Can you guess what Daddy is building?

Can you guess what Daddy is building? . . . .


Here's another clue . . .

It's a sand box for Maddie and Sophie!



Kent built the sand box last weekend, and the girls have played in it every single day!

My Newest Niece

My newest niece arrived this morning!  Paige weighs 7 pounds and nine ounces and is 20 inches long.  Congratulations Uncle Josh, Aunt Jenn, and Cousin Dagney!

What's Grosser than Gross?

Sophie made a valiant effort to one-up her cousin Dagney this weekend.  Top that, Daggers!  

Memorial Day

In honor of the day.

Grandpa Time

We were lucky to be able to spend 2 evenings with Ralph this week.  Maddie had a bit of a bug, but it didn't slow her down too much.

More Smiling Sophie

Pool Time

Carrie, Lyman, and Milo invited us over to cool off in their pool and to enjoy some good food.  Although Sophie had to decline the invite due to an ear infection and a fever,  Maddie and I sure had fun hanging out with our good friends.  

On a slightly funny side note, Sophie's Mr. Huggy fell in the toilet while we were gone.  If you know Sophie, you know Mr. Huggy is very important to her all the time, and even more so when she's sick at bed time.  Well, not only did he fall into the toilet, he got pee-peed on too.  According to Kent, once these things start, they can't be stopped.  So, poor Mr. Huggy  had to go through the wash and dry cycle, and we all went to bed a bit late. 

Since we were disappointed with the YMCA swim lessons, Kent has decided to teach Maddie himself this summer.  She's having her first lesson Saturday.  I'll keep you posted on her progress.  

Extra Pictures

A couple of pictures of Maddie taken over the last couple of weeks: one of her roasting marshmallows and one that Kent took of us Friday night. 

Strawberry Fields Forever

For Mother's Day, I wanted to go strawberry picking. So, we drove about thirty miles west of our house to go to this great farm. There were tons of fruits and vegetables to pick and activities for the kids: wagon rides, tractor rides, things to climb on, animals to feed, etc. The best part of the day was picking strawberries. Maddie was very specific about her strawberries; she only wanted small red ones. In case you're wondering, those are small happy face stickers on her nose and cheeks, she wore them all day.


No Sophie, that ones not ripe yet!

Sweet Peas Among Sweet Peas

Various Farm Pics

Riding in the wagon out to the strawberry fields.

Maddie playing on the wooden train.

Chillin

Sophie smiling and saying "cheeeeese."

My Mother's Day Morning

Mother's Day morning started off with donuts. Notice how carefully Sophie ate only the rim of chocolate frosting and sprinkles. Then Maddie wanted to decorate herself and Sophie with happy face stickers.

Maddie gave me this beautiful necklace she made at school. She took this picture herself, too.

Wednesday Evening With Maddie

Wednesday Morning With Sophie

I think she says "what's that" to the camera.  What do you think?  If so,  I believe this was the first time that she put two words together.

Maddie's Update

Kent says the blog is getting "crusty," so I guess it's time for an update. We really haven't been up to too much, just hanging out, counting the days until summer vacation, and enjoying the warm evenings . . .

Last weekend we spent an afternoon at Andrew's for a little pool time. Maddie has outgrown her water wings because she is too heavy for them. She'll be taking some swim lessons this summer since it looks like it's time for her to either sink or swim . . .

Little Maddie was enrolled in kindergarten this week!!! