Then. I got pregnant with my daughter. Ever. Single. Plant. I owned. DIED. By the end of my pregnancy I had ONE plant clinging to life, and that was a little bamboo shoot that hid out in my bathroom.
It didn't live long after my daughter was born.
She sucked the green thumb right out of me, or so we like to tell her. She then tells me that she is going to be great at growing plants. I hope so, I have a feeling I'm going to need her this summer to keep my plants alive!
So today we did not get around to digging in the dirt and getting things planted. Instead we decided to have our own adventure.
The weather was absolutely gorgeous today! The kids were outside playing bright and early this morning! They woke up at 7am, and then by the time 7:30 rolled around they were outside playing in the back yard having a grand ol' time. I fed them a quick breakfast and then they darted outside to start their day. I've never seen them eat breakfast so fast. They couldn't wait to get out there and play.
At around 11 it was apparent that they were getting bored with their back yard so I decided we would put aside the rest of our plans for the day and go the big park across town that sits on a lake. So we packed up a little picnic lunch (banana and peanut butter tortilla rolls, apple slices, and some cheese crackers, and thermos's full of water) we headed on out to the park. The kids were giggling about how Yogi the Bear was probably going to steal our "pickanick basket" while we were at the park. That then sent them into a fit of giggles and "Look at the bear, look at the bear, look at the bear, look at the bear...." (Remind me to further limit their TV time, hahaha).
We chose a little secluded picnic spot that was kind of in the wooded area of the park. It was so peaceful! We could see the lake, hear the birds chirping, and see the clouds float by over head. We really enjoyed our little picnic together. For the record, no bears got our lunch.
After we ate lunch we had to find a rest room (of course there were no rest rooms near our secluded little area). So we drove around to the picnic doc on the other side of the lake. After potty breaks we checked out the doc where my daughter ran into a friend of hers from Girl Scouts. The kids only made me SLIGHTLY nervous on the floating dock. No one fell in. Apparently they took Mommy's "sink or swim" warning to heart.
After the doc we kind of walked around the edge of the lake and the kids would see how close they could get without giving Mom a heart attack. Lucky for them it was a VERY shallow area and I would have just laughed at them had they fell in, they would have been pitiful. (Would have gone up to their knees only). No one fell in, lucky ducks.
We then walked over to their favorite play ground, which happens to be EVERYONES favorite play ground and it was CROWDED with parents and kids!
My kids are finally at that age where they aren't the youngest at the park, but they aren't the oldest either. I'm a little more relaxed when we're at the park now, before I was a walking ball of nerves constantly freaking out if I couldn't see my kids EVERY freaking second. Ugh. It was a nightmare.
Now I see other parents that are in that stage and I shoot them the look of "Been there, done that, I totally know how you feel don't worry it gets better, hang in there!!"
Not to say I don't still closely monitor where my kids are, I'm just not as neurotic about it and don't spazz out so bad over it. Now when I spazz out it's just on the inside and no one else can see I'm panicking, on the outside I'm cool, calm, collected and relaxed.
Ran into a good friend at the park today and we visited for awhile. It's always nice to see a friend! Now days most of the people I see at the park are people I have no clue who they are. I remember back before my daughter was born we had a local parenting group in town and we met up quite often for play dates, scrapbooking events, whatever. Just to have some other parenting friends. For most of us we were on our first kid. So it was fantastic having that connection with other moms. As our kids have gotten older we've all kind of drifted apart. Life has changed, went different directions here and there. We still say hello to each other and visit when we can, but the dynamics have changed. So when you get to stop and visit with one of the moms from "back then" it's really great. It doesn't hurt that you have daughters in the same grade, and occasionally babysit for them too. It's always nice to have other mom friends to talk with, and do so while getting out of the house and into the sunshine and fresh air! I think sometime us moms need that more than the kids do. Come on' you know I'm right!
While I was at the park I ran into some family from my dads side of the family, it was really great to see them! I do not get the opportunity to see anyone from my dads side of the family often so when I do run into them it's a wonderful surprise!
By the time we left the park the kids were exhausted and happy. I was slightly pink from all of the sunshine I got today! I kind of forgot about the sunblock (not something I normally do). I'm a stickler for sunblock, but I somehow let it slip my mind today. Thankfully we only got a little pink. My kids have never suffered an actual sun burn and I'd like to keep it that way!
Now the kids are asking if we can go fishing sometime soon. I dunno about this whole fishing thing. It's been a few years (a LOT) of years since I've gone. I was never all that good at it. However, the boys have never gone fishing and my daughter has only been once and she was just a toddler, not even two yet when she went. There is a fishing derby coming up soon and the kids are so excited to go to it. I guess I should get them some fishing rods.
After Church tomorrow we're going to surprise the kids and take them to see the Easter Bunny for a quick picture. Kams was a baby the last time she saw "the bunny" and the boys have never seen the bunny. I'm not one of those hugely Easter Bunny obsesses parents, but I figure it's a nice photo op and a memory I have from when I was a child.
I still need to take them to the farm and home store here in town so they can see the bunnies and the baby chicks, we usually do that every year but I've kind of been a slacker this year.
Thursday I went on a transport with a couple of friends who volunteer at the local animal shelter here in town. We took my foster pup (a gorgeous chocolate lab I named Jazmine) on to a 2 day foster so she could leave for Illinois BRIGHT and early this morning. It was a crazy and chaotic day, but we got it all done! We made it there and back alive and well.
My husband is not allowing me to foster another dog for at least another month. When I CAN foster....I can't foster a puppy. He's not so big into the volunteer work I do. He's not a dog person, he's more of a cat or bird person. Actually he's more of a fish person. I told him if he didn't quit being so stubborn I was going to get a Texas Longhorn to put in the back yard (he's TERRIFIED of Texas Longhorns) He said I absolutely CANNOT foster ANY form of farm animal. He's no fun at all.
School will be ending soon and that's exciting. I haven't a clue as to what we'll be doing this summer, but we'll think of something.
Anywho...it's getting late and I have to be up early tomorrow to get my kiddos ready for Church.
Hope everyone had a gorgeous day and you all got out there and did something together!
Mae
