It's amazing what a little bit of a change in environment can do for my mental state. I did some rearranging in the kitchen today and removed a huge, clunking shelf unit in favor of a little table my parents picked up for us at a garage sale earlier in the summer. The difference is astounding. I cleared away all the clutter, and the window is no longer blocked, and my kitchen is now sunny and light and so dearly deserving of a fresh coat of paint (and some patch for the walls, and a new floor...).

Last weekend I was so blessed to spend time with a group of wonderful, amazing, talented, fascinating women that I've known for many years. There was wine, and baby cuddling, and so much conversation that at times I didn't know where to settle in for a chat. The hellmonkeys and I loved every minute of it. I am truly, truly lucky to have the friends I do.

In other news, I'm planning the upcoming school year, missing Eldest, who is away at camp for 2 weeks, and trying to fill as many donation bags of clothes as possible. The kids have outgrown so many things and they're all just piling up around us. I'm on a clutter clearing binge lately.

Oh yes, and there was cherry picking a couple of weeks ago.



The results were my first fresh cherry pie, which was delicious.

Our life in pictures

Because I've been too busy to document it any other way lately.

First outdoor fire of the year:



Sleeping baby:



That pretty much sums us up at the moment. If we're not doing, then chances are we're not conscious.

Little things I am grateful for:

* Two recommendations for the same doctor when I put out a notice that we're searching for a new ped. That fills me with confidence about making the call on Monday.

* A baby who stayed up late enough that I know he's going to let me sleep in a bit in the morning. (But not too long, because the small one has ballet.)

* Being able to see the end of this (home)school year and look forward to our summer activities as well as the year to come.

* Getting the oldest a spot in a limited (and very inexpensive) swim lesson program that takes place before she goes to Girl Scout camp. (Her swimming skills, or lack thereof, were an issue for her last year.)

* That Middle Boy got up there on stage and recited all of his lines for our class play. Even if he was pacing in circles the whole time, he DID it.

* That Eldest was willing and able to jump in at the very last second and play a part on stage when another student realized he'd be more comfortable helping out backstage.

* The camporee I coordinated (with massive help from other volunteers) last weekend being a huge success. And all those volunteers who did extraordinary jobs feeding and entertaining 130 people.

* My upcoming Daisy troop for next year. I'm so excited about working with the little girls.

I am an incredibly blessed and lucky mama.

Gah. I close my eyes to blink and don't blog for nearly a month. The boyfriend is on the road again until Saturday, and I'm staying up so late tonight that I know I'll regret it in the morning. But we got to watch The Office together tonight in peace before he left, and the girls have bunk beds again (and a NEARLY clean room), and the thought of repainting my living room is filling me with an incredible amount of inner peace. So, anyway, what have you missed?

There was an invasion of beavers at the science museum:



Maple sugaring:



An Easter egg hunt at grandma's:



And big, BIG smiles:



You may notice that Middle Boy is only pictured once. The boy RUNS from the camera, or does his best impression of Cousin It (and with that hair, he's an ace at it). But every once in a while, I'll catch a shot of that gorgeous smile.

Also not pictured: Spring Equinox festivals, new silks for the nature table, visits from grandparents from near and far, the first trip to Abbott's and the beach, playdates galore, museum trip with the Girl Scouts, TONS of snuggling with the baby.

One class play down, two more to go. One of which I have to finish writing, but not tonight. Tonight I'm going to climb into bed with my littlest man, snuggle up around him, and try to get some sleep before the next nursing session.

Quickly for my own reference:

Week of 3/29

Eldest - Finishing up housing/Native American block. Copied "What do we plant?" verse and drew different types of Native American shelters. Will hear story of Sacagawea and finish paragraph for The Rough-Faced Girl before block is finished. Also, will visit science museum.

Middle Boy- Copied and illustrated spring verse. Still working on word families reader. Will hear one more Irish fairy tale.

Also need to do this week - Form drawing and painting.

Happy Spring!

After over a week of sleeping through the night, it was inevitable that Baby would be up in the wee hours at least this once. It's okay, though, as I finally get a chance to sit here with him on my lap and update.

He'll be six weeks old on Sunday and I'm finding that hard to believe. He's so big now, and still as alert as ever. His naps are growing shorter (but still frequent), and his smiles are more deliberate. He loves lying on a blanket without a diaper and just looking around at everyone and everything. I'd love to do a bit more knitting for him soon, but as he's such an in-arms baby, I rarely have my hands free these days.

Middle Girl, who has ballet in a few hours, finally seems to be getting a handle on her meltdowns. They're definitely related to blood sugar and she's starting to learn that if she gets something to eat early on, they're not as bad for her. She's still contemplating public school next year, but I have a strong feeling she'll settle on homeschooling. At least I hope so; I really dislike our "neighborhood" public school (which really isn't in our neighborhood at all, but that's another story).

My dad took Middle Boy and Eldest to see Race to Witch Mountain on Friday and they loved it. It was nice for the bigger kids to be out with grandpa by themselves. I think they needed a more grown-up outing. They've been absorbed with Star Wars lately, as have some of their friends, and we've been talking a bit about all the common mythology incorporated into the Star Wars stories.

Middle Boy is just starting to learn recorder, and does better learning one on one from me than in class. I figured that would be the case. He's also doing some amazing artwork lately. He thinks in graphic novel form, and every story he tells comes out that way.

Eldest's lesson block is still Native Americans/house building and she's really loving it. She's been reading a book about Sacagawea to me aloud, along with her extra lesson reader, and she's so much more fluent now than she was just months ago. She's working on some more challenging form drawings, and her writing has shown drastic improvement. She's going to be Princess Yashodora in her LCG class play about the Buddha's life, and she's bubbling over with excitement about it.

Ah, Baby is fussing and ready for sleep. Time for me to sign off.

Middle Boy has spent a good portion of the afternoon making "mail" for everyone in the house. He made comics for the girls and sent them along with a bill. Middle Girl's reaction was, "Am I even old enough for a bill?"

Anyway, she's sitting here beside me looking over her mail intently, so interested in what he's drawn there. I love these little moments.

Of course, the batteries in my camera picked today to fizzle out. So I'll commit this bit of sweetness to memory here.