Gotta a little moon in my pocket...

The kids and a decided that the moon looked like it was hiding in a pocket. We watched for quite awhile as it peeked out and the disappeared again...

Feeding oneself...

Warm weather = yard work

Can't remember what he was pouting about, but he really has to think hard to pout. It's just not his nature to be grouchy.

Rhys mowing with no hands. Argh!!! Why are boys so... boyish?!

And girls so... girly? Here's Lou dressed for yard work.

Wants to be just like his big brother.

How dad lays Cael down for a nap...

He doesn't... obviously!

What is this bird? Anyone?

I would assume some sort of "blue bird"... We have lots of them. In fact, this is what nested in our barbecue last year. (We check before we light it now...)

Why? What else would you do on a trampoline?

Funny. I thought that the kids would want to jump on the trampoline. Wrong. Turns out, it's a great place to play.

Ole loves french toast!

Spring? We don't need no stinkin' spring...

May 2nd. Five (yes, 5) inches of snow! Seriously, who ordered this?!

Playing Sequence for Kids

Helping mama clean out the pantry...

Birthday week in our house...

We have three April birthdays in one week. Jason, Rhys, and Brennen. The 15th, 21st, and 22nd. Crazy! We have one family party for all three. Cuts down on the cleaning for company and that's a good thing!

Why can't George ever look at the mama?! Here is he is hanging with Amy.




Even an 11 month old knows that beer goes with pizza...




Three birthdays- three sets of candles to blow out.



Gotta love grandpas~ especially when the feed the baby cake!




Notice Brennen's TWO plates of cake?

Not to worry! He only ate the frosting... (yuk!)

Rhys got two of his most wanted books! He read them both in a few days.

Brennen got another beloved Buzz Lightyear. We reiterated the fact that Buzz can't really fly and if he wants this one to keep both of its legs, he better not try! So far, so good...

My man and his chocolate.

Did I mention that our party was April 20th? Or that we had a major ice/snow storm? Or that great grandma and grandpa wisely decided to skip the festivities and stay off the terrible roads. The rest of our guests weren't as smart and we're grateful. That would have been a lot of pizza and cake for us!

We spent a fair amount of time watching the fox hunt for his dinner.

Finally caught himself a mouse. One less to sneak into my garage. Keep up the good work, fox!

~Cinderella~

Both Kjersten and Rhys were able to participate in our homeschool co-op's Missoula Children's Theater production of Cinderella. Oh, they loved it!

The week begins with auditions on Monday morning. The kids practice all week long and, by Friday night, have a fantastic show complete with songs and dancing. Kjersten was cast as a pumpkin~ the very cutest pumpkin ever! Rhys was a lord (as in "lords and ladies"). I was truly impressed with both of their performances. Kjersten's because she tends to be very timid in unfamiliar surroundings. Standing on stage in front of hundreds of strangers is, by it's nature, very unfamiliar. She did beautifully! Rhys' because he had to dance with a girl! He did well with his lines and he danced very confidently.

Fortunately, we have a video of the production so we can relive the entire thing over and over and over...

The cast.

Nice mustache, Rhys!

She did enjoy it, I promise! But I was worried that this would be her demeanor throughout the play. Nope! Just caught her looking contemplative!

That's more like it!

Next year's play (yes... we're already signed up!) is Snow White. Rhys' comment? "I don't want to do another princess play!" Oh well...

Who sleeps for 15 hours?!

Indeed. Baby slept 15 hours last night. Jason laid him down for a short nap at 5:30pm. He did not wake until 2:00am for a quick nursing. Cael finally rejoined the land of the living at 8:30am this morning. No, he didn't have a fever. I left his door open and checked on him often. Guess he's trying to get better! (He's down for a nap right now... Hope he wakes before we head to grandma's at 5:00. Ha ha!)

When it rains...

In case you've wondered where we've been... we're still right here.

