Pretzel Letters, Aunt Sharon's Trash Can & Enjoying Simple Things

I was just thinking about last weekend when Ricky sat with Sebastian and Penelope and he bit the shapes of letters out of pretzels and helped them spell their names. I almost took a picture but then didn't. I take so many pictures that sometimes I tell myself not to because do I really need to record everything... and now I think I should have. They worked intently with their dad and they had a lot of fun just sitting and snacking and making letters. I found this online though and it's pretty neat and pretty much how they did it:

It's one of those simple moments in life that you just love to watch. Happiness and entertainment, family and simpleness. I soak it up.

 Last weekend was much calmer and more focused than the previous weekend, thank goodness. This week I'm tired though and wishing I'd snap out of it. I have so much to do and I'm not sure how to find the motivation. It's a lot of work running a household AND finding things for kids to do all day long. I don't always feel like I have to find them things to do but it's the end of winter and we are all crawling up the wall. (The older kids seem pretty content though, they have been working hard at school work it seems.)
 All I really want to do is paint the upstairs hallway and stairs. And maybe the kitchen. And I can not wait for the grass to turn green again. I can not wait to fix up the grass that has been ruined by run-away chickens and dogs, repair fence, plant tomatoes, do a million other things, and get ready to have a baby. We have a lot to accomplish before the baby arrives. I have no focus just a whole lotta "I wants!"

Recently I've been marveling at the simple things that entertain or excite us.

I went to Target the other day and bought a new kitchen trash can. Our old kitchen trash can is about 13 years old, like at a minimum it's that old. It was just a open white bin, standard size, old and crappy and stained/scratched up in some parts. It may have had a lid at one point, I have no idea. Eventually it was half decoupaged by me and the kids with Eric Carle pictures, to help hide how old it had become. Every time I got sick of our crumby kitchen bin I'd put 'new trash can' on the grocery list. But every time I went grocery shopping, for like two years or more, I'd reconsider it as a want and not a need because I just had too many groceries to buy for our big household and would rather save the money.
So finally this week I went to Target with a serious intent of buying a new trash can. Penelope (6) was with me and as we looked at the selection she saw one that has the push foot lever and lid. She exclaimed, "Aunt Sharon has one like this! You push it open with your foot!?" She was so cute explaining it to me. I asked her if she thought we should get it and she beamed with, "Yes, and EVERETT LOVES Aunt Sharon's trash can. He will love this new can for us!" When we got home with this trash can I kid you not at least three of the four kids that greeted us upon arrival said, "A new trash can, like Sharon's!"  Everett and Sebastian took turns throwing away things all day long. If something needs thrown away they are racing to the can. Everett being two is especially enthralled with being able to operate something with his foot, the wonder of cause and effect. He's so cute and intentional when he does it too. I wanted to take a picture of them but stopped myself. It's just a trash can I told myself. Other kids made comments about the can throughout the day, too.
 So Layla comes home from school and says hi to me as she walks past me and heads to the kitchen for a snack. Less than a minute later I hilariously hear her yell, "Mom we got a new trash can! And it's like Sharon's! I like it!"

 I just love all the fuss over a trash can. :)

 From the window yesterday I saw the dogs pawing and rolling something around on the ground, the size told me it was a round soup bone but the shape made me yell, "Charlotte I think the dog has a big egg... like a goose egg?!" Charlotte ran outside in the freezing cold and sleet with no shoes on and swipes it up and runs back inside. She cradles it in her hands and we gather around it and marvel at the huge, thick, heavy shelled wonder as if it's made of gold. I jump up and yell, "Our goose laid an egg!" Charlotte says, "Awwwwwwww, my little goose laid it's first egg!" And we are all excited for 10 or 15 minutes. Everett, the egg cracker 2.5 year old who can not be trusted with eggs ever, is begging and pleading to hold it. We help him and he softly says, "Wowww." We text Ricky a picture.

I just love all the fuss over a goose egg. :)

I thought these things pretty much sum up how simple we are. I can only wonder what other exciting things are in store for us this week!  Hahah :)
(We are having 20 bales of straw delivered soon, so I imagine that will be pretty exciting, too. And the kids will play on them.)