Koen's Garden

Watch out, Uncle Paki, Koen is perfecting his green thumb. The other day at preschool, we planted seeds in paper cups. It went like this:

1. Koen scooped dirt into the cup, barely one inch deep.
2. He then grabbed a massive handful of random seeds and dropped them into the cup.
3. More dirt.
4. The entire cup was dumped out by another kid.
5. Scooped it all back in.
6. Lastly, Koen completely drown the poor things with water (we basically took home a cup full of runny mud).

Needless to say, my expectations for success were low. So I was pleasantly surprised when one little sprout poked it's head up a couple of days later. Then another, then another....until I went from pleasantly surprised to concerned. Soon the paper cup was bursting with life. Now I not only felt the need to keep these precious little plants alive and well, they needed to be identified (something I had failed to do in class that day).

After some internet searches and conversations with other preschool parents, we've decided that we have one pumpkin plant, one sunflower plant, and about eight pea plants. They're all sharing the new pot, but that will soon have to change. These guys are super happy in our bright breakfast nook and are growing so fast, you can practically see it with the naked eye!

My favorite part about this new adventure is Koen's shear excitement. Each morning when he comes in for breakfast, he checks on his plants. And each morning I hear him yell, "Whoa! Mom! They're biggehr!" (Koen pronounces his 'r' like 'ehr')

Other updates....

Koen's new favorite thing is to play a quick game of 'Memory' with Clay right before bedtime. He calls it 'Remembery'. We don't correct him. :) He also loves to give us back rubs and hand massages while we lay in his bed with him at night. I know, I know, he's the one who needs to be going to sleep, but it's so hard to resist his offer. We hope this trend continues!

Finn took his very first wagon ride this week. He felt so big. Koen was thrilled for the event, too. He's been waiting patiently for his little brother to grow up so they can play together. This was a big step in the right direction.

Now that Finn has found his legs (or knees, I should say), he has wasted no time in covering every square inch of our house over the past 24 hours. He has obviously spent the past 11 months taking mental inventory of all the interesting things that were just beyond his reach.

"GAME...ON!"

Plants..........................check

Fireplace....................check

Under the bed...........check

Magazine rack...........check

Kitchen cupboards....check

It might be time to invest in that whole baby gate thing.