Feeding the Hungry

Perhaps the most vital job a mother has is to feed her family.  Providing nourishment for my children, my husband, and myself fills hours upon hours of my day, and encompasses so much more than just food.  I have the privilege of purchasing nearly everything that comes into our home - the clothes we wear, the books we read, the food we eat - and I try my best to make choices to nourish mind, body and soul.

Sometimes that means homemade sushi to stretch a picky eater.

And sometimes it means a quick dose of Chili Mac so we can quickly fill our tummies and spend more of our day nurturing other things - like each other.

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Spring has sprung around here and we've been spending hours outside and learning all about seasonal allergies, which are, at times, so bad that we abandon our new plantings and head in for a little bit of Plants vs. Zombies. That counts as gardening, right?

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May Day

Today is day two of not venturing out with the boys kids in the car.  There is a simple sweetness to staying within walking or biking distance of our house each day, but too many days in a row at home make me totally stir-crazy.  Finding the balance seems to be the theme of my life these days. Chores versus playing, spending versus saving, productivity versus relaxation... all of which are fine but the very delicate balance of opposites seem to define my days.  While we are enjoying staying in today, we will most certainly venture out tomorrow.








































April showers have indeed brought May flowers, but the showers haven't abated, either, and won't for some time.  Indoor time brings restless boys, and House Rules battle against Personal Sanity.  Lately, Sanity wins, and big boys get out energy bouncing on furniture and climbing on banisters and window sills.  I keep my stash of Vitamin D liquid happiness close by and sun myself with a happy lamp and children's bright smiles.

And yet, there are always moments to get outside underneath a dramatic sky that refreshes us with its pure Oregon rain.

Michael indulges me and mows on the diagonal. *swoon*

Later this month we will celebrate our one year anniversary of moving to Oregon.  What incredible change this year has brought, and just like the ever-changing sky, our time in the Pacific Northwest has brought good days and bad, but overall we are thriving.

 I can't imagine our second year in Oregon will bring such huge changes, but I'm excited to see what kind of transformation this next year holds.

Big Boots to Fill

Spring is all around in the Ferry household, and everyone has new shoes to fill.  I work on figuring out how to be a mom to three kids, William asks incessantly if he is four yet, and Thomas steps into some mighty big boots - those of a big brother.

 

Baby Katherine at 3 days

Katherine at 5 weeks

Everyone has transitioned into their new roles surprisingly easily.  Our schedules are clear, and we spend most days in and around our home enjoying new fresh life.


























Life with three littles is fun and tiring, and each day has its own groove.

Today we focused on birds and nests and bird feeders.  William had a little "bird" he made in preschool that was nothing more than a roll of construction paper with a feather glued on.  Little boy loves him some baby animals, so we upped the ante and got fake birds, nesting material, and ingredients for feeders.

 I realized right before I set out a plate of bird seed in front of each boy that it had peanuts in it, so we scrapped that plan and ate sugar cones like it was all part of the plan.

Let me just say for the record, that the entire bird activity took ten minutes.  TEN.  I thought I'd buy myself at least a good half-an-hour.  And then Thomas picked the beaks off of the baby birds and ate them.  Life with boys...  

Even with all the chaos, we are loving our little family.

Some V-Day Love

After a long week, this might just be the best Valentine's Day ever.

 Michael suffered five long days of high fevers and a sore throat.  We hunkered down and practiced our care-taking, and the boys pretended they were sick right along with him.  Luckily no one else caught the bug, but with the bad attitudes going around I might've preferred some low grade fevers instead.

This is William's "grumper face."  He does it anytime he doesn't get his way, and then starts laughing shortly after because he can't keep a straight face.  Not a bad way to diffuse a negative attitude...  carry on, grumper face.  I'll miss you when you go away. 

I knew Michael was feeling better when he made up the maze game for William.  Now he's back to work and I'm the one who has to make lego mazes for William to drive through.  Thank you, big boy, for keeping my brain sharp.  I hope you never realize how much of a stretch it is for me to keep designing you new mazes :)

With lowered fevers and clear skies we headed outside for some outdoor time.  I have dreams about what our backyard will look like someday.  Let's just say, it's not like this:

But for now, we embrace the mud pit.  Its sloppy, gloppy goodness keeps the boys entertained for long stretches as I sit and enjoy the latest Martha Stewart Living, paying extra attention to her article on the essentials for my spring cleaning arsenal.  Muddy handprints on the wall are a sure part of my future.
 
 After five long days of illness and tantrums and mud, we finally arrive at Valentine's Day, and it couldn't be sweeter.  We have no cards, no presents, no flowers and no candy - just the gift of a healthy family, a sanitized house (thank you Martha), and lots of family love.  I could never ask for anything more.

William made out the best of anyone, with twenty Valentines from his preschool class.  They brought back memories from my own childhood days with school parties and Lisa Frank Valentines, and I know those three hours he had away from me this morning were something special. 

Thomas had his own celebration with frozen berries - I don't think anything could have made him happier.  Food is the way to his heart and I'm glad a bag of blueberries make him feel loved.  I'm not up to much more these days. Feast on, little boy!

Hope your St. Valentine's Day is as filled with love as ours is!

Ebb and Flow

January was a good month for us.  It's always therapeutic to clean and purge and organize after Christmas, and even more so before a new baby comes.  Forty-eight days until my due date, forty-eight-ish days until our present calm is rocked into something different, something unpredictable.

33 weeks

For now, we're enjoying the ebb and flow of life at home.  The chaos, sweetness, and volume in our home wash in and out, but always with a strong undercurrent of love underneath it all.

I remember this season of life from past pregnancies, always having had Spring babies.  The days are longer, gaining light a little bit at at time, but I move more slowly, literally and figuratively.  More frequent breaks mean sitting to enjoy the moment, taking extra time to instruct the boys how to apply awesome bubble beards instead of rushing to just get them clean.



Less energy means they get away with more, like planking in the bathtub.  But right now, that's a good thing.

This is the life we'll continue for the next month or so.  One with a simple rhythm and beauty that maybe only a mother could appreciate.  This easy living can be so hard, to find the blessings among the mundane, but it's cleansing just like the sudsy water in the bathtub, and prepares all of us for what will be a joyful but mighty change that will come when baby sister is born.