Swingin' in the Rain

That girl. She loves to swing! Today Delaney was outside swinging when a thunderstorm rolled through. It had been a warm, sunny, windy but pleasant day. All of the sudden the wind picked up and the rain began coming down in giant drops. When the first clap of thunder crashed, I thought for sure Delaney would scurry inside. And she did--but not because that was the end of the swinging for her. Oh, no. Instead, she was coming inside to get on proper storm swinging attire. (Apparently, in her mind that means a baggy hooded sweater and her winter tights.) By the time she reappeared with her new outfit on, I could hear the rain pounding on the roof, so I tried convincing her to wait till the storm blew over before she went back out. Obviously, I was unsuccessful, because here she is: soggy and wet, but still swingin'.

Serious Blackmail Material

Today Keaton and Delaney were playing downstairs in the playroom, when Keaton walked upstairs wearing quite the interesting "costume"--he was dressed head to toe in Delaney's clothes. I said, "Hey, Keaton, whatcha doing?" And he replied, "I'm not Keaton, I'm Delaney!" I told him to come here so I could take his picture, and I'm happy to report he had the good sense to know that that was a bad idea! However, I caught one on the sly as he was coming out of the bathroom. He was pretty unhappy with me (again, at least he had the sense to be embarassed) but it was just too good an opportunity to pass up! Hopefully he'll forgive me.

My Favorite Mother's Day Gifts

Brent gave me a special day, starting out with a yummy breakfast, and ending with a fun family dinner. He also gave me a beautiful maple tree to plant in our front yard. But my favorite gifts of the day, by far, were the unexpected ones I got from each of the kids at bedtime. Since it was Mother's Day, the kids wanted to tuck me in, and they each did it in their own unique way:

Delaney bestowed her favorite pastime on me and read me a bedtime story--Chapter 1 of Junie B. Jones and Some Sneaky Peeky Spying. When she was done, she dogpiled me to give me a huge hug and kiss. This completes her version of an ideal tucking in.

Keaton snuggled up to me and sang me a sweet little song that he composed on the spot. It went something like this: "Mother, I love you, I do. I love you. I clean my room, and you love it. And you love to see me smiling. And I'm thankful, oh, God, for a prophet. The end." I laughed so hard I cried. (He made up another good one for me the next morning at breakfast: "I looked out the window and what did I see? Mama and Papa walking the plank at the Hip Hop Halloween Ball!")

Addison literally tucked me in. She pulled my covers up cozy and snug till all that was poking out was my face, then she gave me a sweet hug and a kiss.

Those moments, when the kids were showing me their idea of the perfect, ideal bedtime routine, were some of the best I've had in a long time. I wish I could freeze those moments in time. This was the best Mother's Day ever!

Little Drummer Boy

Check out Keaton on his new birthday drumset. I think we've got a future rock star on our hands!

ARRRRRRR!!!

"Arrrrrr" was a fitting title for Keaton's 4th birthday party, and not just because it was a pirate theme. As evidenced by almost all of the pictures, it pretty much summed up Keaton's mood during the party.

Poor guy, I guess you could say he got his first taste of the let down you feel when the reality of something you've waited for with excitement and anticipation just doesn't match up to your expectations. And besides, "walking the plank" (walking on a balance beam) is hard work, especially when all the bigger kids do it so effortlessly. Sometimes it's just easier to fall down on the ground and cry.

And who wants to be blindfolded to pin their pirate flag on the treasure map, anyways? When you're blindfolded, you can't see. How are you supposed to get your flag on the "X" that marks the spot with a stinkin' blindfold on?

Alas, there was some fun to be had. Everyone got to paint their own pirate ship. And the kids got to go on a treasure hunt to find the treasure: a "treasure map" birthday cake. (At least the other kids--Delaney, Addison, Payden, Lexi and Porter--had a blast.) As for Keaton, he had a great time taking his aggression out on the poor pirate pinata. Life's rough when you're four!

Adventures in Zwieback

Mason tried his first zwieback toast today--and absolutely loved it! He loves having total control (such as his limited control is) over his food, he loves the taste, and he loves the mess! We think the mess is pretty cute, too.

Here he is in action.