Playing outside

Spring is here! Matt and I both really enjoy spending time out in the yard, and are always looking for ways to involve the kids in what we do. This spring we decided to put in some blueberry and lingonberry bushes on the bare birm that was created from the leftover soil from excavating for the addition. (Since we didn't want to pay to truck it off, we found places to put all of the dirt that we dug out, and most of it found its new home in a long birm between the back of the house and the vegetable garden.) The architecture background in me wants to give you an image of the site plan right now, but I'll refrain...you're welcome.

To our great delight, Reuben's increased ability to attend to tasks and participate in the work that we're doing outside has hung on over the winter. We saw this a bit last fall and it was great to have him out working with us on the blueberries.

His technique leaves a little to be desired, but he both understood the concept, and was interested in being a part of the sequence - dig a hole, mix the peat and soil acidifier, put the tiny plant in the hole (that was his favorite part.)

We brought Krassi out with us, too, and gave him a nice place on the sod that Reuben and Daddy laid last fall (see the post I linked to above) and a few toys to play with. Poor guy was rather crabby, so I went back into the garage looking for something that might catch his interest - ah ha! an empty egg carton! Just the thing. (No, really - this is the kind of thing that really gets him excited.)

Do you see where Krassimir is playing? Is he on the nice, lush grass? No. He's laying on the rocks. With his feet hanging over the edge. ;) But, more importantly, can you see the difference in this photo (above) from the one above it? Yes - he's smiling in the lower photo. He noticed after I took the first one that I was doing pictures, and he's hamming for the camera. I like it.

Reuben eventually gave up with the planting and wandered back inside, only to come back out on his own with his iPad a little bit later...wearing his little sister's pink butterfly rain boots. Such is life around here. It was pretty sweet that he went to sit near Krassimir, though that didn't last long because both the iPad and the boots are things Krassi covets even more than an empty egg carton. (It's important to note that he doesn't want to play on the iPad, but just wants to grab at the rubber case and poke his fingers in the holes.)

So, that's a little taste of life around here. Playing outside looks a WHOLE lot different for these two than it does for my other boy!