The Greatest Gifts!

On Mothers Day we went to visit Grandma and Papa, so we could honor one of our favorite mothers- our dear Grandma.  We went to church, and then back to Grandma and Papa's for lunch.  The kids love playing there.  They are all such a great age for the tree house now, that they loved getting to escape up there to watch the birds and play in their own "secret" hideaway.  Papa's yard is a peaceful oasis.  We love to watch the birds and squirrels that visit, and to admire the beautiful flowers blooming.  It's sunny and charming, and one of my favorite places to eat outside.  Looking at those faces, could there possibly be a greater blessing?  Could anything besides treasuring our time together even matter?  I'm so very thankful that I get the honor of being a mother to these beauties that I adore so very much.

Make it Happen

"Let's build a bridge, Mommy!"  You can do it, Lizzy and Peter!  If you can imagine it, and you have the patience to stick with it, you can do it!  I love to see what you can do, and to watch you problem-solve together.  You make the most amazing creations!  I love your wonderful brains!

Rainy Day Fun

Over the kids' spring break, we were itching for an adventure.  It was pouring down rain, and we needed somewhere to go to get out of the house.  We love museums, and haven't visited too many in our new area, so I looked up what I thought might be a good one and we piled in the car to give it a try.  Once we got there, I was immediately apprehensive- it looked tiny, and I worried my "big" kids might not be too interested in what this museum had to offer.  Boy, was I wrong.  We had one of those truly magical days I didn't want to end.  The kids played, and played, and played.  They met up with other kids and created the most amazing imaginary world where Lizzy and Catherine were inside setting up their house, and Peter busied himself picking up and delivering their mail.  They were having so much fun, I didn't want to leave.  When we absolutely had to go, we raced through the rain to one of our favorite hamburger places for lunch.  We laughed and had so much fun being silly together over lunch. What a great day!

Snails!

I love outside play!  I love exploring and discovering and getting carried away with the millions of amazing things that are waiting for you right in your front yard.  One day when we were playing out front, I was enjoying sitting in the rocking chairs and the kids were looking around in the front yard.  All of a sudden, Peter exclaims that he's found something pretty awesome.  In one of our bushes, tons of teeny tiny baby snails were creeping around.  The kids were in heaven!  They found the snails fascinating, and immediately set up a "snail hospital" to nurse the snails back to health (though truth be told those snails were looking pretty good on their own).  All afternoon Lizzy and Peter played with the snails.  I was in heaven.  I loved seeing their excitement, their plans forming, their imaginations and creativity taking off.  Those are the best moments for me, and I do treasure them.

Easter Fun

We love Easter around here, and we always have so much fun.  This year, Grandma and Papa came over and we went to El Macero for a special brunch.  It was very crowded, and a little crazy, but it all worked out in the end.  We found a great table outside where we were able to enjoy our food.  All the kids got to go on an egg hunt too, but we realized it wasn't quite up to Papa's standards of excellence in egg hiding.  Grandma and Papa came back to our house, and Papa skillfully (and quickly) put together a perfect hunt, that stumped all the kids and had them really working hard to find those eggs.  What a wonderful day!

Picnic Day Parade

It's been one year since we made our big move to Davis.  The first weekend that we were in Davis was Picnic Day.  We excitedly, but nervously, made our way downtown.  It was windy, and crowded, but everyone in town was excited and happy.  The people lined the streets, and when the music began, the kids started dancing.  We all loved the parade.  We cheered as Caroline went by with her Daisy troop.  This year, Lizzy got to be in the parade with her Brownie troop.  Catherine, Peter, and I waited for Lizzy to parade by, and we were thrilled when we saw her!  Then we joined them, and we all got to walk in the parade- fun!  It was so awesome to get to see everyone, and to enjoy all the different people walking by.  One year later, now we are a part of the community, we are a part of the town, and it feels so great to be finding our own place where we belong.