we're growing...kids and plants

Yesterday, we headed out to the backyard to get... well, dirty. My hobbies have never included gardening but for some reason, Ava and Noah changed my mind. The idea of teaching them the concept of growth is literally exciting and endless. Telling them to "drink their milk so that their bones will grow" just doesn't seem quite right when you think about how incredibly amazing a life cycle is. What better way than to show them - or letting them do it themselves.

Basil and rosemary seeds took residence in the terra cotta pots I had bought years ago on clearance. I would have never imagined back then that today, I'd be giving it life with my daughter. Meanwhile, on the other side of our yard, we tossed wild flower seeds in our flower bed. It hadn't been touched since last winter - and so, with a stroke of a garden tool, a small gray garden snake withered its way towards the retaining wall. I screamed and Ava backed away. "Snake? Where'd it go Mommy?"

I don't know hunni, this is why I don't do this a lot. But that will change. I'm not going to let "makes me throw up when creatures move like that" snake stop us from learning. In fact, there was a lesson that followed her question. I told her about how we have to share our ground with some creatures. It's "house" is inside Ava - and he will make tunnels so he can travel and look for food. She seemed content with that - maybe because a creature had a home here or maybe because she was too busy watering everything in sight with the jug I gave her.

Aaron and Noah patiently waited for us to finish and then planted onions in the corner of the flower bed. Noah's natural curiosity sat him in a puddle of water to splash and mud to kick.




He was seeing and feeling new things, enjoying moments of discovery - while we were enjoying a proud moment of seeing him stand alone by himself - without him realizing it. Oh my, he's growing so fast!



And seeing as how everything comes full circle in all that we do - we met our neighbors "Jack and Joanne" across the alley for the first time while Aaron was gearing up for a bike ride with the kids. Before Jack left, he picked beautiful flowers and walked over to me and said, "It's at the end of its season, but I know women like flowers."



Ah yes, he is wise telling me, a person who believes fresh flowers should adorn our homes all year round. And so our story goes - we plant seeds of flowers fresh into the ground in the morning and by evening, enjoy the beauty of its wonder on our table. Indeed Jack, indeed...