Pierce's gymnastics routine

Pierce has been doing a similar routine for the past couple of days. He's discovered that spinning around can be lots of fun, and he likes getting dizzy. I think he's also trying to do somersaults like Madelyn. Anyway, it's great fun for me to watch. Please ignore my laughing in the background...couldn't help it.

My little suburbanite

A couple of days ago, I saw a squirrel on our back deck and pointed it out to the kids. They thought it was great and were actually a little disappointed when it decided it was all done with our deck and moved on to the neighbor's. We have one potted plant on our deck, and while spending time on our deck, the squirrel decided to drink some water out of the bottom of the pot. Now keep in mind, we have ONE plant on our deck. Madelyn says, "Look, Mommy, he's drinking from our garden."

Ballet class

Madelyn started ballet today. She looked so cute. The "studio" was quite small, so the teacher didn't want us in the room to serve as distractions, which I totally understand. Unfortunately, the window into the room was also pretty small, and it was very difficult to get a good picture of Madelyn in action. I did get a couple of before and after shots, though.

Lined up to go into her class.

Madelyn, after class, (half-heartedly) showing me how to do a passe.

A Plug

A friend of mine has published a book. You can click here to learn more about it. I haven't read it yet, so I cannot give a review. However, I know he'd appreciate it if you'd take a little time to read about it. I've also added the site in my "Friends' Sites" column.

Moon bounce fun

When all is quiet (part two)...

You think I'd learn my lesson (Madelyn had help from a couple of buddies who shall remain nameless):

Father's Day

I'm posting two pictures. If I had photoshop, I'd combine the two and have a really good picture. Oh well, maybe one day we'll have a picture with everyone looking at the camera at the same time. John David was home by the time the kids and I got home from church, and everyone was so glad to see him. The kids were on their best behavior while he was gone, and we had a great time over the weekend, but they just squealed with delight when they saw him. And I felt like squealing right along with them. We had a low-key day. John David took Madelyn to her swim lessons, and we went to dinner at Chipotle, our family restaurant of choice. Happy (late) Father's Day to John David, my dad, and my father-in-law. Thanks for being such great dads!

Indoor Picnic

JD was out of town last weekend with his soon to be brother-in-law, so my sister-in-law and I made plans to take the kids to the park and have a picnic and play. Well, it rained all afternoon and evening, so we went with an indoor picnic instead.

That Sneaky Snake!

We've been reading a lot about Adam and Eve in this house lately. Does that signal there is a problem? Well, we've been talking about disobedience, the consequences of disobedience, and making good choices. Madelyn has picked up a new phrase, "I don't want to." We've explained to her that when she says that to an adult, it's the same thing as saying "no". I've also tried to explain that it's okay to say that sentence sometimes, like when a friend is trying to get her to do something she doesn't want to do or knows she shouldn't do.

In her Bible that we read every night, it refers to the serpent as a "sneaky snake." So, as we read the story of Adam and Eve, we have a conversation that generally goes something like this:

Me: Was the sneaky snake being nice?
Madelyn: No.
Me: Was he being a good friend?
Madelyn: No.
Me: Was he trying to get Adam and Eve in trouble?
Madelyn: Yes.
Me: Did Eve make a good choice (to eat the fruit)?
Madelyn: No.
Me: What should Eve have told the snake?
Madelyn: I don't want to.
Me: What should Eve have told God?
Madelyn: I will obey.

This morning at breakfast Madelyn decided to use her spoon to flip cereal out of her bowl onto the table. I wasn't downstairs at this particular moment, so this is the story that John David relayed to me:

JD: Madelyn, why did you do that?
Madelyn: I don't know.
JD: Did you know that it was wrong to do that before you did it?
Madelyn: The sneaky snake did it.
JD: Where is the sneaky snake?
Madelyn: The Bible says to not flip your cereal.
JD: Where does it say that in the Bible?
Madelyn: Upstairs.

Hmmm...Obviously the disobedience message isn't getting across as clearly as I had hoped. No wonder we have the Adam and Eve conversation so much.

15 months old

Pierce is 15 months old. We went to the dr. today, and he got one shot. Apparently, there's a nationwide shortage of the HIB vaccine, so he didn't get that one, just his MMR. He handled it fine, just a few tears. He's really slimming down (22 lbs., 14 oz--30%) and staying tall (32 inches--75%).

He practically runs everywhere, which makes things interesting. He's into climbing, and I've found him standing on top of the kids' table on multiple occasions. Unfortunately, he's starting to have opinions and can express himself pretty well when he's unhappy with the circumstances (although, he hasn't picked up on the word "no" yet). We've also had to take some disciplinary action. His favorite offenses are pulling hair and smacking other people, Madelyn and me in particular.

He's still a joy to be around 99% of the time, though. I've lost track of all of his words. I just can't keep up with his growing vocabulary. Often times, when we sit down to eat, he'll fold his hands to pray, and it really sounds like he's saying "Jesus", but I'm not completely sure. He knows several body parts (eyes--he even says eyes, nose, mouth, ears, belly, foot). He's very playful and affectionate and still loves reading.

This is the best shot of him that I could get today:

Who prayed for warmer weather?

I want to know because I want to be on your prayer list. It is almost unbearable outside--1oo degrees and 90% humidity. Unfortunately, the kids don't seem to mind that the air knocks you backwards as you step outside. They just want to go! As I look at the long-term forecast, 88 degrees seems so mild. I can't wait for Wednesday! Oh, and the little things! Thank you, Lord, for electricity (We had friends who had to go without electricity for 4 days due to the recent storms.) and air conditioning.

Just looked at the calendar...

Wow! It's June already! Here are the May pictures.

We're Okay!

This post is for family who may have heard about the crazy weather we've had today. Lots and lots of rain, thunder, and lightening, but no tornadoes in our neighborhood. We still have power as of 7:30 pm, but more storms are supposedly coming.

Say what!?!

Okay, remember the double stroller we bought for $2? Well, it retails for $450. I'm just amazed that:

a) someone would pay that kind of money for a little bit of metal, rubber, and fabric, and
b) that someone would let it go for $2.

Anyway, I've been working on being thankful for the small things in life, so thank you Lord for this small blessing.