Some Sun and Some Rain

A day at the park

The weather made the kids giddy. Master tried on Miss's shoes. Miss tried on my flip-flops. Yes, that is Angels gear Master is wearing. No, Mr. had nothing whatever to do with it, and was not home when I dressed the little guy.

This week brought our first warm temperatures and Spring-like days. We are now caught in the midst of several days of Spring rains, but we enjoyed the warmth while it lasted. We were able to visit our local park as a family, we were able to wear shorts, and were able to meet up with friends at Minnehaha Falls to enjoy a day with temps in the 80's!! We had to break out the sunscreen. I am appreciating the change in temperature, big time.

I cannot wait for full-on summer so that we can walk out the door without outerwear, and we can wear sandals. Oh how I love my flip-flops. How I longed for them these long winter months. How lonely they have looked, languishing in the back of my closet. Their day is coming. It is almost here. I can feel it in the air. The littles were like happy puppies set free to play at the park and in our backyard. They couldn't stop smiling as they ran, jumped, and kicked the soccer ball. It will be great to be able to get out with them again.

Go away, rain! We're ready for more sun . . .

A Birthday, A Visit, and Other Fun

We are looking back on the past week with thankfulness. Miss turned 4 on March 19th. She had a great birthday, and it was sweet to see how the most exciting part of it all for her was being called "The Birthday Girl" all day. She grinned and giggled all day long. Her birthday was made all the more fun by a visit from Grandma and Papa. She played, played, played with her willing companions *constantly*, each and every day that they were here. Master also enjoyed all of the extra attention, and perfected the word "Grandma" during their visit.

Of course, this great time led to some sad little critters when Grandma and Papa had to leave on Wednesday night. Miss was especially sad this time around. She vowed, "Tonight, I will dream of Grandma and Papa. And the Children's Museum . . . because I know Cinderella's song. The dream that you wish will come true."

She said it all with such conviction. The girl *believes* that Cinderella must know what she is talking about.

They always keep us smiling. Here they are, playing on the rocking chair together -- one of their recent favorite things to do.

Oops . . . Bonk!

Weatherman Paul Douglas warned the Twin Cities:

Be a little careful this morning, the puddles will have refrozen causing a few slick spots on sidewalks and driveways.

I can verify that this warning should be heeded. Yep, I slipped on the ice and fell as I was walking the kiddos toward the car for a library outing on Saturday. No serious injuries to report. Just a little bit of soreness. Miss was alarmed, Master (who was tucked in my arms, and therefore a passenger on the atomic seat drop) thought it was pretty fun. I was wet in unfortunate places from the ice and snow, and grateful that none of the neighbors were around to see my graceful moves.

Just a little picture of life in hazardous Minnesota.

The Name Game

Seeing as the newest Peanut will arrive in only 25ish weeks, Mr. and I have begun serious negotiations over the little tike's name. We have, in the past, kept the names of our children a closely guarded secret until their days of birth. This was intended primarily to avoid the experience of excitedly telling a friend or loved one our choice of a name, only to have them respond with either a) stunned silence, or b) "Oh. That's . . . . . interesting."

Knowing that very few people are tactless enough to criticize a child's name after he/she has already been born, we have decided to reserve our name revelations until the child proceeds from the womb into the world. Additionally, we have found that keeping the name a secret has added some fun and suspense to the having-a-baby process.

This pregnancy, however, is unique in that we have a third voice chiming in with name choices this time around. Miss has become quite concerned over what we are going to name the boy, and talks about it quite a bit. Mr. and I have encouraged her to give us some of her ideas, but she seems totally stumped. Her first insistence was that we give him Master's name. I told her that we could not do this, because it would be confusing, but she felt quite strongly that two brothers should be named the same thing.

Having finally relented on this notion, her new idea is that the child should be named "Little Teeny Baby Boy." She seems quite pleased with this choice. We do not plan to tell her the name of her brother before he arrives, because she would most definitely tell every living creature on earth and therefore end our fun with the name suspense thing. I just hope that, when our little one is born, she is not horribly disappointed when we do not introduce him as "Little Teeny Baby Boy."

Thought of the Day

“…the child’s most fixed and dominant habits are those which the mother takes no pains about, but which the child picks up for himself through his close observation of all that is said and done, felt and thought, in his home.” ~Charlotte Mason

So very true.

On another note, the littles are looking cute with fresh haircuts. Miss was so excited about the whole thing, that she decided to strangle her brother.


And, our snow is melting, but there are still some formidable piles here and there. We are expecting temperatures in the 40's this week, and I may wear shorts and sandals. It will feel nice and warm compared to what we have been experiencing.

With Piles of Snow in the Yard . . .

What have we been doing?

We have been . . . .

Reading:

For the Littles:

Uncle Elephant by Arnold Lobel

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

Doggies by Sandra Boynton

Along with a *lot* of Winnie the Pooh from various books. These stories are Master's current favorite. He runs around the house repeating "Pooh! Teeeger! PoohTeeeeeeger! Pooh! Teeger!"

For Me:

A fascinating article:

How Not to Talk to Your Kids: The Inverse Power of Praise by Po Bronson

As my children's current and future teacher, this information on the effect of praising provides much food for thought.


Playing:

Cranium Hullabaloo

Miss's favorite thing to do right now is to set this up and play on the basement floor. It is beyond fun for her, and Master tries, in a very cute way, to participate with the rest of the family.

Listening:

For the Littles:

Frog and Toad Audio Collection

I loved this as a kid, and it is fun to see my little ones enjoying it, as well.

Muppet Show: Music, Mayhem and More

And, of course, the never-ending soundtrack inside Miss's brain.

For Me:

Beautiful and Treacherous Thing by The Spares

And, because of Mr.'s latest interest . . . a lot of Gram Parsons. Which I am enjoying, by the way.


And, Laughing: