March Madness

Yoo hoo, spring, where are you? March found our household waiting with baited breath for the arrival of sunshine and warmth. And we waited. And we waited. There was a collective sigh of relief when the sun's rays warmed one Sunday afternoon to the high 50's. We broke out the picnic table, the sandbox, the sunglasses, the baby pool... every outside toy we could find! It was wonderful, especially after experiencing two March snowfalls. We were sure spring would never come.

March means spring and new life, which always conjures up in my mind memories of Morenna's birth one beautiful spring morning FIVE years ago. That's right, my baby turned five this past month and is maturing into a precious young lady. She's a gal after my own heart, having requested chocolate cake for her birthday dessert. (Here's my favorite recipe, BTW.) We didn't have a large family party this year, rather she had a little friend come for a slumber party. They ate macaroni and cheese for dinner, watched Lady and the Tramp, and played dress-up for h.o.u.r.s.

For her birthday we bought her an 8-week gymnastic class, which she is loving. It's a well done class affording her the opportunity to both learn and play and has become the highlight of her week. 

We also recently switched her "earnings" for work done around the house from jelly beans to real pocket change. Her purchases of choice are mostly gum.

As part of her birthday celebration a beloved Great-Aunt took her and Jadyn (for her post-birthday celebration, too) on an outing to Build-A-Bear and Panera. They had such a wonderful time discovering how those soft, fluffy, teddy bears are made and spending some quality time with a fun-loving Aunt. I certainly enjoyed a quiet morning without them. I wonder why birthday celebrations can't come around more often. I'm sure Morenna would agree. :-)

Here's a short little interview with the birthday girl for your reading pleasure:

And Interview With Morenna

Favorites:

Vegetable: carrots
Toy: baby dolls
TV Show: Wilderness Family
Music: Seeds Family Worship
Game: Busytown
Book: Rainbow Fish
Restaurant: Panera
Holiday: Easter
Animal: Bears

If you could change your name, what would you choose? Bethany

What is your favorite thing about being five years old? I get to help Mommy in the kitchen and I get to cut with sharp knives. (Not sure where she got this latter thought, but rest assured we practice safety in the kitchen. :-) Here's the knife she uses: Curious Chef.)

Where would you like to go? The beach

What is something you're looking forward to this year? Going to see Aunt Rachel and Uncle Bruce at New Years.

Jadyn did really well celebrating Morenna's birthday this year, never complaining or fussing about the amount of attention showered on her big sister or the gifts Morenna received. She's my big three-year old and I am so proud of her.

In February we began more structured schooling time in the morning and she's making her way through some preschool worksheets. She's very good at recognizing letters and their sounds, can count to 10 and loves to play house.

Jadyn is becoming more and more a helper around the house. She can often be spotted doing her chores (for jelly beans) in her favorite princess dress, which varies from day to day.

And honestly, the kids aren't the only ones who enjoy dressing up around the house. Yes, it's true. Matt can be found running around the house dressed up and saying "I'm Batman." It's a sight to behold.

Meanwhile, March found Jordynn turning 6 months old. Right on cue she began sitting up and continues to be the cutest child ever. Her personality really began to emerge this month from the quiet passive type to the ornery, loud, playful type. Her new found discovery is the johnny jump-up where she will sit for 30 minutes at a time and bounce up and down while I make a meal. Silly as it may sound, I'm LOVING her interest in bouncing. I have tried every one of the kids in this bouncer and Jordynn is the first to ever enjoy it. Yay!

I dragged my feet quite a bit on giving her solid foods, but after she repeatedly grabbed food off my plate when my attention was diverted, I caved and offered her veggies and oatmeal at the beginning of the month. She wasn't too sure at first, but now is a lover of all foods offered her. Her favorite snack just happens to be pretzels, whenever the others happen to break them out of the pantry and offer her some.

Last but not least, we celebrated Morenna's favorite holiday, Easter. My parents watched the babies so that Matt and I could take the girls to our Church's Good Friday service. We were so glad to be able to do that, and consequently spent Easter Sunday at home, sharing with the kids the history of the holiday and discussing the complex subjects of death and resurrection. It was certainly a different Easter, but it was a good one.

At the very end of March, I also had the privilege of sharing the release of my new business, the Nourishing Herbalist, in conjunction with my best friend. It's certainly sucked up a lot of my time this month, but it's exciting to see tangible results from all the work. It will be exciting to see how the business progresses over the coming months. 

So there you have it... our March madness. What was new at your house this month?