So back in April ...

John Michael turned 3!  (April 5th, to be exact).  He had a great birthday, and I think the girls had almost as much fun planning our "party" as he did opening and receiving all of the great presents.

But first things first, after the girls got him up and screamed "Happy Birthday" to him, John Michael and I got down to the serious business of making his dairy free cake.  He was quite the helper:
 
 Finally, when Daddy came home it was present time!  We had to get those out of the way before even dinner or the cake!

Clara was quite the helper with the presents, and she was not easily deterred, even after several warning shrieks from John Michael.  I bet next year he won't let her get a finger on *any* of his presents!

JM was thrilled with all of his presents.  He got a bat and a bunch of whiffle balls, a mini-sized basketball, some Bob the Builder vehicles and several other things that I can't remember right now!
















 His Aunt Sue and Uncle Todd sent the awesome-big enough to sit in-Tonka Dump Truck.   I can't find a picture right now, but he's conned his sister Clara into make it nice and cozy with a blankie and then pushing him around in it.  Must be payback for all of the present opening assistance!

Another favorite on the present front were his "kitties."  The Stebbins family sent baby kitty and Grandma & Grandpa's birthday money was used to purchase the bigger "Mama" kitty.









The birthday was fun, but fast.  We had hamburgers and sweet potato fries for dinner and finished things off with the fire engine cake.

He's just like his Daddy - already planning his next birthday, trying to see how many he can fit in during the year.  He informed me the other day, "we'll have my next birthday tomorrow, okay??"

Guest Post - Strawberries!!!

It was spring scrapbooking weekend so it must be time to pick Strawberries! We always stop at the park in Godley on the way home - always means that we went there last time.  We always get 2 big baskets and one small basket for JM - except this year we all had big baskets.  At least we all picked red strawberries this year.  We always take the county roads with the water crossings and make the car go Splash!  We always do the big dip in the road that makes the car feel like a roller coaster and then talk about all the rides at 6 Flags.

Guest Post by Dada.

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We Started picking on Row 4! But we switched to row 3 and 5 a lot because the strawberries are always redder and bigger and more of them on the next row over.

Look at the Camera this time!

Take a Picture by the Grasshopper!Coco came too!

I ate a couple few while I was picking! Don't put this picture on the Blog Daddy! My brother JM had even more strawberry juice on his face but he xcaped the picture.

Take my picture by the giant Strawberry!

Take my picture too!

I am going to drive for a couple minutes!

I want my picture by the red truck instead. I wish it could go somewhere!

Gracie's First Piano Recital - Feb 27,2011

At home, Gracie was pretty excited about her concert.  I love that it never even occurs to her to get nervous.  She is thankfully not a worrier about performing!   And she was thrilled to wear her new dress from Aunt Camille!

 Gracie was studying the program, checking out the lineup.  It was nine or ten kids playing, but it went by amazingly fast.  I guess it sounds like a lot when you know they are each playing three or four songs.  But then you realize that each song is only about 30 seconds!

 Gracie with Miss Dorla and part of her class.  I don't know what happened with the group pictures, but we didn't get one of her whole class that actually included Miss Dorla.  And there were actually two classes combined for the concert - there are only seven kids in her class.

And after the concert, Gracie chose a restaurant to go to.  And she decided by getting on the computer and typing in Mexican restaurant to Google.  I guess the computer "knows" that we are in Burleson, so she picked a newer Mexican restaurant in Burleson because "the reviews were good.

















 
And now to the important part, Gracie playing her favorite song (and the one I got the best video of), Ode to Joy:

Quick look at February

 Do we really have to dress like this in Texas???  You're kidding, right???

 Ack!  It is cold!!

 What's this stuff?  Hmmm, hard, sort of clear and very slippery.  Well, we didn't have to go to school and Daddy didn't have to go to work, but it's no good for snowballs or snowmen. 

 Keeping busy inside on those cold days.  "**I'll*** fix this labtop for you, Dada!"

 Doing our part to conserve energy and keep those rolling blackouts in  Texas to a minimum.  (Plus, Mike lets the fire get really hot and the house get lots warmer when we aren't paying for the heater to run!)

And then the next night, the weather redeemed itself by bringing snow our way.  It wasn't a lot, but the girls got a few snow angels out of it, Coco loved it and yes, Mike managed to scrape together a few snowmen (Clara got a big one, JM got a medium and there was a miniman for the side yard).

 

 JM was undeterred by the snow (and the lack of snow pants).  Boy was he a chilly boy once we got him inside! 

