Photo Blog: Fun on the Front Porch

The Sweet Smells of Summer

Welcome to the June Carnival of Natural Parenting: Outdoor fun

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have shared their stories and tips for playing outside with kids. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

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I love summertime and since I've moved to a different neighborhood, one that's not on the industrial side of town, on a road that isn't the business highway of the town, I am really able to bask in the warm glow of summer and breathe in it's rich, sweet smells when I'm outside with the girls.

While the girls spend their time running and crawling and riding bikes and tricycles around the car in the driveway, I lay back and relax - as much as I can, being a watchful parent responsible for a 5 year old and a 14 month old. When I find a particular scent heavy in the air, I call Gracie over to me and we try to identify it. She's getting pretty good at it too.

We have some honeydew growing along the side of our house and that's usually the first thing we smell. It picks up in the middle of spring and lasts throughout the summer. That smell is usually my first wonderful reminder that summer is on its way.

My neighbor up the street has got the most beautiful roses and their scent is so strong that you can smell it from the sidewalk two houses down. It's a nice, calming addition to our early evening strolls.

My dad's yard plays host to a huge variety of new scents for Gracie and I to take in. He's got the biggest, prettiest flower garden ever and to top it off, he's got a couple lilac bushes. He always sends me home with a Solo cup full of its blooms that I keep in my car for a day or two.

When we're not absorbing the scents of summer, we play just like anyone else. Like I said before, the girls love to race around the car in the driveway. Whether it be running (or crawling/partially walking in Kairi's case) or biking and tricycling (although we have to push Kairi along) and sometimes even the scooter gets broken out, those girls LOVE running the circle around the driveway.

When they get tired they like to draw pictures on the pavement with sidewalk chalk. Gracie drew a beautiful flower on the porch a couple nights ago. I'm so proud of her artistic abilities.

The girls have gotten better at playing together too. Last week when we were outside, they were sitting together in the driveway. Gracie was scratching Kairi's back and Kairi was just squealing with delight. Then, Gracie decided to give Kairi a "foot massage."

We're big fans of bubbles and balls too....

Yes. Summer is my favorite time of year. I can't wait until it's warm enough to go swimming! I smell the chlorine just thinking about it!

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Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

