Busy Weekend

I have been blessed with four beautiful children, and two of them live here in TC. We see each other often, at the minimum weekly. My youngest daughter lives near San Diego and is always trying to get me to move near her. How I would love to be nearer to her. As it is I have promised myself I will go visit at least once a year. I need to be near and have hands-on contact with her and her two beautiful children. My oldest son moved to Boston last summer and I haven't been out to see him yet. Working gets in the way of traveling!

Last weekend we went to the Children's Museum with my youngest son, A's father. He brought his son and siblings. The kids had a great time together. A. was enamored with the little girl. A. and her brother raced to the slide and had so much fun. Of course, Baby Kimmie came along and had fun, too. Everyone loved the water table.

When the little one discovered the slide, she wouldn't go anywhere else. She climbed the stairs herself, crawled through the tube--bumping her head each time, but never once complaining--and jumped on the slide and raced down. Someone had to be at the bottom to catch her. It was hilarious watching her have so much fun.

 

We went to lunch at Culver's, and with four kids, we had a few mix-ups on the orders. In the end they all were happy and enjoyed their ice cream. Brian sat at the head of the table between the two boys, exactly where he should be. He mentioned that he remembered his own Dad sitting at the head of the table and it was a little weird doing that himself. 

Brother and sister

The girls shared ice cream and had fun playing with each other

Brian's friend wanted to hook up with us, so we went to the Mall and everyone (except Grandma) rode on the carousel. 

Dad and the kids

The kids played on the cars for a little while. What is it about these cars that they love so much?

Happy boy and Dad, with A.in the background racing to get on another car.

We had so much fun, and then it was time for A. & I to go home. I still had all my weekend chores to do. And I was up for a little rest time.

On Sunday we went to church in the morning. A. finally agreed to go to the Sunday School class. I think she thought we would have too much fun without her. Later we went to dinner at Christine's. It was a little cool, but the driveway was clear so the kids played outside until dinner was ready.

There was a lot of running and chasing each other. I love to watch them play outside. Spring is still taking its time getting going. So every bit of decent weather we get, we take advantage of it and play outside. A. said to me the other day that she can't wait for us to be able to take a walk on the trail. It's been a long time and we are ready!

Easter 2013

We had a great Easter with family. We started the week before by going to see the Easter Bunny at the Mall. Aaralynne was excited and enjoyed her time with the bunny. She really didn't want to leave. The family before us bought the pictures and were taking their time choosing. We were able to take extra time for A. to spend with the bunny. And of course, Baby Kimmie went along for the experience.

She then got to ride on the Carousel with Daddy and of course Baby Kimmie, who couldn't seem to sit up straight, even though she was buckled in.

Saturday before Easter we finally colored eggs.  I say finally because Aaralynne has not been interested in much of the traditions of holidays before this year.  I have had the coloring kit since she was 3, but never used it. She didn't know to talk about it and I was busy and didn't push it. But we enjoyed coloring the eggs this year. She thought it was pretty cool.

She got her bath after that and we had dinner. She was very interested in eating a colored Easter egg. I tried to tell her that it was not the same as candy, but she had no point of reference, since we don't often have hard boiled eggs. She continued to insist she wanted to have an egg with dinner. It was precious to watch her experience the realization that the egg had a shell, then the peeling of the shell. She was surprised of the texture and taste of the egg. When she bit into the yolk, she was surprised even more. Finally she said she didn't like it and that I could eat it.

On Easter morning, she was happy to discover her Easter basket.

 

We went to church with Daddy and Nicole.

 

We had dinner at Christine's and the kids had a good time playing with each other. Here are some random shots of the kids. Nickel wanted me to take pictures of his different faces. This boy can really melt my heart. The older boys were patiently waiting for lunch.

 

 

Mouth-full of candy, waiting to start running with Nickel.

Whatcha doin, Nickel?

Oh, okay. I'll join you.

Time to start running! Ready...set...go!

Nickel and A finally did their running thing after a while. They both got hot and sweaty so Nickel took off his button-down shirt underneath that cool t-shirt with a tie on it.

These guys are such pals!

We came home early and had some quiet time after such a busy weekend. I hope everyone had a good weekend, too.  We are anxiously awaiting spring weather and it can't come soon enough for us.  Happy Spring!

Winter/Spring?

Spring officially arrived last week.  You can't tell from outside though. Here are a couple of pics since the beginning of spring. 

I'm at Christine's watching the kids for them this weekend and we played outside a little yesterday.  

The kids played in the snow for a while and I chipped away at the ice on the driveway. The kids decided to help me, but I think they all were more interested in the puddle of water next to the ice than cleaning off the driveway.  What is it about a puddle of water that attracts kids, no matter what the temperature outside? I wanted to take a walk and when everyone couldn't decided if they wanted to go with me or not, I said whoever stays behind has to put all the shovels and toys away. Hmmmm...........they all decided to walk with me.  Daniel stopped off to take care of the neighbor's dog on the way back so he wasn't in the picture  above.

Before we went outside, after lunch, the 3 youngest kids got a little exercise. They run the loop from the kitchen, through the dining room, foyer and living room. They all ran so much that they were all sweating and peeling off clothes.

This winter, even with all the complaining, is actually a normal winter. And really, we never experience spring weather at the beginning of spring. We're usually lucky to not have snow on Easter.  Last year at this time we had middle-of-the-summer weather in March which devastated the fruit crops around here. We'll take "normal" this year so the fruit growers can get back on their feet. But everyone I have spoken to is ready for the snow to be gone and are looking forward to spring.  Christine has a lot more snow here than I do at my house. When I am in her driveway and looking out over her yard, the height of the snow in her yard is as high as the top of the hood of my car.

One day I was thinking of all the things I appreciate about winter: warm sweaters, a furnace that works, warm socks to keep my feet warm, down comforter and wool afghan on my bed. I guess warm is the theme here. I love snow that sticks to every branch and twig so the world is white and fluffy.

I love a helpful little girl who learned how fun it is to "shobel" this year at Christine's one day. She is actually getting pretty good at cleaning off the sidewalk, making a swipe down the middle. But the driveway is still too big and a little intimidating. Still, she thinks she is doing a great job, because I tell her so.

I did a lot of driving this winter and during one of the first snow storms, I totaled my car. So I appreciate dry roads and sidewalks, and slow driving. I'm glad to be rid of slippery roads and sliding on ice.

It took longer than I liked, but I did get a "new" 10 year old car that we love.

I'm looking forward to seeing the sun a little more, although I'm sure we will see our share of rain. Spring flowers and green grass are in my dreams.