How Does Your Garden Grow?

 The garden is beginning to take shape, hooray!   Today we got garlic, onions, peppers and cosmos planted.  The sunflower seeds have sprouted and we still have lettuce, spinach, and tomato starts to get in the ground.  And let's not forget the pumpkin and cucumber seeds still awaiting their earthy new home.  For those of you who have seen our yard, you must be wondering just where all these plants are going... trust me we are too! 

I put the peppers in pots and plan to do the same with the lettuce and spinach.  The garlic and onions have taken over the bed by the front door... mmm won't that be a fragrant greeting for our guests.  tee hee.  At least we'll keep Dracula and all his vampire buddies away.  (Patrick and the children have been reading a delightful series of books featuring a bunny named Bunnicula, so the deterent is particularly timely this year.)

 The kids had a great time this morning assisting with the gardening.  Princess L was busy with the watering can and N dug the holes for the garlic and onions.  When it came time to think about where to put the spinach I discovered that they were much more interested in eating the spinach then planting it.  Finally  I convinced them that we could have endless supplies of spinach for the spring/summer, but only if we actually got it planted.  So the nibbling stopped, for now.  I fully expect to find my children eating lettuce and spinach and peas right out of the garden all summer.  And, you'll hear now complaints from me!

Despite my busy schedule at the theater these days we have managed to have some good family outings.  Our most recent outing was to AG FEST 2010.   It was truly a kids paradise.  They took their first pony rides.  "Mom, the ponies today were kind of mellow, next time I want to ride a fast pony." says my daredevil boy, N.    L did ride the pony despite spending the entire car ride to Salem insisting that, "Little girls do not ride ponies.  Little girls do not like ponies.  I won't ride the pony!"  We told her she didn't have to, and this of course prompted a change in attitude, "Little girls DO like to ride ponies!" 

The kids had a blast checking out all the different animals, there were sheep, goats, rabbits, cows, llamas, and horses.   Everyone was encouraged to pet the animals and ask questions.  N was very excited and just couldn't  decide where to start.  L was a little shy at first and spent the first 10 minutes or so in my arms.  As you can see she warmed up, eventually, and had a grand time petting and visiting with the animals.  At every pen she would pick up a piece of hay or some sawdust and try and feed the animals.  I don't think I was ever able to convince her that most animals don't really like saw dust!

As well as animals to see,  there were plenty of hands on activities to do.  N "milked" a wooden cow (which my friend Darcy says sounds like a euphemism for something not so kid friendly!)

  They dug up potatoes (and then buried them again for others to find) they made dirt babies (look for a photo in a week or so) and had ice cream and fresh air.  And that's how I will remember it.  I won't remember the zillion times I had to say, "Stop" or "Wait"  or the 7 seconds of terror I felt when L got out of my eyesight and she wasn't with Patrick.  I won't remember the ache in the small of my back from carrying a three year old around the fairgrounds or the lingering headache I had all day.  I won't remember how crowded it was or the feeling of claustrophobia I got walking around the exhibit hall.  No, I  really will remember the smiles on the kids faces while they had those first pony rides and when we said, "yes, you CAN have an ice cream bar" (even though you've had nilla wafers and a chocolate chip cookie already).  Because those are the moments that really matter.