Jacob's garden

Jacob has been collecting vegetable seeds for the past several months.  I'm not sure what the attraction for him is, because although he gets enormous satisfaction from growing vegetables from seed, he will not ever actually eat a vegetable.  He is dismissive of flowers, as he has no patience for their purely ornamental qualities.  However, vegetables seem to fill a need in him somehow - perhaps they satisfy his desire to nurture others.  He is quite tickled when we enjoy his garden's harvest and I am quite happy to give him free reign.  If he grows up to be a guerilla gardener, can I really complain?

Last Thursday, we set to work clearing weeds and (ugh!) horsetail out of Jacob's garden plot.  He diligently  uprooted all the visible weeds and raked fertilizer into the soil.

Then he planted his seeds.  First a row of sunflowers.  Then 2 rows of corn.  

While our backs were turned, Malia tore open the bean packet and poured the contents into the dirt behind us.  Jacob was not happy.  These same seeds had been lovingly hidden for the past 2 months in his sock drawer and he wasn't going to take their abuse lightly.  In frustration, he quickly scooped up as many of them as he could and planted 3 rows.  Malia, unflustered by his anger, calmly tore open the pea box and poured them out as well.  Jacob leaped up in frustration and begged me to remove Malia from the scene.  I knew that short of tying Malia to a tree, I would not be able to keep her away for any length of time and suggested that he find a way to involve Malia in the planting process.  

The last 3 rows Jacob planted were carrots.  We used seed tape - and what a clever invention it is!  We used a bamboo pole to drag a groove in the dirt, laid the seed tape in the groove and covered it with dirt. Voila!  Three tidy rows of carrots. 

After Jacob was finished planting, he washed his hands at the tap outside.  He said, "Mom, I think I have an allergy.  Whenever I wash my hands, I have to go pee right away.  I had the same thing last year."  *snicker*

Snipping and sewing

Two days ago, I began sewing a doll outfit for Brianna.  Next week she has a field trip to Burnaby Village and I've made it something of a tradition to create a child-sized apron and a matching doll outfit for the occasion.  The kids are all encouraged to dress up in period clothing and far be it from me to keep my child out of the loop.  In fact, I'm hoping that all of my daughters will treasure their respective doll outfits and aprons.  I used the exact same pattern each time.  Right now however, all the outfits from previous years are in Breezy's doll box and I think the girls couldn't care less if they get trashed.  Pity, isn't it?

Anyway, back to the project at hand.  Brianna and I went to Fabricland and picked out a cheerful floral and a gingham fabric for the dress and apron.  Not one to let the grass grow under my feet, I began snipping out the pattern pieces immediately after supper.  Malia, of course, was all over me.  She had me tie on Emma's old apron (which I will use as a pattern for Breezy's apron), located a pair of scissors and dove into the tissue paper.  After repeated attempts to shoo her away, I gave up and handed her some scrap pattern pieces.  She studiously reduced a strip of tissue into confetti, then turned her attention to my pin cushion.  With cheerful aplomb, Malia pinned a pattern piece onto the fabric, looking for all the world like she actually knew what she was doing.

Tidy, isn't she?

Haircut

Malia likes to twirl her hair around her forefinger.  However, her hair is very fine and scanty and it quickly becomes tangled and fuzzy.  When she twirls her hair, she'll generally leave a funny looking corkscrew sticking out of her head at an odd angle.  Or, worse yet, her finger will become stuck in her hair.  And then she must pull and tug until her finger is free.

A few days ago, I noticed a bald spot on Malia's head.  She had literally twirled her hair right out of her head.  What had been a rather charming habit of hers suddenly seemed like a much more sinister hobby.  What child repeatedly pulls chunks of hair out of her follicles to the point of baldness?

She needed a haircut - badly!

I also had the hunch that neatly trimmed  hair would make Malia would cool and modern.  Nelly, a good friend of ours, offered to do the trim.  This morning after our walk, we plunked Malia down on the porch and Nelly set to work.  She was rather dubious about the giant orange shears that I handed her, but she gamely set to work.  Snip, snip, snip....soon Malia's lap was full of sweet blond tendrils of hair.  I couldn't tell if she was curious or worried about their appearance on her lap.  She was staring down so intently.

Post haircut, Malia looked hip and relaxed.  I think she new "do" suits her.  Unfortunately, we can no longer comb over the bald spot.  It's there and it's visible.  

Happily, this bald spot in no way impedes Malia's ability to have fun.  After her haircut, Malia and Carter played with abandon.  When it was time for Carter to go home, they both cheerfully displayed their dirty, chalky hands.

Swinging

You know this all started with someone saying, "Hey, I have an idea......"

And Marian, I know you're not gonna read this in the next few hours but I'll say this anyway, "Will you kindly hurry up and have that baby soon?  I hate being immobilized by anticipation.  I can't do laundry.  I can't do anything productive.  I'm just sitting here....waiting.  And just for kicks, I think that you'll have a baby boy.  8 pounds 9 ounces, dark hair and looking like Josie.  Born at 1:00 PST.  

  

Twinkle

Danielle has a riding lesson every Saturday.  Normally, we arrive a few minutes before 11:00 am, Danielle grooms and saddles up her pony and begins her lesson.  This Saturday however, began with an interesting chore.  Because the pony that Dani has been riding no longer boards at the barn, she has begun riding on another pony.  Twinkle does not live at the stables but boards on a farm about 1 kilometer away.  Last Saturday, it was Dani's task to walk Twinkle from her home to the stable - about a 20 minute walk.   I know next to nothing about horseflesh and have never walked, let alone ridden, a pony.  But Dani had walked Twinkle down the road with her riding instructor the week before and knew how to get her safely to the stable. 

Before we left to pick up Twinkle, I carefully punched her riding instructor's phone number into my cell phone.  I had visions of Twinkle breaking lose from us and galloping off into the unknown, Dani and I staring mournfully at her departing behind.  That, of course, was a worst-case scenario.  My lesser fears included being slobbered on, stepped on or side-swiped by her hairy, tangled mane.  In any case, I figured that this would be walk on the "wild side" and that I would regret it if I didn't record it for posterity.  So I took my camera too.

Twinkle was in an amenable mood and walked obediently along beside Danielle.  However, we got only as far as the end of the driveway before she came to an abrupt stop.  

She had spotted a smorgasbord of fresh spring grass.  Her head went down and she began to eat.  Danielle, mindful of the time, tried to urge her along.  Reluctantly, Twinkle's head came up and she plodded onward.

But then, she spotted some more grass.  And down went her head again....

And again....

And Twinkle's favorite....dandelions.  Just look at that yummy mouthful.

Jacob was sympathetic to Dani's predicament and offered to walk ahead and stomp on all the dandelions.

  

It didn't really help - but we appreciated his valiant effort....

Almost there.....

Well, we made it.  Here you have Danielle, on top of Twinkle.  Who's the star now, eh?