wiggle it....just a little bit

Right then.  Sometimes words are just not required, and no explanations are needed for photos.  Shaking the sillies out was the theme this afternoon, and that is what was done...

So...get out there and get your crazies out!  Hello June!  And hello to "almost summer vacation"!

a garden to call her own

And here we have it!  A little project of sorts for Maelle.  Her very own plot of land.  Her own garden if you will, but not just any ordinary garden.  Given Maelle's imagination, a little girl who quite often lives in fairy land, a little girl who can always be found flitting about the house or the yard dressed up as a little princess....it seemed appropriate enough that this little space be none other than a...fairy garden.

Maelle and I carefully selected all of the plants for this little garden, flowering cone flowers that attract butterflies, pretty little plants that will eventually be full of pretty little flowers, and lots of ground cover.  Because apparently that's where the fairies like to play hide and seek.  Who knew?

The garden itself is in the very early stages of growth, planted today, and full of some very entertaining earth worms.  Hopefully we will see this garden at it's fullest, and I will be sure to post the updated pics when it happens.  And the fairies...well, I will post on that too...if we see one!

long weekend

I tell ya....a four day long weekend goes by really quickly!  It was a busy one too, with the painting of Aidan's room, two soccer games, deck staining, gardening, and bike rides, it doesn't take long to use up four days.  With today being the last official holiday before school draws to a close, we decided to take the morning and spend time on the trails and get in a little hiking action.

While most of us stayed on the trail, a few of the more adventurous sort decided to spend some time climbing and balancing on a few fallen trees.   

There was a little rock climbing...no hands needed!  (Enter mom's panic attack here watching all four scramble up what I thought was a fairly steep slope, but in reality was only a small grade of large boulders...I will learn to let go....eventually.) 

There was some "fishing" action going on while balancing precariously on a few creek side rocks... 

There was some swimming, mostly by Dakota, but Jenna eventually joined in later after slipping off of said rock... 

Maelle assisted with walking Dakota... 

Aidan tested his climbing abilities and earned the title "grump on a stump" from Brent... 

We ended the day with a family soccer game and a fire, complete with roasted marshmallows... 

....and a very large bucket of water! 

Hope your long weekend was full of adventure!  Now I am secretly hoping for some cooler weather to keep me inside for a few days and finishing up everything that got put off this past week!

Timbit's debut

Oh how we love Timbit's soccer!  Today, Bree and Jenna made their debut into the world of soccer.  It's a league for kids who were born in 2009 only, and my goodness....how cute and fun it was to witness this today!

They ran, often the wrong way towards the wrong net.... 

They took a break, whenever they felt like it... 

Goals were celebrated, even if they were for the other team...

They were excited to get the ball even if it meant picking it up and running away with it...

But most importantly...

New friends were made, they had (so much) fun, they learned teamwork, and they were all smiles.  That was, until we didn't go to the playground.  Sigh.

hello sunshine!

With three very eager helpers on hand, a basket of seeds, a large bag of soil to dig in, and watering cans at the ready, it was time for a little gardening action this afternoon.  After a weekend of some undesirable weather (aka snow...no laughing) it was nice to get back outside and into the sunshine. We dined alfresco for lunch, and then it was straight to work. 

Judging by the stash of seeds we have, it looks like we have a lot of work ahead of us.  Some of this though, will need to wait just a little bit longer.  I mean there is a chance you know that we may get another blast of....yeah, you guessed it....snow.  May in Calgary means nothing!

All the ladies were on hand this afternoon to get as much in the ground as we could.  Maelle....and yes, she often gardens in such chosen attire...was in charge of labelling rocks to serve as an indication of what we planted and where.  The younger helpers have been known to dig up previously planted gardens.   Sigh.

She was also in charge of watering. 

Bree's job was to fill all of our planters that will make there way indoors and will house a few different types of herbs.  Mainly basil, cilantro, and dill.  She will also help make sure that they get watered daily and will report when the first little specs of green start to poke through.  Very exciting stuff when you are three!

Jenna had the difficult job of planting the tiny seeds and making sure that they weren't to crowded in the pots.  She will also assist Bree with the watering.   They have improved greatly with their planting techniques.  Last year I am really not sure where the seeds ended up.

Once all of the planting was finished, at least for today, the kids and I played around the yard after dinner and showed Aidan what we had done.  And, we had a little impromptu photo shoot.  Always the best kind! 

And yes, that is Maelle's outfit number three for the day.  But, she wanted a shot of her and her new haircut. 

I'd like to say it was a productive day on our little "farm" of sorts today.  Between planting some veggies and herbs, to chasing butterflies and following ladybugs, to well deserved homemade popsicles on the deck in the afternoon sun, we will all sleep very well indeed!  Happy planting!