• Garden Treats — Asha at Mom Costume has once again been bitten by the gardening bug — and this time her baby's tagging along for some fresh air and dirt exploration. (@titbagsandsnoot)
• Outdoor Free Roam — Mamapoekie at Authentic Parenting follows her daughter's lead whenever they go outside. (@mamapoekie)
• Summer fun in Austin with a toddler — Jessica at This Is Worthwhile is brainstorming ways to beat the heat in Texas. (@tisworthwhile)
• summer fun… — Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children is looking forward to spending the summer outside with her children the way she used to spend summers with her mother.
• Outdoor Fun for Pre-Walkers — Maman A Droit has figured out ways to let her pre-walker enjoy the outdoors. (@MamanADroit)
• Summer Homeschool Fun at Camp Review — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now discusses how Camp Review motivated and captivated her homeschooling family. (@DebChitwood)
• Digging, Tree Climbing and Puddle Jumping — Laura at Laura's Blog bemoans the loss of her girls' climbing tree but knows they'll find something else just as naturally tempting.
• The Sweet Smells of Summer — Erin at A Beatnik's Beat on Life is looking forward to the many smells of summer she and her daughters enjoy and identify. (@babybeatnik)
• June Carnival of Natural Parenting: Outdoor Fun — Sybil at Musings of a Milk Maker is a confirmed couch potato who can't help but be inspired by the outdoor opportunities Seattle offers her family. (@sybilryan)
• Take a Hike — Michelle at The Parent Vortex connects with her family and the Earth on frequent hikes in their Pacific wilderness. (@TheParentVortex)
• Following Paul — Julie at Simple Life gives her kids unstructured time to dig in the dirt and pick mulberries. (@homemakerjulie)
• Instilling a Love of the Outdoors in Your Baby/Toddler — Tessasdad at Stay At Home Dad in Lansing offers a photo book of tips for helping your little ones enjoy the outdoors. (@tessasdad)
• Camping, baby! — Jen at Grow With Graces has easy tips for tent camping with a little one. (@growwithgraces)
• Think Outside the Easel for Summertime Fun — Acacia at Be Present Mama finds several ways to bring art fun to the outdoors.
• Outdoor Learning in our Urban Environment — Andrea at Ella-Bean & Co. has found ways to get grass between her daughter's toes, even in the city.
• Outdoor Education — Alison at BluebirdMama offers parents tips and resources for making each outdoor excursion a learning experience. (@childbearing)
• Turning Inside Out — Christie of Childhood 101 finds kids get a kick out of taking indoor toys outside. (@Childhood101)
• Watching Peas Sprout — Deb at Science@home combines fun with purpose in this educational outdoor activity. (@ScienceMum)
• How To Create a Pirate Treasure Hunt & Other Easy Outdoor Pirate Activities (June Carnival of Natural Parenting) — Dionna at Code Name: Mama has pirate-themed play ideas for ye scurvy landlubbers. (@CodeNameMama)
• What We Do — Luschka at Diary of a First Child has managed to expose her 8-month-old to a wide variety of outdoor fun, even with the notoriously dreary UK weather. (@diaryfirstchild)
• Summer Fun — Darcel at The Mahogany Way finds her family's visits to the beach refreshing in so many ways. (@MahoganyWayMama)
• Playing outside without a backyard — Sheryl at Little Snowflakes doesn't let the lack of a backyard stop her family from enjoying the outdoors. There are plenty of things to do outside of your yard! (@sheryljesin)
• Having Fun Outdoors, Playset Free — Guavalicious at They Are So Cute When They Are Sleeping has resisted a backyard playset in favor of the regular backyard. (@guavalicious)
• Moon Gazing with your Toddler — Paige at Baby Dust Diaries is keeping her toddler up at night, but it's for a good reason: to share the wonders of the night sky! (@babydust)
• the great outdoors — The grumbles at grumbles and grunts wonders whether her urban child can experience the same free-range childhood she enjoyed. (@thegrumbles)
• Let's Take It Outside! — NavelgazingBajan at Navelgazing is looking for ideas: how can she spend time with her pre-walker outside this summer? (@BlkWmnDoBF)
• A home by the sea: June Carnival of Natural Parenting: Outdoor fun — Lauren at Hobo Mama is living her dream of a home near the beach, and taking full advantage of it. (@Hobo_Mama)
• An Outside Girl — Zoey at Good Goog moved her family to (almost) the middle of nowhere so that her outdoor-loving girl could have more grass and less concrete. (@zoeyspeak)
• Neighborhood Nature — Kelly at Kelly Naturally has learned to connect with the nature she has instead of mourning the nature she misses. (@kellynaturally)
• Building Lovely Memories of Swimming, Spiders and Gravestones — Joni Rae at Tales of a Kitchen Witch and her family are simply outdoorsy people. (@kitchenwitch)
• "Buh-Bye" Season — Danielle at born.in.japan must leave laundry behind and follow her son's call to the outdoors. (@borninjp)
• Backyard Camping — Becoming Mamas took her family camping very close to home! (@becomingmamas)
• The Color of Dreams — Seeking Mother at Woman Seeking Mother makes gardening magical by teaching her son that each flower is a faery. (@seekingmother)

She's Growing So Fast

Little Miss Pre-K Graduate. 

<3

Gracie, age 5

Reminiscing: My Wedding

Tonight on Twitter, I've been talking about a couple local landmarks, trying to coerce a fellow blogger into visiting while she's in Oklahoma (which I doubt if she'll come - but it's fun trying anyway!)

One of the landmarks was the location of my wedding as well as a good number of my engagement pictures. I got to looking at the pictures and reminiscing. I'd like to share some of them with you.

Standing just feet away from where we were about to wed.

We used this for our invitation. We made postcards!

I love the look she's giving Jason.

My little flower girl.

My dad and I

Being given away

I just realized what this picture is - the prayer and Jason refusing to bow his head. LOL!

We're married!!!

Happy family!

Kairi Noms Volume 1

Hi, Momma!

What'chu got there?

...Is noms?

...Noms is good.

Halloweerd!

