May

We had another month of celebrating here at the Timmerman house this past month!  We brought in the month with an event we had been counting down to since last November…the opening of our town's farmer's market!  It was so great to see everyone again, and to feel the expectation and energy for such a tangible marker of good weather and good food.

We celebrated a Trio Birthday Party for all three of our spring birthday girls with our immediate family and had perfect weather for enjoying the festivities outside.

We also celebrated our nephew's 2nd birthday as well, and it was a double bonus that the cousins got to see each other twice.  

I celebrated my birthday twice with two different cakes with my name on them!  The chocolate cake was with my parents, and the white cake was with my little family.  My birthday was during the week, so it was pretty much a regular day event wise, but made better by the fact that it was my birthday, I got to eat cake, and the kids were very well-behaved.  We even went for our first family bike ride since Violet was born thanks to my friend Bonnie scoring a baby bike seat the day before my birthday at a garage sale for an awesome price.  Will is a great gift-giver and knows that if he gets me some kind of organizational item for the home, some essential oils and something from Etsy, he can't go wrong.  He did all of this and more, and even installed the organizational rack that very weekend.

May is definitely my month, as I also got spoiled on Mother's Day as well.  We walked to breakfast, did crafts together as a family, and even found a balloon floating across our drive way that I am certain was from Luke.

We also enjoyed having our neighbors over for the annual Memorial Day Parade that goes by our house and ended the festivities with good food and a backyard scavenger hunt.  It was amazing to me that Violet was able to enjoy the entire parade and party this year - such a difference a year makes!

I taught my first bee class this past month to a lovely troop of Girl Scouts, led by an old friend from high school.  I had so much fun teaching the class, and it was made even better by the fact that Will, Lucy and Emma also were able to help me and had fun too.  I hope to teach classes on a regular basis, and am looking forward to the day when even Violet can join in on the fun.

With so many festivities and celebrations going on this past month, it was difficult to stay focused on the girls school.  We managed, and had fun experimenting with color and even finished our math for the school year.

All the world is truly our classroom, so we enjoyed cooking with the produce from our garden as well as finding creative uses for the giant shipment of organic cereal I forgot that I have on auto renewal that was delivered to our house.  To save money, I called the cereal company and found out that if I have it shipped directly to my house in bulk on automatic renewal then I get free shipping and a very good price as well.  This seemed too good to be true, and it was, as when the first shipment arrived several months ago we found out that the girls don't care for the cereal and on top of it, there is corn in it, which Violet gets a rash from.  Imagine my horror when another shipment arrived on my front porch this past month.  The silver lining is that I've almost broken my family of their cereal habit so that I can feed them more nourishing breakfast foods, and we are now using the cereal for treats like homemade granola bars and rice crispy treats.  Will is refusing to let me move the cereal boxes out of the living room until I physically cancel the auto renewal on our account.  Let's just say it is still sitting there, but I still have about a month to cancel. 

We enjoyed a campfire class on owls at our local nature center this past month, pursued our city's bookmobile for the very first time, had our last yoga class for the school year, and had the girls dance pictures taken in their recital costumes.

Our porch saw a lot of excitement this past month as we also received a shipment of tadpoles that was more than we had anticipated for as well.  We bought Lucy tadpoles online for her birthday and they arrived in a giant box.  This took me by surprise as I was picturing a dozen tadpoles shipped in a container the size of a shoebox.  Nope, we received a box the size of a decent Amazon order and when I opened the box up, I immediately called Will at work telling him that the tadpoles were HUGE and that I think we got the wrong order.  After doing some research, we found out that they were in fact the tadpoles we had ordered - we just didn't realize how big they would be.  Will consulted with his friend the biology teacher at work, and he sent Will the below right hand picture for reference.  He will also be adopting the frogs when they reach their adult size.  Lucy is slightly disturbed by their sheer size, but the good news is that we can see the transformation very clearly from tadpole to frog.

We have decided that the best place to keep these giant tadpoles is our front porch as they are kind of smelly, and require us to lug 5 gallon buckets of pond water from the nearby pond.  This makes the tank look quite murky.  We didn't realize how murky, until we received a letter in the mail from our local, friendly Jehovah Witness regulars who stated their concern for the well-being of our "fish".  I think it is safe to say that they have moved on from our own spiritual well-being. 

May seems to be the month where we make the transition from inside living to outside living.  We have enjoyed many meals outside, relaxing on our front porch swing (as long as Violet lets us), and the girls have definitely been enjoying the fresh air.  In the above pictures from top left, clockwise: porch swinging, chasing a chicken that got out, Lucy taking a frog for a ride in her bike basket, a flower petal stew Lucy made for me at her outdoor restaurant, and Lucy letting milk weed seeds go in the wind.

The weather was even warm enough one day this past month to get out the water table and the slip and slide.  Violet did not like the feel of her bare feet in grass, but had fun once we put her sandals on.  

