community

expressions on these two: priceless

Community...  to be honest the first year here has been slow on the friend front.  Demographics and being in a haze of baby all last year are the likely culprits....but I feel a new leaf turning and my need for community surging through my bones.  And just in the nick of time...by way of a mutual friend...we have some new friends in our neck of the woods that are a perfect family fit.  Not to mention our neighbors who are amazing (...they have lived there the entire time we have been here...) and some new friends we have met by way of kindergarten and I say we are off to a good start.  I am so looking forward to a summer filled with friends, food and laughter.

smile

you've been blogged!

owen's obviously excited about it...so should you!

meat meat and more meat

priceless faces caught on camera...what do you think aaron is saying here?
....either way...dave is obviously into it...

enjoying the meat

put to work early the next morning:
picking off the kernels of dried flint corn 

...was the best activity for miss noa & isabelle

two serious peas in a pod....or corns in a corn bowl....

ditto for their mamas

oh these people....they are my people.  with these people we share dreams, genuine encouragement, knowledge and friendship.  these friendships may be distant but are the kind that pick up right where they left off.  and even though i am a bit of a wise ass around them, i truly appreciate them and love them.  and for those that didn't make it to the send off for our meat slinging man....we felt you in spirit!

kindergarten orientation

Holy moses...I can't believe this is happening.  Seriously.  Crazy.  

Isabelle did a great magnificent job, after a few tough moments in the beginning we settled in at the play dough table to knead our anxiety away.  Both mama and Isabelle  REALLY needed to work through the process with our hands before we could actually do anything!  Isabelle went through all the activity tables and made mamas heart swell....while she didn't exactly talk to any of the teachers she answered all their questions in whisper to me just loud enough for the teachers to also hear.  When asked to draw a picture of her face she decided she wanted to draw a picture of a chicken instead...obviously... and we skipped the gym section because the guy was kind of a dud and isabelle isn't a circus monkey who hops on one foot on cue.  Nope that just isn't going to happen and that is okay with me!

One of my favorite moments was when one of the teachers gave Isabelle a sunflower seed and told her that this was a special school flower...."plant the seed and when the flower opens and looks like a big beautiful sun you will know it is almost time for school".  And yes...I totally had to fight back tears....oh mama.

I have more thoughts and feelings to share about today but I am trying to focus on all the awesomeness that happened...so lets just leave it at that!  

clockwork

Like clockwork Isabelle takes 3 bites of her dinner and then proclaims "I need to poo", she runs off and we sigh, because of course we asked her several times before dinner..."Isabelle, do you need to use the bathroom?".  Of course the answer is always no...until she sits down for dinner.  Anyways, on this particular evening Owen climbed down from his chair (after throwing the majority of his food across the table at his sister) climbed up to sissy's chair and started chewing on her broccoli (note: chewing...not swallowing...).  And instead of having a child like moment myself we giggled and grabbed the camera.  Because it all can be so maddening at times but if you can just get yourself to laugh...it really is all okay.

impromptu leftover pot luck and more...

isabelle is so patient when it comes to nail painting
and who doesn't love the pink leopard yoga mat?

owen making himself known

leftover pot luck!

each finger was painted something different...polka dots, a flower, a strawberry, leopard print and glittered
seriously...she is professional 

furio's doppelgänger!

After an early morning (after a late night around the fire w/ a not so long lost friend), a long day in the sun, an afternoon of tilling up more earth and grumblings of the thought of dinner making....an impromptu leftover pot luck emerged between us an our neighbors.  As we munched on the misfits of meals past Isabelle got her farm girl fingers painted by our "professional nail painter" neighbor and owen screamed just enough to be heard.  Even our neighbors cat paid us a visit...Lemon...Furio's doppelgänger!

frog pond

its true.  high pitched squeals and giggles are not just for fuzzy chicks....but slick wet frogs too.

these girls. oh these girls.

