Great Great Grandma Carrie

Every few weeks I try to go visit Grandma at her little retirement apartment with Aubrey and Grant while the other two are at school. It doesn't always work out to be that often with sicknesses and all. (I do NOT want to be responsible for making Grandma sick, so we're pretty cautious with that.) The kids love to go there. They wave and say hi to all the older people on their way in, pet Grandma's toy puppies outside her door, take their shoes off just inside the door, go give her hugs, and then head to the basket of toys. Grant's played catch with Grandma the last few times we've gone. He thinks she's pretty fun. This last time I brought my camera to document our visit. She had just gotten over pneumonia, but she was cheerful, as always, and dressed up with jewelry and all, just as she always is. I'm glad my kids get to know her and that she's close enough that we can visit often.





Happy Birthday, My Love!

We are, once again, the same age. No more lording those 40 days of youth over me (until next year).
I love you, Greg! :)

More Aubrey birthday

Aubrey started her special day with her birthday breakfast with Grandpa and a pretty rose from him, too.

She went with us to Kari's basketball game when she got back from breakfast, and then she opened her gift from us. Opening part 1 of 2.

The Barbie doll was part one, and then came the big reveal--the doll house.

All the kids have been enjoying her gift. Kari was never really into dolls, Barbies, or imaginative play, but Aubrey is. She and Joel both have big imaginations. It's fun to listen to them play together. Yes, he's been playing with her. :) What's a boy to do when he's got sisters and a baby brother who isn't big enough to play with yet?

Aubrey really wanted Daddy to come jump on the trampoline, so he obliged and brought Grant on for a while. Grant LOVED it (hadn't been on it since summer) and SOBBED when Greg brought him inside. It was cold out there (saw snow flurries earlier in the day)!

Aubrey's family party was that evening. Here she is playing a "pin-the-appropriate corresponding food item-on-the-Strawberry Shortcake character" game we made for her. That game never gets old for kids, it seems.

While the kids were busy playing upstairs, and we adults and Grant and Miles were downstairs were having fun playing with the touchable bubbles Aubrey got from Uncle Blake. They were pretty fun!

Snow on March 1st

The kids were delighted (and, honestly, so was I) to wake up to a bit of snow today. Morning kindergarten was cancelled, and Kari went in 2 hours late. That meant we had time for some play before it melted away!

I let Grant out, too, and he was NOT pleased when I brought him in before the others. He cried until they all came in. It's rough sometimes being the littlest.

Aubrey Ann

Happy Birthday to our Aubrey Ann! Our spunky, social, sweet, precocious little girl turned four today. I kept asking her this week if she could stay three for just a little longer, but she said no. Aubrey loves Pinkalicious, dolls, pizza, SuperWhy, treats, playing with the big kids, riding her scooter, Candyland, watching sports with Dad, baths, reading books with Mom and Dad, helping Mom clean (as long as a spray bottle, broom, or duster is involved), pretty hair things, and swimming lessons.

We've got a big party to throw in the next hour here. We are so thankful for you, Aubrey. Hope you have enjoyed your special day. We love you!

Happy Valentine's Day

When she's older she may not appreciate this story being shared, but she's not quite four and doesn't read, so I'll share it anyway. I was helping Kari and Joel work on valentines for their classmates yesterday afternoon, and Aubrey decided she wanted to make some, too. She made one for her cousin, Maggie and was thinking about who else she wanted to to make one for when she curled up in a shy little ball on the floor and said, "Mommy, I want to make a valentine for someone else...but I'm not sure it's right." I assured her that it would be fine and asked whom she had in mind. With her chin tucked down, in a quiet little voice with a smile said sweetly, "For Aidan."

Oh my. Her first crush at not-quite-four. Aidan is the 6-year-old son of our good friends, the Wilsons, and one of Joel's buddies. That's probably how it will be--Aubrey always liking her big brother's friends. I'm afraid she's going to be our boy-crazy one. The question will be: will they be crazy about her, too? Scary thought! Good thing we have a few more years to prepare for it all.

The baby is 18 months

Grant turned 18 months last week, and it seems as though he knows it. He's looking more grown up and acting more like a little person than a baby. He was a "picture of health" according to the doctor at his well-baby check, and then he promptly came down with a cold the next day--such a toddler thing to do.  He doesn't say many intelligible words yet. I made a list so that I could tell the doctor, in good conscience, that he's progressing. He says 15 words right now and acquired two of them in the last couple weeks. He STILL hasn't said the word "no!" I'm loving the abundance of "yes" and the absence of "no." Wonder when that will end? Sometime soon, I would think.

His climbing skills are pretty good for a little guy his age. He climbs on everything.  Today he climbed on a chair and locked me out of the house. Yes, he really did.  Christine pulled up to drop Joel off after kindergarten, so I went out to the driveway to talk to her. When I tried to come back in, the door was locked. Grant's little face was smiling at me through the glass in the door. He had dragged a dining room chair over, climbed up, and turned the deadbolt. I rang the doorbell in hopes that Aubrey or Joel would come to my rescue (Joel had already gone inside), but nobody came. Turns out Aubrey was enjoying seeing Mommy locked out (and was hiding--naughty little thing), and Joel was otherwise engaged (in the restroom).  I stood there a few seconds, laughing at my predicament (Christine was laughing, too, as she hadn't quite driven off yet) and wondering how in the world I was going to get Grant to unlock the door when I remembered we have a keypad on the garage. Silly me! Crisis averted.  I think it might be time to get a chain lock up high on the front door, though. Turns out he can unlock it just as easily as he can lock it. Don't want to lose my baby toddler!

So many memories in each and every photo

A search through our pictures for other photos like this of our kids (just couldn't stay awake any longer at lunch) turned up...

...this and a whole lot more that I just couldn't resist posting for fun. 

Some recent pics

Just normal life happening around here, and by "normal" I mean well kids and pretty typical schedule with school and activities. I like it. :) You never know when the next mini-crisis is going to occur, so I am enjoying this nice little lull. We've put some pictures up on the walls, unpacked the last of the book boxes, and I feel mostly on top of things around here. Such a good feeling.

Here's my most recent favorite photo of all four kids. I used it to make some thank you's after Christmas.























Aubrey and Grant while the big kids were at school.























Joel's been steadily working on all those lego sets he got for his birthday. He put this boat together all by himself.























The little gash on Grant forehead is his most recent injury. I took him out of the shopping cart at Target and set him on the ground. He took one step, tripped over the wheel and hit his head on the metal attached to the other wheel.  Lots of blood! I determined no stitches were required and cleaned him up when we got home. He's anti-band-aid right now which is very inconvenient when it comes to bleeding wounds.

This wild man continues to keep us on our toes. He is so busy right now! We're constantly finding him standing on the table, playing in the toilet, and doing a whole lot of things he's not supposed to. We try to keep the bathroom doors shut, but he seems to find them open quite often. He and Aubrey "help" me clean the bathrooms sometimes. Cleaning the toilet with the toilet brush must look like fun!