Relaxing Sunday with Daddy

It started off with a good protein packed bacon and eggs breakfast at 8am…made by me for a change! Nate got to "sleep in" and then venture off to a fishing spot with his dad and brother's. They spent the later morning there while Mika and I went for a lovely walk along the river…feeling a little awkward being alone but it was good.

After Mika's nap (and a little nap of our own) we took an extra long walk in Wolseley (a beautiful part of Winnipeg) and through a more rugged type park with winding creeks and hills and such. Lots of people were out on this beautiful day with what seemed like a host of dogs. Every sort was out. I even saw a lady with a stroller FOR HER DOG! That took me for surprise.

We ran into various folks we knew but mostly just enjoyed our very precious and limited time together. Mikayla had fun passing her food to us with her mouth! It was quite hilarious. She also tried really hard to walk up and down a hill but fell head first and cried.

Our hammock is finally out of storage and so yet another fabulous use of our porch gets exercised! The evening ended off with a bbq and dessert with Matt and Jac. That too was a treat as it seems this reno has taken every bit of our time.

Nathan brings out the fun, more crazy side in Mikayla. He's loud with her and rambunctious. She loves to run away from him and wait for him to catch her. She usually comes into bed with us in the morning but shortly after wants to run around but this Sunday she curled right up into Nate's arms and cuddled with him as if she knew it was a special day!

We can't wait till family time like this is a more regular occurance. Please pray that the reno job gets done quickly so it doesn't take over more of our precious summer!

Gardening and Life

At long last we finally have our very "own" veggie garden! Last summer we were in St. Kits at this time so there was no opportunity to get involved with the community and dig in some dirt. This year it is very different. Mikayla is at the perfect age where everything is new and spectacular! She's walking around discovering everything! Of course that means barricades are being set up everywhere to keep her from stumbling down porch stairs, or wandering out into the street but there's also the many planter pots that are continually being refilled as she LOVES to get her hands dirty!

The story of the garden boxes is quite fantastic though. We realized that it was more than just Nate and I who wanted to grow something and reconnect with nature. I had been bugging and nagging Nathan to get rid of his ever growing pile of random collected wood so this was the perfect opportunity to do a bit more "scrounging" or "dumpster diving" and together with the kiwi boys build some awesome "reclaimed" garden boxes.

Next we were in need of some dirt. Of course we were prepared to go buy the stuff but really…it's dirt! Shouldn't it be free? Well, thanks to Karin and kijiji we found some free dirt and filled 7 boxes of it! As you can see we've started the growing season of peppers, tomatoes, cucs, carrots, peas, lettuces, wild flowers, strawberries and bunches of herbs. How exciting!

For me, it has been remarkable at how soothing and enjoyable gardening is. I've been reading a book called, "The healing garden" and finding that touching, smelling, tasting and seeing things GROW FROM THE GROUND has a strong effect on how I feel. Apparently the endorphin levels of gardening rate up there with jogging!

Just seeing the slow, steady change in something that is rooted and staying put is so meaningful to me. It helps me settle myself and come to peace with life. I've been outside a lot more than in these last two weeks and it has really helped the seeming unending slump I was in from the winter.

Nate and I have really enjoyed living here at the Ruth with our neighbours. The summer brings us all out onto the deck. Eating, drinking, reading, splashing in the tub of water (that would be Mikayla), talking about the day are all happening on a regular basis…outside…often with each other! We suddenly have this common space that gets used everyday and brings us together. I really feel like this is what people need and have appreciated over the centuries…a common place to meet and be together. Gardening is just an extension of that growing friendship!

and the great adventure in climbing…oh boy

digging in the dirt…we need to get her a real sand box asap!

Isaac playin' some tunes for Mika to dance to in the water!

my flower boxes

water time on porch!

yummi chives

Grandpa!

Dad was here for a full week and left today. We had great weather (for Winnipeg) and got to have a lot of fun while getting some projects underway! Here's a few pics from the weekend…

We asked Dad to build a small pantry for our kitchen. It ended up being a beautiful piece of furniture! Mikayla was finding the power tools quite entertaining below the porch.

Can you see her head peaking through? Both Nate and Dad were working hard. This inspired our neighbours to also accomplish some tasks! Some were planting herbs, some were repairing an old pew to use as a seat on the deck, another was preparing a vermi-composter, while others were getting food prepared for our first collective BBQ to encourage this surge of spring energy!

We got our fresh air this weekend. We took Dad out to the Bison range at the Fort Whyte Centre. There were 7 little calves roaming the field! So cute! Mom and Clay joined us with lots of family stories and fun deciding who Mika looked like more!

The ride there…we woke her from her nap.

She still wants a hand to hold in unfamiliar places.
But she is just over the top to be walking with Grandpa!

The infamous "lunge" as Granpa calls it.

Doing steps…over and over again!

The final hutch. We used reclaimed pieces of wood for most of it so it will be painted yet. Isn't it cute?!

It was really sad to see Dad go. We are so blessed to have a great relationship and to share our life with him in so many ways. Thanks for coming out Dad! We love you:)

Introducing…the Great Outdoors!

We are discovering that the porch is a wonderful outdoor world with lots of potential! Here we can pretend we're in Mexico and take a nap in Barb's hammock! Ahhh so relaxing…except for babies!

No matter how many times I told Mikayla to not touch my plants she would. I finally realized that she was craving dirt and had to have it! So here we are, getting our hands dirty and loving every minute of it!

As you can see Mika is not afraid of the dirt!

The lady in the front is an elderly Chinese lady who lives in a house alone. Her grass was getting so long that one of our neighbours offered to mow her lawn for her! It was such a beautiful picture for me to see!

This is my window assortment of seedlings. Most of them are herbs but I have a whole egg carton of tomatoes growing as well! I'm so excited to be in the garden. Even though we don't have a yard, we are being very resourceful and creative with containers, window boxes, and joining a community garden. Fresh vegetables for the first time in my adult life.

Playing at one of our parks and lovin' the sun!