Little & Big

weekend

                                                    (the mad scientist)

(silly putty + alcohol + iodine + goodness knows what else)

two boys, one handmade bow & arrow, and one big stick

sweet things

but then sweeter than that was this:

peeking out my window to see the boys just sitting against the fence.  bikes parked.  nothing pulling on them.  just chatting.

they are bonded, those two.  as much as they fight, and complain about each other, they LOVE each other.  and it's so rich to observe.

and vacation week has been good for us.  once we settled into it, and gave up the constant questioning "what are we going to do next?  what are we going to do next?  what are we going to do next?"  (which we all did in our own way) -- it's been so easy and delicious. 

may our weekend spread out in that same easy-peasy pace, with that same joy-in-just-being-together.   and may yours do the same!

in the spring woods today

I knew they had followed their Dad into the woods.  So I put on my muck boots and jacket and went to find them.

They were up in a place we call "the Birch Council".  Building with sticks and bark.

I stopped by, quietly, and left again. And they worked on. And eventually they came home.

Later we went out to see the finished houses -- because I knew their wordy descriptions and lengthy details (of architecture and engineering) would pale in comparison to the finshed product.

I was right.

just when you think it's time to give away the set of blocks

                                                        (before school)

codes & clues

On Friday, little brother spontaneously made a treasure hunt for me.

I think it was because we were having a rough go.  He was home with a bad cold, and I was home with him, trying to work, without seeming like I was working.  But he knew it, and was having none of it.  And I was crabby.  He was in button-pushing mode, and I was one giant button.  Then all of a sudden it shifted.  And there he was, with pen and paper, carefully drawing while trying to hide his work from me.  Delighted and sparkling. 

The treasure hunt took me all through the house and yard, ending in a crevice in one of the apple trees, where he had hidden an easter egg, an easter card, and an apple.  Treasure. 

And big brother has been learning Morse code.  And creating secret scrambled word puzzles. And leaving them for me to figure out.   The first one I cracked said "Hi Daddy".  It took me a good 10 minutes to figure it out, between the scramble & code combo.  Big brother was very proud of me.

And then there's this little magic clue below, placed on the edge of the bath tub by some fast moving elf that I could only glimpse. 

I've decided that it means that I'm being invited on some marvelous adventure that may involve a giant sailboat. 

It could also mean that someone loves me in a lovely, colorful, handmade sort of way.

And that magic really is afoot in my life.  (Which it is.)

Easter outside

and even here...

Silly Easter Bunny. 

All in all there were at least 5 dozen eggs out there, almost all cascarones (confetti eggs).

And you know what happens with cascarones, don't you?

Serious Easter egg battle.  Working-out-all-that-sugar fun.  Perfect.

(The only casualty is the eggs.)

the rocket

Big brother was given a build-a-rocket kit for Christmas.  And last week was the first week it was warm enough to give it a try. 

And we gave it a try.  After try.  After try. 

First it exploded in our hands.  Then it tipped and blasted along the ground.  Then, once we got the timing right, we couldn't get it to go more than 8-10 feet up.

Then the Daddy stepped in. 

Here are pics from his first effort:

                            vinegar + baking soda = rocket fuel

That was better!  But it wasn't good enough for big brother.

So we gave it One Last Try.  And I captured it on video:

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing 

Rock on!

little brother (is very curious)

(Yes that's the dog's crate.)

Could it be? Leprechauns?

We came to learn that St. Patrick's Day is a busy day in many of our friend's homes.  Apparently the Leprechauns visit, and sometimes they leave good things and sometimes they wreak havoc. 

Not ones to be left out of an opportunity for fairy fun, we decided to leave notes out for them -- outside the house, just in case they felt inclined to make some mischief.   Our notes reflected wishes, and we placed them around the yard.

the Daddy's:

Mine:

And little brother's:

                    right on the edge of our muddy pond

(Little brother knows that fairy magic lives most strongly in places where two things meet, like the edge of water and land.)

And wouldn't you know, on the morning of St. Paddy's day:

The boys ended up with fistfulls of gold (chocolate) coins.

There were even some at the edge of our muddy little pond.