Three Gardens

Remember back in fall when I planted a garden, then struggled to keep it from being dug up by squirrels?  Well, this is what it looks like as spring approaches.

The kale and green onions are flourishing, as are Joy's turnips and wheat.  We'll see if the tiny carrots get big enough to eat as the weather warms up.  Oh, and those straw bales?  Someone in my gardening book group told me that well-watered straw bales make great "containers" for veggie plants because they retain moisture well and break down into compost.  You're supposed to water them for two or three weeks before you plant seeds or plants in them, so I bought them yesterday to get them ready for spring planting in a few weeks.  I'm very curious to see if my plants do as well or better in the bales, or if the squirrels show less interest in the straw bale garden.

Meanwhile, indoors, I noticed something creepy among my African violets.

Daniel's Baptism and Lots of Fresh Air

Daniel was baptized by Papa this morning, and confirmed by his dad.  I gave a short talk about baptism before he was baptized, then Red Grandma gave a short talk about the gift of the Holy Ghost.  We asked Aunt Heather to lead the music, and she agreed to do it even though she'd never led music before.  We told her if she just waved her hand with a big smile, the smile would be all anyone remembered.

Daniel has taken this commitment to God very seriously, and we've noticed that his prayers and his comments in family home evening lessons have become more thoughtful lately.  We're so proud of him.

Following the baptism, Red Grandma and Aunt Heather rested at our home while we took Papa to the archery range.  He used to shoot a bow a lot before his mission years ago, and it was fun to see him take aim at a few targets with us.

After shooting several rounds we took a pleasant walk through the woods, identified a few animal tracks, and found a nice, comfy tree to sit on for a photo op.

On the way home we stopped at Lake Conway and practiced skipping rocks for a while.  What a lovely day.

Pizza, Pawns, and Paparazzi

Yay!!!  Papa, Red Grandma, and Aunt Heather are in town for Daniel's baptism this weekend!

Todd got a lot of attention today while the big kids were at school . . .

. . . then Heather and Papa took a nap . . . 

. . . before we walked over to watch Joy's weekly chess match.  Eight kids in her school are competing each Friday for several weeks, and the top three will go on to compete in a district-wide tournament in March.  Joy is easily the biggest fish in the little pond at her school (this week she clobbered her opponent in less than ten minutes), but it will be interesting to see how she measures up in a much bigger pond next month.

The older members of our family enjoyed watching the chess matches, but the younger ones soon became restless.  They were much happier (and quieter, in the kids' case) after I broke out a set of Uno cards.

Back on Marlise Drive we rolled out the bikes and scooters for a while, then we all went to dinner at Larry's Pizza Buffet, and there was great rejoicing.

Dinner with the Crocketts

Sister Crockett (Joy's Primary teacher from last year, who Joy absolutely adores) invited us to dinner this evening.

In addition to being a smart, generous, delightful lady, Sister Crockett runs a preschool out of part of her home, so she had lots of fun toys for the kids to play with.

Here's Anna making pretend dinner for Daniel while we wait for our real dinner.

Joy also took this opportunity to introduce Sister Crockett to her toy Creeper . . .

. . . and show off her favorite dragons in our DragonVale app.  Then the Crocketts served us hamburgers for dinner, and we served them mini cheesecakes for dessert.  The end.

February Blooms

It still feels like winter in Arkansas.

The lawns are still hibernating, most of the trees are still bare, and we sometimes see frost on our neighbor's roof in the mornings, but we're also starting to see signs that winter is nearing its end.

I've mentioned more than once on this blog that I love Chinese magnolia trees, whose elegant pink blooms were among the first flowers to signal the approach of spring in California.  As I was driving through Conway this morning, I was delighted to see a few Chinese magnolias in full bloom.  Before this morning, I hadn't realized there were any of those trees in Arkansas.

I also saw sunny daffodils blooming here and there . . .

. . . and a few hardy wildflowers braving the cold.

I must say, though, my favorite bloom that I saw today was this beautiful red rose on our table.  Phillip and I went out for a nice Valentine's Day dinner last night, and the restaurant gifted a rose to every female patron as they left.  My sweetheart would have given me some flowers, too, but I asked him to let me put the money in my savings jar for a high-tech blender I really want, 'cuz I'm romantic like that (thanks, Honey!).

In other news, as I was driving around town today I spotted this sign promising that there were reclining matadors ahead, but I didn't see any.  How disappointing.

Three Valentine's Parties

Parents are invited to attend Valentine's Day parties at our kids' school, so Todd and I went to three different parties today.

Our first stop was Anna's class, where we watched the kids use conversation hearts to do a sorting assignment.  Anna was too focused on finishing her schoolwork to dig into all of the party-related sugar next to her.  I admire her dedication.

Todd was a different story (Valentine cookie!  Nom, nom, nom!).

Next we visited Daniel's class party, which had cookies AND candy.

Our last stop was Joy's class.  After eating tons of sugar today . . .

. . . Todd was very grateful that our last party offered strawberries in addition to the usual sweet treats.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Eve

How did you spend your Valentine's Eve?

Joy made a valentine box for school.

It's a rocket ship, with her little Minecraft toys holding a Valentine's Day party inside.

Meanwhile, Daniel and Anna played make-believe . . .

. . . Todd jumped on the couch . . .

. . . and Mama untangled yet another Slinky knot.

Fun times. :)

Sunday Valentines

The three big kids decided that making valentines for their classmates would be a good way to spend a Sabbath afternoon.

I found some fun, printable valentines for Daniel and Anna to stamp and sign.  Joy preferred to do her own thing, as usual.

Daniel Turns 8

Daniel turned 8 years old today.  He's excited to be baptized in a couple weeks . . .

. . . and to open his presents and eat the chocolate cake Joy baked for him tonight.

May your birthday wish come true, Daniel Man.