5 words...

show me your belly button!

magic indeed...

those 5 words turn everyones frowns upside down!

spring VT tomatoes

one of the many perks of our recent new friendship with our neighbors...she works at an organic tomato hot house in thetford and has been delivering weekly bags of pretty darn good tomatoes (spring tomatoes that is!).

awesomeness!

the park

loving the frog and giggling at sissy on the whale (see below)

how did this boy get so "big"?

yes, he loves slides...the faster the better...

working on her pumping skills

more sliding...

a quick snooze break

is it just the mama hormones or is he the cutest thing ever?
i'll just stick with the cutest thing ever.
and no,  i will not be cutting his mullet anytime soon.

An extension of our mother's day adventure...we brought the kids to Elizabeths park in Bradford, VT...a most excellent park that the kids love.  I had forgotten to mention that Isabelle had ended up sick on Friday, and most Friday night had been spent yet again with a throwing up child.  I feel like so far (until this year) we have been a relatively healthy family...but this year....well...nothing short of the sickest I think we have all been in a long time.  It almost seems that as soon as I think we are all healthy and good to go...someone starts vomiting.  No really...it is crazy.

So here's to a new week and healthy kids.  

mama's day

I think mother's day will just keep getting better and better.  This year I was spoiled...big time.  My favorite breakfast, handmade cards, flowers, chocolates, a walk in the woods, a picnic and lots of time spent with this family that I am so in love with.  

two kiddos not exactly sure why the camera is out so early...

mother's day spoilings

fruit salad

my favorite breakfast of all time: eggs poached in a quick red sauce paired with daddy's sour dough toast
the fruit was a bonus!

a walk in the woods

waterfalls in fairlee, vt

my two favorite boys

this face

happiness

the "i'm gonna smile face because mama is telling me to even though i'm scared i might fall off" face
(and yes...isabelle decided that jelly's might not be the best hiking shoes...next time we might just listen to mama...)

They are so good to me folks. 

oh and a big pile of air hugs to my mama, aaron's mama, auntie mel and all my mama friends.

so.much.love.

a bag full

fiddlehead (so cute right?)

Yesterday I was lucky enough to be invited by our VT born and raised neighbors for a little fiddlehead adventure.  They took me to their "go to" picking spot and also made hushed mention of the fact that this was also a fantastic mushrooming spot (eek!).  While I did feel a ping of guilt leaving aaron with the after dinner duties (these are by far the worst duties....tired dirty children and a messy kitchen...) I was happy to have some adult time...and with the recent black fly emergence it seriously would have been hell with the kids.  We picked just in the nick of time...as most of the ferns were in full bloom.  I think these are destined to be paired with lard or butter..... drooling starts...now.

ramps

ramps: wild leeks...onion-y, garlic-y & spiiiicy

ramp pesto

ramp pesto: ramps, garlic, toasted walnuts, parmesan, olive oil, squeeze of lemon and S & P
 (amounts winged....naturally)

grilled cheddar, ramp pesto, local hot house tomatoes on aaron's sour dough bread

sandy-wich accompanied with mama's kombucha (lime-raspberry-ginger OOHMY)

Yes, foraging is just so hip these days...and without a doubt for good reason.  Tramping around the woods and finding yummy treats are pretty much my two favorite things to do.  This past weekend my landlords picked me up in their old truck and we navigated about a mile down the very patchy road out back to a quiet, shaded and slightly damp wooded area.  And peeking up through all the brown were these lovely little ramps.  We didn't pick any longer than maybe 20 minutes and had more than we needed.  Apparently they will disappear just as quickly as they poke up so we were lucky to find them. Half my batch went to pesto and the other half I think I will throw in with some braised kale later this week (yum).  And thank goodness Aaron doesn't outwardly gack at my breath...because you know when you can smell it....well it is really just bad.  

Oh and that kombucha....oh yes that kombucha....

well she deservers her very own post sometime very soon....because I finally have "nailed it"