Good Lily

May 27, 2008, 5:03 pm

When we wear sunglasses, Lily looks at her reflection and points to one lens and says "That's good Lily!" and then she points to the other lens and says "That's bad Lily!" Yesterday we witnessed good Lily. We were at the Mitchell's house for a cookout, and Lily's hair was shiny and untangled. She wore a beautiful dress and hat. She behaved nicely around others and avoided arguing. She even stayed clean. Matt captured it on film if you don't believe me...

[ 3 comments ] ( 22 views )

Bowling Party

May 25, 2008, 10:27 pm

Noah requested a bowling party for his 7th birthday. So we took Noah and Lily and 7 of Noah's friends bowling Friday night. We couldn't have done it without help from Matt and Dawn who transported most of the kids and helped us control the rowdy bunch (especially the 7-year-old boys).

Noah had a great time. He was very excited to experience moonlight bowling. What is cooler than bowling in the dark with disco lights and music?

Some pictures of the fun:

[ 2 comments ] ( 13 views )

7 Years Old

May 24, 2008, 9:33 am

Noah turned 7 on May 22nd. The night before his birthday he asked me to talk about the day he was born. Boy did he get an earful. He asked me to go on and describe him as a baby. Eventually I had to stop and let him get some sleep. Noah said, "It's almost like this is the night before Christmas!"

Lily was quite grumpy when we woke her up at 7 a.m. on the 22nd. She warmed up quickly when she realized Noah was going to open presents. We got Noah a new bike that actually fits him (his old one looked so small this year!)

Noah's last day of 1st grade was on his birthday. He went for just an hour to pick up his report card and play outside for a while. His 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Saddoris, described Noah as a polite, well-mannered boy who did a great job in 1st grade and is ready to move on. Noah will miss his 1st grade class but is excited to start in Mrs. Sanchez's class next year.

We had a party for Noah with the Kruses, Swifts, Hitchmans, and of course Auntie Deb. Somehow Noah ended up with an Indiana Jones whip that plays music and makes a whipping noise. He had a very fun birthday and is excited for summer break.


[ 2 comments ] ( 10 views )

Last Day of Preschool

May 24, 2008, 9:27 am

Lily had her last day of preschool on Noah's birthday. Her class went on a field trip to the park. Lily had fun playing with her friends and eating pizza. We received a report card and letter about Lily from her teachers. Mrs. Williams said that Lily has grown from a shy, quiet girl to a child with more confidence. She shares a lot about her family and how important we are to her. We can only imagine the things Lily has told her teachers about us.

Lily is sad that she will not be in school all summer. She's excited to return as a 4-year-old though.

Here's Lily at the park:



Lily's "3" class:



Taylor, Lily, Patrick, and Dylan:



Lily and her favorite friend Taylor:

[ 2 comments ] ( 7 views )

1st Baseball Game

May 21, 2008, 8:52 am

Noah had his first peewee baseball game this week. I have to say that peewee is much more entertaining than t-ball. The boys were quite good (better than me for sure), and we even stood and cheered for some homeruns.

Here is Noah in his yellow shirt (number 5):



Click to see Noah hitting the ball:

Noah's hit

[ 3 comments ] ( 20 views )

Noah's School Birthday

May 20, 2008, 8:49 am

Noah celebrated his 7th birthday at school yesterday. He asked that I bring ice cream cups and cookies. His friends were very excited for his birthday and gave me lots of hugs and requested I take their picture. Noah was quite a ham and enjoyed picking his friends (Raymond, Carter, and Kale) to help pass out his treats. He picked the game Heads Up 7-up to play at his party (one of my all time favorite school games).

Here's the birthday boy:



(I soon realized the reason he picked ice cream. Apparently 1st-graders like to put ice cream all over their faces)



Noah's friends:



Click to see Noah leading a game of Heads Up 7-up (Oddly he crawled through the classroom)

Heads Up 7-up!

Happy School Birthday, Noah!

(Two more days until the real thing!)

[ 2 comments ] ( 12 views )

Good Times in Galena

May 18, 2008, 9:48 pm

This weekend we traveled to Galena with the Kruses and Uncle Jason for some good times and to cheer on Nathan and Matt in the triathlon/duathlon.

The weather was perfect, and Galena is beautiful. Noah and Emily keep saying they would like to live in Galena.

Nathan and Matt both did a great job in their races. We enjoyed clapping, cheering, and of course ringing the cowbell. We spent time shopping and eating in downtown Galena which is always a good time.

Nathan with Lily and Noah at the finish line:



The athletes:



Nice numbers on these 34/M:



Gotta have more cow bell!



Enjoying some ice cream in Galena:



Click here for video of the race:

Nathan going up the hill

Matt going up the hill

More cowbell!

[ 5 comments ] ( 33 views )

Comic Relief

May 9, 2008, 12:45 pm

Lately Lily has been offering some needed comic relief. Children are so helpful in times of sadness, and Lily has definitely stepped up to the plate. She tries to make us smile when we're sad and brings us chocolate or gum. Sometimes I hide the chocolate so she thinks I ate it because I don't want to disappoint her.

Here are a few things that have made me giggle...

We have a lilac bush and a beautiful pink tree in the backyard that suddenly bloomed. Lily asked, "Who painted the trees?" I love that she thought someone went outside and painted the trees pink and purple.

Lily likes to play baseball with her big pink bat and plastic ball. She asked us, "Will someone please pinch to me?" (We're not going to correct her.)

Here is Lily with a huge Band-Aid on the center of her forehead. She fell off the recliner and bumped her head pretty hard and insisted on a big Band-Aid:



Nathan invented "Lulu eggs" which are actually eggs with cheese. Lily asks for them every morning and wants Papa to make her breakfast rather than me. Please don't tell her they are just cheesy eggs. I think she believes they are magical, and she has never had so much protein in her diet.

Lily's favorite line from a movie is when the "scary man" on Frosty the Snowman says, "Busy, busy, busy!" So whenever Lily feels we need to smile we hear, "Busy, busy, busy!" and of course...we can't help but smile.

And here's Lily awaiting her cinnamon bites at Old McDonalds. She calls McDonalds Old McDonalds. To which we ask "Old Macdonald had a farm?" To which she yells, "No! Old McDonalds where we eat!"

But of course. (Busy, busy, busy!)


[ 4 comments ] ( 37 views )

Our friend Kevin

May 4, 2008, 7:16 am



There are no words to describe the loss of Kevin. We're heartbroken but find comfort in Kevin's smiling face and all the great times we had with him.

And no one could dancing like Kevin (click links below)

Raising the roof

Dancing in a diaper

[ add comment ]