Sundays

Sunday afternoons are for lots of things, especially when you're almost 2.


::Gardening with sissy and finding bugs. 

::More practice pouring water and exploring the texture of mud.

::Begging for "cheekins" and almost convincing mama to bring some home.

::Letting the wind blow your bubbles for you.

::Learning to swing just like the big girls.

::Reading books in the shade.

::Dirty feet.  Are there any other kind?

::Rare quiet moments that make this mama want to hold on forever.

 
Hoping you had a wonderfully sweet weekend full of precious moments.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

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Water Play

Very few things are more exciting to my girls than playing with water, in any form. They were so happy to see me pull out the water table so early in the year. We have a lot of great sensory activities planned where we'll be using the water table, but we started the season with just a simple set of nesting cups. Kaitlyn spent a solid hour standing right there at this table experimenting with the water.


 




It's the perfect place for her to practice her pouring ability. She still has a long way to go so practicing outside in the warm weather is a great way to keep this mama from having to mop up water all day long. Though if she finds a cup of any liquid sitting around she will practice her pouring skills indoors without hesitation. It's all a learning process.





She also discovered how cold the water was when she poured it down the front of her dress.  Though it seems to have been quite the refreshing drink.









Occasionally Kinsley would come back over to check out what we were up to. She usually brought a new experiment with her like discovering that the cat does not actually like to have an ice cold bath. Notice him hiding under the table in the end? Kait would dump water on whatever part happened to be sticking out from under the table. The cat was actually quite tolerant of the whole event.

Zoo

While we were down visting the family last week the girls got a trip to their favorite zoo. We tried the Lorikeet adventure for the first time thinking Kaitlyn would love it and hoping that Kinsley wouldn't completely lose her cool. Of course they both ended up being terrified of the birds flying around and barely tolerated being close to them. Then as soon as we were out of there they couldn't stop talking about the birds. Silly girls. We always have a great time at the zoo though and they are already asking to go back.  Kinsley loves the "filimingos" while Kait is only worried about seeing a monkey. 

She does look happy here though doesn't she?

Three Sisters Festival

A long time ago there were three sisters who lived together in a field. These sisters were quite different from one another in their size and way of dressing. The little sister was so young that she could only crawl at first, and she was dressed in green.

The second sister wore a bright yellow dress, and she had a way of running off by herself when the sun shone and the soft wind blew in her face.

The third was the eldest sister, standing always very straight and tall above the other sisters and trying to protect them. She wore a pale green shawl, and she had long, yellow hair that tossed about her head in the breeze.

There was one way the sisters were all alike, though. They loved each other dearly, and they always stayed together. This made them very strong.

One day a stranger came to the field of the Three Sisters - a Mohawk boy. He talked to the birds and other animals - this caught the attention of the three sisters.

Late that summer, the youngest and smallest sister disappeared. Her sisters were sad.

Again the Mohawk boy came to the field to gather reeds at the water's edge. The two sisters who were left watched his moccasin trail, and that night the second sister - the one in the yellow dress - disappeared as well.

Now the Elder Sister was the only one left.

She continued to stand tall in her field. When the Mohawk boy saw that she missed her sisters, he brought them all back together and they became stronger together, again.





The Chickasaw people (like many other tribes) share this story of The Three Sisters and we were lucky enough to get to visit the Chickasaw Cultural Center for their Three Sisters Festival.  It is important to me that the girls gain an understanding of their ancestry and this was a perfect time to introduce them a bit more to the Chickasaw culture and their heritage.






















It was a terrific day and I was very impressed by everything the cultural center had to offer. We took part in all the various activities set up for the day, visited the museum and the girls even got to plant their own Three Sisters garden. Everything was extremely kid friendly, even the museum was designed for interaction. 

This week we'll be transplanting their Three Sisters garden into our actual garden.  The garden consists of corn, beans, and squash which are all staples of the Native American diet and grow very well together.  Like the story says, they live in harmony supporting each other. 

If you want to plant your own Three Sisters garden here is a great webpage with information on why these three grow so well together and how to plant them as well.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by Soulemama.

  If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. 

Spring

Spring has officially arrived in a downpour of rain and thunderstorms. We're happy to see the rain, it is so very much needed. It has put a bit of a damper on our outdoor plans for Spring break but we're focusing on the importance of the rain for all the spring and summer things we love. Some of us are having a harder time remembering this lesson and can often be found standing at the back door staring out at the rain. We've done our fair share of splashing in puddles to be sure.