Photos from our Garden

Here are some great photos from my garden. This year I’m spending lots of time with the boys outside. So I get to spend lots of time in my garden, weeding, watering and grooming the lawn. Both Rodney and David help me from time to time (mostly over watering the tomato plants). I’m looking to get a composer for next year. We will use it for turning our yard and food waste in to fertile dirt to add to our garden. Now that I have a shed, I have new places for planting next year. Here is a photo of my new shed.

Our Anniversary

This past Monday was Amy and mine seventh wedding anniversary. However we are going out tonight to celebrate it with a movie. So here is a poem I wrote when Amy and I were just dating and then was modified for our wedding and was put on the back of our wedding program. (The above photo was taken resonantly in my garden after a rain storm.)

You Are Love

When I first saw you,
I saw love.
The first time you looked at me,
I felt love.
The first time you spoke to me,
I became love.

You are the one I run to,
The one I belong to.
You are the one I want for life,
No other could be my wife.

You are the one that I love,
The only one I dream of.
Our love has no better,
We beat the odds together.

We might take the long way,
But we will get there someday.
I’m so glad I found you
I look forward to being with you
always

Schools Out!!!

Today was Rodney’s last day of kindergarten, and he will be going in to the 1st grand next year. With all the ups and downs this year for him it was nice to see lots of improvement on his part. His grades are up, he knows all of his letter and can count over 100, and is reading on a 1st grade level. Emotionally he has gotten better as well; he is handling himself much better. He even has a best friend, Sterling. This is an amazing thing for him, he has always had a hard time with other kids his age. However this past couple of weeks was hard on him, Rodney has never handled change well.

So summer vacation has begun, and so has the loss of what is left of my hair. I’ll have both of them here with me all the time now. I have lots of plans to work with them this during this time. We will go on bike rides in the morning, and then work on their summer work books, and then we will go to the pool for swim lessons with me. I have 82 days until both of them are in school…
82 days, 82 days, 82 days, 82 days, 82 days, 82 days, 82 days 82 days, 82 days, 82 days, 82 days, 82 days, 82 days, 82 days!....

The Detroit Festival of the Arts

Today we went to the Detroit Festival of the Arts, with the boys. We met up with one of my good friends Meredith. It seems I have been getting together with lots of old friends from my past. The festival had lots of fun things for the boys to do. There were live bands and performers every ware. The first thing each of the boys did was to make a little house to place them on a large map of down town Detroit (this was ware Meredith was) Next David spotted a stage with ballet dancers performing. He very much wanted to go see and was very excited about it. Then we did some drumming, face painting and some virus arts a crafts. The bys could barely contain them self’s. Amy and I did get to see some of the artist and their work (in between trying to keep the boys with us). Also we had a nice long talk with Meredith (with a few interruptions from the boys) before we came home. It was a very fun day, even tough I got a little bit of sun today on the back of my neck.

Our Big Kids

Yesterday and today both Rodney and David have been showing us sights that they are growing up and fast. Yesterday a new Chinese Restaurant opened up very close by us. Both boys made “attempts at eating” with chop sticks. The above images are proof or that.

But the big news is they both started to ride their bikes with out their training wheels. After spending so much time fixing there training wheels I finally decided to let David try it with out them for a little bit. To my amazement he took right off with out help and only fell a few times. He was riding like he did with the wheels on. Rodney upon seeing this decided he was going to do this to. After some work we were able to get him to go by him-self. We did have to help him get started every time but he was able to do it. His bike is a little big for him but he should grow in to it. They really are growing fast! Amy says they are no longer her little babies.

David's last day of preschool

Today was David’s last day with his preschool program. We ended it with a picnic at Kensington Park; witch is a very large park near were we live. After we ate we when for a walk down to the water to see the beach and get our feet wet (it was to cold to go swimming). Then we went to the animal farm that is part of the park. We have been there many times before, so David acted as tour Gide for the rest of his class.

Now David’s class is very unique, it is a home and center basted program. David’s teacher would come to our house once a week, (witch meant I had to really get the house clean) and we whet to the Early Childhood center once a week. There were only three kids in the class along with there parents (yes the parents participated in the program, and yes I sung songs, played games and danced around with David). The program lasted for 12 weeks and David really go a lot out of it. Amy and I truly feel he is ready for kindergarten next year.

the first four photos are from today at the park, and the other three are from different times in the class. The last three also were taken by David's teacher, Mrs McCarthy, She gave them to us to day.

