Hooray for Earth Day!

Yes, I know Earth Day was last Thursday, but I am still celebrating: City Market (our small-town version or Kroger/King Soopers) has a whole page of organic produce on sale!! It is always a delicate balance around here, trying to feed the kids the best food I can find while simultaneously avoiding the poorhouse.
On a related note, we're going to give the ol' vegetable garden another try this summer, this time inside the backyard fence, to keep the marauding deer out, and probably inside yet another fence, to keep the curious Samson out. The garden is a little hard to imagine right now, since my chosen garden spot is currently covered with a foot of snow. But even up here (I have heard, not experienced), beans, lettuce, carrots, and beets grow well, so I am hoping for the best!
In the meantime, we're headed to the grocery store this morning to pick up some fantastic organic strawberries (berrrs, as Ethan says). I wish it were Earth Day every Thursday...

Always Watching

Whenever I cook something on the stove, Ethan pulls one of my pots out of the cupboard so he can stir too. He asks for a "poons" (spoon), grabs a few handfuls of magnet letters from the fridge, and makes alphabet soup. So I wasn't really watching what he was doing this afternoon while I made sauce on the stove. But I turned around just in time to see him reaching up to the counter for the salt shaker. Turns out he had already thoroughly peppered his pot and was finishing up the seasoning. I was very impressed with his observation and culinary skills (even though he knows he's not supposed to play with the salt and pepper).

Early Warning System

Lately, before he does anything he's not supposed to do, Ethan will shout, "No, no, no!" It's really convenient that he gives me a chance to come running and stop him from pulling all the books off the shelf or sitting on his sister. I am just eagerly waiting for the day when he shouts "No, no, no," and then actually stops himself.

Tiny Thumb

I clattered the dishes in the dishwasher tonight, and the noise woke up Emmaline. When I went in to check on her, I found her sound asleep, sucking her thumb. Maybe someday I'll wonder why I ever said this, but she's just SO sweet when she sucks her thumb!

Moving Again, Moving Again, Jiggity Jig

That's right, folks... camp house number 4!! It seems like only yesterday that we moved into our lovely home. But it's been a good 10 months, and the winds of change are blowing again... back down the street to the "blue house" next door to our last house...confused? Me too.
Apparently one of the perks of working at Golden Bell for quite a while is that we get to sample the majority of the camp's houses, in ascending order of niceness, when they become vacant. So this year, in keeping with tradition, we are moving from a nice 3 bed, 2 bath to a 3 bed, 2 bath with a fireplace, patio, and tool room. We will be closer to the camp Lodge, too, which will be convenient.
So now we just need to move! I'm sure Ethan will be very good at helping me unpack.

The Springs Experience

This weekend, my good friend Katie came to visit from Seattle. We had so much fun catching up and playing with the kids! Katie has been to Colorado, but never to the Colorado Springs area, so on Saturday, Katie, Danielle, the kids, and I took the afternoon to go to Garden of the Gods and the Air Force Academy chapel. Then another Olivet friend, Angie, came down from Denver to have dinner with us. The weather was beautiful and the kids were little angels (mostly). What more could I ask for?

Too good to last

This morning, the whole family (including the dog) got on our bed to hang out. Ethan was extra-sleepy and wanted to snuggle with us. It was one of those idyllic fabric-softener commercial settings where the family (in matching white pajamas) all cuddles together in the morning. I thought to myself, "This is just so peaceful and perfect. I need to enjoy beautiful moments like this when they come along." 30 seconds later, Ethan threw up.