Discovering Dandelions

Today was a gorgeous day, after much wind and chilliness these past couple weeks, so I thought today would be a good park day. Apparently, so did the bugs! It was rather fun, with the exception of the gnats and mosquitos whizzing about our heads.

Abby and Esther loved the dandelions, especially when I showed them how much fun they could be. Esther was tickled by it all.

The other fun thing was to see how well the two played together. I'm starting to see this

more and more, the two playing together (without much fighting), and it's a joy to behold!! :)

discovering dandelions

"You mean, all I have to do is blow?"

"Blow, Mama!" .... "Not the right kind of dandelion, Esther."

where's Esther?

mommy heart failure...again

"Uh, Abby, I can't breathe!"


weeeeeeeeee!!!

holding on the whole way down...such a big sister!

she's always finding things to balance on...

Abby's Prayer

Yesterday before church, Abby was in the prayer room with my dad and the others there to pray. She offered up a little prayer for my brother Joel who hasn't been feeling too great lately.

It went like this:
"Dear Jesus, Joel doesn't feel good, and I didn't do it."

Ha!

My Chris and Her Family

Rachel and Esther, New Buds

Esther's Caught in the Snake

Rachel and Abby Play Side by Side

Nathan and Taylor

Rachel and Abby

Who's taller?

Essie and Nathan make friends

Rachel and Esther

Essie Falls for Nathan!

We had a fun visit with my best friend Christina couple weeks ago. She lives in Santa Barbara, but she was in the area, visiting Mike's (her hubby) family. So we connected for a brief but wonderful visit. It's been a couple years since we've last done this, so it was precious to have our *treasures* play together a bit. I managed to get all her kids' pictures, except for her second oldest, Kailey. I guess because she sat and talked with her mommy and me most of the time, I just didn't notice! Sorry, Kailey!


Love you, Chris!

Visit with G & G Carmichael

Making a Bunny Cake with Grandma

Essie Gets in on It

As Abby loves to say right now, "Yum, yum, yum, delicioso!"

"This is NOT comfortable!"

Sissies in Easter Dresses

Me and My Chickedies

Posing with the Bunny Cake

Playing Outback

Little Miss Firewoman

Grandpa Reads Snoopy Book to Abby

The Art of Easter Egg Coloring

Gardening with Gram

Grandpa Takes a Swing at It

The Girls Watching "Caillou"

One of Esther's favorite things to do is to try on other peoples' shoes!

Easter "Baskets" from G & G

Let's go fly a kite!

So our visit with Grandpa and Grandma Carmichael was a blast. We are sorry it ended so soon. The girls especially loved their company and the endless play it entailed. Here are a few photos of their stay.

Easter Egg Hunt

With Grandpa and Grandma Carmichael

Daddy filling the basket...yes, Daddy :)

Yes, that is dust kicked up from all the running!

Essie's Effort



Can't say I relish the local Easter Egg Hunt, what, with hundreds of little kids, many dressed in their full Easter-dress garb, parents in tow, madly running all over tiny Hartford Park, picking up as many plainly visible "hidden" eggs they can possibly find, and actually, it's the parents who are doing most of the "hunting," especially for the little ones, in an attempt to go home with something to show for the effort. I know, bah-humbug, huh? Or maybe bah-humbegg! It lasts all of 6 minutes, and the first 5 minutes are waiting for them to say "Go!"

Yet, even with all the disdain, it just seemed the appropriate kickoff to the arrival of Grandpa and Grandma Carmichael's visit, something special to celebrate spring.

I had to continually remind myself, however, about the TRUE meaning of Easter.

Another "How-to" Lesson

I was given another how-to lesson from Abby today. We were in the car, driving home from the store, and she was holding a bag of peat pots (or, in my limited-gardening understanding, biodegradeable plant pots) that Daddy had left in the backseat, and the conversation went something like this.

Abby: "Mama, what's this for?"
Me: "Oh, it's probably something Daddy bought for our garden or for his classroom; I'm not sure."
Abby: "It says, 'Put some dirt in it, then put some weeds in (her version for 'seeds'), then put some water on it, and then grow, grow, grow. Then when the sun goes up and comes down, it's done."

Later, I noticed what she had been "reading." See above picture and notice the accuracy of the sequence (though it's a little hard to see because I took the picture at night, using the flash).

She, evidently, has her dad's green thumb! :)

How did Esther get in there?

Abby was telling me that Esther wanted to get in her "crib" (her Pack-N-Play) last night [this is the latest thing of Esther's, telling us she's ready for bed by going up to the "crib" and whining to get in]. Abby told me several times, but I was busy, and it wasn't time for her to go to bed, just yet. So I kept putting Abby off. Well, teach me a lesson. I hear Abby giggling, and I go in the den, where Esther's crib is, and Esther is IN THE PACK-N-PLAY!! I stood in horror, picturing Abby lifting her up 2.5 feet and hoisting her over the edge and then Essie's long drop into the Pack-N-Play (thankfully, it's padded with 3-inch foam). I quickly assessed Esther, fearing broken bones or injuries. She seemed just fine, happy to be snuggling with her blankie.

Now, yesterday, I had specifically told Abby not to lift Esther into the "crib" (which I caught her trying to do), so today she was in trouble, and she knew it. I said, "Abby, what did you do? Daddy, come in here quickly!" When I called for Eric, she turned her bottom to me and said, "Spank me, Mommy, spank me."