A Special Bond

Recently Allie has been spending a lot of time writing. Tonight I found her at the art table writing this beautiful note to her little brother. She finished her letter and proudly placed it in an envelope and quietly put it in Nathan's backpack to be discovered later. As I looked at her note, I began reflecting on the special relationship that Allie and Nathan have. She was just two years old when he arrived and she accepted him with open arms from the start. They have been buddies and have kept each other company during Beth's school days. Now that Allie is in school, Nathan has really missed playing with her. When she arrives home, he is so eager to go outside and play. Allie dotes on him and her love for him is so tangible - as is her love for each individual in our family. She doesn't hold anything back. What a blessing to have three children who love each other so well - and in different ways!

Beautiful Blooms

Every day, I walk around our yard and admire the newest blooms.

It's like opening a present every single day...

Little Boys Love Tractors!

Our neighbor, Steve, has been working on a 50 year old John Deere tractor for the Antique Farm Show. He was making some last minute improvements in his side yard when Nathan caught sight of it. Steve was nice enough to let Nathan sit on the seat and pretend to drive it. Then, he offered to take Nathan for a ride around the block! Nathan was just thrilled - and several more little boys in the neighborhood lined up to take a turn! What a kind neighbor to grant a little boy's wish! Nathan will be talking about this for days to come...

Red Radishes!

Look - some of our radishes are ready to pick! (Of course, I was completely unaware of this until my mom visited and pointed it out to me. I'm such a gardening novice!). The kids each picked one after school and it was a momentous occasion. What fun to eat radishes from our own garden!

Backyard Fun

We've been spending a lot of time in the backyard lately. Here's a few pictures from the last two weeks...

Nathan likes to "help" me water the flowers - and somehow always ends up soaking wet!

Allie has been enjoying hitting baseballs off the tee (she hits left-handed; her daddy is thrilled!).

Nathan also loves to help Daddy mow the lawn. Last night he and Phil had such a great time working in the yard. Nathan is an encourager - he ran the entire length of the yard yelling, "You're doing a great job, Daddy!" over and over again. Of course, Phil didn't even hear him until he turned the mower off, but it was the sweetest thing.

The first rose of the year...

Our orange tree is full of blossoms this Spring. The bees have been busy, and we're hoping for our biggest crop of oranges yet!

Garden Update

Apparently we do have green thumbs! We love watching our garden grow. The kids check on it daily and are never disappointed. Beth keeps saying, "I'm really glad we did this. I know it was a lot of work for Daddy, but I'm really glad we did this!" All of the seeds sprouted, but the lone bell pepper sprout was pretty pathetic. We ended up buying some pepper plants and tomato plants at the nursery. Nathan cannot wait until we have some "cherry Bob tomatoes" for him to eat! Now, we continue to watch and wait. We have a lot of waiting to do before our garden produces, but it sure has been fun so far!

April 4, 2008

April 14, 2008

Caught in Passing...

Beth was talking with Nathan and was trying to explain that dinosaurs are extinct. Nathan became more and more worked up about the conversation and finally exclaimed, "No Beffy! Dinosaurs don't stink!" After several more attempts to get her little brother to accept this fact, Beth finally sighed, patted his knee, and said, "You'll understand when you're older!"

Hitting the Beach!

We headed to the coast this weekend to spend time at Grandpa and Grandma Tos' little house. The kids were so excited to go to the beach - and the weather was perfect for it! The tide was out when we arrived and the kids had a ball exploring the tide pools and small wading pools that were left behind. Grandma and the girls discovered sea anemones and starfish on the rocks and Nathan spent most of his time splashing in a pool that was just his size. We had a great time! When we were finished, we were all sandy and Nathan was really sleepy. It was a busy morning filled with fun!

Let's Go Fly a Kite!

While at the beach on Saturday, we tried out our new kite. Phil patiently put the kite together (with a little "help" and a lot of impatience from Nathan), then we got busy! The kids had a great time helping Daddy fly the kite - but I think Phil had more fun than anybody. He was loving it! It was a beautiful day for flying a kite.

Allison Grace

Allie decided she didn't want to play baseball this year. When I asked her if she wanted to play, she replied, "No, Mommy. Baseball just isn't my thing. I'll just be a watcher." And she is perfectly happy doing just that!

(In this picture, Allie is swinging on a make-shift swing in the neighbor's yard.)

