Easter Fun

Oh, what a difference a year makes! We dyed Easter eggs tonight and Luke carefully chose colors, waited patiently for each egg to absorb the dye (insisting that we color them one at a time), and was almost self-sufficient with this activity! (We dyed eggs for the first time last year, and I remember it being a race to the finish with lots of chaos, with a 2 year-old who had a very limited attention span!) Luke really enjoyed the entire process of preparing and dying the eggs today, and Leah sat in her highchair and quietly watched her big brother. Here are our cute kiddos, sharing in some Easter egg fun:














We also had breakfast with the Easter Bunny last weekend, and Leah decided that this guy ranked right up there with Santa Claus on her list of most-feared creatures:



Thank goodness Nutty has a fearless big brother to protect her:



Luke, on the other hand, could have chatted with his old pal, E.B., all day long:


With matching thumbs-up poses and hugs all around, Luke and the Easter Bunny know who brings the Easter goodies to our house, and are ready for lots of holiday fun!

First Golf Lesson

We took the kids to the driving range for the first time on Saturday, and were amazed at how well Luke did at his first golf lesson. Here's our photo blog of our little golfer's debut on the greens:

Luke has his own golf clubs and bag, which fit him perfectly:



The boys made their grand entrance:



The ball machine was a big hit:



Someone insisted on carrying his own bucket of balls, of course:



Coach Daddy helped Luke select the correct club:



Our little golfer on his own:



This kid's a natural!



Father and son: (I LOVE this picture!)



No visit is complete without browsing the pro shop:



Click HERE to see a video of Luke golfing! (Daddy taught him to "bounce" before he swings the club, which you can see on this video!)


After patiently watching her big brother, Peanut decided that she wanted to take a turn at the tees, too!

Perfecting her stance:



Having so much fun!



Serious golf expression:

Backyard Pool Party

We've dug out all of our summer toys and had quite a few backyard pool parties in the past couple of weeks! This beautiful warm weather has meant lots of fun in the sun and the kids have had a blast splashing and playing in the water. It's hard to believe it's only March! Here are some cute pictures (and a preview of this summer's beach fashion from our littlest swimsuit model):

Snakes and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails...

"...That's what little boys are made of!"

#373 on the list of things I never thought I'd do as a parent = Attend a Reptile Show with my son.

(This is followed closely behind "Going to see a Monster Truck", which we successfully crossed off this list earlier this year).

This morning, the Carolina Reptile Show was held less than a mile from our house. We couldn't pass up this opportunity and decided to check it out. I "won" the coin toss to see which parent would accompany Luke, and was only slightly dissuaded by the signs that read: "BUY, SELL, TRADE!" as we pulled into the parking lot. There were tables upon tables of vendors with reptiles for sale, and critters of every shape and size. Luke was fascinated by many of the creatures, and I mustered lots of "enthusiasm" as we reached each booth. I did catch myself involuntarily shuddering a few times when I realized that several people who were browsing beside us and walking around the show had reptiles out in the open (snakes on their shoulders, lizards perched on their hands). I would have been much more content if everything had been in cages and contained. Luke enjoyed petting the 6 foot-long monitor lizard, but didn't want to pose for a picture with it (as advertised on the Reptile Show's website). This was just fine with me, especially after I overheard the handler tell someone how the the giant lizard was "a little agitated" and he wanted to "calm him down a bit"... Anyway, here are pictures from our morning, and I'm thrilled to be able to say that I've crossed this activity off my bucket list!


Spiders, lizards, millipedes, and scorpions...



These tiny green turtles were Mommy's favorite!



Not for the squeamish: Snakes, snakes, and more snakes.



Keeping a cautious distance.



I fully appreciate the double barrier here- Plastic within plastic. I also took this one to show the astronomical prices on some of these reptiles: $900?!



Petting one of the "displays".



A little braver here. I bribed Luke shortly afterward to go home and "get a present" because I was all done!

Adventures of a Preschooler

Luke has had many fun adventures this week. The first was Clifford's birthday party at school on Wednesday. Luke's classroom is Clifford-themed this year, and the children adore their class mascot. The party included cupcakes, doggie bones, presents for Clifford, and this adorable set of Clifford ears. Luke was so filled with joy and excitement about Clifford's birthday, and it was lots of fun to watch as a parent.



In other relevant preschool news, it's Dinosaur-Mania around here. We've recently acquired 2 new additions to our family, "Rex" and "Steg", and Luke loves them to pieces. They are now added to the enormous heap of stuffed animals that sleep in Luke's bed with him. I really don't know how there is room for my child in the middle of that pile, but somehow Luke insists on sleeping with every single one. The dinosaurs now give "rides" to all of the baby stuffed animals and I think it's only a matter of time before Luke decides to gallop down the hall riding piggy back on one of them. The additions of our new prehistoric pals gives me a glimpse of a potential dinosaur craze soon in Luke's life- what fun for a little boy!






We're in the middle of spring soccer season at preschool, too, and I haven't taken any pictures yet, but Luke still wakes up every Wednesday morning elated for "Soccer Wednesday". The coaches have hearts of gold, and the entire thing looks like a complete disaster every time I watch. 3 and 4 year-olds are running wildly all over the field, doing somersaults or picking flowers instead of kicking the ball, crashing into the goal, and basically creating lots of joyful chaos which doesn't resemble a structured, organized team sport in the slightest bit. But it's so much fun, and Luke now uses words like sportsmanship, respect, and patience in his vocabulary thanks to soccer, so it's completely worthwhile in my opinion.