  And then the snow was over and it started warming up.  And unexpectedly, we had our night of sad good-byes with our wonderful dog, Elvis.  She's been with us since before the time Gracie was born so this was a very rough night.

And of course, there were lots of fun things in February to enjoy, in addition to all of the snow.  At school, there was the 100th day to celebrate (a big kindergarten occasion).  Clara made her shirt using 100 pieces of duct tape!  

 Next, there was the kindergarten valentine program and party.  It was a rough day for me and Clara, though.  I had to leave during the performance because JM was fussy (always a problem since her programs are at 12:45...naptime) and she was really upset.  It was just a few days after Elvis had died and I think it was just a hard day to have Mama miss anything.  But she did cheer up at the party since JM loves to play in the kitchen in Mrs.  Matejka's room (the play kitchen, that is), and I was able to give my undivided attention to her.  So this happy picture of Clara is at the party!

After Clara's party, we hung around waiting for Gracie's party to start.  It was a long day for us, but I was so thankful that Clara and JM got to go out to the playground during the wait and even stayed their during their big sis's party (thank you wonderful teachers who are willing to watch my son!).  It was nice to be on my own with just Gracie at her party, but I did start to wonder how I was going to be in two places at one time next year when Gracie & Clara have parties at the same time (elementary grades always have their parties at the same time).  Oh well, I'm sure we'll work it out!

 Check out this cool valentine holder they made.  Her teacher said she had made these as a child for her valentines.  I just thought it was so nifty!

And the last exciting event at school this month... Clara's half birthday celebration!! They like to make sure that each child gets a special day at school, so if you are a summer birthday, you get to celebrate your half birthday.  So Clara celebrated being 5 1/2.  We made a cake (vanilla with pink icing) - 2 cakes in fact, one with 5 on it and one with 1/2, brought some drinks and snacks and got to celebrate with her.  In kindergarten, the birthday child gets to stand on a chair and everyone else does the "birthday dance" around him or her and that's when I snapped this picture. They also get to celebrate with a special birthday blessing in chapel (where Mrs. Werner amazed me by knowing Clara "works so hard to do everything just right...", and they can give a book to the school library (Clara chose Olivia Goes to Venice).  I'm so glad they make such a special day for the kids at the school.  This came at a time when Clara really needed it, too. 

We had a few other things going on in February (most importantly, Gracie's 1st piano recital), but I'm going to stretch that into a few more posts.  I mean, why not?  March is only half over.  I'm rapidly approaching being up-to-date.  Baaaahhhhaaaahaaaahaaaa.  Heaven knows how many things I have wanted to include in this blog that haven't made it in.  But I'm thankful for the things that have and I hope that you all are enjoying it as well.  Even with all the large gaps and holes!

So I'll end with a picture of my favorite guys.  We were eating at "rice and beans"=any Mexican restaurant after Gracie's piano recital.  More on that next, promise.  Even with video!








You know I'm not really done, right?  I just love this picture of JM out in the snow on his own, wandering around.  He's got on these gloves that are so huge and his froggy boots, which we just had gotten him to try wearing.  And you can see all the smooth snow and the shadows of the trees. 

Moving on to recent events...

So, I'm tired of starting off each post explaining why it has taken me so long to post. I'll just assume you can fill in the blanks (kids, sickness, JBF, school, weather, whatever comes to mind...) and move on to the real deal.

I was talking with Clara today and telling her that she only has 8 weeks of school left (they get out early at their school, esp. kindergarten).  I said then you'll be in first grade next year.  She informed me that she didn't want to be in first grade, but wanted to stay in Mrs. Matejka's class.  I reminded her that she could see Mrs. Matejka everyday if she wanted, but that she would be in first grade.  She thought that over for a minute, then announced, "I want to be in 2nd grade!"  Don't you love sibling rivalry????

I was pestering John Michael later, tickling him, giving away kisses and he told me "I give all my loves to the bird."  "Really, I asked - why did you do that?" "Cause then the bird can give love to all the other birdies."  Very sweet, no?  So then I had to persist and ask, do you still have enough love for me and Daddy and your brothers (okay, they are sisters, but he insists they are his "bruders").  At first he said no, but then after a few minutes, he said "I  have loves for everyone!" and started attacking me with kisses!  Which is crazy for him, since he is usually very stingy with them.  But lucky for me, right?

