Such a Summer!

Going to the lake with friends is the epitome of summertime. Lunch and snacks in the shade, sand castles, and of course tons of splashing! 

Emma was really throwing herself into the water and beginning to practice paddling. She's had great progress with her balance and movement in the water and her confidence. Splashes in the face are no big deal now, and she recovers easily from accidental submerges. 

My little fish <3

Back in the woods!

Emma and I have been getting out into the woods the past week, rediscovering some favorite old spots and uncovering new ones. Taking a familiar trail off the parking lot led us to this interesting fallen tree...

Which from one side is a window.. 

And a climber on the other side! 

Across a small bridge as we go deeper into the woods. 

We missed the turn towards the "big bridge" over a stream but instead wandered further down stream to a magical spot dappled with sun, with still pools of clear water, mossy stones, and gatherings of minnows. Emma wasted no time tearing off her shoes and wading in. 

 

Up stream, down stream, and all around stream we went. We saw a few small frogs hopping away from us, playing hide and seek. After about an hour of exploring I sat down on a delightfully soft, old, fallen tree and watched Emma continue to splash and squish in the mud. Wanting something to do with my hands had me picking off strips of bark from my natural bench and poking leaves through small holes which I drilled with my pocket knife. Instant boat. 

Emma loves boats.

I made a few which she cradled, wading through the water, then set loose in the gentle current. Soon she was at my side asking to try her hand at making a boat, so I handed her a large piece of bark for her to break a piece off of and instructed her how to use the knife safely. Obviously I couldn't take pictures of this part as I had to supervise closely but it was a nice moment between us, and for Emma to be given the responsibility of using this tool. She did great! 

Shortly after, Emma suggested we go to the "big bridge" as originally planned so we grabbed our bag, shoes, and boats, and headed up the hill back to the trail. Just before reaching the trail we witnessed a Red Tailed Hawk swoop down into the leaves just on the other side of the trail. It seemed to have missed its target but it flapped up onto a fallen tree that was leaning up the hill, and waddled up to the top. Nature abounds! 

For when the hawk was out of sight and we continued on the trail, Emma found a young toad. She scooped it and said hello, then set it down off to the side of the trail. What a difference from last year, or even at the beginning of the Spring when saying goodbye to a captured creature was almost too much to bear for dear Emma. I'm trying to help her keep in mind that part of loving these creatures is respecting their lives and what they need, and their wildness. It's a tough lesson. I still want one of everything in my own home or on my property. ;-)

These are our boats at the big bridge, with Emma, almost frantically, chasing after a boat she tossed into the current. The one that got away!

Shoing up before we go. Coming back to this bridge brings back memories of a baby Emma and I on our first ever adventures. 

This little girl right here!

Emma's Fourth Birthday

The night before, we set up a special place at the table for Emma with a base of wildflowers gathered from around our home, and her chair decorated with ribbon she picked out. I hung the bunting I made for her before she was born, that hung above the crib she never used. I hung paper streamers from her bedroom door leading down the hall to the kitchen hoping it would lure her out in the morning for a surprise. What I didn't count on was her waking up, excited, at 2:30 am and calling me down the stairs asking, "What is this? What's this ribbon? Why are there balloons?" 

I said we would see in the morning.

And when morning came, this was ready.  A delicious "fruit Pizza" (thank you Pinterest) 

A sugar cookie crust with cream cheese sauce and fresh sliced fruit on top.

And a piece of the Edible Arrangement from Granddad and Coco. She was so excited to receive it the day before, with three balloons attached and delicious chocolate dipped pineapples. Hey, you only turn four once!

The edible arrangement from the day before:

We went to the playground and splash pad in Peekskill to cool off. Emma brought her new Tortoise, Tortle.

Cooling off with a dragonfruit banana smoothie (was supposed to be icecream but the dragonfruit had too much moisture, so... Smoothies! )

 

Once Daddy got home we hung some water balloons for Emma to poke at, this was interesting!

And a special treat after dinner, Strawberry Shortcake with four glowing candles to celebrate the four wonderful years we've had together, and welcome in the one ahead. 

We love you, Emma!

Four Tomorrow

So much has changed in the last year, inside and out. All around us. 

Tomorrow is Emma's Fourth Birthday and I'm just in disbelief. It's gone fast! Our baby has grown into a strong, caring, imaginative, social, and absolutely wonderful little girl full of joy and creativity.  We're amazed and impressed by her daily and can't wait to see what Four has in store for her.

Favorite things

Favorite games:

Playing with her animal figurines, playdough, this Pengoloo game pictured above or a memory game with the pieces, being an imaginary animal, being a boat or truck, being someone who drives or works with boats or trucks, using chalk as an ingredient for pretend soups, smoothies, lotions, etc., pretend cooking at her outdoor kitchen (which is a large stump behind the house that's breaking down), play based on the Laura Ingalls-Wilder book series. "Cat training"

Favorite foods: 

Just about anything we make. Sandwiches, pastas, fresh fruits, berries, vegetables. Homemade fruit popsicles, and banana "icecream", frozen peas and corn, or anything else she can grab from my prep area such as carrot slices or raw diced sweet potato. Cheeses cheeses and more cheeses. Seafood; fish, lobster, scallops, sushi. Anything sweet. 

