In point form...

I've been out of touch for a while and SOOO much has happened! I'm going to just make a quick list and expand on them later with pictures and more details. I just need to get some stuff down and out of my head right now.

1. Kirk graduated from Law School! And from graduate school with a master's degree in Financial Planning. Way to go, babe!
2. Kirk got a job! We'll be moving to either Dallas or San Antonio in time for him to start mid-August.
3. I got to go to Canada! Kirk definitely wins the Husband of the Year award for this one. He stayed home during his only week off (between graduation and starting his studying for the Bar exam) to take care of the kids and sent me solo to Canada for a week! Thanks babe!
4. We're having a boy! I kind of knew it all along, but it's nice to know for sure. We're still thinking of names...
5. Anthon finished his first year of school! He has learned so much and become such a sweet big brother to Erilyn. What a kid.


I think that's it for now...pictures to come...

Just because it needs to be recorded...

One of the things about kindergarten is that Anthon learns all the kid things like "first is the worst, second is the best," or "last one there is a rotten egg!" You know. So, he's always saying to Erilyn, "last one upstairs is a rotten egg!" or to wherever they are going, and the great thing is, she LOVES being the rotten egg! Even though she still tries to be first, the whole time she's running, she's also jumping up and down, arms in the air, shouting triumphantly, "I the rotten egg! I the rotten egg!"

Some of her recent interests are listening to music and dancing. Her dancing is mostly just cute two year old stuff, but she, amazingly, has occasional moments of grace and beauty in the way she moves her body. Yes, we're signing her up for dance classes soon.

One of the things I think is the coolest about Anthon is that his favorite books to read over and over again are his non-fiction books. One is about volcanoes, one is about tornadoes, one is about different ships and boats through the ages and across the world, and one is about deep sea creatures. I can't stress strongly enough how much he LOVES these books. And he LOVES watching Planet Earth episodes, or How the Earth was Made etc. He said to me in the car the other day, "Mom, I think I'm more into science." Which started an hour long conversation about different kinds of science, what those scientists do, which kinds of science he liked best, or would want to learn more about etc. It was awesome.

I was proud of myself the other day for taking advantage of a teaching opportunity. I'm a firm believer that the best time to teach your child something is when he/she comes to you with a question about it. So, in the car a couple of days ago, Anthon says, "Mom, can you get sick from fleas?" Which started a long conversation about different diseases, how insects can help spread them, how usually diseases that effect animals don't effect people and vice versa, etc. He was fascinated. And I just think it's so cool that what really grips him and grabs his interest are things about the world we live in, rather than cartoon characters.

The other day the kids and I were at McDonald's for lunch and Anthon comes running up to the table, breathless, and says, "Mom, Erilyn is so good at making friends. She'll play with anyone! And it helps me want to be better at making friends, too." While it's not necessarily true that Anthon needs to be better at making friends, (a boy four years older than Anthon said to me yesterday after I thanked him for hanging out with Anthon at the primary activity and told him how fun he thought it was, "Well sure. He's the fun one.") I love that he can recognize something Erilyn really is good at and not be jealous. I'm really treasuring the relationship they have right now. I know our family dynamics will change once the new baby comes, but I hope these two are always close like they are now. And I hope Erilyn will always have a sense of big brother worship for Anthon, and Anthon a protective and inclusive love for Erilyn. It really does bring a lot of joy into our lives just to see the two of them together! It's great.

Fun Lubbock Weather

 

There was a huge thunderstorm one night where it poured and poured, but the wind wasn't blowing hardly at all (which is rare), so Erilyn and I parked it on our front step and watched the rain for close to an hour. It was so fun! She still talks about it and asks if we can go listen to the "thummer."

 

Another storm. This one was windy, and produced hail big enough to really hurt if you got hit.

 

Notice in both these pictures how Anthon is right in the middle of the puddles, and Erilyn on the edge? She is much more cautious and concerned with getting wet. Anthon clearly has no qualms of jumping right in. I love noticing little differences like this about their personalities. Eventually Erilyn did go into the puddles, but never jumping and splashing like Anthon. I think her favorite parts were watching Anthon get soaked and the warm bath afterward. She mimics Anthon so much that I love seeing how she is really different. I love my kiddos!

Anthon lost his first tooth!

Easter morning, Anthon woke up with a mouthful of teeth. All healthy and solidly rooted in his mouth. By breakfast, he told me his tooth was kind of hurting, so I checked it for any redness in the gums, tried wiggling it, and found nothing wrong. In primary, a couple of hours later, he turns around in his chair and shows me--with a big old grin on his face--that his tooth is loose. I checked it after Church, and sure enough, it was a bit wiggly. We taught him how to chew on the other side of his mouth, and told funny stories about losing our own teeth in apples, or whatever. By dinner, it was VERY loose. Literally holding on by a thread. Kirk asked Anthon if he could try one time to pull it out, and if it didn't come out, he'd wait to try again until the next day. Anthon was very brave, and excited, and said "Sure." So, with a washcloth, Kirk grabbed the tooth, gave a little tug, and out it came! It was very anti-climatic. There wasn't any whining, or fussing, or bleeding or anything. All in one day. It got loose, and it came out. That's it. And that's so Anthon!

 
 

Easter!

 
We went to what was supposed to be an Easter Egg Hunt here in town, but that turned out to be a kidnapper's paradise! It was on a huge football field, with the eggs just all out on the field. Everyone was supposed to line up to wait on the edge of the field, and parents were NOT supposed to accompany their children onto the field. I took one look at how many people there were and said, "No way!" It made me very anxious just to look at the spectacle. Once the kids took off to find eggs, how were they supposed to find their parents again? Well, the answer was, many didn't! The lost kids booth was packed and I was so grateful I hadn't let the kids run onto the field. We went home and had our own Easter egg hunt, which was better anyway since Kirk is the master hider.

 
Sunday morning. This is after the kids found their baskets. Kirk loves to hide things, and the kids love to find them, so it worked out quite nicely.
 
Yes, the pathetic looking little basket is mine:)

A little of this, and a little of that...

 
Anthon reading to Erilyn. I love that this kid can read now!
 
Erilyn rocking out into her "microphone," which is actually the stick end of her stick horse.
 
Anthon on our most recent "Friday Family Fun" night...on Thursday.
 
Erilyn on our Thursday "Friday Family Fun" day.

Me at 5--or so--months pregnant

Not the best picture of me...but you can see my growing belly and that was the point, right?!

 

Random...

Here are Anthon and Erilyn fingerpainting with edible fingerpaint. They loved it!

 

And this picture is just to show how exactly Erilyn copies Anthon. It's very amusing.

 

Fun at the beach

During spring break, we went with some friends to the nearest lake and played. It really wasn't warm enough to swimming outside, but we couldn't keep the kids out of the water--which was freezing. They had a blast! I still think there's something funamentally wack about playing on the beach and in water in the middle of March. All you Canadians are complaining about snow, but I wish we had some! I think I'll always be a cold-weather girl at heart. No matter how much fun we have at the beach.

 
 

Erilyn did WHAT?

Erilyn came to me a couple of days ago saying she needed a kleenex. I helped her blow her nose, but she cried and cried telling me it hurt. I didn't know what to do, so I told her to keep blowing, hoping to unclog whatever boogie was in there. Pretty soon, she blew out a small toy. Seriously?!

If you would have asked me three days ago, which of my kids would be more likely to put a toy up his/her nose, I would have undoubtedly and without hesitation said Anthon. And I would have been wrong.