One delicious strawberry

The boys have been watching our strawberries pretty close everyday they check to see if there are any red ones yet so they can pick 'em and eat 'em.

 A couple of weeks ago they were watching a nice size berry slowing turning and I would get an update about three times a day. Thomas said this first one was his and Daddy said that his name was on it. Slowly it turned from green to white to pink to a nice yummy red. 

 On Saturday night it was reported that it was all red and ready to eat. Eric and I thought it would be a fun activity to do after church so we waited until Sunday afternoon. ( I know it seems likes a weird "fun" activity to pick a silly strawberry, but the boys were really excited about the first strawberry from our own little patch) .

 When we got home they ran to the berry I am sure their mouths were watering thinking that it was all ready to eat. Because there was only one ready it was decided that everyone got one bite. We had to be clear that it was a smaller bite so all of us could try it. 

It seemed they both were delighted for their bite and savored it. We all got a nice little bite from our first little berry. We can't wait until we can have more! :) All that was left was the little green steam, which may have been eaten by Sup since there was a little bit of red left ;)

Garden decor

As we were looking/cleaning things out of the garage for spring we came across some wooden decor that Eric had made back when we were in Michigan. 

 He did a really nice job with them and thought that we would clean them up put some protector on them and put it in our garden. The boys were really excited when they seen them, most of all there was a gorilla  which has become there new favorite zoo animal. 

 After cleaning the spider webs off and sanding them a little bit it was time to put on a clear coat of the wood protector. The boys love to paint so they each grabbed a brush a went to town. I surprisingly had to do very little. Thomas did a really nice job and Sup had put so much on his brush each time I just used his extra to do the edges :)

We had three all together and were able to do the front and edges all in about a half hour. The next day after they were dry we did the backs, let them dry. After the backs were dry Eric put them on some wooden stakes and we have a little character to our garden :) It was a fun little family project. 

Great Wolf Lodge

 Eric and I both wanted to have a fun family get away and we all love the water so our choice to come to Cincinnati back a few months ago was to check out Great Wolf Lodge. After our adventure at Jungle Jim's we headed over to the "big, fancy, water park". 

 I think that we were all very excited to get to the pool/water park. It was nice that it was set up that you could check in and use the pool by noon even if your room was not ready. Our room was not ready until about 3ish but they had a changing room, so we all headed over to get changed into our swim suits. 

I had packed smart for once and had all our swimming stuff in a separate bag so all we had to do was grab the bag. I did have the camera but because it is a water park I didn't get a lot of pics. It was really nice how they had the pools/slides sectioned off. They had little water slides in the little kid section which Thomas loved. I was shocked, but for the two days/one night we were there he went down the slide a ton.  

The other popular attraction for Eric and Sup was the wave pool. Thomas liked it too and was really good  about not going too far without someone, Sup....not so much. He is very much a little dare devil and seems to have little to no fear.  It was a good thing on the back of the life jacket there was a little handle that I could pull him back with ;)

After a few hours in the pool I think we were all pretty hungry. We had a light lunch and playing in the water always works up a big appetite. Uncle Josh was kind enough to go pick up some yummy pizza, bread sticks, and salad. Our boys couldn't be happier with that choice....water park and pizza! You would think that slice of pizza would be a lot for one little boy but he ate most of it and a bread stick. 

After we filled our bellies and rested a little we went back down for a little bit. After reassuring them they could come back in the morning to play we headed back up to our room. With a very busy day at Jungle Jim's and playing in the water park after their jammies went on, they were out. My two little boys sound asleep :)

Jungle Jim's

Ahhh Jungle Jims, love this place.....It is a must stop for us when we are in Cincinnati. This is not your typical grocery store. Since our hotel room for Saturday night was in Cincy and we couldn't check in until noon, this was the perfect time to head over to the international market. 

