Spring Planting

Our weather has been consistently warm now, so I've been working hard trying to beautify the outside! We bought lots of gorgeous flowers from a local Amish farm and I planted some in the back. The rest I put into hanging pots for the front porch.

Have you ever seen black petunias?

We've been looking for a good deal on a riding mower because it just takes way too much time to do it with a push mower. Our issue was how to get it home since we don't have a truck or a trailer. Well this Troybilt popped up right down the street,and it turned out to be an awesome deal! Only a few months old with all paperwork. And Nick was able to drive it home!! I'm the mower in the family, and I'm planning the maiden voyage for this weekend.

We also got a steal on a much bigger and stronger snowblower, but I didn't get a picture of it.

Today Nick and I manually tilled up the dirt in the garden and mixed in some good compost. I planted seeds for corn, bell peppers, carrots, and romaine lettuce so cross your fingers that they all sprout and grow! And on that subject, our grapevines, blueberry bush, and pear tree are still alive!

Happy Mother's Day 2018

We had a great Mother's Day here at home! The boys let us sleep in, then Nick made us coffee and breakfast to start the day. He got me a lovely card, some of my favorite chocolate, and a strawberry plant for the garden! He minded the littles while I got to relax and read. After lunch Nick took the boys outside and washed our cars. After Jacob's nap we all went to the park, and Nick snuck off for a few minutes and brought us all back slushies to snack on.

We headed back home in the evening, and he cooked a delicious dinner of spaghetti and garlic bread. Then he bathed and put the boys to bed while I mowed the yard. I know--I wanted to!

Last week was Nurse's Week, and we were treated to an awesome dinner! Stuffed chicken breast, veggies, roll, mashed potatoes, salad, fruit, and cupcakes! YUM

Now that the days are getting warmer, we are having to childproof the windows...our dearest little troublemaker has figured out how to get them open, and that's NO bueno on the second story. We found these guards online, and Nick installed them on the windows we'll be opening to cool off the house.

Our beautiful yard has just blossomed this spring! We can't get over how thick and lush the grass is. We haven't even fertilized yet! People in Oklahoma pay good money for grass like this.

For Cinco de Mayo of course I had to cook a Mexican feast! Chicken enchiladas, guacamole, quesadillas, Spanish rice, and refried beans. It's the only way we get good Mexican food here...

With the warm weather came a much needed haircut for our oldest child. His hair is so thick and coarse, the underlayer gets matted and is impossible to comb out. He's much happier now.

Spring is Finally Here

Next week is the beginning of May, and here in western NY we are JUST now starting to enjoy spring! The weekend before last we had snow and an ice storm...but thankfully that quickly melted off. This past weekend we actually had temps in the 60s and up to 70 with sunshine! It was lovely, and the boys had a blast being able to play outside with their toys while I worked on flowerbeds.

I just love seeing all of the spring surprises popping up out of the dirt! Since this is our first spring in our house here, I really have no idea what spring bulbs are planted. It's also nice to see several of the 60 bulbs I planted last fall starting to come up, including my favorite--daffodils!!!

This is my rose garden after pruning. There is lambs ear along the border, then several daffodil plants. I pruned back the bushes and look forward to seeing blooms!

Last year Jacob was still a bit too short to reach the pedals on his big wheel, but this year he can reach them AND use them! He loves chasing his big brother around the driveway.

Bradley came home with an awesome report card full of As, and a certificate for being on the Principal's Honor Roll again! We are very proud of him. He just started an after school writing club, and is also being introduced to band instruments. When he starts 4th grade in the fall, he will get to pick an instrument to begin learning!

When the weather is nice, Jacob prefers to eat his afternoon snack on the back porch while he looks for bugs.

Happy 3rd Birthday Jacob!

Today my littlest little turned 3 years old! I still remember every detail of how he arrived into this world with a vengeance. He was almost born in the car, but thankfully because he was so BIG it took a bit longer.

 
He has been obsessed with ladybugs recently, so I made him a ladybug cake!

We had hotdogs and tater tots for his special dinner.

The gun was his favorite toy! He picked it out at the store, and has asked for it every day since then.

I think he had a fun day, and I can't wait until he make some little friends to play with him. For now he has his big brother!

Maple Weekend in NY

 Evidently it is maple harvesting season in NY, and we got to learn all about it! We started out with a pancake breakfast in Elba, then headed over to Middleport for a tour of the Wolf Maple farm and store. We got to taste all sorts of maple goodies (and of course bought some to take home), then take a tractor ride out to the maple grove to see firsthand how they harvest the sap and turn it into syrup!

 The boys enjoyed it, and we love making memories and experiencing new things. Each day is bringing us closer to warm weather and sunshine!