Our cats

You might say we love our cats, and they sure love us back! For as long as I can remember I have always had cats. And that’s cats; we never just had one at a time. When I was a year old we got a calico cat named Tigger. She lived to be over 21 years of age, and was my 1st memory of a cat. However my two favorite cats were Bruiser and Alex.

Bruiser was from the first litter of cats we had when I was little. I liked him so much I drew pictures and cartoons of him; I have a new cat now named after him because he looks just like him. He and I use to sit in my room a share cheese.

Alex was my cat form my early adult years. She went with me every ware we lived even my bachelor days in my 1st apartment. She was every ones favorite. Amy and I still talk about her almost a year and a half later. Rodney keeps a photo of here in his room, it has not moved from his book self. (witch is good for a 5 year old.)

The fact that we have three is a sure sign we love them. We each have our own cat I have my Bruiser, Amy has Apollo, and the boys have Athena. We can say our cats our a big part of our family

Momorial Day at the Henry Ford Museum.

On Memorial Day, we took the boys along with my mom and dad to The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn Michigan. We originally were going to Greenfield Village but it was to hot for us (92 degrees). Thank God the museum is air conditioned. The boys went to see their beloved trains first, then to the air planes so they could make paper air planes. Lastly we went to the Rosa Parks Bus, which is always a must with the boys. The best thing was I got to spend some times with my dad. I don’t always get to do it much any more but it is nice when I do. I hope to go again soon maybe next time we can go to the Imax and see Superman Returns next month on the big screen.

David and Ken's Field Trip

Today David and I went to Caracal Acres here in South Lyon. We went with his preschool group. There we saw all kinds of reptiles and birds. We even went it to the butterfly house and saw some monarch butterflies. David even got to hold one. He even got to feed the birds. Also there were alpacas, llamas, goats, cows, ponies, horses, and pigs for the kids to pet. Here is a link to more photos from our day:

http://s43.photobucket.com/albums/e356/annarborjedi/Family/Davids%20field%20trip/?sc=1&multi=19&addtype=local&media=image

Rodney’s Science Fair part 2

Today was Rodney’s Science Fair, and he enjoyed it very much. He got to see what other the other kids did and already has ideas for next year. David can’t wait to do one to. Rodney got a participation ribbon, a certificate of appreciation, a metal and a toy dinosaur, all just for participating. Not many kids participated in this year’s fair, lets hope more will next year and the boys can do this every year.

Rodney completed his science project over the weekend. He did it on "parts of a bird". I'm not sure how it happened, but Rod has become a avid birdwatcher. It may be because our next door neighbor is really into birds and has three different feeders that are in view of Rodney's bedroom window. The neighbor has encouraged his intrest by loaning him two different bird song cd's in the past.

To get ready for the science project, we bought him a bird feeder that is attached to his bedroom window. The bird feeder also comes with a buzzer that Rod can attach to his belt loop. The buzzer goes off whenever there is a bird at Rodney's feeder, so he knows to go to the window to see. He also has a bird i.d. book so he can sit at the window and look up the birds that he sees at his feeder. It's an adult book, but since Rod can read above grade level see seems to be able to read parts of it.

Here is a picture of the poster that Rod made identifying the parts of a bird. He did some of the writing and typing by himself, and also had some help from Daddy.

Our German Bearded Iris

My German Bearded Iris is in full bloom. I have a total of 36 blooms. This flower is by far my favorite flower in my garden. When I got it is was told It was Black in color. But when I looked it up on the web it looks more like the breed called Play with Fire.

Ken's new Hobby

I have a new hobby. It is making models out of paper. It all started with the Star Wars Manicures game I play. There is a web site that has paper models you can download and make sets for playing the game. There I found a model of a snow speeder from Empire Strikes Back. The great thing about this new hobby is the Models are free to down load, all you need is card stock , glue, something for cutting, and a printer. The only down sided to this hobby is it can be a little messy, much to my wife’s dismay. I went looking for more of these and there seems to be a lot of paper model web sites, and not just Star Wars. The Scout walker and the Luke on the Tauntaun are from the game I did not make them.

Mother's Day 06

It’s Mothers Day and today we honor our mothers. This will be Amy’s 4th Mother’s Day. We have always made her breakfast in bed and given her gifts. For her 1st Mother’s Day Rodney really wonted to get her a train, this year she got the orchid you see above. Now I need to go call my mom before my bothers.

David's new look!

This week David got glasses. They seem to be helping him focus a little more and he really looks like a big kid. Both his mom and his teachers say he looks very cute. Of course his brother is very jealous of them, but he will not emit it.