Outside

Now that the rather cool Blacksburg spring has melted into an angelic, warm-but-not-hot Blacksburg pre-summer, we are taking every opportunity to get outside!

On Memorial Day Weekend, we began with a family visit to the Price  House, complete with garden frolic.

Unfortunately, Miles was showing the beginnings of our family's shared Memorial Day Virus. Jon had it during the week, followed by Adele. Miles was afflicted from Saturday till Sunday night-ish, and I... am still waiting. Actually, I think it's fairly safe to say, at this point, that that illness FEARED TO INFECT ME. Yeah, MDV. Come at me now.

Anyway, on Memorial Day Monday, we made another visit to our dear little Mill Mountain Zoo.

Miles admires his silly-mirror-image.

They have a spunky new snow leopard!

Adele rode the train for the first time. She enjoyed it hugely, and cried, signing "more more more!" and "again!!" when it stopped. We were able to distract her pretty handily with some pigs and goats, though. Her pig sounds are really coming along.

The walk back to the parking lot was unusually gorgeous.

Napping in spite of herself on the way back.

Monday the kids and I went to another one of Papa's softball games. He's part of our church's league. Anyway, we had a rather quintessential summer evening, sitting on a blanket with friends, keeping a lazy eye on the kids, and just enjoying the start of a delicious Blacksburg summer.

Can you see the rainbow?

Miles could!

Miles' new friend, Noah, was technically rooting for the other team.

I don't think anyone here cared about team allegiances at all.

Viva Summer 2013!

Rogation

It is prime time for gardens in the New River Valley.

At last, after long waiting, the Irises at Price House Gardens are up! and in full display, now.

This is our third year making our pilgrimage to the Irises. We went in 2011 and 2012. Our family has changed a fair bit!

This girl is a spunky toddler.

Growing things.

This place is so tranquil.

See the dew?

Price House is a place that makes me miss Blacksburg, despite that we still live here, and will continue to live here for the foreseeable future. It seems timeless, somehow. It is EveryBackyard on a lazy Saturday.

This Sunday was Pentecost Sunday. This marks a day on which the Spirit moved so powerfully that the apostles were thought to be drunk at 9 in the morning. We attended a well-ordered and contained church service in commemoration. But, a few of us did spill outside afterwards to touch the earth, bless it, and plant some growing things.

This was the day we celebrated Rogation Day, a day set aside to bless the newly planted crops and flowers. We gave very small children trowels and showed them how to plant our marigold plants.

Okay, the gardening experts showed them, and Miles learned far faster than I did.

Breaking up the casing deftly.

Meanwhile, Adele charged around like she owned the place.

She did poke at the dirt for a few minutes...

Before getting up to chase cars again.

I see growth all around, and even within. I am growing braver. I woke from sleep suddenly with a sentence from my dream ringing in my mind: "You are being led by the hand." Just that. A message whose precise meaning I am still mulling. But it tells me this much: I am seen, and I am going somewhere. As, I'm sure, we all are.

Hanging out

The semester is over, the strife is o'er, the battle done, etc. But I'm still going to work, until June 7, so summer break for our family does not start for more than 2 weeks. In the meantime, we are able, on weekends, to do more hanging out, as a family.

This find from the church yard sale has been worth far more than the change we paid for it.

When my office closed early last week to accommodate graduation, I seized the opportunity to hang with with my family.

I love this shot.

They're now able to share a swing.

Adele has learned to smile on command!

My two.

Adele now forms sentences: "I + word." In this case, "I HORSE!!"

She also slides on her own. Don't be alarmed by the ending of this video; she got right up and back on the playground apparatus.

Mother's Day

I got what I wanted for Mother's Day: a soft-edged, light-filled easy day with my family. I got to wake up at 7:30, remember that it was Mother's Day and mosey at my ease while Jon made breakfast and entertained the kids. I came to breakfast when I was good and ready, after Miles came to hug me and wish me happy Mother's Day. There were pancakes, there was coffee, and cards signed by my family. My cup runneth over.

Oh, and daycare and pre-school between them gave me a stack of beautiful crafts from both kids (one favorite: pic of Adele with puzzle pieces forming a frame, reads: "I luv U to pieces!"), and a veritable garden of houseplants. I'm a gardener now. Wish me luck! I don't have the best gardening record...

We needed a family shot as we didn't get one on cold, rainy Easter. An obliging friend at church helped us:

Yes, we're in the same place that we were for our Christmas card. What of it? :-)

I got brunch at Boudreaux's downtown, complete with Mother's Day mimosa. Snapped this of Miss Adele while there:

At home, Miles occupied the in-between time having quiet time and drawing my portrait.

Remarkable likeness, don't you think?

The early evening found us at the public library, as it so often does.

My kids LOVE that gazebo out front.

Miles with his favorite from this week's library haul.

My mother was a silent presence today. I miss her every day, and often painfully. But today her memory only seemed to fill the corners of the day with contentment and sense of grateful joy. She is here, in a sense. Miles has a clear vision of her in her house in heaven. According to him, she has a garden, and her house is yellow.

I could wish that everyone who has ever known a painful Mother's Day, for any reason, would live to experience ten such Mother's Days as this was. I am a wealthy woman.

Heights

We have been seeing growth around here! Not only in the indoor garden Miles and I planted a couple of weeks back, which has just started to sprout tiny leafed shoots. But we have some kids who prove themselves more capable of more things all the time.

This girl goes down slides by herself now, and has taken to shouting "I color!!" when she sees crayons.

This boy has even taken to attempting some ball sports. I mean, he still doesn't catch well, but the throwing is really coming along. And catching has seen some improvements too. 

His preferred pursuits tend to involve his imagination and his enormous vocabulary.

We took the kids to the park a couple of weeks ago to fly a kite. It went fairly well! At one point it stayed in the air for like 8 minutes!

Miles and Adele laughed at the jolly sight of the colorful kite they picked out dancing in the wind.

Miles points to his friend, the kite.

Every night there are read stories and told stories. Told stories have a cast of repeat characters, such as Snandy the dog, a family of bears with Young whose names are Patrick, Matrick, and Jorbain, and lately, a donkey named Roebucks who helps Miles get places we aren't able to drive him to. Each story is told twice: once to Miles, and once between his parents, over dishes and laughter.

These are sweet days.