nest

Typically, I would never touch a bird's nest.  My mother and grandmother instilled strong values in me about birds and their nests.  "Birds are very dirty and carry many diseases,"  I remember hearing from when I was a young child.
But...
I was in awe when the neighbor boy came to my door to show me the bird's nest he found in the yard.  It was the sweetest little nest I had ever seen.  It was crafted so perfectly with bits of twigs, leaves, threads and grass.  I am amazed that a little bird created this homey and cozy little nest for it's young.  What a sweet little treasure.

E-Bunny

What spring delights will fill your basket this Easter?

Happiest Easter wishes to you!

Click-Clack

Despite being ill, my babe never stops going.  She is on the move and into things all the time.  That is probably the reason she get so sick and takes a while to recover from her ailments.  This morning I heard a "click-clack" in the entryway.  It was my babe, as proud as can be, walking in her big sister's high-heel play shoes {with a runny nose, wheezing and coughing}.  Again, she is without pants...

Hopefully this surge in happy play means that our babe is on the mend!

walking

via

The word walking makes me think of many happy things:

a baby's first steps

pushing a baby in a stroller

walking outside on a cool day

walking the dogs

walking on a beach barefoot...

The word walking paired with the word "pneumonia" sends chills down my spine, especially when it is my my little girl who is battling this nasty problem in her lungs.  I pray that with nightfall, there is some relief from the non-stop coughing.

In a few days, I hope we can go walking again with clear lungs and breaths of fresh air energizing our every step. 

C-R-O-U-P

Coughing up a storm
Runny nose
Oodles of medicine
Up all night
Please let our little baby get better again soon

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Little Painter {and the progression of art}

This little painter of mine was thrilled when I suggested that we paint outdoors.  We set up the easel, hung the paper and got out the paints and brushes for her to use.  She painted for over a half hour before her little sister got into the paints that she was using.  

I had tried to keep her little sister content with markers and paper and other outdoor games but my attempts failed fairly quickly when she saw what her big sister was creating.  Thankfully, her "always-happy-to-share" big sister was more than willing to let her paint.

They painted quite peacefully for a few minutes.  The little one was instructed to only paint on the back of the big sister's painting (that instruction was given by none other than the big sister).  The little one seemed to enjoy dipping her brush into the bright colors and then spread them onto the paper.  Everything was going smoothly until I turned around and saw the little fingers in the paint.

At first, I wanted to run to the little one and say "NO!"  But, I just bit my tongue and watched for a while.  The little fingers dabbled in the paints and then they spread paint around all over the paper.

The big sister thought about what her little sister was doing for a while before taking part in this paint exploration...

Suddenly our very civilized art experience turned into a messy paint exploration by both big and little sister.  Even though our art experience didn't turn out quite how I had planned, it was a fabulous and unexpected progression of art with my little ones.

Earthy thanks...

When I hear the "Earth Day" buzz I pause to think about what our Earth really means.  What does Earth Day really mean?  It is so easy to get caught up in "earthy" things like reusable shopping bags, glass bottles, planting trees, energy-saving light-bulbs, etc (all of which I love).  Those are the "things" we have been programmed to buy, want and need as consumers to be "green" and earth-conscience.

When I really stop to think about our Earth and what I want my kids to know about Earth Day, I think about the bounty and lovelinesses of this amazing place.  I want them to experience and know:

what it is like to look up at the tallest pine tree in awe.

the breathtaking view of a lake at sunrise.

the bright red of fresh picked berries.

the warm summer winds blowing against their little bodies.

the beauty of woodsy mushrooms that grow naturally on the forest floor.

the late-afternoon sun's honey colored rays that cast a blanket of warm light over everything.

the changing clouds in the vast morning sky.

I want them to experience this wonderful Earth and all it's glory with every sense.  To truly appreciate this magnificent Earth, I think we have to experience it and get as close as we can.

Enjoy your Earth Week!