Musings

To say that it's been awhile since my last post would be an understatement. Honestly, I'm surprised that it has been THIS long. Though I'm posting this evening, I can't firmly state how often I'll post from here on out; after all, we are getting ready to begin a new chapter in our lives-- homeschooling. Still, I plan on posting from time to time, when the mood strikes, when I have something to share, or in all reality, when I have time. To tide you over until then, just a few musings about my favorite things/moments/people:

*I can't help but smile every time I hear Hunter say, "I'm a superhero, Mommy! Don't worry, I'll protect you and Leah from the bad guy!" (The bad guy is usually Scott.)

*Leah, like her mommy, is a bookworm. Watching her reading while walking makes me think of myself when I was a little girl. I love when she's so immersed in a story that she completely blocks out what's going on around her.

*Love those moments when I'm fully IN the moment. There's something about being immersed, consumed, and in-tuned to the activity at hand so much so that you can feel and experience the moment through every sense, and in every fiber of your being. Those are the moments I wish I could capture, savor, and re-live at will.

*I confess that I don't like getting up in the middle of the night when Leah has a bad dream. But, the blessing is that I can snuggle with her, often falling asleep alongside her. She's so wiggly during the day, that I don't get to snuggle cuddle with her much, but at night, she's relaxed, so she doesn't fidget and kick. I'll take those cuddles any way I can.

*Impending fall days make me think of apple dishes, café lattes, crisp days, cool nights, and leisurely afternoons outside. Oh how I'm ready for those days now!

In the moment at Natural Bridge, VA: We made an impromptu stop on our way home from SC.

One more reason why I love my little girl-- her creativity and imagination. She interpreted dress like a secret agent to mean "be an Awana princess police officer".

In the moment on a hot summer day: homemade popsicles after playing outside in the water with Leah and Connor.

Lots of moments at Hershey Park: Forget the rides. Watching the kids enjoy their first amusement park made that day memorable.
 

April Photos

The monocle is a nice touch. It really complements the "hat".

Trying out some new "dos" with their friend Connor.

Why catch butterflies when you can catch yourself? Yes, Hunter did this on his own.

And so Leah had to try, too.

 

Because it's so cold out, they had to don hats, mittens, and gloves.

Surprisingly enough, this look really works for her.

Leah and her friend Kate in the children's program at Bible study. Leah performed her little heart out.

Hunter's role in the children's program? Keep Mommy entertained. When his class first appeared, Hunter lifted his shirt, baring his belly for all to see. After that, he was a bit more subtle: he simply sat and crawled at the side of the stage.

All that dancing and singing must have worn her out!

Time to splash in puddles!

He doesn't have a raincoat, so he borrowed Leah's. Thankfully, he's too young to really care, especially since wearing it meant he could play in the rain (and splash in puddles), too.

Burnside Farms

The last week in April, we ventured out to Burnside Farms, a pick-your-own flower farm, with some friends. The whether was beautiful (starting out), but quickly clouded up once we arrived. No matter. That didn't stop us from exploring the small farm and picking tulips. (Because who wants daffodils when you can have tulips?)

Leah was certainly in her element. She probably would have picked every flower if I let her! Course, I can't blame her; they were all so beautiful, that deciding on a select few was difficult. Pretty soon, we managed to fill up our basket with a wide variety of colors.

Hunter wasn't as interested, but that could be because he just wanted to eat (for the record, he did have a snack as we entered the farm, so he certainly wasn't starving)... and because he's a little boy. But anyway... he did pose for a couple pictures, as well as pick out a few flowers. (He had a harder time picking them, which I think frustrated him a bit.)

Upon checking out, we noticed some colored bottles (vases), so both kids picked one out for their rooms, in addition to picking up a jar of raw, local honey (doesn't get any better than that!). Then it was time to settle down for a picnic lunch before venturing home. Ahhh, what a lovely day!

The tulips behind the kids spelled out the word "Love".

Sniffing a flower.

In her element.

Obviously, those clogs were the "perfect" fit.

Leah and her friends enjoyed trying on the numerous clogs in an attempt to find the perfect fit.

Posing in their clogs: Leah, Hunter, Carter, & Moira

Trying to get a decent picture of the two of them looking at the camera and smiling at the same time is next to impossible! 

Happy Easter!

The kids had a fabulous time at the church egg hunt; the weather was PERFECT, and we met up with some out-of-town friends, so it turned out to be a great day.

Entertaining herself while waiting patiently for the egg hunt. During the actual hunt, Leah was so content with the ten or so eggs she initially collected. I actually had to encourage her to get a few more (to reach a dozen). There were even more she could have picked up, but since she didn't want more, I didn't push it. So proud that she was happy with the few she had!

My little tough guy. Funny, though, how NOT so tough he looks with an Easter bunny basket on his head.

