Food Chain

Disclaimer: okay, for all those faint at heart, or people that can't stomach anything having to do with snakes, STOP READING HERE....there are pictures involved you may not want to see.

Yesterday, my brother in-law found a snake on my doorstep. Now fortunately, I am not one who cringes at even the thought of a snake, so when he told me to take a look, I came along. I find snakes kind of interesting to watch (weird I know), but I was curious to see how long this porch snake was and what it was up to.

Of course, when we crept upon it, I saw that it was not only quite a large snake, but it was a snake devouring a toad! Here's where it gets a little twisted, I actually was very intrigued in seeing just how this snake was going to eat this toad. Although the snake was quite large, the toad was about 3 times the size as his mouth (I mean hey buddy, pick on someone your own size). My brother in-law and I had bets going on to see if he was actually going to accomplish his goal in eating the toad. It seemed impossible. So I proceeded to check on the guy every 1/2 hour or so. And to my surprise, he did it! It took probably 2 hours, but he did it. He didn't care for it too much when I came in close for a good shot (in fact if it weren't for the toad in his mouth, I think he might have gone for me for antagonizing him), but it sure was interesting watching nature take its course.

Mudpies

I figured I was safe to turn my head from Katie for a minute to watch my oldest daughter do her newest trick in peddling her bicycle ("watch me, watch me!"). I was wrong (you think I would know by now). The minute I looked back the stroller she was playing with was in the driveway and my daughter was gone. Fortunately we have a big enough yard, that I knew she wasn't in the street or anything, so I didn't exactly panic. I did however run around the corner of the corn fields, to find her crouched in a mudpile! Yes, after this lovely rain (praise the Lord), we have mud - and our daughter was thoroughly enjoying it. The sight of her was too hard to resist in taking her picture!

Tiny Talk Tuesday

I've begun to write down some of the cute things my kids say, and perhaps some day down the road they can read what they said and be amused. I got this idea from another blogger, but am not sure how to put up links to her site or others. Perhaps next time.


After a day at the zoo:
Daddy: What did you see at the zoo?
Kyra: Monkeys
Daddy: What else did you see?
Kyra: Martini Monkeys (more teeny monkeys)
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After a potty training accident:
Daddy: Kyra, it's okay but you need to try and remember to go potty in the toilet or let Mommy or Daddy know you have to go.
Kyra: It was just an accident Daddy. I'm really a sweetheart.
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Kyra: Mommy, I have a new song for you. It's called Jesus and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!
Mommy: Oh really, why don't you sing it for me?
(in the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star)
Kyra: Twinkle and Jesus, Twinkle and Jesus, Tinkle and Jesus, Tinkle and Jesus, Done
(of course as the song progressed, she got faster and faster, and the Twinkle ended up sounding like Tinkle)
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And finally, this morning I was watching the morning news before the kids woke up, when Kyra walked in the bedroom. She walked in just as pictures of the Alquida (sp?) were in view. Looking at their turbans, she said: "look Mom, they're wearing party hats!"

Gardening

My mother is a wonderful gardener. She loves talking about flowers, she loves tending to her flowers, and even just being with the flowers. I grew up learning just how much water the plants needed, doing the grueling task of weeding, and taking numerous walks around the yard to identify what was what and how much they had grown (my favorite part). So, I just assumed that the gardening gene would be passed on. I was wrong. Okay, I'm not a bad gardener, that's proof from these pictures (of course I didn't take pictures of the dozens that are wilting away). Maybe it just takes years and years of experience (and perhaps the energy that is currently taken away from 2 preschoolers). I do love the excitement in the spring when you go to the nursery, pick out your little baby flowers, and mentally plan out each spot they will take in your yard. I don't even mind taking the time to plant each one and water them for the first few weeks. However, after vacations are taken, heat sets in, and it hasn't rained in what seems like a month, I lose interest. I took my garden tour today and most of my plants have been either eaten up by Japanese Beetles, taken over from a certain kind of mold, or plain died from my lack of attention. All I can do now is care for the ones that endured the many hardships and give thanks that I have hardy plants that make my garden look somewhat healthy!

First Corn of the Season

One of my friends posted a blog of her 3 year old daughter downing an ear of corn and asking for more. It was a cute little story, and it made me anxious to try our corn fresh from the garden. Well the day has arrived. My daughter came running to me with two ears of corn in her hand, shouting "Mommy, mommy the corn's ready!" Shortly after, my husband came with several more ears. I told them that was great and that I was anxious to try it for dinner. However, my hubby said "Oh no, we have to eat this right now!" So in to the house we went eating an early lunch of corn. I knew Kyra would enjoy it, since she did last year (and she did...all 3 ears). But I wasn't sure how Katie would do. Kevin cut the corn up for her, when I said why don't you let her eat it off the cob? We tried showing her how to hold the little corn holders, but she had no interest (oh well next year maybe). Oh no, we put it on her plate, she grabbed it by the cob and dug in! She almost ate the corn holder! Yup, I think she's going to fit right in to this corn eating family.

What a Guy!

After going back to sleep this morning, I awoke very groggily to my lalatting 16 mo old. We headed to the table for breakfast, where I found a sticky note pasted to my daughter's booster chair. It read the following: "Good morning family! I have a quest for you. On the computer you will find a clue." Oh, how exciting, a morning excursion. I headed for the computer, found nothing (looked for a message on email, a picture, word document, nothing!) Fortunately I began to wake up a bit, and found the next clue had slid underneath the keyboard. My daughter then wandered in and said, "I want dessert!" No good morning, just I want dessert. I told her dessert had to wait, daddy had a hunt for us to go on first. She got excited when I showed her the sticky notes and off we went to the next clue. We visited daddy's closet, the window sill, and finally the basement. There at the kiddy table (where my kids love to eat lunch), were 3 plates of chocolate zuchinni cake that daddy had made from scratch. I guess Kyra was going to get her dessert after all. My husband, who is not much of a writer, had rhymed each clue and everything. It was a fun little pick me up from the previous night and something I will always cherish. Way to go Hon! Bonus points for the hubby.

For the Birds

I have two things to say: one, is that this potty training thing is for the birds! I know it has to get done (and hopefully before they're five), but it is hard work! I'm sure most people are tired of hearing about potty training stories, but a girl has to vent a little after she has woken up 3 times in the middle of the night due to little tidbits wetting the bed. It is now 4:15 am and I've surrendered to getting up. It's no use now going to sleep. The sleep Gods are telling me my time is up for the night. Okay, so I'm being a little melodramatic. I guess my point is that it is really tough deciding if your child is truly ready to be potty trained, or if I'm the one needing training.
My second thing is this: Every woman that has made comments to my blog, every woman's blog that has had funny or thought provoking entries, I thank you. You have been inspirational both in the stories, recipes, thoughts you have written and the encouragement that is in the comments you make. It is heart warming to know their are other women going either through some of the same things (ie: potty training, loneliness at times, jubilation from the little kidlings), and are willing to share their stories. Thank you, and good night.