 Eric and I have been here a few times now and it was his family that introduced me to this place and because I am foodie it was an awesome stop. My sister, her husband and my mom headed over to the market after a quick breakfast. This was there first time but I knew we could easily spend the few hours here. 

 Since we only come about once a year I didn't take too many pictures because I was too busy looking. But the three above pictures are all from outside the store and Sup was looking at the gorillas they had. To give those not familiar with this place an idea on how you can spend hours in this place here's why: 

First its size: It is about 300,000 square feet. At first you may wonder why there are maps you can take with you as you walk in the entrance. 

Second the variety and selection: They have over 150,000 different items coming from over 75 different countries all over the world. They really do have it labeled and sectioned really nice so you don't get too lost ;) Although cell phones really nice when your looking to meet back up with someone ;)

I am not sure what everyone liked most but my Mom I think it was the butter bar. Yes they have a butter bar. I couldn't even tell you how many types of butter they had. Everyone really had a good time looking at everything and picked up some really yummy items. There are things here that we are only are to find here and we always try to pick up some new things to try with the boys. It really is a fun adventure if your in the area ;)

Louisville Slugger

After our lunch at Anderson Park we headed over to the Louisville. The Louisville Slugger Museum is well known for making several MLB bats.  

 The museum currently makes the bats here and offers a factory tour of how the bats are made. We made it a few minutes before our tour started so we looked around to see all the memorabilia they had on display. It was really nice because some of the things were hands on so the boys could look, touch, and hold different things at the different stations. 

 Soon they called our tour and we were off to see how the bats were made. It was a no photo tour but it was really neat to see how they make the different bats. At the end of the tour everyone got a mini bat to take home with them. The boys thought they were the coolest little bats, and wanted to show they were ready for the pitch when we came out of the factory. 

 Out in front of the museum they have a huge bat. I really don't remember how big they said it was but Thomas concluded it was too heavy for him to hold ;) In that case we decided to use our little bats and stand in front of the "really, really big bat!" 

After the bat the boys wanted to play on the big baseball glove that was inside the museum. It was nice to sit and relax for a little bit and let the boys get out some energy. I think they could have played there much longer, but we still needed to drive over to Cincinnati. So after a bit, we packed up the little bats....to avoid any "accidental hits" in the car.... and were on the road.  

Anderson Park

The weekend we decided to go on a little adventure with my parents and meet up with my sister and her husband in Cincinnati. So on Friday we packed up our stuff for a little weekend adventure. 

 We had planned to stop at a few places before getting to Cincinnati. We thought a picnic at the park would be a nice stop to get some energy out and fill our tummies.  

 The park we found that was not off the beaten path was Anderson Park, we thought it had a good name ;) It was more of baseball field park but with my boys all we need is some room to run and a picnic table so it suited our needs just fine.  

 As Papa was grilling the hamburgers and hot dogs the boys had fun just running around the park. There were also many rocks and a puddle of water to keep them busy. I can say they are easily entertained.... who needs slides/swings, etc when there's dirt, water, and rocks!

Soon it was time to eat so we all came to the picnic table to get something to eat. My Dad had brought some shelled peanuts as well. Thomas really wanted some so he took some and piled them on his plate. I didn't think to ask him if he wanted me to crack them for him and as I sat down I seen him pounding something on the table...

It was his peanut. He was actually quite proud that he was able to get the peanut out all by himself..taking the poor shell and beating on the table. Silly boy always seems to make me smile. 

Signs of Spring

With the warmer temperatures early this spring it seems that spring has arrived a little early this year. The boys have been loving the warmer weather and have been able to play outside almost everyday.   

 Spring use to not be so exciting because in Michigan everything was always so wet and muddy. But here in Indiana where we are the ground doest freeze as deep and there is not a lot of snow fall so its not nearly as wet and muddy. Spring here always brings all the helicopter seeds to fall off our big maple tree in our front yard. It really was kinda neat to see. Thomas and Sup loved to chase them around although they are a pain to pick out of the gardens and leaves a ton of seeds everywhere. 

