How Could I Choose Just One?

The almond blossoms seem to have come quickly this year, and with lots of rainy weather. (Not good news for the bees or almond farmers.) I realized on Thursday that it might be our last day of decent weather and almond blossoms at the same time. And we were getting ready to leave for the weekend, when some of the trees might finish blooming. And, of course, I realized this as the kids were laying down for naps, and we had a commitment right after naptime.

So, after our late afternoon commitment, we sprinted to the orchard to use what daylight was left to take a few pictures. The kids weren't wearing perfectly coordinated outfits or anything, but I think we still got some fun pictures. Now we're back from our weekend away (more about that later) and some of the orchards may still have enough blossoms for pictures. We'll see whether I tackle another photo shoot with the kiddos.

For now, here are my little sweeties, and they were both acting sweet at the same time. Jonathan kept rocking Grace from side to side to make her smile. And to keep her from wiggling away. Last year at this time, I was feeling very large and uncomfortable and praying for a safe delivery for our baby boy or girl. We are so thankful to have her here this year!

And, just in case you haven't had enough yet...
2009 Almond blossom pictures

2008 Almond blossom pictures

2007 Almond blossom pictures

Practice

This is another way we're helping Grace to use the muscles that keep her tummy off of the floor. We prop her up on a stair or two to play. Even though she scoots on her belly wherever she wants to, she doesn't seem to have any desire to crawl on her hands and knees with her tummy off of the floor or to pull herself up. So, we're helping her. She has her one-year checkup soon, so I'll be interested to hear what her doc has to say.

AIMS Valentine Math

I can't claim credit for this! When Alicia did her fantastic Valentine presentation last year and gave us her amazing ideas, including the treasure hunt, she gave us these math activities. AIMS stuff is always great, as any of you who were in education classes with me know! Jonathan got his first taste of AIMS math and, of course, thought it was...yummy.

Grace and her Grandpa

Five

When Jonathan was born, a dear friend of mine gave this gift to him so that we could make a mold of his handprint each of his first five years. At the time, it seemed very strange to think of our baby as a five-year-old and wonder what he would be like as a kid.

But, we certainly have a baby no more. He is a big kid and ready to start kindergarten.

And we love our boy dearly!

Post-Scrapbooking

I swept, mopped, and vacuumed, but a baby's drippy nose can find the scraps that Mommy's cleaning can miss.

Shopping

We went out as a family today to do a little shopping. Auntie Anne's is having Free Pretzel Day today, and Stride Rite is having their sale on Saltwater Sandals until Monday. (Yes, February is the time to get a good deal on sandals! And you know how I loooove Saltwater Sandals.)

The pretzels were super yummy...and being free made them taste even better. Stride Rite was a good experience, too. I so rarely go into a full-service shoe store that the service made me feel special. The saleslady measured both kids' feet (and complemented me on Jonathan's very white socks! Ha!) Jonathan was a size 12 and Grace was a 3. (And I don't have to worry about sandals getting too small like I would tennis shoes! They have plenty of wiggle room.) They each got a new pair of sandals that will, undoubtedly, last the entire summer and then some. I have saved all of Jonathan's from previous years to pass on, but the smallest size I have for him is a 5. And these size 3 flowered sandals are just adorable, right? It's a gloomy day today, but sandals are a little promise of sunny days to come.

Sending You Some Spring

Here's a taste of spring for those of you who live in cooler climates. It will be your turn for spring soon! (But be warned, snails are plentiful here, and we haven't kept them under control lately! I hope you can overlook the holes in the leaves...)

Hyacinths...I love hyacinths!

Cyclamen

Alyssum

Meyer lemons! These have been ripe for awhile. We just let them hang on the tree until we need them. If you are local, come pick some...we have plenty!

This is the first year we've had success with broccoli. Jeff planted a winter garden this year, and I totally neglected it while he was gone. We have enjoyed snipping fresh salad out of our yard! I think we'll eat the broccoli tonight before it blooms.

Fun with Friends

The last few times we've gotten together with Jen and the girls, the kids have played so well that I've just enjoyed chatting with Jen and haven't taken any pictures. It's so fun now that they're old enough to do their own things with very little help. Tonight, though, our entire family got to hang out with their entire family, and I took a couple of moments to get some snapshots of the kids.

Ella and Delia are always sweet with Grace. Here's Ella taking some time to show the toys to Gracie.

And Delia peeking in on Grace's fun. Grace likes to be very close to me these days, but she was comfortable exploring on her own by the end of the evening. What kid wouldn't want to be in the cubby created by the coffee table?

The world of pretend in a house with two little girls is so very different from the pretending that goes on in the house with one little boy! I asked Jonathan a couple of times what he and the girls were playing. He always grinned and said, "I don't know." He was more than happy to play along, though. Here, I think they're taking care of a sick koala. Ella told me that he was sick from being thrown off of the bunk bed too many times.

