Two Little Monkeys

After school, sometimes we like to linger for a little bit to play around the garden by school.  On these lovely sunny afternoons, who wouldn't want just a few moments more to enjoy the newly blossoming flowers and all that glorious sunshine?  Lizzy and Peter like to climb the big tree by church and relax for a little bit.  Oh, how fun to climb a tree on a sunny afternoon!

Basketball Buddies

You can tell that Peter is getting ready to start Kindergarten soon, because he has this new found confidence and maturity about him that is so awesome to see.  Almost every day I find myself amazed at how capable and independent he's become.  It's so wonderful to see him blossoming into this fantastic little boy, so comfortable in his own skin.  Every Wednesday night we take Lizzy to basketball practice.  Sometimes various brothers of the players are hanging around, and the coaches are so good-natured they let them join in.  Peter had always hung on the outskirts, perfectly happy to just watch from the sidelines.  The last time we took Lizzy, Peter decided he was ready to join in.  Wow!  He was amazing.  He followed everything the coaches were saying, and was right in there with the girls playing his little heart out.  I was so very proud of him!  And thank goodness for darling Lizzy, who immediately took him under her wing and made sure he was right next to her following along.  I just love getting to watch these two together, getting so very big and so very, very capable!

Lunch Bunch Buddies

Peter gets to stay later at school once a week for "lunch bunch."  It's so awesome!  A small group of children get to stay one extra hour to eat lunch and do a special activity with the teacher.  He loves every part of it, and you can tell it makes him feel like a real "big guy."  It's a little tricky for Catherine, because it pushes into her nap time, and she often doesn't get a great rest that day.  One day, we were running so behind, that I had to wake her up and take her to school and just bring her lunch with us.  It turns out Catherine was totally fine with that.  In fact, Peter's not the only one who likes to eat lunch at school.  Catherine marched right in, sat at the table, and enjoyed her own private lunch bunch with Peter.  What a big boy and big girl we have on our hands.

Cart Buddies

One way to watch the evolution of your family is how they fit in a shopping cart.  I remember being so thrilled when Lizzy was strong enough to sit up by herself in the front of the shopping cart at Safeway. She was so adorable looking all around, and I felt like a "real mom" pushing my baby around buying my groceries.  It wasn't too long before Peter was here, and Lizzy would have absolutely nothing to do with the cart.  I had to practically tie her down, but on those rare, sweet occasions, I could talk those two into sitting next to each other in the front, I was in heaven watching those two little birdies in their nest, smiling at each other and content to be together.  When Catherine came, Lizzy and Peter were far to big, in their estimation, to sit in a shopping cart.  Now, Catherine usually sits up front, and Lizzy and Peter are either hanging off the side of the cart, walking next to me, or running around me somewhere.  On a recent trip to Costco, I somehow corralled everyone into the cart- girls up front and Peter in the back "helping" me organize the food.  Lizzy barely squeezed in next to Catherine, but there was something pretty sweet about having everybody in the cart, giggling and smiling together.

Rainy Day Special

And just like that.....the weather has turned and we're back to rainy days.  We don't let a little rain stop us, though.  We decided to visit a fun indoor play place with some of our favorite buddies, Connor and Reagan.  It's so funny how times have changed and the "little" kids are now so big, and even the "babies" are getting so big, loving being a part of everything.  I remember when Connor and Peter were just the little guys with Lizzy and Trevor.  Now, they're the ones leading things.  They are busy, busy, busy, running around like maniacs, totally engrossed in their imaginary games and loving every minute of it.  Reagan and Catherine work really hard to keep up.  The big boys are so adorable with their little sisters, and it's so fun to see these four together.

Papa's Girl

We all love Catherine a whole lot, but I think she may have one extra-special admirer.  Papa is pretty taken with her, and the feelings are completely mutual.  Get these two together and there's a whole bunch of snuggles and smiles.  They are two pretty cute peas-in-a-pod.

Winter Beach Day

We're pretty spoiled in California, and we know it.  While much of the country is buried in snow, we've got sunny skies.  Grandma Susan wanted to come over and watch the kids play basketball, but we didn't have any games that day.  So we all decided a beach day was in order since it was so gorgeous outside.  We drove to Half Moon Bay and hit up our favorite deli.  We ate in the garden and the kids loved running all around and playing.  Pat had brought the Frisbee and baseball mitts and played around with the kids.  Then we went to the beach.  What a day!  It was warm, but not too warm, sunny and clear, just perfect for exploring.  Lizzy and Peter threw on their suits and were quickly dancing around in the water.  Catherine loved joining them.  At first she was confused by how cold the water was, but then she absolutely loved playing around in the surf.  The kids loved having such a special day with Grandma Susan.  I never get tired of beach combing and wave dashing with all my little friends.