Car Seat Shuffle

We did the car seat shuffle yesterday. Sarah gave up her seat that faces backward. She received her big girl seat from Eli who in turn got his new-to-him seat from Anna. Anna is now using our extra backless booster. Doesn't Sarah look so big in her new seat? She was delighted to be able to see. She just laughed and giggled when we were driving around yesterday.

Sarah is 1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can you believe our little princess is 1 already? I think she had a fun day. Instead of a cake, we all went to the bakery to pick out doughnuts. We put a candle in one of them, and Anna blew it out for Sarah.

We gave her a baby stroller for her birthday since she loves pushing laundry baskets around the house. The stroller was a hit, and now her new baby from Grandma Linda can go on walks with Sarah. We finished the day with a family bike ride to Dairy Queen for ice cream cones. Sarah loves being outside no matter what we're doing.

One last field trip thought

Here's my ironic thought of the day. I am constantly harping at the kids to put things away. They have shelves for their shoes right by the door, but their shoes have a difficult time getting onto the shelves. Look what happened at the park yesterday.....

We are still recovering from yesterday's field trip. I think it'll take us all day to get back to normal. The kids were so tired after yesterday. We arrived at the park in the morning and took a huge hike through the prairie grasses along the river. We saw deer tracks, heard woodpeckers, and found striped gophers. They ran all the way down the bluff, but then dragged their feet back up to our picnic spot. I heard some whining too. Tired & hungry kids = whining?? What a surprise. I carried Sarah most of the way, to her displeasure, and Eli needed some help on the way back too. That was difficult - I had Sarah in a carrier in front and "little" Eli on my back going up a hill. I could feel my age.

After our picnic, we found a nearby playground. It was right next to a dam so we saw lots of beautiful pelicans fishing for lunch. The playground is under contruction and just as we were leaving, we were able to see a big truck dump a load of dirt. Big time fun.

On the way there and back we saw all the farmers in the fields for spring planting. That was an education for the kids since we didn't see that in Texas.

Jonah, Sarah, and I have sunburns today. Eli and Anna must have inherited Mark's skin tone.

Field Trip IV

Field Trip III

Field Trip II

Field Trip to Lac qui Parle State Park

4 years, 364 days

We didn't know if Jonah was going to be a boy or a girl before he was born, but I secretly wished that he would be a girl. I knew girls. I understood girls. Boys? I knew nothing. I wanted Anna to have the sister that I never got but always wished for. After 18 hours of slooooow labor and a speedster entrance, I didn't care what version came out. Right from the start he befuddled me. He was the boy that I didn't know anything about, and he had the whitest hair and bluest eyes. I would hold him and wonder if he was really mine. Had it been a mistake? This little boy has given me unbelievable joy over the past five years. He certainly beats to his own drum, but what a drum! He is all boy - physical, loud, constant motion - with the most loving, tender heart. He walks by Sarah and stops to give her hugs and kisses. He walks by Eli and grins as an invitation for wrestling. He routinely sacrifices his own pleasure for his siblings, and he has a strict code of fairness and personal dignity. He is intense whether he's wrestling, coloring a picture, pounding nails, or smelling flowers. He feels, sees, smells, tastes, and hears things that the rest of us would never notice. And you know what? He still befuddles me.

Randomness

Sarah loves purses and babies. She's such a girl already. We are having beautiful weather and loving it. Since we have nice neighbors (unlike our San Antonio experience), we are able to spend hours every day outside. Eli is mastering his tricycle, and Sarah loves pushing her bike around. Jonah still has training wheels while Anna is a whiz without them. She spends most of her time outside riding her bike. She even gets to ride around the block by herself. We're finally able to take family bike rides with Eli & Sarah in our bike trailer. What fun! One day the kids & I ran errands on our bikes. We went to the library, through downtown, and on to the grocery store. We even brought home eggs and bread. Pretty amazing - and fun.

Boys (insert head shaking)

So the other day Jonah decides to help himself to Grandma's leftover Pepsi. No problem. The kid is almost five. He can certainly handle that. Right? Well, I mosied out to the kitchen when I noticed that it was quiet out there. I couldn't find him. Lured by his giggling, I peered out the front door and saw him shaking the pop and giggling when it foamed over. I decided that I should be glad he did his impromptu science experiment outside and I shouldn't be upset that he used up a nearly full bottle of pop or that he did it right in front of the kitchen door. Oh, the little things.

Madison, that's the place for me....

Have you ever thought your life was a scene from Beverly Hillbillies? Check out the smile below. I think we might have a hillbilly in our midst. For those of you who don't know, Anna was born with an extra front tooth. Look what that tooth is doing to her beautiful smile.

Our April Fool's...the joke was on us

This is what we did on April Fool's day. I thought it might be out last snow, but the forecast is calling for more snow next week. Can you believe it?

Jonah = Shawn

Jonah has often reminded me of my brother Shawn. Jonah plays the same roles - annoying, pesty little brother, explorer, and wrestler to name a few. Now, he has just found yet another way to emulate my little bro. I have distinct memories of seeing my brother urinate into the heating registers as a child. This story always bring up a laugh when we chat about it. However, it's not so funny when it's my 4yo urinating in his closet.