And the last story for tonight (unless I think of more while I am typing).  Mike got cornered at lunch by the girls with a very philosophical question.  Usually I am the one that tackles these things, but I wasn't with them at their picnic on the porch.  While they were getting ready for their picnic, Mike had to get out the wasp spray and kill a wasp.  So during lunch, Clara asks Mike "Do wasps have souls?"  As Mike was relaying this story to me, I knew it was going to get sticky for him quickly when I heard that question.  So Mike gave what he thought would be the quick and easy reply and would move the conversation on to other topics - "No, only people have souls."  Now maybe he thought he got away with that, but that delusion could only be short-lived.  Gracie piped up with "But did Elvis have a soul?"

Oops- have to pause for a quick update.  About one month ago, Elvis got sick one night after dinner.   Mike had to run her in to the after hours clinic and they found that her stomach had twisted.  A horrible thing (she was in a lot of pain, even with the pain med they gave her) and a big, big surgery to fix.  Elvis was almost ten years old, so we decided the surgery and recovery would be too much (and the vet thought so as well), so I took the kids up to the clinic and we all got to say good-bye to her and Mike stayed with her when they put her to sleep.  It was very unexpected and a sad time for us (and Coco who really misses her playmate), and no doubt part of what contributed to all these questions about souls.

Back to the story, Mike realized his easy answer wasn't going to work now, so he told Gracie that he thought Elvis probably had a soul.  Good thing I wasn't there, we might have gotten into a 30 minute discussion on souls, animals, pets, people, etc.  But it's good for them to realize that we certainly don't know all of the answers either!

What to do when you get up really early before school and the weather is great...

And that concludes the scooter ballet portion of our program...

What's New?

Lots here since I last wrote, but that's no surprise since it's been over a month - acckk!

But here are a few things that I've wanted to share (all unrelated and all photo-less.  It's late and this has to be fast).  So, hopefully some posts with photos soon!

Things I thought would be waiting on for *years*, and yet now I can't believe they are happening:

I don't have to get out of the car to open the gate (to go in our driveway) if I have on of the girls with me - they can both now unbuckle from their car seats and get out and act as my automatic gate openers.  Believe me, when you have a chain link fence gate that you have to open and close everytime you go in and out of the driveway, there are days when it seems very tedious.  I thought the day would never come when I would have an "automatic" gate.  I love it, but it also makes me a little sad, because I can't believe how quickly they are growing up.  Yes, the thing you always here people saying, but I really understand it, finally .... at least a little.  I'm sure there are bigger surprises to come!

Gracie will also go across the street to the mailbox and get the mail now on her own.  A big deal, especially for Gracie.  She really likes to be superconfident in everything she does. 

And an even bigger milestone for Gracie is what she accomplished yesterday.  She finally rode her bike all the way around the block.  She had ridden it a little in the fall, but never really got going on it like Clara.  As is usual for Gracie, she wants to be 100% sure she can do it before trying and failing (or falling in this case!).  But she did a great job!  All the way around, no falls and all smiles. 

Clara, of course, has been a big bicycle rider for awhile.  After riding 10 miles in the Waco bike ride in September with Mike, there has been no stopping her.  Her big accomplishment on the bike today was bumping off the edge of the driveway, circling through the grass and then bumping back onto the driveway.  Reminded me of riding my bike in Fayetteville - flying down our driveway then into the grass and down the hill (and hopefully not into the pasture or the fence).  She was also practicing one-handed riding - she got up to 200 seconds and then decided she would wait until tomorrow to try for 1,000 seconds (or 10 one hundreds, as she termed them). 

JM has discovered how to use the pedals on his tricycles (who knows how many he thinks he has - he rides whatever is handy, and if you have seen our garage, you know there is no shortage), but his primary interests outside include climbing the ladder on the side of the swing set and "pixing" (fixing) the boards (he pounds on them with his plastic hammer).   While he is up there, he also likes to reach out and grab the chain of the nearby swing (this is where I cower and cover my eyes as he has to reach out quite far (at least in my mind) and is up about 4' high on the ladder).  Once he has hold of the swing, he can rattle it and bang it.  I think he is making train noises, but I'm not sure. 

Oh, and JM has starting collecting all sorts of things in his pockets (thanks for the blog post about this Erica, I didn't know it was something little boys did!) - large rocks that make huge clunks in the dryer, sticks (which are called either kitty treats (when he is playing kitty) or tickets (when he is playing train?)), and who knows what else.  I certainly hope I learn soon to check those pockets!

I know there were lots of other things I wanted to get down, but that's some of it and I have one last gem for you that made me laugh.

Gracie was telling us proudly after dinner the other night that she got to hold the bible in chapel that day (it rotates between 3rd grade and 1st grade and she had been excitedly waiting her turn).  So she sums it up by saying, "That bible was heavy.  Let me tell you, that was no teddy bear picnic holding it!"