Favorite places: 

The deck, her dirt kitchen, or anywhere in the yard. Streams at the park, the woods behind our home, Depew/Blue mountain area, Sunnyside playground, anywhere she can go in water or dirt or mud, her friend Ada's home. 

Favorite things: 

'Things that go', her animal toys, things to climb or hang from, books and story time, chase games, foraging, meeting or catching bugs and animals, snacks, sweets, samples, nature, birdwatching, treasures, flowers, building.

A fine spring

  We have had such a lovely, full spring time. Weather has been perfect the last week but similar throughout, cool nights and mornings and warm during the day. We've been enjoying the outdoors so much and using every ounce of energy we've got from the time we wake until bed. 

  Emma finished her Little Bird preschool program last week with a sweet ceremony for the girls to share with their parents. We brought home a basket with some art from over the year, pictures, and a rolled beeswax candle which we made together. I'm so happy that she was a part of this program and with how much she has grown the last year. For us, the 2x mornings a week class was just right. Not too busy a week and just enough time apart. Emma is so much more interested in joining in games and activities with other kids or starting up new ones, and finding someone around her age to run around with at parks is easy and rewarding for her. She's also more focused, more verbal, amazingly bright. I believe all the reading aloud, discussing, and truly engaging is a huge part of it. Oh, I should add here, that after reading Charlotte's Web front to back between 15 and 20 times, we were able to go as a family to se a live performance of it at the Emelin theater in Mamaroneck. Patrick and I so enjoyed her enjoyment of the play! Bright eyes, big smile, and laughing out at the silly parts. Some times she couldn't contain her outbursts- she was really into it! She did notice some parts that differed from the novel, but still was totally engrossed by the performance. Also we've been reading aloud the Ingalls-Wilder series with Little House, and Laura and her families other adventures. We're on the 7th in the series and she has gained so much in inspiration for imaginary play and we've siezed so many opportunities to discuss different topics or vocabulary. It's so rewarding to us both. 

Anyway, Emma is looking forward to the week of camp she will be a part of next month, same place and time as her preschool and with some familiar faces.  I'm excited for her!

  Around the house it feels like I've got some free time, now that we've finished our kitchen renovation. Five months in the process but we can finally sit back and look at all the work we've done, no unpainted walls, uninstalled fixtures, or exposed wires staring us in the face. Emma and I spend a great deal in the kitchen between preparing meals and eating meals and cleaning up after meals,  or just having some quiet time at our new favorite table by the window. It's such a nice place to be. 

  And with that I'm being interrupted again, happily, by Emma who has completed her games with chalk and water and is ready for us to do something together. On a nice day like today we might get into one of our chapter books on the deck or just let imagination run free and see where it takes us. It's never dull!

Springing

My, it's been a while since I've posted. I think I've put it off again and again because I've gotten so far behind and have so much I'd like to add here but the idea of going back and sorting through the pictures, dealing with this awful blogging platform, recollecting events and getting it all arranged into a post is too daunting a task. 

I think it best I just move on!

So that brings us to the end of April. Leaves are beginning to coat the tree line in a green haze, our grass seed has put up tiny shoots, birds are frenzied in song every morning. We're lucky to sleep past 6 now that the sun rises earlier, though Emma still makes it to 630-7. We've been cleaning up and arranging inside the home but with the warm weather finally here I'm beginning to turn my gaze outdoors. We will (note: must!!) prepare the garden bed for planting in the next week and put the fencing back up. I'm looking forward to spending time there with Emma, my helper, watering, weeding, and just taking note on what is working and adjusting what isn't. 

  Emma is a few short months away from being Four. She's still as mild as ever; thoughtful, gentle, compassionate, and hardly ever starting an argument- even when I'm feeling she has the right to.  She's enjoying time at her preschool program, Little Bird, but I still get the feeling she thinks she'd rather be with me those mornings. It's good for both of us though. I've been working those mornings or getting some work done around the house without a whirlwind of toys and hugging and snack requests following behind me! Emma comes home with stories, art and crafts, or take home goodies to enjoy. Little Bird is exactly what I want in schooling for her at this age. 

On our days off we have been busy with errands and outings. We see our friends for plays and get togethers most weekdays most weeks, sometimes every day! We are so blessed to have a group of inspiring, motivated, and fun individuals to spend time with. Emma asks every day to play at a friends, have a friend over, what her friend is doing right now, or what they think about something. What a difference just a year has made in her social desires! She is just as happy to follow in play as she is to lead, often watching and asking questions about what others are doing.  Watching her and her friends play fills my cup.

And now for some recent pictures..

 Emma and her friends scaling the rockscapes in Depew. We go on a nature walk most Wednesdays with friends. 

Busy building.

At Little Bird working on her pinch pot.

Back on Alabama! Back in Feb.

PF Changs back in Feb.

Helping make the bed and fold laundry 😂

(Hopefully this gets the ball rolling again and we can move forward, Blog!)

Easy Mornings

I love our predictable mornings. Unchanging.

I love the light changing as we make and eat breakfast.

It beams into the room bright orange while Emma plays, and I wash the dishes.

Then I get changed upstairs while Emma jumps wildly on our bed... Then I help Emma get dressed downstairs.

After this we are ready for anything.

(But it is 10° right now so anything will have to be indoors until it warms up!)