Echoes from Winter

So I was rifling through some older posts, and came across this draft of random pictures -- apparently I uploaded a bunch of pictures before Joseph was born but didn't have enough time to comment and publish it! So here's a little blast from the (recent) past that I feel obligated to share. :)


Miriam feeding the squirrels. Every time we went for a walk, the girls would collect whatever acorns had fallen on the ground. We filled a large jar with all their treasures, with the intention of doling them out throughout the winter to feed the hungry squirrels. Well, Mommy kept forgetting, until finally one cold day Miriam took it upon herself to scatter the nuts.

...and came back with a present for Mommy. :) (our AC is currently on -- it makes me hot just looking at this picture now!)

About ten minutes after the previous picture, we took this one. It was the last snowstorm of the season, and the girls made the most of it. Miriam loves snow so much. She was disappointed in our snow fall this year, and is already looking forward to NEXT winter. I should ship her out to Minnesota for a winter to get it out of her system. :)

toasting their toes in front of the last fire of the season

Bulbs are so dependable!

We've had a lovely spring this year. It came just when it was supposed to, and behaved just as it was supposed to. I only wish I had been more on the ball and planted all of our flower seeds -- I did the front garden but haven't gotten around to the back (I blame Sudoku). Now it's probably too late. Maybe I'll plant the seeds in the fall and let them lie dormant through the winter...

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While I was pregnant and busy and tired, the girls did a pretty good job of entertaining themselves. (Of course, now that we've gotten back into doing school, Miriam is used to lots of hands-on Mommy time, and has lost this talent!)

Who needs Barbies (and all the necessary accessories) when you've got a cardboard box & an imagination? :)

Madeline in her new luxury convertible. Note the fancy hubs...

functioning steering wheel...

and deluxe leather bucket seats. This was yet another craft Miriam designed and made while I was under the weather. Even though her formal schooling was fairly patchy over the winter, the time wasn't wasted -- she was extremely creative.

Exhibit B :)

I swear she's used up a whole ream of paper drawing princesses and making cards and plastering them all over the house. We finally had to make some rules about where pictures could be taped up (so now her bedroom wall is papered with Miriam -- and Katie -- original artwork). She just about had a heart attack when I tried to surreptitiously throw some of them away (the girls have taken to checking the trash periodically, just in case Mommy "accidentally" throws something important away), so to placate her I decided to keep them to use as packaging paper! Much more creative than newspaper, which we seldom have anyway.


I've got a couple more picture-heavy posts planned... here's hoping I'm able to get to them before The Big Pickles Vacation '08!