Lastly, I received this e-mail today from the director of Luke's preschool:

Dear Parents:

The big buzz this morning is that there is a live webcam of a Bald Eagle’s nest with two babies and one more egg to hatch. We have been watching it all morning and the children had a chance to see the Momma and Daddy Eagle feeding the two babies. The link to be able to watch this is:

http://www.alcoa.com/locations/usa_davenport/en/info_page/eaglecam.asp

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I immediately went to the website so that I could watch the eagles myself and be able to talk to Luke about them when he got home from preschool... and I was speechless. The sight of these majestic bald eagles feeding their day-old babies was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen- a sure reminder of God's miracles each spring... of renewal and new life, of hope and creation. I thought about how my preschooler was witnessing and understanding this miracle for the first time in his life, what incredible adventures await him each day, and how much fun he has experiencing all of these wonders. And my heart was very, very full.

I remember my first meeting with Luke's preschool teachers last summer. I was nervous about having my son away from me for the first time, and did not know what to expect. Miss Carrie said to me: "My job as a preschool teacher is to have your child love coming to school each day." If I only knew how true this would turn out to be, as Luke literally bounds out of the car each morning at the preschool carpool drop off line. What I didn't realize is how much we would all love preschool. Our entire family loves the adventures, the weekly themes, the artwork, and the stories that Luke tells us each week. What a blessing it is for us all to live life through a preschooler's eyes for a moment, as they learn about the ordinary and the miraculous, and experience that joy with our children.

Welcome Spring!

Luke and I went on a date tonight for our first ice cream outing of the year, and the verdict is in:

GOOD STUFF!



We're so happy it's spring/ice cream season again!

Long Overdue

I think that we are days away from Leah's first unassisted steps, and realized that I am long overdue in posting a video of her. (I don't think I've shared one since she started crawling this fall!) Unlike her older brother (who had absolutely no fear or safety awareness when he was learning to walk), Leah is very cautious and tentative. She can stand alone and is able to walk beside me, holding on to one of my hands. However, if I let go, Leah looks imploringly up at me with those huge blue eyes and stretches her arms up in the air, urging me to pick her up or hold her hand again. There is a big transformation in my eyes when my children go from quadruped to upright mobility: They suddenly seem so much more like toddlers vs. babies, so I have been in no rush to encourage this milestone with Leah. I love the sound of her little hands padding on the ground and the sight of her little bottom swooshing back and forth when she crawls around the house. But I'm also looking forward to watching Leah take those first steps soon, and celebrating that new accomplishment with her.

Below are a couple of recent videos of Leah so you can see her mobility at this stage, as she walks with the help of her push toys. They also give you a glimpse of her sweet little personality, babbling away, giggling, and saying "Mama" (which I love, since most of the time, it's "Dada, Dada, Dada!").

Click HERE to watch Leah pushing her lion.


Click HERE to see my little shopper in action!

Here's a picture from dinner yesterday. Leah refuses to wear bibs, so usually we just strip her down. This is why we put her straight in the bathtub after she eats:




Below are another two pictures of Leah in her favorite hiding place. Luke also loved this cabinet when he was her age, and it's a cute way to have a sous chef in the kitchen with me while I make dinner:






Also, for pure entertainment value, I found this long lost video of Luke from last September. My favorite part is halfway through when he says: "You know this one!"
Click HERE to watch our little piano man singing some classics. Enjoy!

Lucky Leprechauns

Happy St. Patrick's Day from our 2 little leprechauns! Leah had the cutest outfit this year: a 3-piece ensemble from Carter's that included shamrock leggings, socks, and an emerald green tunic top. And unfortunately, the only acceptable picture I took of her wearing it was this mediocre one in her the stroller at the Leprechaun O'Gala yesterday (party at our parks and rec department):



But she was adorable nonetheless, and it was worth every penny to dress my baby in such festive attire.

I tried to dress Luke in his green St. Patrick's Day shamrock shirt from last year, but apparently size 4's are way too tight for my 3 year-old this spring, and it looked like a muscle tee, so we went for the "preppy leprechaun look" with a plain green Polo shirt and plaid shorts instead (it's been hovering around 80 degrees for the past several days!). He did accommodate me by dancing a little Irish jig on the couch:





Luke had a St. Patrick's Day celebration at preschool yesterday, and was really excited about the holiday this year. I was in charge of snack for the day, and had originally planned to take in honeydew slices in the shape of shamrocks (thanks to my St. Patty's Day-themed cookie cutter) and even found cupcake wrappers and toppers with shamrock decorations for the zucchini muffins that I envisioned. However, the teacher requested a snack which included Lucky Charms, green-koolaid, and instant pudding. These are 3 food items that Luke has never seen/eaten before, and he told me, "Mommy, I didn't like our snack today!" I have to say that the health freak in me was a secretly pleased!

We had a hugely productive day today, where Mark finished all of the mulching and initial heavy spring yardwork. I made lots of headway planning/organizing Luke's birthday party, although I am in denial that he will be turning 4 next month. We also bought a new mattress for Luke's bedroom, to replace the 20+ year old hand-me down that we have been using since he transitioned to a big boy bed. Mark and I set a firm budget before we walked into the store, promised to keep each other in check if we went even a dollar over, and then promptly spent exactly twice what we had planned. But the pillow-top was sooo luxurious, and there have been nights that Mommy or Daddy have fallen asleep in Luke's bed and could barely stand after waking up due to stiffness and a sore back. So, we're miles from drinking green beer on the streets of Dublin, but enjoyed a nice family day today full of projects and spending time with our lucky charms!