May Days

What's new with us this week? Well, Jared is still plugging away on the foundation, with a few pallets of cinderblock left to lay before we can start moving dirt and finish grading the backyard. His hands and arms are a testament to the many hours of hard work he's been putting into this project. I tell ya, if Jocke had never left the family farm in South Dakota, Jared would have been completely in his element there. (Of course, he'd also have ended up one of those crusty old Norwegian bachelor farmers, since he never would have met me. . .)

I finished the new garden bed in the front yard. It's looking a little better now that I've filled in all the gaps with annuals, but I'm afraid I completely did in the daisies that I moved in the process. There's still another bunch waiting to be divided and transplanted, so maybe I'll get it right next time. My plan now is to overhaul the foundation bed--move the rose bushes, put a gravel pathway along the back, and turn the front into a shrubbery (One that looks nice. And not too expensive.)

Elizabeth has one week left of preschool and is already peppering me with questions about kindergarten--mostly WHEN DOES IT START?!? It's going to take all of my energy just to keep her busy this summer, I can tell. Weekly trips to the library should go a long way toward that; she's becoming quite a little bookworm. We found a series that she has been devouring. Actually, it's a series of series. First there were the Rainbow Fairies (one book for each color of the rainbow), and now the author has gone on to write series about the Gemstone Fairies, Weather Fairies, Days of the Week Fairies, Pet Fairies, Music Fairies. . .and it goes on. Maybe not the caliber of writing I'd hoped for, but at least the author is prolific!

Anna is turning three in just a few short weeks, though it's hard for me to believe. I've been asking her what she wants for her birthday. Her requests thus far:
1) a banana cake
. . .with chocolate
. . .and polka dots.
. . .BLUE polka dots ("like my eyes are blue")
2) a tiny house
Thanks to her big sister, Anna is quite advanced in the arts of arguing and persuading. The other day I took her to run errands, and she asked if I would take her to "the big grocery store". I said no, but we were going to Target, which is very much like a big grocery store. She replied, "But Target doesn't look like a big grocery store to ME." Again I said no, and she decided to try a different tactic: "But Mommy, the big grocery store has floooowers. And the big grocery store has fruuuuuit." What she should've pointed out is that the big grocery store also has drop-in child care; by that point I was about ready to turn her over to someone else for awhile.

We've also had someone new at our house this weekend: Duncan, Sarah and Seamus' mini Dachsund puppy, has been staying with us while S&S have been in San Francisco. He's about as adorable as they come, and we've had a lot of fun with him this weekend. His only major flaw is that he refuses to poop where he's supposed to--but then again, so does Anna, and we still think she's pretty wonderful, so I suppose I can excuse him as well.

We're looking forward to a wonderful June, starting with Anna's birthday and culminating in a campout/reunion with my mom's side of the family. Whew. All those Torgersens in one place at one time. Bear Lake won't know what hit it.