 The first year we moved into our home we planted a raspberry bed on the side of our house. It has been three years now since we planted them. They looked so nice a green as they started to grow out of the soil. 

We also planted a raised bed of strawberries next to our garage. The boys were so excited to see the blossoms this year. They would run out and look at them hoping to see some berries on them. 

 A few days later we found some little green strawberries growing. Now we are just waiting until they are nice and red. The years past we have had problems with the birds getting to them, but this year we put some netting over the berry's and so far we are bird free :) Nothing really tastes better then strawberries picked right outside your back yard!

So my birthday

The beginning of April I celebrated my 30th birthday....Other birthdays are much more exciting to blog about but I guess it would be hard to skip over mine. As I have gotten older my birthday's are not nearly exciting but for the boys they had much more excitement then me. 

 I much prefer low key birthdays so it was a pretty simple day. Since my parents were here visiting they took everyone out for lunch that way Eric would be able to come with us vs dinner. When we came home  my dad got me a yummy chocolate cake. The boys really wanted me to have a pink cake but I am not a huge fan of strawberry and lets not even mention cherry. So I passed on the pink cake.

 My favorite has always been chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. The size really was perfect so I didn't have to worry about eating for a week. My chocolate cake I liked paired with vanilla bean ice cream. I guess I am a pretty simple girl. It all tasted really good and had a nice little celebration. 

My mother-in-law sent me a package that got here right on my birthday. I thought they were the cutest towels. They are kitchen towels that are shaped like little dresses with veggies on them. I loved them and they are perfect for my kitchen. 

Easter baskets

My parents had brought the boys there Easter baskets with them for there visit and since we were going to be gone they decided to give them to the boys a few days early. 

 While Dad and I kept the boys busy inside Mom went and hid the baskets in the back yard for the boys to find. They were very excited and bolted out the door when Gramma informed them that the Easter bunny had hid their baskets in the back yard. 

 Thomas was the first one to find his and soon after Sup looked around one of the other trees and found his. As you can see Thomas is wearing his big winter coat....it was cooler outside but not nearly cold enough for his silly winter coat. But he got it for Christmas and hasn't had a chance to wear it very much..just fine with me thought! :)... and insisted he wore it to go out and find his Easter basket. 

 Next it was run inside to see what was in the baskets. 

Thomas went for the toys and T-Rex hat....Sup straight for the candy. I think we know which boy takes after what parent ;) I think Sup had eaten his entire chocolate bunny by the time Thomas really noticed there was candy in his basket. 

Easter party

The first Monday back from spring break Thomas had an Easter party at preschool. I had signed up to bring fruit and I thought it would be fun to make a fruit bouquet. 

I had seen them advertised and thought I could most likely make one myself for a lot cheaper. So on Monday morning I got to work. Thomas thought it was really neat and I thought it had come out really well. After I had looked at it I decided I needed some green so I went out to my herb garden. Some of the herbs I had planted last year came up and where ready to pick anyhow so it worked out great. 

Thomas had a great time at his party and he was able to take Gramma Diana with him. His teachers gave him a little blue Easter basket with some trinkets inside as well. And when He got home he made sure that the basket when "really high so Sup couldn't get it". 

Thomas' job

Back in December after our family went to see the bishop for tithing settlement, Eric and I wanted to give Thomas a chance to earn some money to start teaching him about tithing. When I was potty training Sup we use a chart and Thomas was way more interested in filling up Sup's chart for a "special treat" then Sup was.  

 This gave us an idea of using a chart for Thomas for His job. As many of small children may know keeping a clean house is like keeping the kitchen sink dish free....its a never ending task. We decided to give cleaning the family room at night to Thomas. So we printed off a calendar and each night after he cleaned up everything he could put a green T each night. After he filled up each day with a green T he would earn $10 for that month. He did a really great job picking everything up and putting things in their place. He knew that it was his job each night before we got ready for bed and wouldn't want anyone to help him. Although there were many nights that Sup would help take the toys back to their room. 

