Hyper? Me?

I've got my hands pretty full at the moment.  Full of boys, and all their sweet, naughty, tiring, mischievous antics.  Magnus has been teething and has got his two bottom incisors to erupt in the last 2 weeks.  He's also starting to move around quite a bit, often getting himself into situations (example below).  Linus just got a wheelbarrow and is our official building/gardening/anything-he-can-get-his-hands-on "helper" (and I mean that with air quotes).

 

And with these two boys to care for, run after, play with, and feed, you'd think I'd just collapse each and every day with utter exhaustion, right?  Of course not.  Because I have a sickness.

That's a hug, not a choke-hold.

I'm what you call a "doer", a "mover and a shaker", or just your typical "Type A" personality.  In other words, my hyperactivity disorder carried on well into my adult life.  Exhibit A:  After 3 weeks of nonstop out of town visitors and a trip to NYC, a normal person would want to just chill at home with a bottle of wine.  But me, I just can't stand to miss the azalea bloom at the National Arboretum.  It's become an annual tradition, after all. See blog post from exactly one year ago.

Again, we were blessed with fantastic weather.

Dang, that's a lot of boy for one 5' mamma

After a little bit of hiking, we stopped at this bench for snacks. 

That look just melts me every time.

Our budding naturalist made observations about birds and bees, flowers and trees.  But his favorite part?

Feeding the koi!

Don't worry, I do get my chill time here and there.  The weather has turned gorgeous, giving us some much needed backyard hangout time.  Here on the patio, Linus plays with his new water/sand table while Magnus munches on some mango.

And while my mom was here visiting she identified a few things that she could buy us to make our lives more pleasant.  First, a 7.5ft trampoline complete with safety net.  Second, a patio set so that we could hang out and eat outside.  We use both any chance we get.  Thanks mom and dad!

We've been really busy with yard projects, too.  Mattias cleared some vines from around the tree and planted a shady plant garden-- no illicit horticulture here folks!   We chose lilly of the valley, bleeding hearts, and hostas. 

I've also cleaned up the existing vegetable patch, added compost, formed rows, and readied it for seeds.  One of my most prided projects is our new composter.  It's cool because we barely throw anything away anymore-- yard waste, kitchen waste, and even Magnus' compostable diapers go in the composter. 

My container vegetables and seed starts are doing well in the front yard.  On the left I have yellow scallop squash, bush beans, and peas going.  On the right I have basil, spinach, and shishito pepper babies.

In addition to planting things we can eat (my #1 priority) we've done a good amount of flower planting too.  Pansies in the window boxes, and ranonculus and dahlia bulbs in front of the house.  We'll just have to wait and see how they come up from the ground.

Whew, I'm tired just telling you about all the stuff we've done.  Literally, I'm developing tendinitis in my right wrist from repetitive stress at work and from all the heavy baby lifting.  Until next time...