And here are the kids enjoying their dessert.

We had such a wonderful evening enjoying Dave and Jen's hospitality and conversation. And so did our kids!

One More for Another Day

See that blue bear? My mom made that exact bear (minus the clothes) for me when I was little. I still have it. It looks exactly like the picture except that mine has a brown nose and is stained by love and play. When I stumbled upon this old pattern, I had to have it. I am old enough that it was in the "vintage" category. Sigh. Aren't they cute little bears, though? I haven't decided whether I am up for making the rest of the bear family or not. Definitely not until way after Grace's birthday. :)

A Project Percolating

The last time I was at Target, I found some super-cute window valances in the kids' section for 75% off. Even though I might be accused of doing something like Maria did in the Sound of Music, I immediately thought of a little girl's skirt or dress. I imagined it on the daughter of a faraway friend of mine. I had to take home a couple of those valances. Here you can see the picture that came in the package (which can be considered the "before" picture) and the valance, folded in half, with the loops taken out.

I am a big sucker for border prints, plus this already had two contrasting fabrics sewn into the hem...I love it. And the top almost has a casing for elastic pre-made for me.

I'll post when I figure out what it's going to be and how it turns out. I'm considering making a skirt and then using the striped fabric to decorate a T-shirt. And maybe something for hair. I'm trying hard not to do any sewing right now...not only because it puts me behind on housework (and I'm always behind on housework) but because I'm trying to get Grace's baby scrapbook as up-to-date as possible before her first birthday. So I'll put this project on hold. Wish me luck!

And Now All Is Well

How We Spent Valentine's Weekend.

Jeff has been out of the country for over a week. As I write this, he is on his way home, and this blog post will be published after he's back. We missed him!!! Things went smoothly overall, and I'm thankful for all the people who prayed for us. When I think about friends I have who have four kids and deployed husbands, I realize I have it pretty easy.

I decided to take the kids to the zoo on Saturday. It was a beautiful day and the perfect amount of time. Both kids did great on the drive and at the zoo, too. Here's my favorite picture from the day. What a cute tarantula!

Jonathan took a lot of pictures, as I've already posted about. I had a lot of fun watching him. Grace enjoyed her time but was more into watching the little kids than the animals. And here are my little sweethearts.

Jonathan loves Valentine's Day. You may recall that he was working on Valentine's Town for awhile before its holiday. Jeff and I were firmly instructed not to look at it because it was a surprise. I had some plans of my own and did a treasure hunt with Jonathan on Sunday morning just like we had last year. He loved it! Leading up to Valentine's Day, Jeff wasn't here to prompt him, but Jonathan had plans for me.

A couple of days before V-Day, Jonathan had a couple of little plastic Lego containers that he had filled with...something that rattled around. He was really excited to give me this gift and told me that I could open it on Valentine's Day after I got up and "did my jobs." I didn't have high expectations for something that rattled around in a little plastic container. He kept talking about the surprise and wanted to be sure that I was excited and just couldn't wait to open my gift. I got excited and awfully curious...and when I opened my gift, here's what I found.

Flowers and diamonds! My sweet son said he knew I would like flowers and diamonds. I don't know where he picked this up, but I was so touched that he did this all on his own. He made one of the "diamonds" into a necklace for me to wear to church. And wear it I did. We had a sweet Valentine's Day and are excited to be back together as a whole family today.

Eleven Months

Grace is eleven months old today! She has a cold and is feeling crummy, so I won't be posing her for any cute pictures, but here are some cute pictures from yesterday.

She actually got up on her hands and knees briefly yesterday! I've been coercing her to climb a couple of stairs two or three times a day lately. It makes her mad, but when I put something on the stairs that she really wants, she goes for it. Sorry about the clashing reds and pinks in this picture. She had jeans on earlier, I promise.

She loves to look at books!

A year ago at this time, I was three weeks out from my due date and feeling very uncomfortable. I wasn't sleeping much at all and my ribs ached constantly. Sitting down was very painful to my ribs and back, especially while driving. My mom was kind enough to get groceries for me at the end of my pregnancy because driving to and from the grocery store became excruciating. But that discomfort doesn't matter now, does it? We have our baby, and we're so thankful for her. I can't believe she's been here almost a year already!

The Lion King

"Mommy, did you know that there's a movie called the Lion King? Well, that's why I have my crown and my lion mask on."

And, here's my favorite quote of the day: "I'm growing my mind to fit more things in it."

Sunshine

Just Some Cute Gracie Pictures

What to Do...

when your brother's in the tub.

She has a little cold. Can you tell by the droopy eyes?

The Zoo According to Jonathan

We took a trip to the zoo Saturday, and Jonathan brought his camera. I think he had an even better time at the zoo because he was taking pictures. It was a beautiful day, and a good time was had by all!

See the tiny blue head peeking out of the sand?