Thanks, Kayla

Today was a somewhat dreaded day, for me anyway. Dentist appointments. If you know our history, you know these have not always been a lot of fun. Kayla went in all by herself for her cleaning. I was so proud. Samuel got his teeth checked and screamed the whole time. Oh well. Jack will go next week because he has been sick and we didn't think the hygienist would appreciate him coughing and sputtering all over her.
As we left, Kayla and I talked about how important it is to do a good job making wise choices about what we eat and drink. Then she said, "And Mommy, you have done a good job saying no to me and Jack when we want too many sweets."
Thanks, Kayla.

Boys Will Be Boys...

...especially in their camo.

K, P, and T

All day, people have slowed down as they walked past our door. I've actually seen them. They lean a bit, squint, try to figure out what in the world is on the sign that has been taped to the door. What it says is "Kayla Peter Pan Tinker Bell." No spaces, just one long stream of letters. Can you make it out? I don't know why it's there, just that it is.
Kayla has continued with this Peter Pan story line for a while now. She and Peter are still 18 year-old twins who are the only ones in charge of the Lost Boys. Kayla herself is in charge of Tinker Bell. She can fly and often needs to wear green so she and "P" as she calls him are dressed the same. The funny thing is, she can go on and on about their adventures. How they tricked Captain Hook or how they went to see Wendy, Michael, and John. I love it when she does the voice of the Captain.
The other funny thing is that P can show up anytime. We were reading on the couch one evening and all of the sudden, Kayla says, "Mom, P and T are here. They're invisible to you but I see them, right there where those spots on the ceiling are."
Hmm. What's next?

Go Bluebird!

Kayla had her first soccer game Friday night! She was pretty excited. Kindergarten soccer is actually organized chaos. There is a field full of 26 teams of kindergartners and running around, practicing for a half-hour then playing a game for the next half-hour. The team chose to call themselves the Bluebirds, which is great for Kayla since we often call her Kayla-Bird or just Birdie.
I think one of the things Kayla was most looking forward to was the snacks. Afterall, she has watched Jack enjoy post-game treats for three seasons now. Usually snacks are the fun packs of cookies or chips that we never buy. So, when coach offered the kids bags of sliced apples, Kayla declined and looked a little disappointed. (I did appreciate the attempt at a healthy snack, by the way.)
However...her day to bring snacks will come and we will go to Walmart and pick out the most fun looking treats we can find!!

The First Book Club

Tonight was our first book club meeting! At Panera, to discuss "The Quotidian Mysteries." We had a great time. I love these girls! They're just fun. They have welcomed me in and I truly enjoy their company, their stories, their hearts.
Now, all that to say, we didn't talk about the book!!! HAHAHA! Too many other pressing topics of conversation. So we have another date in a couple of weeks. Will we get to the "Mysteries?" Who knows? But I do know I'm looking forward to it, no matter what.

Trouble

The Before...

and The After

An empty laundry basket always gets me into trouble. Why? Because it is begging for something to be put in it. And stay in it. For days. Maybe even weeks as you can see. Seems that once I put laundry in this basket, usually with the idea that I'll put it away later, it doesn't come out until we become desperate for something. We're running around the house, looking everywhere for socks, when all the while they were in the bottom of the basket. It's terrible.
When I started filling this basket last week, I was telling myself the whole time, "Don't do it. You'll regret it." (and I do.) But someone was coming over and I thought it would be a good thing to clear the couch of the laundry I had just washed, dried, and folded. So in it went. And there it is.
I guess instead of blogging about it I should just go put away the clothes, huh?
But first, this picture of Samuel. Just for a smile at a cute little two-year old enjoying some spring weather.

Jack is 7!

Jack turned 7 today! We didn't have a digital camera when he was born but we did by his first birthday so here he is at one year old. What a cutie!

Birthday cereal this year: Fruit Loops.

Birthday party: The Arctic. He asked for an igloo cake and named all these arctic animals that should go with it. I did my best. The weather was perfect, too. After a taco lunch and cake, Jack, Kayla, and some friends went out and built a snow fort. Perfect!

Still Enjoying the Snow

Not sure if this is the aftermath or the calm before round 2.

Kayla's measuring between 6 and 7 inches!!

The kids went sledding tonight with Papa and Daddy. Kayla called it "moon sledding."

The First Snowman

Finally! Enough snow for a snowman!!

Waiting for Spring

This is the view today. It's been beautiful. Pouring for a couple of hours now. What a treat to be able to watch it come down while drinking a cup of hot coffee.
As much as we love the snow, we are however, waiting for spring. It must be around the corner, right????