The BIG Haircut

Mark and I donated our hair to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths last summer and about that time Peyton said she wanted to grow hers "down to my butt" and then donate it to Locks of Love. Her hair is so slow growing and after fighting the tangles for the past year, she decided to have it cut after her preschool graduation. So we went on Friday to Unique Touch to have Lisa cut Peyton's hair. She loves her new 'do and was telling everyone she saw that she had her hair cut for Locks of Love. I can't believe how grown up she looks without all of her hair!

strawberry scone

strawberryscone
Originally uploaded by TracieCM

Just one of the things I made with our local strawberries. So yummy!

Cutie pie LIam

Cutie pie LIam
Originally uploaded by TracieCM

I'm trying this from flickr now.....

Sweet Liam

Seriously, why does Photoshop and iphoto show this picture in brilliant blue (it prints that way too), but in Blogger it's all washed out and faded? What is going on?

Isn't he cute though?

JUMP

I took the kids to the JMU Arboretum this week to see the turtles and to take a walk. They spent about 10 minutes just climbing and jumping off these rocks! We did see about 20 turtles too!

(By the way, my pictures come into blogger incredibly washed out. They look much better in Photoshop.)

Fresh Strawberries!

I took the kids to Weyers Cave to Milky Way Farms this morning. I was hoping to buy a box of pre-picked strawberries to make jam, but they aren't picking for sale yet. You have to pick your own. I was so unprepared, but the kids were willing so we picked two boxes of berries! Peyton and Liam were in their jammies and crocs, but at least they were wearing jackets. It was sunny but chilly in the field, but they were troopers and helped fill the boxes. I think we picked for an hour before we took the wagon out of the field. I made 12 containers of jam this afternoon and I'm freezing some too. I'll make strawberry scones later tonight, once my butter thaws! We even had some to share with the neighbors! I probably could have done with about a box and a half, but we were so excited that we just kept picking!

I might go back next week and pick another box just for freezing. It would be great not to have to buy frozen berries this winter!

Shenandoah National Park

Peyton used my camera to take some pictures today. She thought that was cool.

As this deer crossed the path both kids started to run! It freaked them out a little bit!

I took the kids to SNP today for a short hike. I was hoping to do the entire Story of the Forest Nature Trail, which is a 1.8 mile loop, but after getting started, there was no way we could do the whole thing. I don't know what I was thinking expecting a 2.5 and 4.5 year old to walk almost 2 miles. Liam was begging to be held and whining that he was hungry after about 15 minutes on the trail, but Peyton was a trooper. She was looking for deer and other wildlife, mainly bears, which secretly she really wanted to see.

We saw 5 deer and 2 chipmunks, and heard lots of birds. We also saw a bunch of people on the trail, including a group of school children on a field trip. Peyton and Liam enjoyed throwing rocks into the creek and looking for nature. Peyton even went behind a rock to pee in the woods! We ate lunch at the Big Meadows' wayside and then walked out into the meadow just to look. It was pretty late in the day and Liam was a mess, whining and complaining, so we took off for home. We only saw one deer on the drive back to Harrisonburg. I'm hoping to do more stuff there this summer, camping, hiking, picnics, etc. I just need to get them to stop whining when we've only walked for 10 minutes!

Kids and puppies

Is there anything cuter than kids and puppies? Especially pony-tailed blond girls and cute boys with dimples.....these kids are so precious to me!

I went to the downtown Farmer's Market today and picked up some fresh asparagus and gorgeous lettuce. I was so excited about all of the fresh veggies there today. I am trying hard not to buy much produce from the grocery store this summer. I want to buy as much from the local farmers as I can and then we'll also have a good yield (fingers crossed) from the stuff we plant! Now I have to find a good recipe for tonight's dinner!

Sweet sweet puppies

Our neighbor's yellow lab had 7 puppies last week and I took the kids to visit yesterday afternoon. I think we could have sat on her garage floor holding puppies for hours! They are so sweet and soft and just crazy adorable! Peyton and Liam were so gentle and careful. Peyton wanted to hold the runt and he cuddled deep down into her lap and fell asleep. They did have to be reminded a few times that the puppies were babies so they can't really play yet, but the kids were mesmerized!

I am seriously tempted to buy one, but there is no way I could handle two dogs! I'll be content to go play with them until they all find families.

Swimming with Liam

Liam had his first official swimming lesson last night at a local gym/ wellness center. The class he is taking is called Toddler and Me and I was in the pool with him during the class. He started out a little nervous and kept saying he wanted to go home, but at the end of the half hour he was blowing bubbles and even went underwater! He loved it and is looking forward to going again tomorrow night. I'm so excited to begin encouraging a love of water in our kids. Mark and I love swimming and hanging out on the river, canoeing, etc. I look forward to when our kids are solid swimmers and when we can start going to the pool more often.

Peyton is on a list for private lessons at Bridgewater College. The parks and rec. department won't start swimming lessons until the child is 6 years old, so we're waiting to hear back from BC. They are undergoing pool maintenance and should start lessons in June! She's crazy excited too and was a bit jealous last night. I hope by our beach vacation that they will be able to be in the pool without floaties.

Mrs. Hardesty's Tea House

While my mom and grandmother were in town, we had lunch at Mrs. Hardesty's tea house in downtown Harrisonburg. We enjoyed some delicious food and desserts. The kids love drinking tea and really liked sampling the different kinds we ordered. They were incredibly well behaved too. It's a bit unnerving to take them into a place filled with china, but they handled themselves beautifully! I love these kids!