It ends with balloons

I think this set might just be the last to post from my parents' visit. Silas loved the balloons that Patrick gave to him...
He asked me to hold all of them down on my lap with him so that "they would be like eggs." He likes to pretend he is a baby bird in a nest and will then call me Mommy Bird.
A sun-shiny day (yes, we had a few!)
That wraps up their visit. It was wonderful to have them visit, spend time playing, and give D and I a chance to do some work around the house, as well as relax a bit. We'll look forward to them returning in August!

At play

Si's grandparents enjoyed taking him to the playground...

And for walks around the neighborhood.
Back at home, there were plenty of opportunities for entertainment.
This hat, by the way, was mine. I got it on a family road trip when I was 7 or 8 and, nerd that I was, I LOVED it. It's now being enjoyed by a new generation. :)

Outside, front yard

In my ongoing effort to organize all of the pictures from my parents' camera, here are a bunch that we took outside in the front yard.

Facebook peeps, you've already seen this one:
Solo shots of the cutie:

Kicking the ball around with Papa:
Playtime:

More pictures later...

To start with

I have so many pictures from my parents' visit that I don't quite know where to begin. Posting a few a day may be the way to go.

Above, the rhododendron at the elementary school a block over from our house is in full bloom.

Below: Papa and Grandma made music this morning using glasses of water. Fun times!

Grandma and Papa...

...are visiting from Wisconsin. Silas is over the moon. More pictures later...

Happy Mama's Day!

Let the gardening begin!

Despite the fact that we just bought a house and moved in just a month ago, I really wanted to jump on the veggie-gardening train and not miss out on it this year. So, Drew was kind enough to build me my first raised bed, which has now been completely planted (well, most likely, over planted). Since we are building over grass, I just put down cardboard (we have no shortage of that, for some reason :) and threw the top soil over it. The cardboard will biodegrade and kill the grass at the same time. Perfect!

I needed a bit more room than what one 4x6 bed could fit, however, and I got an idea from Mother Earth News to get some bags of topsoil, punch holes in them and sow seeds. It's working brilliantly so far. The only downside is that it involves plastic, which does not biodegrade. Not a fan. But, it will kill the grass, and next year, the 4 top soil bags will become raised bed #2 (and there will be a #3 and #4 eventually).

I'll post more about the garden as spring progresses. So far, there are lots of sprouts!

May '10 Book of the Month

Introducing the Planet Silas May '10 Book of the Month:

The Curious Garden By Peter Brown.

A little boy named Liam discovers a hidden garden and with careful tending spreads color throughout the gray city.

What a wonderful book to read in order to celebrate spring. I'm truly in love with this book and knew it had to be a BOTM (thanks for this gift, LeClairs!). The illustrations are wonderful, as is the story. Whenever we read this story, I point out to Silas that one little child is capable of producing such remarkable change. Liam begins this story in a city with no trees, plants, or flowers. But when he discovers a few sorry plants languishing on an abandoned railroad track, he makes a choice: to nurture them rather than let them die.

With just a bit of care, the garden takes over, exploring the railroad track throughout the city. Eventually, the garden grows beyond the track, onto rooftops, between buildings...anywhere it can. But what's more remarkable than the garden itself is that Liam's one small act is contagious. As the garden grows, so do other people's desires to help it spread and flourish. Before you know it, every available space is bursting with life, and the people, no longer prisoners in their gray city, are transformed along with their city. All because of one little boy.

When Silas helps me plant seeds and work the soil, I think of this book and hope that Liam's choice to to good in the world will be his choice as well.

I hope your gardens are beginning to burst forth with life. Happy Spring!

Pants are the new ears

Just a funny video to share today...I am planning on posting about progress in the garden soon and yes, there will be house project updates as well. For now, at least this video gives you a peak at the living room (we love our cork floors!), such as it is at the moment :)

Action shot

Protect the camera lense, cause it's about to be targeted.

In this shot, taken last weekend, Sobin sits calmly in the deck. The cat is slowly adjusting to the new house and is starting to spend more time outside, rather than moping around on the couch all day. There are more dogs and other cats in the neighborhood, and he's a fan of neither. Still, he seems to be claiming his territory and is actually acting more affectionate with his human companions than he has been in a long time.

My goal is to update more on what we are doing in the house, at some point soon. The house is a work-in-progress and although we've already accomplished quite a bit, we still have a lot more to do. It will take time...

Birthday Greetings for Grandma

Happy Birthday Grandma!

The new favorite tree

This is what Silas calls his "new favorite tree." He'd never shown much interest in climbing trees until we moved here...but all of a sudden he's been bitten by the climbing bug. Glad he chose a small tree to start out with!