The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17
Daddy went to Canada for a week so we slowly worked on putting up decorations for Colleen's birthday party. The kids asked for some of the twine and 'tied' up their own string everywhere.
Then they turned it into a clothesline. :)
There's always a show going on around here.
Tried a bath with these two. Success!
They were so excited to help me make breakfast casseroles for our incoming guests.
This girl loves to watch the neighborhood, especially when I'm taking big sister to the bus stop.
We are still getting outside on every afternoon where we can find a bit of sunshine.
They had no interest in the park this day, but building this fort was entertaining until it was time to leave.
My friend Michelle had her third boy a couple of weeks ago, and I offered to take her two older boys for a day to give her a chance to get a nap. So Henry and George joined us for fun. Amelia had school so she missed out on some of it, but the beautiful weather let us play outside a lot.
They spent a considerable amount of time beating/stomping snow chunks and tossing them onto the pavers by the deck.
We turned the dining room table into a fort; the younger boys had fun relocating every single living room pillow under it.
Building a parking garage.
Waiting on Amelia's school bus
Fun at the neighborhood playground
Eating our snack with flashlights in the fort
Reading flashlight books
Being crazy
When Patrick got home, he corralled them all for a few minutes.
Peeks of spring this week on our family walk around the neighborhood
In the few days after the snow storm, we had fun taking Austin's 'school' time to the deck doors. Here are all the words he can read now (if he's in the mood).
This may look like a bunch of squiggly lines, but it is so significant to me. Austin had been drawing and called me over to read to me the 'note' he wrote me. His dictation went like this:
"Dear Mommy, I love you. Thank you for being my mommy. Thank you for how you care for me. Thank you for how you snuggle me and kiss me and hug me and tickle me. Thank you for filling my bucket up. Thank you for making me food to eat and playing with me and reading with me and snuggling me. I like snuggling with you the best. Thank you for everything mommy. Love, Austin"
No joke. I just about cried then and there. He was so proud of his note.
Later Amelia called me over to show me how she had drawn each part of Easter.
Showing Colleen math
We pulled out the snap circuits kit and have been having fun putting them together.
Making a dream of mine come true - chalkboard wall in the garage!
(There is no photographic evidence that the 2nd coat was completed by me with Colleen in the back-Ergo carry. Sometimes Moms just have to do what they have to do to get the job done.)
One afternoon I heard giggling in the living room. Austin had built a nest of pillows, and Colleen had climbed into it. He was so excited to share his nest with her. And she just kept laughing at how hard it was to keep herself upright in all those pillows.
Right after the snowstorm, Lexi came to spend the morning with us as her parents were taking her little brother to have surgery.
Austin asked me to build a tower around him.
Watching brother and sister at swim lessons.
Ishita and Rohit welcomed their son into the world! Viaan was a sweet snuggler in the hospital.
When we received word that Viaan was on his way home, the kids were excited to pick up balloons and make signs welcoming him home.
We met Rachit (Rohit's brother) after Amelia got on the school bus and decorated it all.
Rachit had bought balloons as big as Austin.
Ishita was so surprised!
Silly girl playing peek-a-bo with Daddy in the bathtub
(It's a long video, but I kept hoping she'd do it to the extent that she had been before I pulled out my phone.)
Free Rita's Italian Ice on the First Day of Spring!
(It was cold, but not snowing like last year. So we ate in the car.)
Colleen approved of the peach ice!
Finally caught two mini-videos of Colleen walking!
