master gardener

With no siblings around to play with and keep him entertained, Casper has been very keen to help Todd and me with chores around the house. This afternoon we watered the plants, the flowers, the grass, the rocks, the sidewalk. . .

only child

Casper is an only child this week. My family returned to Dallas today and they took Gwendolyn and Linus with them (and oh how I miss them!). The house is eerily quiet, and a bit lonely. I miss having my mom and sister and her family here because they really are the perfect house guests -- they fold your laundry, they cook yummy meals, they take care of your kids when you are sick with a nasty sinus infection and/or migraine headache, they take pity on your poor husband and buy him a new lawn mower for his birthday {thanks, mom!}, they babysit so you can go on a date with your husband, they put your kids to bed better than you do and there are always cousins to play with.

backyard fun

Tonight the big kids are making smores and sleeping out in a tent in the backyard. They're beyond excited. I'm a little worried about the lack of sleep that's going to take place -- especially for Todd and Uncle BJ.

kissing cousins

Cousins Sophia (3) and Phoebe (22 months) have been here visiting with us all week and Casper and Phoebe could not be sweeter together. Those two little babies play together, scream and screech together and are always kissing. It's been very fun to watch them interact at such a young age.

poolside

Isn't swimming a must on Memorial Day? Though the big kids have been in swim lessons for a week, today was Casper's first time in the water this season. Though timid at first, by the end he was loving it.

Also, how cute is he in that bodysuit with the matching sunhat and swim shoes?

chocolate goatee

jungle book

The long-awaited dance recital was today. Gwendolyn played a butterfly and really did a beautiful job. She's improved so much this year and I loved watching that cute, skinny little thing flit around on stage, obviously enjoying herself. She was excited about having Granny, two aunties, an uncle and two cousins in the audience. Also, the attention, the flowers, the dinner at her favorite restaurant and the ice cream post-show.

growth

Gwennie's last day of dance class was today and we wanted to say a nice "thank you" to her wonderful teacher, Miss Diana. I did a variation on my friend Amy's idea. Gwendolyn loved it and I'm told Miss Diana did, too.

all wet

Swimming lessons began this week and both the big kids have been enjoying them (unlike last year when Linus refused to get into the water). Casper has been a good sideline observer, as long as I have snacks.



We also met up with some friends this afternoon at the splashpad. It was a little crowded today, so Gwendolyn took our frisbee and four friends out onto the grassy lawn to play a game of her own invention. She lined the kids up according to age and then she would throw the frisbee and allow the next child in line to fetch it and bring it back to her to throw again. It didn't seem that fun to me, but the other kids didn't seem to mind and Gwendolyn was very proud of her organizational skills.

relapse

Todd's been out late teaching his workshop this week, so I've been alone with the children. We've had fun, but I'm ready to have company before eleven at night.

how do you do?

Gwendolyn is one of the friendliest children I’ve met. She truly has a gift.

Today at church a friend shared this story with me about her granddaughter, Isabel, who was visiting and feeling rather shy. Apparently, Gwendolyn saw that Isabel was standing by herself against the wall waiting to enter a classroom and Gwendolyn went right up and stood next to her so she wouldn’t be alone. When Isabel came to class a little late, Gwendolyn got up and opened up and extra chair for her. And during closing exercises, Gwendolyn sat next to Isabel and reached over and held her hand at one point so she wouldn’t feel scared. It warms my heart to hear of Gwennie being so sweet and sensitive to the emotions of one of her peers. She really is a sweet girl.

Gwennie likes a little boy at church named David (and she’s extremely open about it, so I’m not breaking any confidences here). After church, as Todd was trying to wrangle children out of the building, Gwendolyn was talking to David’s mother who explained, “She’s just introducing herself to the mother of the boy she likes.”

Gwennie doesn’t consider David a friend because she doesn’t know him well enough, but she wants to get to know him (and even invited him “on a date to get ice cream”). This might prove challenging because as David explained to her, “If you talk to me, I’ll melt like a popcicle.”

She’s six and a half. Todd and I are not ready for crushes or even talk of dating (and we explained that she’s got ten years to go on that one), but she’s making plans and admitted that now she isn’t sure if she’s going to marry David or Thomas.

