Sandals on Monday, Coats on Friday

Yes, we were wearing sandals and shorts on monday and holed up this friday evening expecting the sleet and snow. Winter and Spring are experimenting like the kids. On Monday, I thought the rain and chill had subsided for a spring-like permanency. I hung clothes on the line only to have the six or eighth load having to be brought back in to dry this morning. Emma and I visited a Horse Farm on Sunday, to see if it is a place that she and I would like to explore horses. We watched a boy training for a special olympics tournament, saw the horses frolicking in the field afterwards and watched a hen lay an egg! I hope we still get some chicks or eggs from our Georgia friends! Kurt and Owen got the rest of our front yard square foot gardens ready for dirt/planting. Alex built a glider while at his grandparents for the day in lieu of gardening. We started the garden last year with three plots and much success. We are expanding it this year with a long plot along the house that will have some shade for lettuces and some other edibles that don't need as many hours of sun. Sunday was surprising on our bike ride to the other side of the mountain. We discovered a lot in demolition that was built in the 50's with terrace after terrace after terrace of concrete patios and gardens on the bluff. It was like it was from another world, someone is building a new home there after tearing down the old one. Alex made "Plane Cards" this week, you have to say that with the right inflection--so that it sounds like "playing cards"...they are cards he made and laminated with planes on them. Emma made a set of picture cards and strung them on a necklace, calling it her "credit card necklace." It gave us a great idea to make our own family deck of cards with someone as the king, the queen, the jack, the ace, the joker, etc. If you give a kid a credit card necklace, she's gonna want you to make her a bracelet. :) Emma then proceeded to make bead bracelets with handmade gifts boxes from a kleenex box and tags for two friends that moved this week. Owen made his own bracelet with the most beautiful beads. His concentration stringing it was fun to watch. We shelved the family playing cards craft in our heads for another week and made way for more important and messier things:) The kids had out the "gross and annoying experiments" book this week. We made batches of purple, brown, blue, green and orange BLOBS (glue, water, food coloring, borax). They are fascinating and have lent a lot of joy these "non-newtonian" liquids. Emma made curds and whey and we discovered why that all works, the denaturing of the proteins. Made me want to make cheese! When it was warm there were pet rocks that have some elaborate beds made for them, water balloon rockets, water balloon babies, water balloon tosses off the deck, waterballoons on the trampoline, water balloons that peed, etc.! It between the warm and the cold we had an afternoon of letterboxing. Discovered one of our stamps missing and found a new one really near the house. When it was cold there were movies (Meet the Robinsons, Indiana Jones 1 and 2, Pirates of the Caribbean II, Over the Hedge) many succesful Super Mario Galaxy Stars obtained, computer games played-mainly lego games this week, mancala with Owen, jumping on the sleeping beds (the queen bed up next to the bunk bed), much snuggling in the bed and sleeping bags, and some internet searching for both Battle Bot construction and R/C Flying (electric) clubs and planes in town by Alex. The kids have been bringing the baby pictures and rubbing on my growing belly. They and us are wishing for the beach already! ( Grayton Beach ) Emma has asked if we can stay two weeks this year! Everyone got their heads measured on the basement wall and have grown a lot since last year. Owen is growing in his words. He told me this week: "I have a suggestion." Emma consoled us with the information that, "Either way, if the baby is a girl or a boy, I win. If it's a girl, then I have a sister, if it's a boy, then I'm the only girl." Alex wishes he could fly, "Not like in a wind tunnel, but like aang, with a glider, but close to the ground, taking off from the ground, not jumping off of something." May all our weeks have suggestions, win-wins, and flight...