As a garden grows....

One of the things Alex and I try to do on the weekends as much as possible is to make at least most of the time we have dedicated to doing things together as a family.  Some weekends this is simple "family game" night and dinner together and sometimes we get a little more ambitious like last weekend when we took on making a garden -- together.  Over the summer this will evolve into swimming and grilling all weekend -- which is one of my favorite things to do as a family. 

 

We found this great product called Growums which is an interactive garden for kids.  The purple box comes with all the seeds, dirt and irrigation tools you will need to make a garden. It also comes with an online tool kit that helps educate kids via these cute characters on how to care for a garden. We cultivated our seeds in the sun for a few weeks until we grew seedlings and then transplanted the seedlings to the containers. 

 

The garden has Aida talking about all the veggies like "lettuce" that she is growing and is going to try and tomatoes, basil, and peppers.  I hope we get just a few veggies this summer so we can make some fun recipes this summer with the very freshest food.  Our family loves to cook -- Aida really enjoys helping out in the kitchen and this was just a fun way to get our kids interested in where their food comes from and experimenting with new foods. 

 

Our new addition "scouty" even helped supervise the action... and yes Christopher is helping out in his underwear...Boys....

 

What seeds are you planting with your kids this spring? 



 

 

The Power of Partnership

This week as I left for a business trip, my husband who hasn't been feeling great for weeks, texted while I was in route to the airport to let me know he had strep. OMG -- this is yuck -- curable but yuck and I feel so horrible for him. He's also studying for his CPA -- the hardest section first, and has a very demanding high stress job. My point is that Alex is a super hero -- with all that going on, Alex is still took our little guy to the Dr. today because Christopher is sick too. He also, wrote the checks for Aida's activities this morning, studied until way past midnight for the CPA, took Aida to school and ran a much needed errand this morning. No wonder why he is tired....

My point is this...partnership is critical. Alex didn't ask me this morning how important my to do list was compared to his. Even though it was a pretty crazy morning trying to close a multimillion dollar partnership in an intense meeting. He didn't compare notes, he just saw me at my computer super early before my flight and did it.

I am so lucky to have a partner like Alex. So fortunate to have a husband who supports my career too. Our give and take is just that a give and take -- I know sometime very soon I will get to step up in a similar way for him.

What kind of partner are you to your spouse? Do you give selflessly without question or expectation of return?

Alex -- Aida calls you her super hero. Today was one of your best days in action....

We love you Alex

Happiness Untouched...

Nothing fancy and everything special.  This was just a simple photo shoot taken while Alex and I were learning to use our camera.  These are now some of my absolute favorite pictures of Christopher.  These pictures capture his beautiful, bright, happy spirit so perfectly.  These moments are the ones that I want to remember forever.  I am feeling braver than normal to show my face without any makeup.   And I must be feeling braver than normal because I am looking rough but Christopher is precious perfection and that's all that matters....Enjoy the silliness we shared one Saturday afternoon.

 

Aida's "Hero" Award...

This April Aida was recognized for being a kindergarten "Hero."  This months "Hero's" were kids that did their best and set goals.  I could not be more proud of Aida for doing her best and trying hard at everything she does.  I made the comment that for those that know me -- this award for my child could not be more perfect!  Alex and I are very goal driven, we set goals all the time, short term goals, long term goals, big goals, and little goals -- we set them all.  We do this with Aida all the time too, not on purpose, just because this is how our brain works.  We talk about goals at home, we ask Aida what we wants to accomplish at Dance, School at the store ect...and we start small but one day I hope this just becomes part of how she thinks, how and how she lives her life.  The "doing your best" part of the award is something we have been talking about all year.  Instead of messing about at Dance, we talk about always trying her best even when she doesn't want to.  We talk about trying new activities, new food, reading new books and even when we think we might not get it right we always have to try our hardest.  At times, I feel like these concepts are so hard at 5 and I wonder if I am breaking through at all.  This day gave me a little hope that all the "dripping" of good lessons that we do -- she hears even when she pretends to ignore me. 



 

 

 

Here she is listening for her name to be called.  This was the most still I have seen her all year!

 



 

Aida and her most favorite teacher, Ms. Paris.

 

 

Leading the school in the super fun dance. 

 

 

So happy that Grandma and Paw Paw's came too. 

 

 

Life Lesson -- keep dripping the little lessons even when you think they aren't listening.  One day you will have proof they did...