Site Title

For the girl who loves birthdays more than anyone, there is a lot to live up to for the big day.  Luckily, this year Emma's 5th birthday fell on a Sunday, so we ended up celebrating for 4 days!
On Thursday, I got to go to her preschool class and read her [current] favorite book:  Henry Goes to Kindergarten…

On Friday, the "baby" party with her friends (which she totally helped me plan and we made all the decorations together, which was so much fun!)…

On Saturday, a new bike, a few more presents (once you get started, it's hard to stop!), setting up the trampoline (in the rain), and dinner at Culver's…

And of course the big birthday day… with the special plate, a "decorated room", a bouncy ball from primary, hot dogs for dinner, ice skates for baby and baby bunkbeds, and a baby bottle birthday cake.  I hope it lived up to all she had dreamed it would be.  She is already counting down till her next birthday… 

Happy birthday, Miss Emma – you're sure worth celebrating!  
 
    
  

 We got the good news Wednesday that Zach was asked to carry a country sign for his school program… for Eretria.  Have you ever heard of it – we hadn't!  Zach informed us that it is by Sudan.  And he was thrilled.  And we were all invited to his school diversity concert to see him carry the sign in front of the flag.  Nate was even able to make it – and it was great.  Zach's class sang a french song and a spanish song and "I'd like to build the world a home", which he was especially proud of, and "America the Beautiful", which he was especially excited about.  It was so much fun to watch him, and he did such a good job.  Here is a little taste of the concert.  (I spent the whole time thinking they were singing about a "farfel"… and they were really saying "come now and see my FARM FOR it is beautiful.)  Enjoy!Download MOV04946

It was the end of Emma's block of dance classes, and the day she got her costume for the recital.  It was so fun to see her in class, she radiates joy when she dances.  And she's a beautiful ballerina, to boot!Download IMG_0205

Making her window…

Frog jumps…

Miss Tanya's crazy marching!  

 Rarely are they all found playing something together, nicely.  They were so cute and having so much fun.  It was priceless.  Can you imagine the joy if there was always love at home?!

Here is Emma's debut on the bike.  This was the first afternoon… and she is getting better every day!  This is the only video we have, however… so it will have to do.  Download IMG_0194

 The Saturday family project… trimming the too-low branches off of our huge oak tree, chopping them up, and hauling them to the backyard for summer campfires.  Everybody helped.  Zach wanted to know if they got paid for it, which allowed me the opportunity of relating my many days as a kid spent hauling firewood to the "wood room" for free. (Character and muscle building were fringe benefits.)   Then, when I wanted to take a picture of them and their hard work, he wanted to make sure that if I posted it on the blog, I would include the word "lumberjack".  So there you go, lumberjack Zach.  Looking forward to a summer filled with campfires that we don't have to buy wood for!

 At a spring celebration last week for Emma's preschool group, she won a prize!  Can you guess what it was?   Proof that it doesn't matter what it is… a prize is still a prize.  We were all pretty excited!

I think they should give you a treat for grocery shopping.  Instead they make you pay.  Usually a lot of money.  So much money that I never buy myself a treat.  Well, except for those bags of chocolate chips… and so the groceries sit in the bags waiting to be unloaded while I sit here and write this and eat my chocolate chips straight from the bag – because I deserve them.  :)

(Now that I've written this I have lied because when Carter was a baby and I'd take him to the store with me and he'd scream and scream I would buy myself a treat – I'd get a package of oreos and come home and eat at least half of it to recover.)

By the way, the daffodils and the tulips are poking up (Carter wants to "not see the flowers" which means look at the buds, because his little mind doesn't grasp that they are flowers and he can't figure us out but wants to see them anyways,)  and it was almost 60* today.  Stay tuned for video of Emma learning to ride without training wheels (out of necessity because the training wheels of her bike – which is Zach's old bike – broke yesterday, and she wanted to ride a bike.)  But don't expect it tonight – I still have groceries to put away!
 

Here, after stomping in the gutters… after a few days of soggy shoes from our trips to the bus stop, we ordered him some rain boots – and then dug out Emma's girly ones until they arrived.  Now he actually has to rotate between them because he soaks them every time he goes out.  I have never seen this kid happier than when he is stomping in puddles.  

 Here, drinking the milk from his cereal (he can only eat in his pj's and often has to take them off in his high chair because they are dripping with milk).

 Here, playing with the little shop vac… the funny thing is, he lays down like this and zooms it across the floor saying "'weep… 'weep… like it's a broom.)

And always saying the funniest things – lately it's "yes yes yes" and "I CAN'T!!! and "good singing, Mommy."  We sure love this kid. 

 What a welcome sight… no snow in the picture.  Everyone here is out on the deck (because the grass is still so soggy!) watching a balloon that is caught in our tree blowing in the wind.  Fresh air, warm sunshine, the smell of grass, no coats… and of course a Sunday nap coming right up.  Doesn't get much better than this.