Snow 2014

We have had a lot of snow this winter.  We are up to 7 snow days and school will be going on in June.  Here are some pictures of the accumulation after the approximately 12 inches we got last night.

The edges of the deck are now below the level of the snow.  We are running out of places to put all the snow from the driveway and sidewalks and deck.  I haven't seen grass since December.  Anxiously awaiting spring!

Titus' First Day of 1st Grade

Titus is officially a 1st grader!  His teacher is Mrs. Kendall and I think it's going to be a great fit!

 Isabele had to get in for one picture.  It's her first day of being home with Titus gone at school, after all.

Titus the first grader!

Since I'm posting this at the end of his second day at school, I have to say that he's still excited about school and looking forward to morning!  He even thanked God for school tonight.  He told me he wants to go back tomorrow to make more friends.  He also informed me he has 3 friends.  Theo and Wrigley (friends from Mom's connection) and another boy from his class, though he couldn't recall his name at the time.

I'm so glad he likes it and is having fun.  I think Mrs. Kendall is already sneaking the learning in with the fun.

Cuties from last night

 Isabele with her hair in a circle french braid, wearing a shawl I knit a couple weeks ago.

 Titus sporting freshly washed and combed hair.

 A couple good pictures of the Titus and Isabele being sweet to each other.

Dog-ear warmer hat

I made this hat for Isabele when she was 2, I think.  Last winter she started calling it her "dog-ear warmer hat".  Then I found her wearing it anytime she had wet hair when she went to bed.  So, for the last 9 months or more, she keeps it in her room and wears it when her hair is wet.  I finally remembered to take a picture of her in the spring.  And just now, at the end of July, remembered to post it.

Everyone needs to have at least one picture of themselves as a sleeping child, right?  Or maybe mom's just need it for blackmail material for later.

Grandma's Old Porch Chairs (before and after) with New Cushions

I finally got the new cushions made for these cool chairs.  Originally, I thought I could take the old ones apart and reuse the foam, but I wasn't that lucky.  Due to age and the way the originals were made, I had to start from scratch.

Here's the old chair cushion.

Isabele sitting in the chair with the new cushion.

Titus sitting in the other chair.

Both chairs.  The fabric is bright and happy!  Important on a north-facing, covered front porch.

I learned a few things making these and will make some changes when I get tired of this fabric.  But for now, the project is done and off my list.

Momma Robin - The 5th Year

I just looked it up.  We moved into this house in the fall of 2007.  I'm pretty sure we had our first Momma Robin in the spring of 2009.  This makes it the 5th Spring with baby robins on our porch.
This year, the nest is in a green shower basket that I wired to the trellis in hopes that the Robin would pick that as the base for building her nest.  I'm pretty sure this is the first year she did so.  I have a picture on my phone of her nest and it's 3 eggs today...Hopefully I'll figure out how to get it off my phone and onto the blog.

In the Last Four Months

I should probably be shot for not keeping up with this blog at least a bit...but alas, apparently it isn't my forte.
January:  Titus turned six.  He got a unicycle for his birthday from Uncle Isaac and Madison.  The lake froze.  Titus went ice skating once.  Both kids got a rotten flu - lasted 4 or 5 days for each kid.
February:  Well, we live in Indiana.  This February was all about making it to March, and SPRING.  We survived.  Titus started reading library books!  Both kids finished reviewing capital letter writing and started on lower case letters.
March:  We had some snow, and some warmer weather.  We started some seeds indoors.  Titus continued to practice his Uni in the kitchen, holding onto the counters.  Isabele loves singing and dancing around the living room.  On a warm day, we walked the Pike Lake trail - about 3 miles round trip from our house and back - kids rode their bikes - first major ride of the year!  Isabele was a trooper - a long ride for a 4 year old.  Titus is amazing on his bike - fast and has great balance.  I cannot say enough about the Mini-glider Bike we bought for him when he was 2 1/2.
April:  Spring has sprung!  The kids got new bike helmets: "Nutcase" with magnetic clasps.  They are great - kids can buckle and unbuckle without help and there's no pinching tender necks!  The adjustment is really easy on the back, so we can change it according to Isabele's hairstyle of the day with ease.  Titus got a library card, as he finished the "reading school book" Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.  Great book.  I'm not sure the lessons were "easy", but it does only take about 20 minutes to complete a lesson.  It's so nice to have Titus reading and finding it interesting and a little fun (I think).  Both kids are still working on their lower case letters.  I'm using Handwriting Without Tears and I really like it.  They have some cute ways to help kids remember how to make the different letters.  It really appeals to Titus, who would rather be outside or in the garage with his Dad.  Isabele loves to do "writing school".  Reading is getting a little harder for her, but she keeps at it and is 1/2 way through the 100 lessons.

And that gets us to today.  I'd love to think I can manage to update weekly...maybe I should aim for monthly.