Be glad if it's only your stomach he asks about...

We had some trees installed in the back and side yard last week, so the kids are eagerly anticipating the arrival of birds. Even after explaining how it might take some time before there would be any birds interested, every time he walks by the back windows or door Ethan is greatly disappointed that there aren't any yet. He'll tell you all about how they like cherry laurels, and how they have different stomachs than us so they eat different foods. He'll usually then ask about some random person's stomach and if it's different than the birds. Apparently he's curious if there is anybody he can offer some of these off-limits berries.

Both kids have apparently decided that naps are for the birds; I think I've gotten one nap each out of them in the past week. On the positive side, they're going to sleep without a peep at night, and they both stay in their rooms for a quiet time (Ethan quietly reads and Ella sings and talks the entire time). On the negative side, NOBODY IS NAPPING!!! There is no time of silence during my day. This is probably not helped by the constant construction noise from the two lots on our street that are being prepared for houses. There is a full-size excavator with a jackhammer attachment digging through a huge mass of limestone that's at least four feet deep. Ethan has a direct view of all of this (and the basketball goal in the driveway where our neighbor's 5 year old plays when he gets home from school) from his bedroom window. Even for a kid who really likes to sleep, there's really no question of what's more appealing.

We worked in the yard again this weekend preparing some beds for a small garden and some herbs and shrubs. Spring preparation is in full force here, with a playset arriving this week and much more work to do getting the beds ready (the soil here is a challenge). We picked up some seeds for the kids to plant inside in cups on Saturday. They liked the dirt and watering, but are again disappointed that they haven't seen the results yet!