Since Ethan was born it has been one of our missions for him to like good music. I get that kids like Polly Wolly Doodle and This Old Man and that, but I didn't want to have a child that wanted to listen to that every time we got into the car.
So, we have programmed Ethan to like stuff that we like. And we've found some kiddie-type music that all of us can listen to.
Ethan's Top 10 CD's in order of how I'm remembering them:
1. White Album: Beatles--Ethan loves most of these songs. He can live without Wild Honey Pie and Happiness is a Warm Gun. The cutest thing was when he thought "Dear Prudence" was about a deer.
2. All Together Now: Beatles Kids Album--kids and adults singing Beatles songs.
3. Here Come the 123's: They Might Be Giants--the song about the number 7 is a favorite, this is the best kids album ever!
4. Snacktime: Barenaked Ladies--this one is really good too. So cute and funny. Plus it has a song about Ninjas.
5. Little Shop of Horrors: Movie Soundtrack--Ethan loves this. He was big into this one last month which coincided with his first dentist appointment. He was understandably a little freaked out to go.
6. Juno Soundtrack: Various Artists--he loves this a lot. He reminds me when the swear words are coming up so I can turn it down. ("F*& Bush and f&*% this war" is a "turn it down Mom" lyric. But if he were to swear, that's not the worst thing he could say, is it?)
7. The Muppet Show Soundtrack: Various Muppets--I love Muppets. I wrote in a previous blog that when I was little I wished they were real. Ethan loves them now too. Nothing better than hearing your 4 year old belt out a wicked rendition of Rainbow Connection.
8. Sesame Street Soundtrack: Various Muppets--see above. I frickin' love Muppets! This one is a little more controlled in the car. You can't listen to this over and over again like the others on the list. But, again Muppets are wonderful and "Monster is the Mirror" is hilarious. And a little Elmo never hurt anyone.
9. Seussical the Musical: Various Whos, Horton the Elephant and others--Ethan loves elephants, he names every stuffed/figurine elephant Horton and he loves these songs.
10. The Star Wars Trilogy Soundtrack: Various instruments, such as trombones--Ethan especially likes the Ewok movement.
As you can see, my garden is a raging success! My chives and parsley are just starting to come up and my zucchini may not have made it. But, everything else is looking really good!
Quite a few gnomes have also popped up, lovingly planted by Ethan. My lily plant was so beautiful, but one gust of F-M wind knocked it out of its hole and almost blew it away.
This is Noah, my new nephew born on June 1 at just 24 weeks. I have never seen a baby this small before; he just made it to 2 lbs. It was really shocking to see such a small little guy, but he is really strong and really adorable. Please keep this tiny boy in your prayers. -RL
A few weeks ago, I got to travel with the Kittleson ladies to Reeder, North Dakota for their centennial celebration. It was too fun. We had martini time at the Mirror Lake Lodge, watched the nation's longest parade, drank cans of beer at Lutzy's, and laughed constantly. Bonnie Hammer drove us through the prairie, over barbed wire and up some seriously steep hills. We climbed rocks and explored caves.
It was a trip I will never forget. A fabulous time with some rockin' ladies. I'm so glad I tagged along!
I love this picture. This was the last night we were there. I think the sky looks like a painting. What a gorgeous view in the middle of nowhere.
I am not good with the plants. I normally kill everything. These flowers above are beautiful and thriving. My mom planted them. Surprisingly enough, I can maintain these because they take little to no work.
Well, the thought of having a garden is totally appealing to me, but also pretty daunting. I'm not sure I have my mom's green thumb. But, some of my favorite things to do as a kid were to plant seeds, pull carrots, dig potatoes, and snap peas and green beans. I want all the E's to have that same experience. So, Mama Schmeck in her infinite wisdom bought me a gardening book and introduced me to a way of gardening that even I shouldn't screw up.
This is called Square Foot Gardening. You build these little boxes and set the grid and plant something in each square. It's above-ground, and you fill it in with the perfect blend of compost, peat moss and vermiculite. It was totally easy. In the next couple of months, this little bitty garden should yield: 1 tomato plant, 4 green bean plants, 4 pea plants, 1 zucchini plant, 2 cucumber plants, 16 carrots, 1 parsley plant, 2 chive plants, and 1 cilantro plant. Plus, I had 7 squares left over for flowers. Check back for my itty bitty garden's progress!
