Lawn mowing and other stuff...

Well, I finally had to mow the front lawn! I take that as an affirmation that it's finally time to wear shorts and enjoy spring. Yay! I mowed the front lawn with the push mower, but am hoping to use a lawn tractor for the rest. (For those who don't know, we have about 1 acre and it's on a hill, so this is a relatively challenging task.) Well, yesterday evening Bret was browsing the classifieds for lawn tractors (ours is really old and needed a new battery and other fixing) and he found a great deal on a Craftsman! So my awesome hubby drove out on Sunday night and got us a newer mower. It looks good, has a nice padded seat, and has more features etc. than our old mower. I'm delighted! I'm really going to enjoy mowing now!

We had a visit from our pastor last week--and sat out on the deck in the backyard for the first time this year. It was wonderful to finally use our backyard for more than putting the dog out. Of course, I'll have to go out in search of "land mines" (thanks to the dog) before the kids go running barefoot out there! :-) We put out a bird feeder all winter with regular wild bird seed. This spring we added a second feeder with black sunflower seeds. The birds LOVE this! Suddenly we are enjoying gold finches, purple finches, several varieties of woodpeckers, chickadees, doves, and more. Yesterday I filled the feeders and one of the birds flew at me! I think either to scare me off or to try to get at the feeder! We can sit out on the back deck and they still come out to the feeders! We are enjoying the view!


The wonderful hubby (whom I mentioned earlier) also tilled our garden on the weekend--YAY--so I am able to get out there and begin planting! Katie has been eagerly anticipating the cherry tomatoes. Last year she would sit with a big bowl of tomatoes and eat as many as we let her!

A visit!

We just had a visit from Mom and Otto and had a great time! They only stayed one day, but the kids were so happy to see Oma and Opa again! Katie cried this morning when she realized they were gone so we reminded her that we'll be going to Ontario for a week at the end of May and that helped! They love visits from Oma and Opa! We tried to do some activities, but weren't able to get in where we wanted to go. But time together is fun no matter what you're doing!

We have only a few weeks of school left, four, I think, after this week. I can't believe that summer break is so close. We are just starting to feel the beginning of warm weather here. Today's high is supposed to be 71 degrees Fahrenheit. It's sunny and that sure makes it feel warmer! I have yet to plant my garden. I did buy some carrot and broccoli seeds. Maybe I'll get out there this afternoon. It will be great to see the garden grow this year! Maybe I'll actually get to taste the carrots and beans this year. (Last year the rabbits got them before they even produced.)

Magic Theatre!

Last night August performed in "Magic Theatre," a collection of silly skits. I included a series of pictures on the right. August was a toaster in one skit about sounds. His line was to say "Ding" with increasing volume. The lesson was that sometimes quiet is better than sound! He was also in a skit about animals (how appropriate) in which they played charades, he was a frog! It was a fun night. All the kids did a wonderful job! (I think that double clicking on the photo will provide you with an enlargement)

I spent several hours this morning out in the backyard stamping down mole trails in the yard. Then sitting and waiting for movement which would indicate the presence of a mole. I am determined to do something about this problem! We'll see how it goes when I go out this afternoon. Bret's dad came out and spent the morning helping me. I was hoping he'd be here for the first catch, because I'm not sure I'll be able to follow up on the other part. Maybe Schwarz will help me with that.

Tooth Fairy, please!

Well, I tried to get a good picture of Katie with her holey grin, but I think our digital camera might be on its last legs. No matter what I tried, the picture came out yellowish and blurry. But, I'm posting the best of them and you'll get the idea at least. This is the third baby tooth which has fallen out so far. Katie is so proud! She got her name on the board at school for joining the "Lost a Tooth Club" and she keeps asking me, "Do I talk funny?" The "tooth fairy" left a dollar under the pillow, and Katie's first question when she found it was, "Which president is this?" :-)