COWABUNGA!

We had a blast at the Indiana State Dunes today. It was a bit chilly, but each child got to do a little of what they love most. For Joey, that would be running and jumping:



For Sam, that would be rolling around in the sand and playing with rocks and logs:




Sammy also enjoyed flying a kite. The kite looks like it is miles up in the sky, but it's actually a teeny, tiny kite so it's really not that far up in the sky.




And of course, Lily did what Lily loves best...cuddle up in the arms of Mommy and Daddy. Lily HATED the feel of the sand under her shoes. This does not bode well for summer vacation at the beach in Door County.

As for me...I'm lucky I'm not in the hospital. I probably should have thought this little adventure out a bit better. Climbing the formidable Mt. Baldy is probably not the thing to do if the tendon supporting your ankle is torn.

Today's date is not that special, except that...

today marks the day that Lily has been with us more than she has been anywhere else (9 months and 21 days)!

Now this may not seem like much of a milestone, but to me it is. I don't know why. It's a mental thing. She's come such a long way since "gotcha" day:

When I look closely at these photos, Lily doesn't even look like the same little girl. Her nose is different, her eyes are different--everything seems different. However, I know for sure that this is the same little girl because she has never been more than a few feet (maybe inches?) away from Rob or I since Gotcha Day!

I think I can literally say "you've come a long way baby" (both literally and figuratively)!

At the Playground

Sam and Lily have developed this very sweet bond. If Sam cries...Lily cries. She does NOT like it when he cries. In return, Sam always lets me know when Lily is sad or when she wants something. Of course they still have their sibling squables, but they are always looking out for each other. So on a recent outing to Sam's school's spring festival, we spent a few minutes on the playground equipment. Sam loved to help Lily climb and slide.

"I got dressed all by myself!"

After I finished holding my laughter in, I wondered "do I let Sam leave the house with the St. Patty's Day knee socks on, or do I figure out a way to get him to take them off?" I figured that it gave me such a good chuckle, it might put a smile on someone else's face too, so I just let it go. Plus, he was so darn PROUD of himself and his choice of clothes that day. It felt quite liberating to not really care what anyone else thought about the way my son was dressed! And if it makes any sense at all, I felt proud that he felt proud!

The icing on the proverbial cake? When I picked up Joey from school a few hours later, he proudly marched out of school with a paper chef's hat (about a foot tall) with rat ears taped to the side. His class had watched Ratatouille, made chef's hats and ate a special snack that day as a reward for good behavior. Again, the pride in his face and his swagger was undeniable and I had to figure out a way to squash my laughter. Who knows how much longer this innoncence will last?!

DIVA!

Words unnecessary!

Joey's First Communion

We are proud of you Joey!