mind and speaks it well.  She stands up for herself, with "mines" and "me toos" and "Violet's turn now" echoing through the house most days.  I am frequently flattered by her "like Mama" moments...be it that our clothes or hair match, or that we are both cooking or writing or just cleaning the bathroom together.  She is quick to offer hugs and kisses and "rocks" and the "bye-oh baby" song to any doll, animal or toy that is treated just a touch too roughly by her brother.  She can locate and tell you what "Tias" is up to at all times...and watches his every move..she doesn't miss much.  And not a day goes by without at least one giggle fit.  Perhaps our most recent favorite is her offering the words "I love you" completely unprompted.  Melts our hearts!

We are having so much fun with our little Violet and love her more each day!

{this moment}

Matias and Great Grandpa Merwin

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Breakfast at the Beach

This week we tried something new...breakfast at the beach.  Inspired by Amanda Soule's new book The Rhythm of Family, I decided we'd head outside at some different times of the day to see what we might discover.

We threw on some grubby clothes and a hat and packed a basic breakfast.  Turns out that our local beach is empty of people at 7:15 in the morning (imagine), but full of ducks, fish, the beach-smoothing tractor and one big white goose we decided to call Honker, who looked like he'd like nothing better than a nibble on a little finger for his breakfast.

We had our fruit and dry Shredded Wheat out on the dock, and then the kids waded in the water for an early morning dip.  Of course, when you're one and three years old, wading is a full body submersion activity!  We had a nice discussion about dew...and why we only find dew on the grass early in the day.  It was a nice morning that I hope we can repeat throughout the year.  We may also have to head over there for an evening trip soon to see how it compares.

The County Fair

Photo by Matias 

Last weekend we spent some time at the hot, steamy county fair.  We got to take in lots of animals, 4H projects and a rodeo, spend some time on the Midway and, of course, enjoy a corndog.  It was a fun (and tiring) way to spend a morning!