A Weekend with Grandpa

This weekend Grandpa Steve and Jayne came to visit the kids. In no time Joshua had Grandpa on the ground coloring.

Tabitha wanted to do the same.

They also brought their dog Peanut. It takes both of the kids some time to warm up, but soon they were enjoying her company. Here's Joshua, Tabitha, Jayne, and Peanut.

At dinner Joshua was playing hide-and-seek with Grandpa.

Dad and Jayne decided the kids needed a swing set, so Saturday morning Dad and Josue assembled it. (I should have taken some pictures.)

By 1PM it was ready! The kids really had a good time.

Grandpa was relaxing after the assembly, and Joshua was chasing Peanut.

They left Saturday to return home. We look forward to seeing them again!

Another Rainy Day

Rain is so wonderful. I say this because we seldom get it, especially in the summertime. We are at home today enjoying it.

Once the kids had breakfast and a change of clothes, we had a Bible lesson. The story was the Good Samaritan. We talked about how to be nice to others when they are hurt. I knew they would like this lesson because they got to add a band-aid to the Samaritan. It will be a lesson they remember. Here they are coloring their pictures.

As we were eating lunch, the rain really began to pour. I opened all the windows in the kitchen and living room, and they stayed right by them watching it rain. I then decided it would be nice to take a nap together on the living room floor. I laid down a few blankets and told them to go get their pillows. Tabitha understands everything. Here she is lugging her blanket and pillow.

This is the pretend nap picture.

We read a few books then naptime. Tabitha fell asleep first. Joshua was not far behind.

What a sleepy pair!

A Day at Home

The kids and I have been busy this week. Monday Gigi and Papa Fred came to visit so we went to lunch at Chick-Fil-A. Tuesday we went running random errands. One stop was to the laundromat. Joshua had two comforters I wanted to wash. It was definitely the first time the kids had been there. It was exciting for them.

Wednesday we went to the park with Joshua's playgroup and then had lunch with Buela. Also, we went to KidZone at church. A very busy day!

Thursday was Elizabeth's birthday so we took her and Ella to lunch at Central Market. Lots of fun and good food.

Today we stayed home. I finally ordered a book I had once cited on this blog titled, "Unplugged Play" by Bobbi Conner. It gives tons of ideas for playing with kids. The materials needed probably can be found lying around your home. Here the kids are doing idea #131-Wash the Babies or the Cars. I didn't have plastic baby dolls, but we do have cars. I would have done this outside, but it is dreary here. I gave the kids a bowl of soapy water, a wash cloth, and cars. They enjoyed washing, especially Joshua. The floor did get very wet, but I kept a towel nearby.

After that I decided to have them help me clean out the fish bowl. Joshua does a good job of transferring the fish. Tabitha likes to watch them.

We also went for a walk and played for a short time in the backyard. It was good. Now they are napping from all the excitement of the day. Have a great weekend!

Rainy Day

Monday was a sunny day, and now Friday is a rainy day. I considered going out to run an errand but quickly changed my mind. It was best to stay indoors.

We had visited a park on three separate days this week, so I think my kids were expecting to leave. They had a ton of energy. It all began when everyone was awake at 7:00 A.M. I was thinking, "What? It's dark and rainy outside. Don't you want to stay in bed a little longer?" Really, that's what I wanted to do.

Mid-morning after breaking up many arguments, I let them paint. I was trying to get Joshua to start painting a letter J. I even showed Tabitha the same thing with the T. I was glad Joshua focused long enough to attempt a J.

By the time I got the camera out, they were already creating their own masterpieces.

Then it was lunch time. We've been teaching the kids some Spanish words because Joshua is interested. His vocabulary consists mainly of food because the lessons usually occur as we're eating. Here he is telling a joke about a Spanish word.

Joshua: How do you say "tortilla" in Spanish?"

Me: I don't know, how do you say it?

Joshua: Tortilla!

Tabitha then surprised me with her Spanish. She had been saying the same word over and over again, and I would just nod at her pretending I knew what she was saying. (I think I'm going to hurt their feelings if I say, "I don't understand you.") Finally I realized what she had been saying and was totally amazed.

Me: Tabby, what are you eating?

Tabby: Beans

Me: What are you eating?

Tabby: Bean, bean

Me: A bean?

Joshua: Manzana (That's apple in Spanish.)

Me: How do you say "bean" in Spanish?

Tabby: Bean

Joshua: Frijoles, frijoles!

Me: What is it Tabby?

Tabby: Frijoles

Me: Frijoles?

Tabby: Um-huh

She had been saying "frijoles" five or six times before I jumped for the camera. I am going to start speaking more to them since they are such sponges.

We did have a good day despite the rain!

Sunny Day

On Monday morning I woke up so excited to see the sun due to the dreary weekend weather. I immediately called Elizabeth (I think before 8AM) and asked her if they would like to join us at the Capital for lunch on the lawn. What fun we had! I really enjoyed watching the kids play.

Here are my kiddos gathering leaves on the lawn.

Tabby attempting to blow bubbles.

Ella is playing with all kinds of things.

Little Ms. Peyton really liked playing with Tabby. She is a very sweet baby.

Joshua looking through a magnifying glass.

I will definitely do this again soon!

Easter

Well, there was much to celebrate. But most importantly, we were happy to celebrate Jesus being alive! As Joshua was falling asleep last night, I heard him talking a lot, so I turned up his monitor. He was replaying the events of the day. I was a very proud mommy when I heard him repeating over and over again, "He's alive!"

Easter began with a gift from Grandpa Steve and Jayne. Yummy! Chocolate. Joshua didn't hesistate to tell Grandpa Steve later that the candy hurt his tummy. (He ate it really fast and with milk.)

On Saturday we went to an Easter Egg Hunt. There were tons of eggs laying on the ground. Tabitha went through and picked out all the purple ones. She really took no interest in the other colors. Oh, and it must be her favorite color because she also wanted a purple Easter dress.

Joshua was so excited to be gathering the eggs. He was happy to be using his Mickey basket.

There were also a horse and pony. Neither of them was scared to ride. It was fun watching them.

Mommy and Daddy tried to take a picture with them. Here's what we got.

Sunday was our big day. We worked hard for our Easter service at church. There is a picture coming to me of us all dressed up.

After church, we went to my grandmother's house for lunch and another egg hunt. Don't these two look so sweet together!

Tabby didn't have many purple options in Easter Eggs (or dresses as you can tell).

But she did find a princess egg. Once she did, all she wanted to do was find Princess Jasmine (her favorite princess by far).

Joshua had lots of fun looking. Aunt Tammy and Julia did a great job helping him find the hard to reach ones. Also Uncle Keith was so nice to share his eggs with Joshua. He'd set them on the ground when Joshua was looking. The hunted ended only when Mommy made Joshua go in and get something to drink.

Happy Easter!

Outdoor Fun?!

Last weekend Gigi came to visit. Joshua talks to her about everything and reminded her of his butterfly net she had once given him so she decided to get him a new one. (The other one broke-but don't tell him that.) There were other goodies at the dollar store and here both the kids are enjoying them. Tabitha is upset because the handle came off.

Since the weather is so nice, it's time to be outside, right? Well, both my kids' noses are running like crazy. Tabitha was seen by the doctor and found to have an infection in both ears from all the drainage. I was told oak was very high, and sure enough it is. Poor babies! How can outside be any fun right now? I am waiting for the allergy medicine to kick in before we head back out for a long period of time.

These other photos were taken on Joshua's command. He isn't camera shy. Enjoy!