20 Months!

We celebrated Michaela's 20-month-a-versary yesterday with a fun visit with friends. The photos may not reflect it because it was nearly impossible to get any two of the three children - ages 14 months, 20 months, and 28 months, in the same place at the same time. So like any self-respecting parent, I focused on taking photos of my own kid. Anyway, we had a very fun time playing with Lily and Isaiah (and Sarah and Kalina). We went to a park and took in as much vitamin D as we could - swinging on a big kid swing (and kneeing Isaiah in the head when he got too close - sorry!) going down the tandem slide with Lily, and generally running around in the bark chips. Good times.



Kalina helping Lily try the monkey bars



Isaiah is not so keen on trying the monkey bars and tries to jump down



Michaela checking out the curvy slide compared to the straight slide

After all that exercise we needed some food, so we walked to lunch at Wendy's - possibly Michaela's first lunch at a fast food restaurant, at least that I remember. While my daughter loved to eat the french fries, dipped in both ketchup and ranch, she refused to eat the pieces I had broken up for her into bite size, and only ate the whole ones. After a whopping two chicken nuggets and a mandarin orange brought from home, she was full. Oh, except for the bites of frosty I grudgingly shared. Add to that a walk back to Kalina's house in the sunshine, and it was a delightful celebration day. Thanks friends!

Ode to Joy

Some days in this rainy, rainy spring it has been challenging for me to look on the bright side (I mean, really, I could barely even see, it was so dark outside). So one day recently when we had a sunny afternoon for a walk I wanted to document the signs of spring that I could see. They bring joy to my heart and I wanted to post them so that, in case we don't get another sunny day this spring, I can look back on them and enjoy the beauty, and persistent hopefulness - these plants know spring is coming- of God's creation.

These are actually my flowers, newly planted last fall in our front yard.

Baby blueberry plant, one of eight, planted along our front fence. We may have fruit in like 5 years.

Learning to take time and smell the flowers (with our nose, not our fingers)

adventures at home and abroad

Michaela and I have been spending a lot of time at home lately, considering the weather and Adam's super busy work schedule. Michaela recently has been enjoying the aprons Grammy made her. She prefers wearing them both at once. And she also demands that I wear my apron the same time she has hers on. Unfortunately, I do not look as cute as she does.

On the one sunny day we had on "spring break" week - which really means nothing to us at this point - Michaela and I went to the Sherwood wildlife refuge and went for a walk. She probably walked 3/4 of a mile all under her own power (and at a very slow speed for me!) As much fun as the walk was, and looking at the birds and playing in the gravel, the most fun by far was weaving in and out of the bicycle rack at the head of the trail. Who knew we didn't even need to leave the parking lot?!

safety first?

Grab the camera, take a photo, all the while saying, "Michaela, I don't think that's too safe."