Grandma's House

April
We all gathered at Grandma and Pa's house for Easter weekend. The cousins came down from Virginia and they were all so excited to have a hayride through the woods. Hayrides aren't just for October anymore...it's the new normal fun activity when we visit. 

The boys are still small enough to share a bed at night, but I really don't know how long that will last. O is growing quickly and W moves around constantly while sleeping.

E moves around quite a bit as well. We have to prop a pillow under the side of the mattress so she doesn't fall out. We do the same for the boys, and yet, all three manage to still fall out on occasion.

Big helpers making potato salad with Grandma.

The Easter Egg Hunt for those who are old enough and young enough to participate.

My sister and I also threw a retirement party for my mom who has finally decided to leave the workforce. Her boss and coworkers will miss her tremendously and mom will no doubt miss her paycheck, but she's happy to be at home doing whatever she wants.

It was a big surprise. She had no idea we were planning it. So walking into the house from the Easter Egg Hunt to see this was astounding. Happy Retirement!

Mom and Dad are planning to remodel their master bathroom, so we helped them out a bit and gave them their fabulous faucets.

Mom wore a retirement pin with flashing colored lights, which was a hit with the grandkids, especially W. He was mesmerized by the lights, continuously asked questions about the pin and desperately wanted to have it. After awhile, the adults had enough and the lights were turned off. W was not happy about that.

Baby H and her adorable outfit. Love, love, love it!

We treated mom and dad to lunch and the girls were pleased as punch to have their own booth. Boy, did they feel all grown up. They talked candidly, crossed their legs, and refused help from anyone. They were all smiles and giggles over there.

A loves a good Mexican restaurant and enjoys speaking Spanish to everyone. He does not love, however, sitting next to O in a restaurant at nap time. Not fun.

It wasn't too bad though, especially since he eventually fell asleep while eating.

Baby H fell asleep too.

When the girls got ready for bed they were pleasantly surprised to see each other in the same nightgown. They screamed with delight. So cute.

Easter Pics

April

Family pictures on Easter.

 

Stand Up! Stand Up!...

...For what you believe in, believe in, believe in... (Veggie Tales Song)
End of March

I don't think we had much of a Spring. Summer weather came on quickly and I packed away all of our Winter clothes. So on those occasional mornings when it's pretty chilly outside, I sometimes get looks when I drop my kids off at school without a coat. Not everyone knows my kids and they're quick to judge. My kids don't mind the chill. Have you seen the pics I put on here? Christmas time and they're outside in a swimsuit?  Why carry a coat around when it'll be 80 degrees by noon?

One day both A and I got upset with E's teacher. E didn't bring a jacket to school and her teacher refused to let her go outside for recess. WHAT? Did E not want to go outside? Did she complain about being too cold? No. The teacher just felt like it was too chilly without a jacket. E cried at her table while the teacher called A at work. By the end of the conversation, A told the teacher to let E go outside if she wants to. Come to find out, the teacher still put a jacket on my daughter- a borrowed one- and then let her go play. E told her that wasn't healthy and then E hung it up on the fence while she played because she was too warm anyway. Well, well, well...So, we were upset because 1) the teacher was deciding what was too hot or cold for my child, 2) she went against what my husband told her to do, and 3) she put another child's jacket on my daughter! Are you crazy? Have you heard of lice?

We're so proud of E. She is still on the shy side, but she has stood up for herself quite a few times in Kindergarten. Usually when it comes to health.

In Kn, the class has a snack in the afternoon because they eat lunch at 10:45am. The parents are in charge of bringing in a weeks worth of snacks for the class a few times throughout the year. Despite the encouragement from the teacher to provide healthy snacks, the parents provided junk food. I do admit, it is more expensive to buy healthy food for a class of 20 for a week, but come on...it's doable. When it was my turn I brought things such as water, bagels to half, carrot and celery sticks with dressing, cinnamon graham crackers, pretzels and Cheez Its. I didn't spend a fortune.

At the beginning of the school year, E didn't complain about the class snack, but after awhile she was unhappy with the junk she was given every day. Each week she was consuming cookies, donuts, cheese puffs, chips, and every sugary drink known to man that stains her face to look like the Joker. When picking her up in the afternoon, she would complain that her stomach hurt. She knew her snacks were not healthy for her body every day and she was convinced they were making her sick. E wanted to bring her own snack, but was afraid her teacher wouldn't let her. I let her know that if she wanted to bring her own snack, she can. If she wanted to make a healthy choice, she can and her teacher will like it.

Well, she did it. For the majority of the year, E brought her own snack and loved it. She had sweet peppers, carrots, celery, string cheese, and granola bars. The kids wondered why E was bringing her own snack. What was she going to bring today? And then some even wanted E's snack instead of the junk. Although she was a little nervous, E told her teacher and her friends that she wanted to bring her own snack because she wanted to eat healthy. Good for You, E! We love you!

 Baby H is 4 months old.

 Tummy Time is rare because of safety reasons.

 She can roll over and push herself up. She 'talks' and laughs a lot.

 The boys hung their pj's up.

There are hooks on the wall that used to hold a rod and quilt. They tore that down a long time ago, but the hooks remain. Apparently, they created a game.

 I guess they were successful. Good aim, right?

 Baby H is mesmerized by the Ipad.

While E was teaching her how to play Cut The Rope, she was very interested and wanted to play all by herself. She laughed and laughed at the little green guy and all his noises.

Playschool Swim

March

The boys' class at playschool began swim lessons at the Y once a week until the end of the school year. It was a great opportunity for the kids to get used to the water and learn basic skills. After the  morning routine at school, the class walked together to the Y for an hour lesson. I would then pick the boys up afterward. It was fabulous.

There were 10 kids in the class with two swim instructors. W turned on the charm and flirted with them as much as possible.

 The boys loved their lessons. W felt very confident with a flotation belt, a noodle, and a ball. Almost all the kids looked like this at one point or another. There were only two kids who were usually crying, clinging to the teacher or the wall.

 O, of course, was not one to shy away from the pool. He was all over it. He had a hard time listening to his teachers because he felt like he could do what he wanted. He sat in time out often. They had to repeat the rules quite a bit for him.

 He was a very confident 3 year old.

I Don't Feel Good

March

Baby H has had several little bouts of sickness in her wee life so far. With E in kindergarten and the boys in playschool, we try our best to have sanitary rules in place. No matter how hard we try, someone still gets sick at some point.

 Baby H was the victim.

 Temp, sneezing, snot, cough...

 

 She was not a happy camper.

 I do NOT feel good!

 

 Look at that drool.

 It's awful when your baby can't breath very well, especially at night. Even more unnerving is their cough that seems too big for their little bodies.

We just need some sleep! But I don't think either one of us will get it for awhile.

Poor baby.