(And here she is posing with an early version of the scarecrow she decided to make for my garden.)

nature spot, may

splash down

We broke out the slip 'n' slide today. Does that mean summer is officially here?

cutup

After returning from work, I mentioned to Jen that our friend Nicole had just successfully defended her dissertation. (Congratulations, Nicole!) Linus overheard me and said, "I know Nickle -- she drives a motorcycle." Once I reminded him that it's actually Jamie (Nicole's boyfriend and my colleague at the Library) who owns the motorcycle, Linus said, "I know Jamie -- he's my friend."

whoa

Today at the park, Gwennie pushed Casper on the big swings. He loved it, yelling "whoa" each time he reached the closest point to his mama (and the camera).

apology accepted

Sweet little Casper has been known to get too rough and aggressive at times. Every time I remind him to be gentle or use gentle hands, he responds by lovingly patting the hurt person on the head and chanting, "Sorry. Sorry. Sorry." [Oh, that his siblings could be so responsive!]

He's also very empathetic when one of his siblings gets hurt. When they get an ice pack for their boo-boo, he'll get one too and put it on his head (always on his head).

mama's day

Today in Primary, the children made bookmarks for their Mama, telling what they know about her. Here are their answers, in italics:

Linus

My mom is 5 years old. When I was born, she was 1 years old. She is as pretty as a flower. Her favorite thing to do is cook. Her favorite color is orange. Her favorite food is potatoes. My mom and I are the same because we both have the same color eyes. I know my mom is smart because she is smart about cooking. My mom likes it when I give hugs. I know my mom loves me because she cooks.

(What, is this kid underfed or something?)


Gwennie

My mom is 24 years old. When I was born, she was 21 years old. She is as pretty as a flower. Her favorite thing to do is be with me. Her favorite color is orange. Her favorite food is everything. My mom and I are the same because we both have blue eyes. I know my mom is smart because she is my mom. My mom likes it when I do my surprises. I know my mom loves me because she does everything.

supernatural power

Linus, threatening Grandad, who was about to tickle him: “Don’t you dare! I’m going to turn the sprinklers on when I grow up, and I’ll invite you to my birthday party, and shove you right out the door into the sprinklers.”

Linus: “Daddy, you know that stuff you put on under your shoulders [deodorant]? I put some on under my shoulders.”
Todd: “How did it work?”
Linus: “It was a little cold.”

Linus, during a pillow fight: “I have supernatural hitting power!”

animal friends

Gwennie found this friend in our front flowerbed, and was very excited to meet him (though he was comparatively skittish). Aside from the garter snake, we have a colony of frogs making their homes in a series of hidey holes under our driveway (we saw five of them -- all around fist-sized -- as we came home tonight). Last week, I even saw a fourteen-inch milk snake with his head in one of the holes (and if you remember the rhyme about the difference between a milk snake and the venomous coral snake, you'd have been less startled than I was to see him there). Apparently he didn't have much luck, however, since our frogs are doing well and we haven't seen him again. Speaking of frogs, we also have a fish tank full of tadpoles which we caught during a trip to the park with Ian and Sarah, Isaac and Christian. They are also flourishing, eating the steamed lettuce we feed them (and the unsalted sunflower seeds Casper threw into the tank earlier today).

it's strangely quiet around here

The last of our guest left this morning and we're feeling a bit lonely.

fun in the sun

Since it was cold and snowy when cousin Isaac left Idaho three days ago, we had to show him what Springtime in the South is like.

cousins

The very same day that Granny and Grandad left, Uncle Ian and Auntie Sarah arrived with cousins Issac and baby Christian. How lucky are we?

cuddles with granny

Granny, Grandad and Aunt Janie have been here for the past 4 days, but left this afternoon. We had lots of fun and are anxious for another visit very soon.

on a jet plane

To celebrate the fact that our little boy turned four years old today, we had a little airplane-themed birthday party for Linus. The kids decorated paper airplanes with stickers and markers (Todd and I made the planes in advance -- we used cardstock and a pretty aerodynamic design), we flew the planes outside for a bit, ate snacks, played "Pin the Propeller on the Plane," pummeled a rocket-ship pinata, and ate a lot of birthday cake. Linus had an absolute blast, and I think his friends did, too.

may day = swinsuit season