April 19

At MOPS yesterday, Caleb made this sign:

I'm not sure if they were instructed to put the smiley face sticker on Jesus' face, but I'm guessing not... I'm also not sure if it's really supposed to be a necklace-type sign, or a wall hanging. 

Regardless, he loves it and has been wearing it since then.

Caleb took this picture with my big camera. I was very nervous, because he was holding my camera and was beyond my reach. He only got to take one shot, and this was it. Despite the fact that only half my face is in the frame, he was quite pleased with it.

Then we went to Target. It was nearly a disaster, thanks to a shortage of schoolbus carts and one very grouchy, very unhelpful employee, but we survived. In fact, the kids survived with souvenirs, picked up in the clearance section: 

A tiger t-shirt

(Don't you love Caleb's fierce tiger snarl?)

and a gorilla t-shirt.

Overall, a good day!

April 17

Yesterday, it was rainy and yucky and cold - so cold, we could see our breath outside. So cold, I turned the heat on in the house.

Today, it was sunny and 80 degrees.

Surprisingly, my children didn't seem to prefer one over the other. Yesterday, we put on our rain boots and stomped in puddles. Today, one of us still put on her rain boots, but this time we played on the swing set.

This boy can now get himself onto a swing, but doesn't know how to get started swinging.

This girl insisted on wearing long sleeves, even though they were completely unnecessary. She also insisted on the rain boots; again, unnecessary.

But she was happy, happy, happy, so I wasn't going to argue.

Happy girl = happy mama.

April 14

Blue skies, sunshine, outdoor time... what a fun day!

Chris took the opportunity to mow our lawn for the first time this season, and Caleb was desperate to help out.

The hard hat was his own personal touch - safety first!

Daisy wanted to help, too, but we only have one child-sized lawn mower, so instead she peered over the deck railing, shouting, "Hi, boys!"

My boys, mowing the lawn together. I'm not sure which one enjoyed it more!

Daisy wore this dress for the first time when we went to church today. It was a garage sale find that I've been holding onto for a year now, and it makes my heart happy. Please note that she's also sporting the Iowa  Hawkeyes socks - gotta represent Grandma and Grandpa!

I'm pretty sure she's the sweetest thing ever.

Only a smile would have made this picture better! But this girl is focused on her bubbles!

April 10

I was on my A-game today, and for the most part, so were the kids. It was a good day.

We have a few blankets that Chris' Grandma made tucked away in Daisy's room. Caleb lovingly calls them the "mayonnaise blankets", because we sometimes make "Caleb Sandwiches", and the blankets are the mayonnaise. But today, the mayonnaise blanket was Caleb's wedding veil. I'm not sure if he was pretending to be a bride, or a fairy godmother, or some hybrid of the two. Either way, it was really funny and he was really pleased with the situation.

Daisy grabbed a scrap of fabric (left over from a flower bouquet?) to fashion her own veil.

Success!

After that, a productive, fun day that ended with the kids gobbling up their dinner without fussing or complaint, this strawberry pie (it was delicious!), and a family walk cut short by a sprinkling of rain, and family time on our porch swing.  A pretty perfect evening, in my book.

Then, just as we were putting the kids to bed, the tornado sirens went off. After the Good Friday tornadoes a few years ago, we take tornado sirens pretty seriously. But it was bedtime, so Chris and I were debating what to do.  A quick check of the radar on TV told us that a storm was headed straight toward us. Then, the power went out.

Problem solved. Into the basement we went.

Those head lamps my dad put in Caleb and Daisy's Easter Baskets were a total life saver! Not only did they give us additional lights (we only had one big flashlight), but they made a potentially scary situation into a fun time for the kids.

Plus, the kids love being in the basement, and I don't often let them play down there. Lots of fun, forgotten toys live down there. Chris turned Brown Bear into a rock star, complete with a crimped mullet wig. Brown Bear is quite the performer.

Then Doctor Caleb examined Daddy's teeth and nose and eyes. His diagnosis was that Daddy was "just fine".

The power stayed out until about 3 am, but once the storms had passed we headed back upstairs. One of the things I love about our house is that we have deep eaves overhanging our windows. That means that, even on the stormiest of nights, we can keep the windows open and no rain will get in. It was pretty hot in the house, so we opened the windows and put the kids to sleep. An added bonus? No power = Chris and I were in bed by 9:30. Win!

April 9

After naps today, I sent the kids outside to play with bubbles so that I could get dinner started. I watched them out the kitchen window, and they were so sweet that I just had to come out and take pictures.

They were happy, happy, happy!

(Side note: we just got out all of Daisy's new summer/24 month/2T clothes that I've been amassing over the past year. I've scoured every clearance rack and garage sale I could find, and I've built an absurdly large collection. This shirt is a new one, featuring a fish with a big googly eye. She loves it, and spent the whole day pressing the fish's eye. She pretended it was a button, and made it "beep" over and over and over.)

Caleb is actually getting pretty good with the bubbles!

This picture just kills me!

Caleb had just blown that bubble, then caught it on his wand. Daisy thought it was the most amazing thing ever! Look at her little face!

This girl is getting pretty good with the bubbles, too.

However, she has a bad habit of (intentionally?) spilling brand-new bottles of bubbles, so I'll only trust her with the big jug of bubble juice. It's too heavy for her to lift and spill, though she can tip it pretty well.

Goodness. The expression of pure joy on his face melts my heart!

