Summer Time!

We've loved summer so far!  No set schedule has allowed for lots of play time for me and them.  Now if my house would just clean itself.....

 Helen really needs to learn to relax....

 First day of VBS - he is super excited about this!

 I have no idea why the both love to climb inside the walker, but they do.

And our latest experiment: Sidewalk Chalk Paint

First, sort broken chalk by color.  Then place in

baggie and crush into powder.  Return 

dad's tools before he gets home from work.

 You may need 3-D safety glasses.

 So might your baby sister.

 Add water and mix.

 Now paint!  The colors become more vivid as they dry.  This was a cool project!

 Sidenote: Don't let baby sister eat the chalk.

 Our neighbors tree grew over the fence making a perfect little boy hideout.  This was a fantastic find for my little guy.  Superdad he is, Alan agreed to mow around it for awhile!

And, movie night.  Look at that girl trying to swipe popcorn while mom is distracted!  Nope, she didn't get any!

The Proof

This is for those of you (you know who you are) who insist Helen would never throw a fit.  Watch what happens after I tell her she can't climb the shelves inside the refrigerator.  And, despite what my dad says, this video was not altered.  (Please excuse the sideways video- it absolutely would not flip!  Also, you might want to turn down your sound...)

The Heart of the Matter

If you know me at all, you know how I am about Helen's hair bows. She wears them all the time..she even has one to match her swimsuit.  This is especially true on special occasions.  With her first birthday approaching, I've been dreaming up all the details.  Last week, I finally got the chance to start on her party dress.  She was down for a nap, so out came the sewing machine.  For Matthew, nap times are a rare moment to pull out his Legos without Helen eating the pieces or clamoring for attention from her "bub".  But this day, he asked for fabric and a sewing needle.  He often helps me sew, and I was so anxious to get started, I handed the supplies over without question and we both went to work.  Finally, I was wrapping up for the afternoon and he came over.  His hands were behind his back and his grin spread ear to ear.

Momma, I made something for Helen.  It's a bow for her party.  And it matches her dress!

I wish I could say I was thrilled, and that is the reaction Matthew saw. But inside?

What am I supposed to do now?  I have a custom bow ready to order.  How is that going to look in her pictures?  How am I going to get around this one?  She cannot wear that thing.

But then, I looked at my little guy..beaming with pride at his gift and with love for a little sister that spends most of her day as his somewhat annoying shadow.  He had given up his free time to make a gift for someone who doesn't even know to say thank you.  And the decision was made.  She'll wear it.  Mostly because he'll be so proud.  But also because I desperately want my Princess to learn what my Pirate already knows.  That giving up what you want for someone you love is a precious thing.  Even if they don't even know you did it.

Month of May

May was a whirlwind for us...I think we crammed as much memory as possible into the month.  Here's what we did:

 Happy Mother's Day and Helen's Baby Dedication!

We left out the pictures where Alan is glaring at Matthew making

monkey faces at the whole church and Helen is lunging for my chest because it's time to nurse.   Sigh....

 Me and my daughter..doesn't that sound fantastic??

This was such a special day...for obvious reasons.

Alan's mom and Helen..our kids love their Gram!

 Matthew graduated from Pre-K!  Sniff, sniff

 So very proud

 Matthew and his best school buddy.  Funny, they usually got in trouble  at the same time.  Imagine...

 Another big accomplishment for our little guy.  After placing first place in a tournament, he earned his yellow belt in karate. 

Way to go buddy!!

 And to add to her own list of accomplishments, Helen learned to draw on the art easel (and the floor, the wall, the table...)!

And, finally, some general cuteness:



Happy Easter!

These are my favorite Easter pictures.  I hope your holiday was a happy one!

Matthew and his teacher at the Class Party.

The basket stash

Coloring Easter Eggs

                                                           

 Carrot painting at school

                                                               

 Helen's first basket

                               

   Easter morning - they kept laughing at each other

while I tried to take photos.   I loved it! 

 Amie was here with us - a wonderful weekend...



Never a dull moment...

Matthew has decided not to get married.  His reasons?  He wants

to be the only boss of his house and doesn't want to share his money.  Of course, if he does get married, he'll just marry Helen

(I already married daddy).

There you go.

In perfect 5-year-old-boy fashion, Matthew said the following:

You know the best thing about little sisters?  They think the stuff that annoys everybody else is hilarious!

At Helen's 9 month check-up, the Dr. was slightly "concerned" over her gross motor delays.  This news did not settle well with Helen.  One week later, she decided to conquer them all at once.  Now we spend most of our time making sure she doesn't pull the house down around her pretty little ears.  Her new found skills also allow her to eat everything.  So far, I've pulled the following from her mouth: a dice, a coin, numerous legos, varied paper products, the cat (yes, the real one), sidewalk chalk and one smooth stone from Matthew's rock collection.  Sigh...

Helen loves her baby shortbread cookies.  The other day, I mixed in a few with other, healthier, finger foods.  She quickly weeded through the pieces on her tray, ate the cookies and then tossed everything else to the floor.  She's a woman after my own heart!

The Greatest of Our Latest

 Matthew has started Karate lessons.  His favorite part is the
sparring competition.   He's the one in the middle with the red helmet.

 Matthew with his Karate buddies...and one of their little sisters.

 Our cartoon picnic (ie: lunch in front of the TV)

Helen's first wagon ride.  She loved, loved, loved it.  That

girl is all about adventure!

Helen loves her excersaucer, but we had to switch to a bouncer

with less noise.  See for yourself:

Helen can crawl!