Too busy enjoying snowcones to even look at the camera. Prior to this, they had visited the petting farm before roping me into a moonbounce train. They tried going through, but got stuck at the slide, so I went in with them. After that, Hunter took a turn in a regular moonbounce. My little daredevil kept trying to do flips and somersaults.

Modeling their bunny hats. Kinda hard to smile with a mouthful of candy!

Can you see the ice cream cone on her cheek?

"I get to ride on the rainbow pony!"

Leah models her Easter dress and some of the goodies (jewelry) from her basket. Neither Leah nor Hunter expected a basket, so they didn't even ask about one, which was really a blessing. They know the true meaning of Easter, so when we pulled out their baskets at lunchtime, they were genuinely excited and thankful.

And you can't forget the earrings! Well, sticker earrings. She's not quite ready (neither is Daddy!) for the real thing.

Our tomb cake. The kids helped me make this the day before. This, coupled with a hunt for Easter eggs filled with trail mix and a scripture, really helped us celebrate Christ's resurrection and the glorious gift of salvation. He is risen indeed!

First REAL Haircut

Remember that incident with the Vaseline that I blogged about a few posts back? Well, because I butchered Hunter's hair (though I guess it wasn't too bad), he was in need of a real haircut. So, when my in-laws came down for Leah's birthday, they brought their clippers in an effort to fix Hunter's hair.

Whenever I trim Leah's hair/bangs, she wiggles and squirms, prolonging the time it takes to finish (and frustrating me to no end). I half expected Hunter to act that way when Mel (my mother-in-law) pulled out the clippers, but, to my surprise, he was perfect. While Grandma Mel trimmed, he sat perfectly still and without complaint. Such a big boy! Guess he was living up to how he would look: when Mel was done, gone was my baby boy, and in his place stood a (little) BIG boy. So handsome!

You'd think he was used to clippers by how still he sat, but this was his first time.

My handsome "little" boy. No more baby look!

Happy 5th Birthday, Leah!

Leah turned 5 March 10. There were days when 5 seemed so far off, yet she's now 5 and then some. (My friends with older kids warned me about time sneaking up like that!)

Since this was a milestone birthday, we threw Leah a party with a couple of her friends. (Actually, her birthday was more like the party that wouldn't end, since we celebrated three different times.) Where did she want to celebrate? Where does any kid? Chuck E. Cheese, of course! We bit the bullet and had CEC host/organize/etc. the whole thing rather than us trying to piecemeal order food, buy tokens, etc. This turned out to be a wise decision on our part. The funny thing is, Leah wasn't really interested in all the fun birthday extras. She refused to hi-five or even look at CEC when he appeared, instead scowling at the camera at the mere suggestion of looking at him. She also passed on the ticket blaster, even though Scott offered to go in with her. (Thankfully, Hunter was more than willing to try it out; when it was over, he said, "I want to do that again!") Still, Leah and her friends enjoyed themselves.

Party #2 was a family party with the grandparents. One of the highlights of the party happened to be a cat card. This was no ordinary card, oh no. This card was a cat's face, and when you pulled down on the "chin" (tab), the cat sings (meows) "Happy Birthday". Kid you not, Leah played that card over and over and over. (And in fact, she still has it in her room, and is known to eagerly show it to friends who might come over.) She'd ask, "Do you want to hear the cat card?" (Guess it was rhetorical, since no one ever had a chance to answer.)

Party #3 wasn't exactly a party, but it did occur on her actual birthday. Although we had celebrated the weekend before, I couldn't let her special day pass by without doing anything to commemorate it. So, based on her choice, she, Hunter, and I celebrated with some Sweet Frog (a wise choice, I must add).

What a joy celebrating this not-so-little girl who is such a blessing in my life!

Per her request: pink & purple cat cupcakes

Trying out the CEC birthday goodies (an inflatable token tiara & guitar balloon) while waiting for her friends to arrive.

Carter, Moira, Hunter, Leah, & Kate: Just give us our tokens and let us go play!

 

Hilarious! Who knew CEC could make a child scowl?

Scott rockin' out on the air guitar in an attempt to get Leah to do take over. Obviously she was more concerned with other things...

like eating her pizza and watching the CEC show on TV.

Karate chop!

Scott grabbed tickets while Hunter stood there laughing.

The annual birthday flowers for my beautiful girl.

There's the cat card!

Leah was kind enough to ask Hunter if he would like to help her open her gifts.

Like the wrapping job?

Trying out her new wheels.

Look who else had to try 'em out?

Happy Birthday, Leah!

Rip-roaring ready to go! She took off down the street on her bike, and couldn't get enough of it. (Fast forward to a month later, and she wants to do anything BUT ride her bike.)

Final hugs and kisses with Papa, Grandma Mel, and Grandma Teddy before they had to head home.

Hunter wanted to be a part of Leah's official birthday photo, too.