A May Day, Complete with Hay

A few weeks ago we took a little field trip with some friends, beginning with a park outing. I am taking this chance to update on RL at 18 months, because I don't think I've done that and looking at these pics of him with his longer hair (pre-real haircut that happened just days after these were taken) makes me think he is growing up too fast.


He is, for the most part, a pretty laidback guy, but he has definite moments which make us think, "Oh, this is what they mean by 'strong-willed child'. Is that his personality, or is it just being a normal boy? He loves tromping around the house and getting into things, points to/picks up/asks for "shoes" as soon as he gets out of bed, daily talks about the "moon" as a reference to anything sky-related, uses "Rah" as his greatest term of endearment (whether talking about his lovie, Ralph, or a cracker!), and is still a champ of a hugger. He's starting to occasionally feed himself with a spoon, share with his sisters (with encouragement!), and show kindness and gentleness to his sisters (though the best examples of that have been after he hit them and realized he hurt them). We love this little guy so much and are so thankful to have him around! And, though I haven't even posted pics of his first official haircut yet, know that if we can manage it this summer the shaggy hair will be back eventually!

Back to our field trip: we went to a local event aimed at teaching about and celebrating agriculture. t was a fun time of hands-on learning about local crops, animals, and forestry. The girls especially enjoyed the animals, and SJ was probably the bravest of all in getting to know them.

April Wrap-Up

A few more April playtime moments caught for the record:

RL's first playtime in the sand at the park. He was fascinated.

Is that an idea forming?

Ummhmm, a little taste test. It was bound to happen!

Slides are mostly good for climbing: a stage it seems all of ours have gone through.


Bike parade: AG got two new wheels for her birthday, and LL was hard at work getting the hang of balancing on two wheels herself. SJ is content with 3, but she prefers wings in addition to those.


Backdoor guests are best! Fiona, the neighbors' cat, seems to spend 90% of her time somewhere on our property, and this day she got plenty of attention though she didn't get to come in.

Sweet smiles...


We got to see Gran and PopPop for a short visit before they went on a big trip. We look forward to catching up with them again later this week.

It's a...

BOY! We found out last Friday that this little one we await is a little brother! Everything looked good on the ultrasound and he will likely arrive at the end of September, if all goes as hoped. We took everyone along that day for the appointment and the girls are excited to know the news, as we are. And as for RL, he's still pretty much totally unaware of the baby on the way...but one day I'm sure he'll be very thankful to have a brother!
(The photo was taken the evening of our appointment after we all went out to Jason's Deli to celebrate the news!)

Our Easter Sunday

So clearly I am behind, but here are some photos of or little ones on Easter. Since Louis was feverish that morning, he and I went to church after T and the girls and then immediately afterward he napped, so I ended up with no pics of him dressed or having any fun that day. But the girls had a wonderful time hunting eggs at our friends' house that day after lunch. It was a day of celebration and sweetness!

By the way...

I've not posted this before here, but for the record, we are expecting a baby around October 1! All of us, especially the girls, are very excited. AG gives the baby (tummy) lots of kisses already, though we are just at 18.5 weeks. All seems to be going well, and we are set for the big ultrasound on May 20. We've considered not finding out gender for the first time, but we seem to be starting to lean back toward finding out at this point. More updates to come on this little one!

Zoo Day

T's company hosted a family day at the zoo the day before Easter. We all went and had a great time...it was our first time to go since October, which happened to be RL's first birthday, and then this event happened to be on his 18 month birthday! He was mostly content to hang out in the stroller that morning and by the time we got home it was pretty clear that the poor little guy was coming down with something, which was confirmed by at temperature of 103. After a few days of running at least a mild fever, the doctor confirmed that he had another ear infection...his 3rd in three months. We hope to go a good long stretch without another one! He's back to full speed now...always on the go, babbling and talking alot, and thankfully, this week anyway, cooperating on eating a few more foods.

Here are some pics of the fun that day. After lunch they had a zookeeper come out with some interesting creatures that the girls enjoyed seeing up close!

Oh, she's a sweet one...

our SJ...

More Birthday Fun

AG's birthday on April 2 is just the kick-off to a few weeks of special days for our family. T's birthday is April 13, and I just realized this year that whatever age AG has just reached is the sum of his digits...a neat little mathematical "coincidence" that will hold true throughout his 30s (you didn't think he was 43, did you?). So last Wednesday he came home for a birthday lunch and opened presents and cards to celebrate. The girls, especially AG, had really taken some initiative on making sure they all had gifts and cards to give. And we broke tradition on his cake (no jelly cake after 10 years!) and made a peanut butter/chocolate chip cookie cake instead. It was a fun day for us all! We are thankful to get to celebrate another year of life with this wonderful husband and Daddy.





Then last Saturday was LL's "5 and a half" birthday, a day she has been anticipating for weeks, or probably months. She made her hopes for putt-putt and Chick-FilA no secret, so that was the plan for the traditional date with her Daddy. Here's our little "half-pint" in her chosen outfit and self-styled hairdo as they set out.

Oh, Boy!

Little boys are different. People told me that, and I would have said I knew it was true. But I had not experienced it for myself until RL came along. And since he turned one last fall and started walking, and running, and talking, and screaming, and climbing, and crawling around rolling everything with wheels around on the floor (or either turning it over to examine those wheels)I am starting to see what they meant. Hardly a day passes when he does not do something that makes me think, "Did the girls do that? No, they never did that." He is funny and loud and strong-willed and sweet; he raises the roof when he doesn't like something but gives the best bear hugs ever with his little arms right around our necks. It seems he is exercing his will with regard to food in a way we've never experienced...I don't want to say, or even think, that he is picky, but he seems to be black-listing new things daily. Here are a few recent captured moments of the little guy in action.

His favorite thing...bathtime with the boats (thanks TN Womacks!:). Every night when he gets out of his chair after supper he starts emphatically saying, "BAAAAA! BOOOOOOW!" to let us know he wants to take a bath and play with these boats. I tried to upload a video of him saying it, but it didn't work...maybe later. But here are some photos...



A big splash!


Yes, he pushes around the pink stroller, but look what he puts in it!

And at the girls' soccer game, another truck gets a stroll...

He got into one of the still-packed boxes on top of everthing while I was doing something in the kitchen and was fascinated with digging through the stuff he was sitting on. This is the "I know you want me to look up but I'm too busy" look.

He likes to try to stand in or on toys, not a good thing when it's a truck on our hard floors! I really hope this idea passes quickly. He's also showing himself to be more of a climber than the girls were. He loves to stand up on the little chairs and a few times I've found him on his hands and knees on top of the little table, looking like he was so proud of himself.

He's a mess sometimes,but this little guy makes us laugh and melt our hearts!

Seven Years Old

Can it really be? We celebrated AG's 7th birthday on April 2! Time flies when you're having fun (and babies:)! We are so thankful for this sweet, bright girl. She has learned so much, and teaches us so much! At 7, only a tiny remnant of her original bright red birthmark is visible on her back, but her freckles are as precious as ever and not a single baby tooth has offered even a hint of a wiggle!(Maybe not surprising, since she didn't have any til a week before her first birthday). Her thinking thinking a step (or two) ahead, love for Narnia and imaginary play, and her independence and hard work on her piano and schoolwork are marks of her personality for which I give thanks. It is a joy to see her as a big sister to LL, SJ, and RL, and she has already been the one to show the most affection for this new baby-on-the-way, giving my tummy a nightly kiss!

Here are a few photos from her "ice cream" themed party. She had a great time celebrating with her grandparents,uncle, and friends!