Today was a special day...

We have been waiting for today to arrive.  Can you guess why???

Here's a hint...

Today was Natalie's first ballet class.

There was some tippy-toe twirling...

And a whole lot of absolutely adorable, heart-melting, wanna stop time, cuteness going on!

Summer Camp...Peter style...

Peter (5 yrs old) and I went out running errands tonight.  I love being in the car with just him because he can talk without having his older brother correct nearly everything he says.  (oh big brothers!)  Anyway, after telling me he thought that it wasn't really summer because it's not hot enough, he started talking about the summer camps he wants to do.  Here's how the conversation went...

Peter:  Hey mom, did you find out if I'm old enough to go to football camp?

Me:  No, I forgot to look.  Let's check when we get home.

Peter:  Well, we don't really need to, because I decided I'd rather go to hunting camp.

Me:  What?

Peter:  Hunting camp.

Me:  What do kids do at hunting camp?

Peter:  Look for animals, and shoot 'em.

Me:  Oh.  Wow.  ummmmmm.  what do you mean shoot 'em?

Peter:  You know, with guns.   You hide, look for animals, and then jump out and shoot 'em.

Me:  I'm not really sure there is hunting camp around here.

Peter:  YES, there is.

Me:  Do you have to bring your own gun to hunting camp?

Peter:  No, I bet they have them there.  Kinda like how my soccer coach had that bag of balls at every practice.

Me:  Okay, soooooooo, let's be sure to check on that football camp.  Or maybe soccer camp.


I love that kid.  Can you even imagine...hunting camp...where the "coach" shows up with a bag of guns?  Ridiculous!

Clean house enforcement

Selling a house is not for sissies.   Having our house on the market, ready to show at a moment's notice, is challenging.  Add 4 young children to the mix and it may just be the thing that puts me over the edge.

We have been working hard to keep the house clean, but I suspect we may be influencing our kids more than we realize.  The other day Peter opened a string cheese and tossed the wrapper on the ground (what? your kids don't do that?)  Luke ran over and angrily picked up the wrapper.  He waved it in Peter's face and said, "Peter, do you want to sell this house?"  Then he stomped over and threw it in the garbage.

I have NO idea where he's heard that before.  Nope, I've never said that...ever...well at least not today.

Happy 5th Birthday, Peter

Peter,

Happy Birthday sweet Pete!  You are 5 years old...which seems almost impossible!  You are such a fun, smart, brave, adventurous boy.  One of my favorite things about you is that you experience life to the fullest...body, mind, and soul!  You had a great year of playing indoor soccer and t-ball!  You are quite an athlete and I'm so proud of the way you are learning to be a good sport and teammate.    You also went to 4 year old preschool.  You learned so much, and are especially interested in math and numbers.   You are also an amazing big brother.  You are especially attentive to Benjamin, loving him, taking care of him, and making him giggle all of the time.

I love you Peter!  God has given you so many qualities that I admire.  You are a joy to be around and I am so proud of you.

Thank you for being our son.

We love you more than you could ever imagine.

love,

mommy

Peter's Birthday Video (once you push play be sure to change it from 360p up to 720p)

Six months old...

linking up to Rachel and Paper Mama

Dear Benjamin,

You are 6 months old...what a sweet, happy boy you are!

You have had a very busy month.  Last month you were rolling around, chewing on toys, and generally staying where I put you.  Over this last month, you have started crawling...well army-crawl...but still, you go wherever you want.  I really can't believe it...don't you know you're only 6 months old?  

You also taught yourself to sit up.  I had tried a few times to help you sit up, but instead you just got on your hands and knees and then plopped yourself over to one side into a sit.  So, not only are you crawling and sitting, but you can go from a crawl to a sit.  This is generally terrifying for me.    You are my last baby and I am soaking up every second...but it sure would be nice if you'd slow down a little!

This month you also started eating rice cereal.  You LOVE it!   You aren't a big fan of baby food yet...you gag and shiver, which is actually pretty adorable.  

As far as sleep goes, you are doing so much better.  We finally moved you out of our room and let you cry a little.  Now you are sleeping 10-12 hours at night....AMAZING!   In the morning when you wake up you fuss to let us know to come and get you, but as soon as we walk in the room you give a huge smile and wiggle, wiggle, wiggle with glee!

I can't believe how quickly 6 months has gone by.  We continue to enjoy every moment with you.  Your siblings adore you...and by "adore," I mean smother you with love whenever they get the chance.  You are a happy, smiley, snuggly little guy.

You continue to bless me everyday and I am so very grateful.

I love you,

mommy

Here's a few pictures from this month....

Really?  This was before he was 6 months old.

Loving rice cereal.

Big brother love...

Sweet boy...

I walked into the room yesterday, and found Benjamin sitting up....he did it all by himself.  CRAZY boy!