Beth's Turn

Beth had her first baseball practice on Thursday night. She was so excited to meet her coach and teammates. She's been practicing at home for several weeks now. Although the kids on her team are all 7 & 8 years old, most of them have never played baseball before. So, we're not expecting much - just learning the fundamentals and having fun!

a quick picture before heading to practice...

T-Ball!

We recently began our first foray into the world of team sports. Nathan began practicing with his T-ball team last week. It was quite entertaining, believe me! Imagine a dozen 3 & 4 year olds attempting to field balls. My favorite memory of his first practice? Each time Nathan would get the ball, his coach would raise his glove into the air - clearing asking Nathan to throw it to him. Nathan would trot all the way to his coach and give him a "high five!" Obviously, the concept of fielding balls is completely lost on him. And that's okay! He had so much fun.

Today the entire goal of the practice was to teach the kids to hit the ball, drop the bat, and then run to first base. Most of the kids hit the ball, ran after the ball, proudly picked it up and brought it back to their coach. Can I just say that this man must be very, very patient? By the end of practice, all of the kids were running around the bases like pros. Nathan, of course, wasted so much energy swinging his arms as he ran that he was probably the slowest one out there. And, again, that's okay! When he received his jersey and cap (he's #3), he grinned from ear to ear. "I'm a real baseball team now, Mama!" he exclaimed. And then his mommy grinned from ear to ear. Isn't that what it's all about?

Here's our sweet little man, waiting for practice to begin. I think his little glove is the cutest thing ever, don't you? When his coach called everyone over, Nathan jumped up and down. "Yeah, now I get to go listen to my baseball teacher!" I think we're going to enjoy our six weeks of T-ball...

Saturday Fun

We headed to the nursery this afternoon. Phil was nervous that I'd go crazy and buy lots of flowers, so we piled into his truck. Of course, the kids were excited about that! We had a great time wandering around, seeing the koi in the pond, and choosing some new flowers for the yard. Phil and Nathan picked up some cherry tomatoes, bell peppers and serrano peppers to supplement our little garden. As for me, I picked out two hydrangeas, some salvia, zinnias and petunias. We had a cart full of plants - and of kids. Phil had to pull quite a load out to the truck! We spent the remainder of the afternoon working in the yard. What a fun day!

Fun with Grandpa and Grandma

Grandpa and Grandma came over for dinner last night and we had such a great visit with them. I am so thankful to live close enough that we can see them often! The kids kept Grandpa and Grandma quite busy last night - from the moment they arrived to the minute they drove away. (I'm sure they slept well last night because the kids wore them out!). Grandpa was a human jungle gym - playing "elevator" with Nathan and swinging him around. Grandma was a good sport and helped Nathan and Beth with their throwing and catching skills. Grandpa is typically camera-shy, so it is unusual to see him hamming it up for the camera - so I made the most of it! You never know when he'll let me take his picture again!

Odds and Ends

Just a few pictures from earlier this week...

Allie wants to skate every single afternoon! She is getting pretty good on her skates and just loves them. She can even dribble a basket while she skates! Allie is at the stage where she loves having her picture taken - she asked me to take these. This camera-happy mommy won't turn down that sort of request! Here's our sunshine girl having fun on the driveway...

Beth has been enjoying playing catch with the football lately. She and Phil will throw the ball around in the street. (I tried to capture a picture of Beth but it was too blurry - sorry!). Nathan plays in the front yard and watches them. Occasionally he will entice them to play "monkey in the middle." Here he is just hanging out....

And... when Nathan is too quiet, beware! He discovered some purple princess lipgloss and got busy. Thankfully, the damage was limited to his face and not to any furniture or clothing! A swipe or two of a washcloth and the lipgloss disappeared.

My Cookie Baking Buddy

On Wednesday, Nathan decided that he wanted to bake cookies. He wasn't satisfied with the usual choices (chocolate chip, peanut butter or snickerdoodles), so I gave him a cookbook to look at. He quickly found a picture that caught his attention. I'm not sure if it was the cookies themselves that caught his eye or if it was the orange car! Most of you are probably aware that Nathan's favorite color is orange. Well, long story short, we baked these yummy chocolate peanut butter cookies. When the cookies were finished, he insisted that I take a picture - with one of his orange cars in it! When he gets an idea in his little head, it's difficult to dissuade him, so I gave in and took a picture of the cookies with his favorite orange car. What a silly boy we have - and what joy he brings us!