Daddy's Little Helper

There's just something about kids and dirt. It's fun, for sure.  It's entertainment, no doubt.  But for this little girl, I think there's something therapeutic about shoveling, hauling and spreading dirt (aka Mulch).  Cadie worked for several hours with her daddy on Mother's Day weekend to spread 6 cubic yards of mulch- only about half of what we use for our garden beds.  It's a lot of work that mommy and daddy would normally do together over Memorial Day weekend...for 3 days straight! But daddy was on a time crunch to get the trailer unloaded and our little girl was right there to help.  She worked for almost 3 hours straight on Saturday, pushing her pink wheelbarrow up on the trailer, filling it up with scoop after scoop of mulch, and wheeling it down the long front walk to daddy.  What a big help this was to us, since it's a little difficult to get anything done with a new little one.  Daddy always encourages her to grab her bike or scooter, break out the sidewalk chalk, or kick around the soccer ball, but she insists she'd rather be helping him with the yard work.  Last week they planted all new shrubs along the back of the house, this week they mulched, next week the vegetable garden goes in! She is really a natural at yard work and gardening, which makes her daddy pretty happy, because I think it's his therapy too!

And seriously folks, if you can stand the cuteness overload, here's a glimpse into how the little prince rolls...in a All Terrain Radio Flyer, of course, complete with shading umbrella.  He can't stand to be too far from his big sister and he doesn't have to miss anything that's going on around our house!  He's got it made in the shade.

And this tired mama is still pinching herself, wondering why I was so blessed with these two beautiful children. 

{helper of the day}

Its been far too long since I've posted here, but life has been crazy busy since Popo's arrival last July.  He just turned 9 months and with his 1st birthday fast approaching, I thought I'd better get back to the task of documenting all the amazing things that are happening for our family!  I don't suspect life will slow down for this middle-aged mama with 2 little ones, so I just better get my act together and keep up!  Here goes...

Acadia has really been enjoying her new school and since her 4th birthday has just been growing and changing by leaps and bounds.  She always tells us about her school days over dinner, but I have never had the chance to make a visit until a few weeks ago. When a child is "helper of the day," they get to lead the morning meeting and parents are invited to stay and observe. Finally, my day off landed on her day on! And oh my...can I just tell you that I didn't even recognize my own daughter! She was a big kid, in charge, and having fun.  

Their first order of business is to call everyone up to the smart board to sign in.  

 So sweet how the girls hug each other after they sign in!

Next up: tallying up the number of kids in class that day. (Yes, there are only 14 kids in her class- small blessings)!

And then the Pledge of Allegiance...gave me goose bumps to hear all these little ones recite the Pledge so beautifully! 

 

Hold on to your horses for what was next!  Oh yeah...you got it!  Singing the Grand Old Flag...so stinkin' cute!

A quick review of the calendar... day of the month, day of the week, season, etc.  She did a great job.

And with a quick "Good Morning" to the Governor and the President, it was time to review the days activities.

Last but not least, this is her super-cool, super-energetic, and super-motivating teacher!  She is, to sum it up in one word, AWESOME.  And has really helped our shy and timid little girl blossom into a big kid full of wonder and actually excited to go to school.  God Bless the teachers!  HAPPY TEACHERS WEEK, Jackie!

What an amazing year this has been for our daughter.  We are so proud with how gracefully (and not so gracefully at times) she has handled all the changes that have been thrown at her in the past 9 months. She has taught this mama a thing or two about how to "Let it Go" and keep moving forward.  Thank you Acadia for being such an amazing kid!