We enjoyed many park trips meeting friends and family.  A highlight was a picnic enjoyed with our Aunt and Uncle followed by lots of wildlife viewing from ducks to a huge turtle.

The girls had their 6-year, 4-year, and 1-year well-visits this past month at the pediatrician's.  I brought Will for back up and it was still crazy with Violet bouncing off the walls and wanting to touch everything.  Not a good scenario for a mom with germ obsessiveness.  All three girls fell asleep on the way home, proving that Violet's antics in that tiny room we were housed for almost two hours were exhausting for everyone.

It has been quite a busy month, and we are looking forward to a more relaxed June.  Below in clockwise order from top left: Will and Emma taking a nap on the couch, Will cuddling Emma after she skinned both of her knees when she tripped on the stroller wheel with her hands in her pocket, and Lucy and Emma playing super heroes, complete with goggles and capes.

Violet at 13 Months

Violet is a full-fledged one year old now.  She walks like she has done it all of her life, and even carries items with her while walking.  Below she is two fisting a pair of balloons.  

Violet has discovered the art of putting objects into containers.  She loves putting random toys and clothes into her dirty diaper pail and also enjoys picking things up off of the floor and putting them into the garbage.  She understands most directions and so I try to use her new found skill to my advantage by handing her actual garbage or dirty diapers to dispose of.  I told her the other day that she needed socks to go outside and she came back a moment later with a mismatched pair of her socks from a dirty laundry basket.  Brilliant, I tell you!  She LOVES being outside and is content for hours in the great outdoors, just like her older sisters.  Here she is below carrying her favorite little blue bucket and a piece of sidewalk chalk - it's a favorite habit she has developed when she is outside.

Violet may love being outside, but it is a bit nerve wracking for me.  I am no longer able to sit down and relax while out in the yard, as Violet does not stay in one place for long and there are many potential dangers - making Charlie mad by poking or kicking him, escaping through the fence, sharp objects in the garage, getting hit by a big sister on a bike, walking in front of a moving swing, the vast space of concrete taunting her vulnerable baby skin… you get the idea.  I'm pretty much her shadow when outside.  Will takes a more hands off approach, and because of it she does get hurt on his watch, but nothing ever serious.  I guess you could say Will and I balance each other out when it comes to parenting and I am trying not to be jealous of his ability to not worry as much and sit in a lawn chair.  Here Violet is below with her Daddy.

When Violet is in the house I am able to let her explore on her own, as I am confident that once the proper baby gates are locked and the bathroom door is closed that she is safe to play on her own.  The other day she started squealing in distress from the other room and when I found her she was stuck inside of box that she must have tried using as a step to climb up on the couch.  Silly girl.  She still loves eating almost anything I put in front of her at the table but makes a horrendous mess.  Cleaning up after feeding her takes longer than making the food sometimes.  I am trying to savor the fact that she still enjoys what I cook for her though, as I know soon enough she will develop stronger likes and dislikes.

She already has moved on from the crawling stage, and I miss her crawling to me from across the house with an excited ma-ma-ma-ma with each slap of her hand and knee as she approached me.  My sweet baby is growing so fast!  When we measured her on her first birthday, she clocked in at a whole two inches taller than her older sisters when they turned one.

She is still so much a sweet baby though, and will nod her head in agreement to any question or idea I propose to her.  She is just happy to understand the question and be with me and that just melts my heart.  "Violet, do you want to read a book?"  *smiles while head nodding*  "Violet, do you want to eat lunch?"  *smiles while going to her high chair* "Violet, do you want to get a diapey change?"  *smiles, while taking me to her changing table*.  Thanks to Lucy and Emma, I also know that this agreeableness will be gone soon too.  But don't get me wrong either, she is just as feisty as she is sweet and has no tolerance for big sisters standing in her way.  She can squeal and scream louder than any child I have ever heard and still does not like car rides.  The endurance that it takes to scream at such a high and intense pitch for forty plus minutes is truly amazing.  Maybe she will use those vocal chords to her advantage one day, and sing her heart out for the world to appreciate.  Time will tell, but in the meantime we are staying close to home and avoiding car rides like the plague.  Here she is below, so excited to see a friend.

Since the day our sweet and feisty Violet was born, she has revealed to us various quirks and traits that seemed unique and at times very challenging.  We have begun a journey of discovery with Violet, prompted by the emergence of her teeth this past month.  Violet has very uniquely shaped and spaced teeth which points to the genetic condition of Ectodermal Dysplasia.  We are currently visiting various medical professionals to determine exactly what we are working with so that we can best care for our little girl.  In the meantime, we would appreciate your prayers as we lace up our walking shoes for yet another trail on this path called life.  It is my greatest hope that the light that shines in Violet's eyes will only radiate brighter as my sweet, feisty and beautiful girl grows into her life and destiny.