Goin' Fishin'

AG got a fishing rod for her birthday from Gran and PopPop, and when we went up for a visit with them on Mother's Day weekend we all went out to give it a try! Considering both that 1)none of the 4 children or 4 adults fell into the water from the railless, sprawling pier and 2)more casts than not, there was a bite as soon as the bait hit the water, it was a successful outing, to say the least. It may have been so successful that the girls will wonder what is wrong if they ever have a "normal" fishing trip where they just catch a few. It was so much fun for all of us and will never be forgotten by three little girls, I'm sure! Thanks, Gran and PopPop, for all the hook-baiting, fish-removing, cleaning, and cooking you did...we had a great time!

AG made the first catch, with her rod and a little help from T, but all 3 girls caught lots of fish. AG would pull them out then quickly move away so they wouldn't touch her as they swung up on the line. SJ would immediately say, "Can I touch it?" as soon as one was caught. LL liked fishing but seemed even more interested in the earthworms, ending up the outing with a handful she had dug out of the bucket PopPop brought along. RL was content to hang out with me most of the time but will surely be in on the action in the future!

His First Half Birthday

On Friday April 23 RL reached the midway point in his first year! He is continuing to add new foods and skills each week and is right on the verge of some biggies, like sitting up. I discovered earlier this week that he seems to have become a tummy-sleeper, rolling over before going to sleep or while he's sleeping. He's been sleeping well as long as he has a lovie to chew on...all the girls loved their lovies, but he has found a completely new way to show his affection! He had his first taste of meat (babyfood turkey with squash) on his half-birthday. An appropriate way to celebrate, his Daddy would say! That day we also went for his well-check and he weighed a bit over 17 pounds, so percentile-wise he's continuing to slim down but is still longer/taller than average. Most of the time he is a happy, easy-going guy...and I think when he gets the hang of sitting up it will make things way easier for me and more enjoyable for him!

Great grin


Hanging out with his Dad




AG went with us to the doctor that day; she had reminded me earlier that week that she was due for a well-check too! So glad she thinks about things like that and will actually tell me when I forget...and she didn't even know it wasn't a shot year :) So we had the 6 year/6 month combo visit...pretty neat.


Stealing kisses...I don't think he minds. Notice how his hair and eyebrows have a reddish tint? Just like AG's when she was a baby (and now in the right light)...he definitely reminds me of her the most at this point.


One new trick: open mouth, insert foot

LL's 4 and a Half

LL, as of April 16, is officially 4 1/2. The main reason this was exciting to her, I think, is because she got to go on a special date with her daddy that afternoon. They played putt putt (afterward she told me, "I made alot of scores.") and then went to Whole Foods where she got to pick out a special treat from the bakery counter which she had been checking out for months. Needless to say, it was a sweet time in more ways than one!



Hard to believe how much our "little girl" is growing up. She's now almost as tall as AG, is learning to read, and loves to perform song and dance numbers for us with a good measure of grace and showmanship. We are so grateful to have her in our family!

T's Birthday

April 13 was T's birthday, and we celebrated by picking him up for lunch at the park. It was a beautiful day and the girls were all happy to have a lunch date with their Daddy.

Happy birthday burgers! (We saved the cake for after supper that night!)








RL was a happy camper too, even though he missed out on the burgers.






We are so thankful for you, T!

They are heroes, but...

A few weeks ago at supper LL started to quiz us on some catechism questions T has taught her. (By the way, she took the Lord's supper for the first time on Easter and was SO excited... she actually said that to me as they were passing out the bread!) LL asked, "Who wrote the Bible?" The answer he's taught them is "Chosen men inspired by the Holy Spirit." SJ has heard enough to catch on, so when LL asked the question, she answered, "Chosen men...they be spider-mans." :)

A Wild Ride

This month has been jam-packed with tons of beautiful days, fun events, and occasions to celebrate, which means lots of things to post about and no time to do it! I am going to try to catch up, bit by bit.

A couple of weeks ago we met my parents for a fun adventure. When SJ turned 2 back in August, they had told us they wanted to take us to a global wildlife center as her gift. With RL's arrival soon after, then the holidays, we decided to wait til Spring to go. We met them there one day for a picnic lunch before boarding the covered wagon train for our tour.


We stopped to have a chance to feed the animals and were quickly surrounded by a huge variety of hungry deer and some zebras, too. Each person had a cup to scoop up herbivore food to give the animals.


RL on his first "safari"


Did you ever wonder what a zebra's teeth look like?


They actually don't recommend feeding them from the cups because they can be biters. Thankfully this one was friendly (and we made sure we kept our hands away!).


T and the guest of honor!


The lazy camel; he doesn't come to be fed like the rest of the animals. As an aside, the gentle giraffes which usually can be fed and even put their heads inside the wagons were all under lockdown due to a turf war between the dominant male and an up-and-comer who will soon go to live at a zoo. I never knew giraffes would be aggressive, but apparently competing males will fight to the death. We were disappointed not to get to feed them, but witnessing a giraffe fight would have probably put a damper on our fun!


Hook 'em! What a coincidence that T was wearing a UT shirt.


Getting a chance to feed a longhorn


AG, our first little Texan


RL caught a nap along the way


AG and LL were really kind of timid about putting their hands too close to the animals; I think they were afraid they would get bitten or licked. Gran had foreseen this and came prepared, so as we were wrapping up the tour the girls put on plastic gloves and immediately became brave enough to feed the llamas, which AG had been saying she wanted to do when we saw some. They were so excited.


PopPop got a kick out of seeing the girls have fun.


T and LL as we were heading back to the homebase


It was a fun experience for us all, and I hope we can go back someday. Thanks, Gran and PopPop!

RL's Room

It's been a work in progress for months, but we finally have a "finished" nursery suitable for a little boy. All the pink and flowers went out before he ever slept there, but adding in all the new things for him took alot longer than I meant for it to. It's not unusual for my projects to take ages to get done (if they ever do!), so I am just thankful he has a crib skirt while he's still sleeping in the crib! I like how it all came together, and especially that we were able to use some things that have some family history. Here's a peek:

The best of all, the little man himself!


New valance, made from vintage fabric from Mimi's sewing closet


Cat in the Hat collages made from an old library book


Above the crib


Cribskirt from Mimi's fabric


My parents bought this rocker when they were expecting me, and the coverlet on the back was PopPop's when he was a little boy. The framed print has RL's birth stats and lyrics from "You are My Sunshine" and was a gift from thoughtful friends which perfectly matched our new nursery!


Just a few more...probably my favorite parts of the whole room. This cat puzzle was the first thing my mom bought for me after she knew she was expecting, and the framed photos are all of T as a little boy.


So there you have it!

Now She is Six

On April 2, AG turned 6! We celebrated the next day with family and friends here at home. She had decided months ago what kind of party she would like to have, and she'd been counting down the days to her birthday for weeks!

Painting flower pots


Playing "butterfly bingo"


Ready to blow out the 6 candles on her "dirt cake" (my latest "cake wreck"! It tasted better than it looked...thankfully!)


We were so glad to have Mimi, PawPaw, and Nanoo here for the party!


AG watering some of the newly planted flower seeds...


Planting seeds in the painted pots


The girls with Mimi and PawPaw


LL and PawPaw


With Nana and Grandpa


and Gran, PopPop, and Uncle David


It was a fun day for her to get to share with so many special people! Afterward, she wrote about it in her new diary from Nana and Grandpa. We are so thankful for this imaginative, thoughtful, silly, bright, hardworking, funloving girl. She has grown into a watchful and sweet big sister, and it is delightful to see her learning new things and using her imagination each day. We are so thankful for you, AG!