AJ's Gift

AJ made this for me in school this week. Isn't it beautiful?

A Beautiful Bond

The other night, I asked K to read to H while I brushed AJ's teeth. When I came to my room, here is what I saw. Sorry about the lighting. I was trying to take a picture before they noticed I was there. It was so sweet to see the two of them snuggled up with a book together. The love of siblings displayed in such a manner is a beautiful sight to behold. 

A Little Friend

Last Friday, K brought this little guy home in a painted milk carton full of leaves. He is a little hedgehog that K made at school, although she confessed that her teacher formed the nose. I thought he was so cute that I had to share him with you.
Unfortunately, he was also fragile, and today he went on to a better place, one piece at a time. I was really sad for K that he ended up broken, but either she or her brothers took him to the playroom where he ended up being crushed. Timo had to get the vacuum cleaner out to take care of all the smaller pieces.  At least we have a picture so we can remember him.

Modern Art

Wednesday, while I was busy making dinner for AJ's birthday celebration, he was busy with a special present of an original work of art.

On the wall (it looked worse in person)

And on the side of the toy storage unit.

I thought it was so sweet that they all helped scrub the wall.

We got the pencil off of the toy storage unit, but, after going through two Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, we still were not finished with the wall. We will be repainting the room sometime soon.

Timo's Father's Day Present from the Kids

For Daddy, From Kristen and AJ and Hunter

F is for the Fun we have.
A is for All the hard work you have done.
T is for how Talented you are.
H is for Hugging because we love you so much.
E is for Exciting because we are excited when you come home from work.
R is for how Really blessed you are to have us, and for Reading bedtime stories, like What Do People Do All Day?

Such Sweetness

I love my kids' school. They had the children make the sweetest Mother's Day cards for us last week. I love that they used their little fingerprints. These cards are now decorating my fridge, and they will be there for a while. :) Thanks, K and AJ. You two bring so much joy to my life.

A Beautiful Thing

Tonight, a little while after I had put H down for the night, he woke up and started to cry. I considered letting him cry it out, but then decided to go in to settle him down when he kept crying. When Timothy and I opened the door to his room, K was there rocking his crib to get him to calm down. She stayed there with him until he went back to sleep. It was such a sweet, loving gesture. She deeply loves her baby brother, and she has such a tender, caring nature toward him. I know that she will make a wonderful mommy when she grows up.

The Best Cards

Timothy received several cards for his birthday, but these were the best ones. If you can't read the one written in yellow, it says, "Happy Birthday, Daddy. I hope you have a wonderful time on youR Birthday. I love you so Much. Love Kristen."

A Day to Savor

Today was one of those days you want to put in your pocket to keep forever. It was absolutely gorgeous outside. It was the first day it was actually warm this year. Not only did I not need a jacket, I ended up changing into a short-sleeved shirt because I was too hot.

Since pictures can more accurately portray the day, I will let them do the talking.

Mommy and Hunter (taken by K)

Going for a walk (again, taken by K)



Hunter riding AJ's tractor



Kristen helping Hunter go down the driveway


There they go


Sibling love

Showing him that the horn beeps

Riding his little car

AJ mowing with Daddy

Kristen jumping on the trampoline

Picnic in the backyard

The kids thought the sun was too intense, so they ate under the table to get some shade.

Hunter after our walk to the lake

I didn't get any pictures of our walk to the lake. Well, I walked. AJ rode his bike, and Hunter took a nap. Kristen stayed behind. Timothy fertilized the lawn. Days like today make it difficult to stay inside. I am anticipating many more days like this in the following months.

All Tucked In

A few weeks ago, when I went into the kids' room to pick up a little, I noticed that AJ had tucked all his stuffed animals in bed. I thought it was so sweet, I had to take a picture.

Mary Had a Little Lamb -- or was it Sue?

This afternoon after we got back from the store, I took Kristen and AJ on a bike ride to a little farm close by. Hunter was sleeping, and I left Timothy in charge of him while we rode the few kilometers to see what we could see. My plan was to see the sheep and, possibly, the newborn lambs. I wasn't disappointed.

When we arrived, we saw mostly adult sheep. In fact, I saw no lambs right away. One of the ladies who owns/works the farm was walking up to the barn with a bottle of milk for a little lamb, and she eventually brought a lamb out for us to see and pet.

AJ and Kristen feeding the sheep straw.

K petting the lamb. This lamb was only three days old.


Here is the lamb nursing. I thought this was precious.

After we arrived home, I got off my bike, turned around, and saw this.

One interesting fact that I noted when I observed the sheep: they don't cut the tails off like they do in the US. I don't know what the reasoning is, but I was surprised when I noticed that even the adult sheep still had their tails.

I hope to take the kids down there again sometime, but it has been my experience that they let the sheep out to pasture for the summer. Hopefully, I won't miss my window of opportunity to see the lambs again.

Tent City

With three kids, we frequently have occasion to rediscover the joys of childhood through the eyes of our brood. Tonight we relived the fascination with tents and forts that almost all children hold.

Most of the time, we have rubber mats on our playroom floor for practical purposes such as protecting the floor, providing a softer surface than the hardwood to play on, and brightening up the room a little. Occasionally, these mats are put to use in other ways. Earlier this week, the kids made a "stage" that they could go stand on and sing. Tonight, they asked help in converting their "stage" into "tents." Timothy and I built each child a mini-fort, and they used blankets as doors. I know that this concept is not unique to my children, but it was just so much fun to see them playing creatively together.

AJ peaking out of his "tent."

Kristen snuggling in hers. The static electricity on the mats created some wild-looking hair.

AJ and Hunter in Hunter's "tent."

Kristen peeking out of her "tent."

AJ peeking out at Hunter.

Shortly before bedtime, I heard AJ say, "I want to destroy my tent." Of course, after he had done so, he still wanted to play in the ones that were still built. Kristen told him, "No," and I can't blame her, but I am a softy, and I told him that he could play in Hunter's since he wasn't using it at the time.

I don't know how long the kids will keep the (rest of the) "tents" up, but at least they were able to enjoy one evening of forts and fun.

Baking Bread

This winter, one of my goals was to improve my bread-making skills. Of course, this means that my kids would also improve their bread-making skills. I have made several loaves of bread since the beginning of the year, but I still don't think I have truly mastered the skill. Maybe I am a little harsh on myself, but I think I still need to learn what creates the different textures and crusts that distinguish the breads from one another. I have, however, come across some good recipes. One of them was a French bread recipe that my sister-in-law told me about. I did a little tweaking, and we came up with a fabulous recipe that the kids absolutely devour. Okay, I admit it, I do, too. It is this recipe that is on the menu for tonight's dinner.

AJ measuring salt

AJ stirring

K adding butter

Kneading the dough

More kneading

While we were baking, K told me that she will start with banana bread when she bakes with her kids. It warms my heart to know that she thinks so much of this time together that she wants to continue the tradition with her kids.