I don't know about you guys, but I had a fabulous Halloween weekend! It was so much fun! My best friend Natalie, whom I never get to see anymore because she lives out of town, threw a Halloween party on Friday. I didn't think I was going to be able to make it, but at the last minute a mutual friend told me she had room for me and the girls to ride with her. So we went. There were so many funny and neat costumes! And it was great seeing Natalie's friends that I hadn't met or gotten to know very well. She and her husband Micheal have a great group of friends.

Natalie and Micheal

As only can be expected when I'm paired with Natalie, weirdness ensued....

Me and Nat <3

I find it easiest to not ask...

Gracie dressed up as Snow White, as she has been a little obsessed since the DVD/Blu-Ray release of the movie earlier this month.

My little angel <3

Kairi wore a tutu, but that didn't last long. Tulle + my baby does not mix well.

Pretty baby!

Halloween night consisted of the usual: dinner at Gramma's and then trick-or-treating with my cousin Kindra and her kids. Unfortunately, I was hung over (from the 3 glasses of wine I drank the previous night - 3 GLASSES!!! WTF, right?!) and didn't have the presence of mind to take any pictures of Kindra's boys. I assure you though, as a miniature Darth Vader and Batman, they were adorable!

Last night we set the clocks back an hour, and although it didn't particularly change the amount of time we slept (yeah, that time pretty much flies out of the window once you have kids!) it was nice to get an extra hour with my husband. He's been working so hard lately that we rarely get to spend our waking hours together.

All in all, a great weekend. Tomorrow starts a whole new week, back to the daily grind. I'm just glad it will start on a good note!

Crochet Madness!

I keep seeing these really cute baby beanies online. I see pictures of friends' babies wearing them too. They're the ones that have the big cute crochet flowers on them. So I went on a mission to find one for cheap. The cheapest I can find of the style that I want is $22. Rather than giving in and paying that kind of price for an item that Kairi will likely only be able to wear for one season (especially when I want more than one!) I decided to learn to crochet. I went to my local arts and crafts store and bought a beginners kit for crochet. It came with 4 hooks of varying size as well as an afghan hook, a book explaining a few different stitches and including a few patterns, and a bunch of other stuff that I'm not really sure of the use. I also bought a few different things of yarn. (There is a specific word for this but I forget what it is and it's late and I don't want to look it up. LOL.) Then I came home and watched 3 YouTube videos on how to crochet "granny squares." Once I had the technique down I quit for the night and went to bed.

Yesterday morning I began a blanket for Kairi. As it stands now it is about 1/4 done and on hold. A good friend of mine is pregnant. Her due date was yesterday and she is scheduled to induce on the 23rd. So I am making her daughter a baby blanket. It is purple and soft and cozy. I can't wait to finish it.

Another thing that I have worked on, the only thing I have finished thus far, is a hat. It's not the kind of hat I originally started this for, but it is darn cute and just that in and of itself is worth the money I spent on all of this stuff. And I must say that Kairi looks super cute in it.

I will post pictures of the blankets once they are finished. Until then, enjoy these pictures of Kairi in her new little beanie.

The Great Carrot Catastrophe

A few nights ago I was feeding Kairi a jar of carrot baby food. Typically I will follow the spoon with a wipey or a wet wash cloth and clean her up every couple of bites, but this really upsets her. This night I knew that I was going to give her a bath immediately after feeding her, so I just let her get as messy as she wanted. It was kind of fun, really.











Her bathwater turned bright orange and had to be drained and refilled before she came completely clean. And Gracie thought it was hysterical as well. I'm disappointed that I didn't get any pictures of her reaction.

My Little Sweetie

I had a cute little picture made of Kairi at http://www.sugarnsweets.com/ for her 5th month b-day. It's really cute. My only problem is that the girl who made it did some weird stuff to her eyes, and while the effect is really neat looking, I also happen to REALLY like my baby's eyes.

Anyway, it was free, so I can't complain. Here it is:

Adventures in Photo Editing

I have been doing some tinkering lately with photo editing. Mostly in the past I've just used programs like Google's Picasa, programs that you can have some fun with but are really pretty limited.

A few nights ago, a friend of mine turned me onto a program called GIMP. It's free and you can get it here. So far I've only tried doing some cutout and paste stuff and some color burst, but I can already see that it's going to be a fun ride once I really figure out how to get my hands dirty.