Ten on Tuesday: Wednesday Edition.

1. We are in the middle of birthday week, also this first half of the week has been warm and lovely so we're soaking it up before cooler temperatures arrive in time for the birthday.

2. I'm not lying when I say that my husband is taking me to an Air Force dinner at a country club on Saturday.

3. One small kitchen cupboard has been overrun by mason jars! Must find a use for them all.

4. Our pond has twelve ducklings! That mama duck must be busy!

5. Fisher and I got the garden tilled yesterday. Now to decide what to plant.

6. Because of this lovely weather we've been biking to Alla's school. Today I had to take Fisher to school, but we'll surprise Alla later when she sees that we already dropped off her bike for a nice ride home.

7. Ron will tell you that it's been non-stop new Okee Dokee Brothers around here.

8. I am loving The Fault in Our Stars. This was a highly anticipated book for me.

9. Alla has requested balck bean soup for her birthday dinner.

10. Today is the last day of SIX.

Spring activity #1.

Weed pounding. Those dandelions that pop up are just calling to be weed-pounded. And then put into a jar, says my daughter.
In case you have a weed pounder of your own, make sure you check for wormies in the roots of the week before you just chuck the whole business in the bucket. And then proceed to transport those wormies to the garden, a much better home.

Ten on Tuesday.

1. Ron and I are super fond of watching This Old House.

2. Fisher has been waiting for this day for sometime. It's playdate with Rowan day! And Okee Dokee day!

3. Speaking of The Okee Dokee Brothers - if you are local, mark your calendars for May 19th! The Okee Dokees are celebrating their new CD with a release party at Father Hennepin Bluffs Park, right next to the Stone Arch Bridge. Be there!

4. One more Okee Dokee mention - we picked up a pre-release of the new CD at the show this morning and it's good. Really, really good.

5. In the middle of Where Things Come Back, and thoroughly enjoying myself.

6. Doesn't it amaze you how some people just love a book and then other reviewers just hate it? I don't get how far apart those reviews are.

7. This Friday is the last of the movies for the season at Daddy's work. This week it's The Muppets, and since we all know the soundtrack by heart, we're clearly excited to see it again.

8. Sunday starts the birthday celebrations for Miss Alla. She's opted for the Mall of America this year, maybe a few kiddie rides, maybe some lunch (if we can find some Fisher-safe food there), maybe some mini-golf, and definitely a new outfit for Lily.

9. Just got an email from Amazon that my book will arrive next week! Katherine, I cannot wait.

10. Glad to have this pasta salad back on the menu!

Easter.

We spent Easter at Nana and Pappi's, so the day before, the kids got busy coloring eggs with Nana. That night, Ron and I went out for some dessert while the kids got settled into bed by Dear Nana, and what we saw the next morning was my favorite memory of Easter:
Alla realized after bath that she had Fisher's jammies, 3T - last year's Christmas jammies, as in, when he was 2. Well, I said, she washes all her laundry, folds it all, and puts it all away. And she also packed her own clothes for our overnight to Nana's. So...you get what you get! It was hilarious. Luckily she prefers knee-high socks.
We got busy with the hunt, because the kiddos were already spying out the windows to see where The EB had left all the eggs.Easter was an early wakeup - 6:43am to be exact, and we don't do 6:43 am at our house. Seven o'clock has always been the rule, and in fact I usually have to wake them at eight on school days, so it continues to baffle me that on the weekends, and especially a holiday, those monsters are up with the sun.

Good thing about early wakeups is that by twelve-thirty, we were all ready for a snuggly nap. Alla and I laid in bed and read books until I could not keep my eyes open and then she kept on reading while I slept. When we got up refreshed, we headed to the park where the super wind was blowing, perfect for the little kite from her Easter basket!
That kite is tiny but it sure does fly!
It's always those windy days that yield the prettiest skies.

Twelve on the 12th: April.

It's the 12th here in Minnesota, and I'm enjoying seeing the seasons through this project. Alla asked me today when it will be 12-12-12, and after we figured that out together, I realized that will be the end of this project; we will have come full circle.

On this twelfth...

Typical day, kids still asleep at eight, Alla has the craziest bedhead on this planet.

Great egret, my favorite
Sunbutter crackers and moo moos for lunch
My sneakers at the park, afternoon quiet time overruled for beautiful skies

Fisher: straight, bend, repeat.
Our maple tree: spring.
Ron: home.
After dinner: Yahtzee.

Ten on Tuesday.

1. Enjoying my afternoon green tea.

2. I'm completely baffled by having to wake my children every school day at 8:00 (because otherwise how long would they sleep?), yet Easter morning they were shouting at us at 6:43 am, "It's Easter time!"

3. That early wake-up, however, did result in a lovely nap for me and the children by 12:30 that afternoon.

4. I'm also baffled at explaining the Easter Bunny. His "rules" don't appear as clear for me.

5. Saw the allergy doctor this morning for a full testing, and it turns out I'm allergic to all six trees they test for, outdoor molds, weeds, and dust mites. Awesome. I seem to be the perfect candidate for allergy shots. I had no idea shots are a 3-5 year time committment, though!

6. Alla is very affected by the Nie Nie story, which was brought up after seeing her happy family on the cover of Parade this weekend. She keeps asking questions, she keeps praying for her.

7. Alla completed all of her reading goals for the school year, so yesterday she came bounding out of school saying that 'no more prizes for me,' and nearly jumping up and down at the McDonald's certificate she got for completing her goal. The certificate says it's for a hamburger, fries, and a small soft drink. Ron read the certificate and told her what it said she could get, she said she wants her usual chicken fingers (well I think they're nuggets at the golden arches), and if they didn't have that, she could get a corndog. Ron was very happy with this conversation, as it clearly pointed out that our daughter has no idea what's on the menu at McDonald's.

8. She's decided on a family birthday celebration outing to the Mall of America where she can go on a few mild rides and then get Lily a new outfit.

9. I am very happy with our library for deciding to purchase Kelle Hampton's memoir, Bloom.

10. I have also requested they purchase Stephanie Nielson's book, so let's hope they get on that.

Celebrating four.

I am in an allergy fog, so while I could really just take a break from all non-necessities until about June the first, Alla's birthday is coming up at the end of the month, so we should probably finish up with Fisher's first.

We celebrated his birthday again once we were home from Pennsylvania, and had Nana and Pappi to join us. That kid was delighted at each and every gift he received. And Alla, she just loved sitting by her little brother and experiencing the surprises with him.This is generally the face he made, each and every time he opened something.

After awhile, this got Alla to cracking up, a pure joy I am happy I have captured for forever. They happily played aircraft carrier together. I love birthdays, especially these little kid birthdays, when they hardly remember the goodness of the last birthday, so it's all new, all so exciting to look forward to. I love how special they feel, I love for them to have a day that's just about them. It's wonderful. Happy Birthday my son.