(Also, have I mentioned this shirt on the blog? It's his absolute favorite, not because it says "Cardinals" on it, but because it's a mesh muscle shirt. He loves it, and asks to wear it every.single.day. It was a garage sale find, and it's not in perfect condition. I keep looking for more mesh muscle shirts for him because I know they'd make him so very happy, but apparently I don't shop at the kind of places that sell mesh muscle shirts. I guess it has to be a certain kind of retail establishment. Maybe Walmart sells them? But then they'd probably be camouflaged mesh muscle shirts, and that's just more than I could handle.)

A bubble-blowing success! That blur next to Daisy's face is a bubble.

She was so happy!

I love this boy, most of the time. Yesterday morning I was ready to give him away. Today, I think I'll keep him.

Then I went back inside, to make dinner in earnest. These two continued to play happily. At one point, they switched bubble containers, and I could hear Caleb explaining to Daisy, "This one won't work if you blow hard. You have to blow gently to get bubbles!" It was a sweet moment of brotherly helpfulness that he didn't know anyone was observing, and it melted my heart.

Afternoons like this make me nostalgic for a moment that hasn't even passed yet. Caleb and Daisy are in the middle of a wonderful season right now; for the most part, they're independent little people who love each other dearly. I cherish the fact that they can entertain themselves for big chunks of time, and that each is the other's best friend. In three months, so much of our lives will change. My own newfound independence will be gone, and I'll be attached to a new little one. I know without a doubt that with the birth of Baby #3 we will gain so much more than we'll lose, but it is bittersweet to look ahead and think about how things will change. I suppose it forces me to enjoy moments like this just a little bit more!

April 7

The  beautiful weather continued today - I think it may have reached 80 degrees! We were up so late last night enjoying our family that we ended up missing church this morning. Chris used the unexpected free time to take the kids on a bike ride to a nearby park.

On a whim, I handed each kid a camera on their way out the door - an old point-and-shoot for Caleb, and a  toy one for Daisy. A few minutes later, Chris came back in the house and said, "You've gotta see this!"

I guess the cameras were a good idea! These children are so well-trained. It's funny to see their cameras focused on me!

I love that Daisy has no idea what she's doing, but if Caleb does it, she does, too.

Sweet kiddos. Do you want to see Caleb's perspective?

Inside the bike trailer.

That pesky Mommy always has her camera in my face!

Daddy's bike. Can we get going now?

(This is where it gets funny!) 

Hmm. I'm not sure what to say about the view out the front of the bike trailer!

(Note: Chris' legs don't actually look like that when he pedals. He was stopped and had one foot on the ground.)

Off we go! Faster, Daddy! Faster!

At the park!

After the bike ride, the park, the bike ride home, and lunch, it was well past naptime. I told Caleb that it was naptime, but he cried, "NO! I want to bask in the sun with Daddy!"

How do you refuse that request? So the kid headed out to the deck, to bask in the sun with Daddy. Daisy and I joined them, and I pulled up my shirt a little to let my belly (and the baby) get some sun. A few minutes later, I looked over and saw this: 

My basking boy was letting his belly get some sun, too. And then I died laughing.

April 6

We had a last-minute dinner party tonight, with newfound family from out-of-town. Sadly, I'm not sure any of my pictures adequately convey what a fun, special night it was. And though my mom desperately wanted group photos, I couldn't bring myself to interrupt all of the spontaneous fun to make everyone sit still and smile. But I know there will be a next time!

Jenny and Mom had returned from a trip to Arizona the night before, and Jenny came bearing gifts for the kiddos. I'm pretty sure Daisy would have loved her just as much without the gifts, though!

The weather was so lovely that we were able to eat on the deck, where we had lots of food and wine and coffee and food!

While the grown-ups chatted, the kids ran like crazy people all over the yard.

Even Emily got in on the swinging!

Daisy took every opportunity she had to leap into Ryan's arms. He is so good with her! 

After playing catch with the football for a while, Chris brought the kickball out. Chris and Billy and Ryan and Naomi and Isaac and sometimes Caleb played until well after dark!

 

Lots of wine-drinking = highly entertaining stories.

Daisy was skeptical at first, but soon she and Sydney were best friends!

And Mom was happy, happy, happy.

Daisy was pretty happy, too!

Chris and I snuck Caleb and Daisy off to bed, and we all lingered around the fire pit, talking and laughing. It was a pretty special night!

April 5

Yep. Spring has sprung, bringing along with it one of my favorite warm-weather rituals: meals on the deck.

We went to the Butterfly House this morning, and were able to play at the playground with friends for a long while before we actually made it inside. One butterfly in particular loved Caleb's Superman cape, and kept coming back to rest on Caleb's shoulders and the Superman "S". Caleb tried his best to play it cool, but he got pretty freaked out after a while.

Funnily, Daisy left the Butterfly House absolutely convinced that the butterfly had actually landed on her hand, not on her brother's shoulders. She told everyone she could about how the butterfly landed on her hand! 

We had to cut our visit short, though, when Caleb had a complete meltdown because he wanted a butterfly wand and a butterfly princess crown from the gift shop. Throughout the month of March, the ticket-taker offered every visitor a butterfly quiz, with the promise that you could get a free gift in the gift shop if you completed the quiz. We never did it. Today, they didn't offer us the quiz, but Caleb remembered it and insisted that he wanted to get his present. Finally, I took him to the front desk to ask the lady if they were still doing the quiz promotion. They weren't, but the kind ladies at the gift shop had a few of the prizes left over and offered us one: a blue rubber bracelet stamped with a butterfly and the words "March Morpho Mania". And then Caleb flipped out. He had thought that he would get to choose any prize he wanted in the gift shop, and he did not want a bracelet. He wanted his butterfly wand and his butterfly princess crown. *sigh*

So we left, and headed home to eat lunch on the deck before much-needed naps.