Perhaps it's this time of year. Life seems to gain momentum, outpacing our ability to keep up. Illness and weather keep us cooped up despite the head knowledge that it really is spring!

I'll start with Brennen. Poor Brennen. If you missed the mouth injury post, see here: ouch. Turns out, I was wrong. Last weekend, I noticed his tooth turning dark. Wahhhhh! I did a little research and figured it could wait until regular business hours. After co-op on Monday, I took him in. Sure enough... he knocked those 2 front teeth loose. The one turning color may need a root-canal but we're opting to watch and see. It will be obvious if he needs dental attention.

Cael, that same Monday, sounded like he had a very sore throat. Almost barky. Sort of like a seal. (Any of you mommies out there see what's coming?) He wasn't coughing, but he just didn't sound "well." Following an already long day of co-op and dentist, I hauled Cael into the pediatrician with George in tow. (I'm so grateful they're open until 8:00pm) Yup. Cael has croup. Essentially, croup is laryngitis in children. Their airways are smaller and don't accommodate the swelling without impeding breathing. A shot of steroid to decrease the swelling is the standard treatment. Whatever virus is causing the swelling typically runs it's course with a bit of Motrin to ease the discomfort.

While we waited for the doctor, Brennen and I chatted. Up close. Hmmmm... wonder why his eye is red and leaking goo. Don't suppose that has anything to do with the tooth. Or his brother's croup. Nope. Pink eye. Great.

Well, we hid at home on Tuesday. Wednesday, Brennen woke up crying and coughing. Of course, he had croup also. Off to the peds again. Steroid in pill form for him. However, he missed the circus with Kjersten, Brennen, Auntie Sara, Grandma, and the cousins...

For the last few days, we've been battling intermittent fevers, sleepy children, and missed fun. Both boys are happy, as usual. It makes it hard to know how sick they really are. Flushed faces and a few more naps along with hoarse voices are the only symptoms.

Brennen has missed out on a few very rare fun activities:

• the circus
• spending the night at grandma's
• Chuck E. Cheese
• football game with dad, grandpa, Rhys, and cousin Caleb

Fortunately, he's extremely good natured and easy to please. Not to mention, being a bit loopy from a 104 degree fever. I'm not sure he grasps what he's missed and we certainly aren't reminding him! He did just tell me that he feels "really good" and could we please go to the circus now? Poor George!

Like I said... When it rains, it pours!

Going somewhere, Cael?

Princess the butterfly

She did finally hatch. In fact, she's 2 weeks old today. Outliving her life expected lifespan, I might add... Kjersten named her princess. For a bug, she's sort of pretty. Poor thing is living on oranges and sugar water, as we have no flowers this time of year.

Banana

It's just banana on his face. Promise.

Window to the world...

or at least to the back deck. He loves to stand here and observe.

(Daddy put socks on his hands to be silly. Cael loved it!)

See any teeth in there? Me neither... The other three had teeth at 4-5 months. Cael is blessing his mama by staying baby-ish a bit longer. No teeth. Not walking. I love it!

Emptying the cupboard... again!

He is so proud of his ability to empty this cupboard. Inside are bins with spare sponges and such. Those he just yanks out and pushes aside. What he loves are the two bins (with no lids) that hold folded washcloths (probably 60 or more...) and towels. What fun they are to unfold one at a time. And, yes, I recognize the futility of refolding them after each playtime...

More of Cael and his buddy, Bret.

Bret had occasion to hang out with us recently. The boys are too young to really play "together" but they sure play well side-by-side. I used to think all babies have huge hands. Mine all do. Well, it seems that is simply not so. Here's a picture that barely catches the discrepancy between Bret and Cael's hands. (Cael's in on the right, in case you wondered...)

Playing side-by-side with tongues hanging out. I haven't noticed that in Bret before, but it is Cael's general playing expression. He gets it from Grandpa Paul.

Together and looking at me for a split second!