 So on March 31st his chart was all filled up. He was really excited. Eric and I had collected ten one dollar bills so that he could give his 10%. Eric and I had been working with him explaining why we pay tithing and how much so he knew that he would give one dollar to God. He was actually very willing by the time the end of the month came. We had gotten him an envelope and he put his one dollar and we took it to church with us this Sunday and gave it to our bishop. 

That left nine dollars that he could do what he wanted with. Eric and Thomas found these Star Wars toys on clearance, so he was able to pick both of them up for eight dollars. The last dollar he wanted to save. Even though it is only one room its one room it really is very helpful to me and a great lesson for Thomas. He is excited for the end of April and is continuing with his job :)

Morning study

Thomas is always the first one up in the morning. He generally just gets up and plays quietly until Sup and I get up and get something for breakfast. 

 We really have been working with family scripture and prayer. It has been fun to see how Thomas is really enjoying listen to them each day and after each story he always wants to know what we are going to read about next. A couple of years ago we had got Thomas a set of his own scriptures...nothing fancy and it was a used copy we picked up while we were out in Utah....and he loves the fact that he has his own. 

A couple of weeks ago I walked out to Thomas "reading" his scriptures in the morning sunbeam. The above pictures is what I woke up to and put a smile on my face. Thomas looked up smiling and said "Mom! Sup and me are reading our scriptures!". Thomas really can't read yet he knows some words, all letters and sounds, but he was trying to remember some of the stories that we have read about. Sup had a book as well not a set of scriptures but a book of his he was pretending to read too.  

Rock garden

For those who may not know Eric is and had been a big rock collector for many years. I am not sure actually when he started collecting rocks but he has a good collection. 

 After we moved into our house we knew are going to be here for a while so we have tried to get all our stuff here so it is in one place. And yes the rock collation came too. I actually didn't realize how many we have collected over the years until we started to get them out.

 Eric had the idea of putting them between the side of the raised beds and the boys play house. It would make for a nice display as well as not worrying about cutting the grass in a small space. The boys were very excited to see all the different rocks. Each time they would come back with a load they would go through it one by one showing one another what a cool rock they had found. 

At one point they were putting their favorites on top of the bigger rocks, that way they didn't get lost. But they didn't last very long with the exception of the small blue rocks that Sup had put on the above picture. Some may worry that these rocks may have problems finding their way into the grass itself, but Eric talked with them and they can play with them as long as they stay in the garden. We have had it for about two weeks now and they have been really great with it and are all still in the rock garden. 

Our first apple tree

We had a busy planting day a couple Saturday's ago and I am a little behind on my blog post but there has been a lot going on. 

 After we got the garden all planted it was time to get the apple tree in. We had picked it up a few days before and we were excited to get it in. We had done a lot of research on what we wanted and since we were planting two we looked to see which two we wanted. This way they would pollinate and we would be able to do lots of fun things with two different types and help with our food storage.

 Since we already dig the hole from the previous tree we got all the stuff we needed to plant this first one and would get the second one just a few weeks later. Since I was really excited about getting an apple tree  and everyone was calling it "my tree" Eric let me have the honors of putting it in the ground. 

 The boys were really excited to have the apple tree in as well. We plan on having an organic tree but we still have to see what we need to do so the fruit will stay good. But wee were happy just to have our first tree and get it in the ground. Sup wanted to get a polar bear tree...yes he wanted to "grow" polar bears, but we just couldn't find them anywhere ;) And we were not sure what we would do with the bear once it was "picked" from the tree, so he settled with the apple tree ;)  

We did end up getting an older tree and as well as a dwarf...which doesn't get as big/tall, good for a small yard.. so hopefully in the next year or two we can get some yummy apples. One more apple tree to plant and our trees should be good!