Papa's Garden

Grandma told us that Papa had a gorgeous rose in his garden, and boy was she right. We loved getting to admire this beauty close up. It even had dew drops on it! Elizabeth, always a flower lover and an admirer of all of Papa's roses, was really impressed with this one. Peter, on the other hand, wasn't too taken with the flowers. He's turning into a real "boy" these days, and was way to busy jumping in a dirt pile, finding an enormous stick, and climbing into the tree house to waste time on flowers. I guess everyone admires nature in their own way.

Slip 'N Slide

Warm day outside....you know the drill- out come the water toys! I got a slip 'n slide for the kids to try, and was very excited that they would love it. But then.......I was having slip 'n slide regret. Are they too little for this? Will they even get it? Turns out, it was a big hit, and the cutest part was that everyone was able to access it in their own way. The bigger kids kind of got the whole sliding idea, though it mostly looked like step, step, fall, and became progressively bolder in their "slides" as time went on. Peter, who was afraid of the Barbie water mat and wouldn't even put his bathing suit on (but that's a different story), got right in line with everyone else, and loved delicately walking along the mat- too cute. Looks like we're on to something, and here's to many more slides in our future!

After-Church Fun

Not that church isn't always super fun, but spending time with special friends at church makes it even better! Peter is always very excited when he sees Trevor at church. He always runs right up to him and gives him a big hug. Today Lizzy and Trevor were debating who Peter liked to hug more (Trevor may have won out today- sorry Lizzy). Everyone had a lot of fun playing tag in the rose garden after church. It won't be too long before Connor is part of the games too- he's getting to be a big boy now! Thank goodness for Trevor in the parking lot: he never runs away and everyone likes to hold his hands.

Park Friends

I'm so lucky that I have made truly wonderful friends over the years that I've shared so many laughs and hilarious times with. Some of my favorites are my college friends. We had a blast living in the Kappa house together, going to parties and games, and just being crazy together. Fastforward fifteen years and those young college co-eds are now a bunch of moms! It's still so surreal to me that we're all mothers now, and I absolutely love seeing my dear friends with their darling children. It makes me even happier that my own children get to know these special women, and are friends with the other kids. Many people come and go out of your life, and may only know you for a moment, and there is something really amazing about getting to share the journey with special friends and "grow-up" together. On Friday we were able to have a picnic at the park with Amy and Megan. The "big" kids ran all around and loved climbing trees. The little boys tried to keep up, and enjoyed the sandbox a lot. It was such a beautiful sunny day, I hope we can have another picnic again soon.

Coloring

Lizzy loves to color, and since she was a little baby, she has lined up the crayons she uses into a long line next to her work. She picks one color at a time, adds it to the line, and then won't reuse the same color until she has gone through all the crayons in her box. Lately she's into using the same color scheme, so her crayon line is full of a pink and purple rainbow. When I went into her room today, I saw the evidence of her coloring and it made me smile. I love knowing her habits and interests and having "traces" of her work all around the house. That evidence breathes life into a home, and gives a simple living space it's unique spirit.

Copycat

Yes, I really love my big sister. I love her so much, that I want to do everything she does. When she puts on her dance clothes to have a dance party, I must find an outfit to wear too (and even insist upon carrying the dance bag as my accessory). I even insist upon using the princess cup Lizzy loves by calling out "girl, girl" and pointing to it because I know Lizzy loves princesses so much. I mimic everything she does, from her dance moves, to her singing, to the inflection of her voice (which is true talent since I don't talk very much yet). One day I'll do my own thing, but for now, I just want to be like Lizzy.

From Pants to Bear

Lizzy had the idea to make a teddy bear the other day. I imagined having to hit the fabric store, break out the sewing machine, and begin a big project. Then something in me clicked: know your audience! The great thing about Lizzy is she is easily impressed, and really just wants to have fun and feel like she's involved in the project. We decided to use an old pair of pants to trace the bear outline, took turns sewing the parts together, and glue-gunned on the face and ears. Introducing "Lizzy-bear!" How fun it was to conspire together, to share ideas, and to create. As I've learned from Lizzy's preschool, the importance is often the project and not the product, and truly it's the time spent together that really matters.