Here Comes Trouble

I spent most of my afternoon going through toys, discarding the ones that were just past their prime and recycling the ones we no longer needed. Both K and L have birthdays just around the corner and I have a feeling they will be receiving a new supply.

H's favorite activity, however, is destruction. After all the care I took in sorting toys, putting them back into organized bins and cleaning up all the mess left over, this is what I found H doing...

Of course, once I got the camera out, L wanted to be in the picture with H.I'm pretty sure they're going to be a bad combo in about 10 years. I just have a hunch.

(As a brief aside, at dinner H said "na-na" for banana and said "sees" for cheese when I told L to say "cheese!" for the camera. Oh, he's so talented!)

Good Friends are Hard to Come By

Yesterday I got to spend my morning with some wonderful friends. Our youth/music minister took a job elsewhere about 2 years ago and we've missed him and his family terribly since they moved. They are in town for a few days and we were able to see them yesterday at a friend's house. It was so much fun. The kids played on the water slide while the mommies (and one daddy) got to catch up, reminisce, and just enjoy being around each other. Time is precious when you're a mom of young ones and I was so thankful that everyone was able to be there. A good time was had by all!

The Things They Learn When You're Not Looking

Yesterday, on the way home from the gym, I had to stop for a red light. The gas station on the corner is undergoing some renovations and the kids (meaning my girls) always ask what they're doing and wonder, aloud, what those big machines do.

Then L piped up and asked, "What is that hand for?" I'm thinking she's talking about something in the car or something related to the gas station. I, for the life of me, can not figure out what she's talking about. I said, "What hand are you talking about?" Again, she asked, "What is that hand for?" I'm still baffled as to what hand she is referring. It's one of those moments where you feel completely lost and would love to answer your child's questions but just can't. I don't like that feeling.

K, on the other hand, knew exactly what L was talking about. She said, "It means you're not supposed to walk across the street." That's when I looked up and realized that L was referring to the red hand on the crosswalk sign indicating it was not safe to cross the street.

I am so amazed that K, at five, knows what she knows. Some things are taught at school; many more things are taught at home. But there is so much that children just pick up on. When I asked where she learned that she said, "I don't know. I just knew it."

Edited to Add: After telling S this story, he informed me L asked the same question the other day. He answered her which is how K knew the answer when I was around. So much for thinking my child is brilliant. Well, I know she's brilliant, just not about this particular subject.

One More

I promise I'm done with the blogging today. I guess this makes up for my absence at the end of last month. Here's a picture of K with all her buddies at a birthday party for a friend. These were the girls in her kindergarten class this year.

I Couldn't Have Said it Better Myself

I was going to write about this very thing but Mod Girl beat me to it. It truly sums up a dear friend's adoption journey. I, too, received the early morning phone call relating the good news. What a beautiful answer to prayer!

Family Fun

S's brother, along with his wife and 8 kids, live in the same town we do. Well, at least until Thursday. They are moving and we are very sad to see them go. They spent the evening with us one night last week, eating dinner, playing, and visiting for the last time. We are so grateful for the time we've had to get to know them and will truly miss having them around.

Since we're still trying to be healthier eaters, S got watermelon for dessert. He got two small watermelons and cut very large chunks for all of the little kids. It made for some great pictures!

Oh, How the Mice Played

This past weekend I got to do something I rarely get to do: I got to surprise my mom (Nana). As an adult, we get so few surprises in life so this one was really fun. She celebrated a big birthday last week and I was able to be there, unbeknownst to her. You should have seen the look on her face when she pulled into her driveway and I was there waiting for her! It was totally worth the trip. We had a great time getting to do all sorts of fun things we never get to do, like shopping, eating out, smelling lotions at the store for half an hour.

How, you might wonder, was I able to do this when there are usually 3 children tugging me in a million different directions? They were home with their Daddy. Yes, you read that correctly. All three stayed home with Daddy while I spent the weekend with Nana. Oh, it was such fun. My mom and I haven't had that much time to ourselves since I got married. It was quite nice. Plus, I got to sleep in!

Meanwhile, on the home front, S let the kids have lots of fun this weekend. The house wasn't too torn up when I got home. Here are a few pictures of their day on Saturday: