Monday, June 28, 2010

Finally, a Real Garden

For the first time since we've been living in our house, we have something that resembles a garden more than a weed patch. Maybe it's the fact that it's the first summer that I don't have a newborn or that I am not pregnant.

In the spring we had lots of asparagus. Now we have strawberries, raspberries, lettuce, and a little bit of spinach.

We have lots of beans and peas growing. Lots of broccoli is coming up too. We've never planted before so we didn't know what to expect. We have an almost red tomato and lots of green tomatoes on the tomato plants. Paul is training his grapes to do something. (I think the grapes are his favorite thing in the garden since it's the only part that he weeds).


This morning the girls trampled through the garden, yes TRAMPLED! They walk in by the lettuce, pick a few leaves to eat. Then the wander over to the nearby row of beans, pull off a few leaves (or actual bean plants) to be told not to eat those leaves. Then they pick a few strawberries. Grace freaks out a little bit because they are bees nearby. We have to stop to get a knife to cut off the tops. Get little bowls so we can go pick raspberries. Go into the garden by the lettuce again. Step on lots of lettuce. Step on some beans. Trip over the string by the peas. Walk on the spinach. Then pick a few raspberries. Eat a few berries. Pick a few more. Eat a few more. Pick more and eat more until they are all gone.




Grace and her raspberries.
Lydia and her raspberries. She picked lots, but ate them all right away!
Grace with the flower pot that she planted earlier this year. She picks a flower to put in her hair every morning.

The Zoo

It's become a great summer tradition that we get together with a couple of fantastic friends that I met in college. Between the three couples we have 6 little girls under 5. The weather forecast for the day looked like lots of rain and thunderstorms. For the most part, the rain and thunderstorms didn't get in the way of a great day.

Ella strapped in and ready for a day at the zoo.
Grace and Lydia had the Family Farm play area all to themselves while we waited for our friends to arrive. Nothing like the threat of rain and thunder to keep the other kids away!!
All the little monkeys!! Lauren, Emma, Ella, Katherine, Grace and Lydia
Ella - she's almost as big as the baby gorilla
Katherine claiming Lydia's spot in our stroller. Lydia nto a very good sharer and gave poor Katherine a few evil glares throughout the day.
Paul and Lydia looking at the spider monkeys.
No visit to the zoo is complete for my girls without sitting on the tiger and zebra chairs.
Emma - The oldest of all the girls is almost 5 and definitely the little mother of the group. All the littler girls adore Emma.
Emma and Grace doing something at the dinosaur exhibit. I could pretend to know what they are doing or wait until Paul gets home and ask. If I wait to ask Paul, the post might not be up for another month, so just pretend it's something really cool!

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Ella - 9 months old



Ella was 9 months old on the 23rd. Our baby is growing up so quickly! She is a happy baby who loves her sisters. She is almost crawling forward, but very proficient in crawling backwards and getting stuck under furniture.

She can clap and give high fives, but hasn't mastered waving good bye yet.

She is starting to eat table foods, mostly only when her sisters sneak her tastes of ice cream, cookies, and pudding.

She still only has her two bottom teeth. She has bitten both her sisters (they probably had it coming).

She loves to pull herself up and stand by her toys and furniture. She doesn't have the balance to stand yet, so I am confident she won't be walking for at least another month or two.

And of course, she is ADORABLE!! See for yourself. She just sits in the grass and lets me take loads of pictures of her!!


A Lazy Lake Day

We spent a recent Saturday morning at a nearby lake. The girls had a blast splashing and playing in the water. An added bonus is that a morning of water and sun usually means an afternoon of afternoon naps.



Celebrating Father's Day!

To celebrate Father's Day this year the girls thought it would be appropriate to make Daddy a dirt cake. Grace enjoyed making his special cake and everyone enjoyed eating it.


Lydia, Ella and Grace with Daddy and their cakes. Lydia LOVES her worm!
I said EVERYONE loved the cake - including Ella. She thought it was delicious!! Yummy!

Friday, June 18, 2010

Happy Father's Day Paul!

Happy Father's Day! We love you so much!

Friday, June 11, 2010

Strawberry Picking

Strawberries! Yummy! Nothing is better than warm, juicy fresh strawberries. We spent a morning at a local farm picking (and eating) berries.

Instead of posting, I am convinced that I should occasionally just copy the Mathies family blog and change the kids names from Allie to Grace and/or Lydia and Katelyn to Ella. I guess I better post a few pictures of the kids though.

Lydia LOVES to eat strawberries. Grace likes to smile, pose, smile, pose some more, walk between the strawberry rows, pose some more and maybe pick a strawberry or two.

Ella sat happily in between a couple of rows of strawberries.
All done for the morning, hop on the wagon and wait for the ride back. We must have had the same idea as the Mathies family since they arrived about 10 minutes after us.


Saturday, June 5, 2010

Relay for Life - Pedersen Style

We participated in the Relay for Life again this year. It is a great family friendly event for a great cause. The girls participate as best as they can.


Here's Lydia ready to walk with all the walking attire. Flip flops are the footwear that all the great walkers wear. Chocolate milk in case she gets thirsty. An of course the beads to look stylish as she walks.
A big thumbs up from Grace....oops, add the Relay t-shirt to complete the look.
Ella may not be walking yet, but she kicks back ans relaxed while riding in her stroller.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Rummaging and the Park

I love to go to rummage sales. With three kids, three and under, rummaging can be a daunting experience. Daunting, but I do it anyway. That just makes me crazy, right? So if I decide to go rummaging, I selectively choose a couple that I want to hit. Since we only have girls and all the clothes get handed down to Lydia and Ella, I usually only buy for Grace. (Don't feel too bad for Lydia and Ella, since they have a very large, and I think cute, wardrobe).

I dragged the girls to a couple great sales this morning. It wasn't too torturous since they sit in the van and watch movies. (See Paul, that money spent on the entertainment package is saving us money on kids clothes).

To get rid of the pent up energy this morning, I let the girls loose at the park. After about 2 seconds of being at the park, they forget the torture of the rummage sales. See for yourself.

Lydia getting her toes wet.
Ella and her pal Katie sitting in the shade.
Grace running and splashing.
Fun in the water
Jump! Splash!
Lydia drying off for a bit. (Great photo, Janelle)!




Splashing, sliding, swinging and of course the picking and sharing of flowers with friends makes for a fabulous Thursday!

Better Than an Afternoon Nap?


When you are 3 years old, lots of things are better than taking the dreaded afternoon nap. Unfortunately for Grace, that means she has to help me clean if she wants to stay awake some days. Don't go feeling sorry for her yet, she LOVES to clean and would do it for fun. It's a win-win-(win) situation. Happy toddler, cleaner house (and happy Target since we go through lots of excess cleaner).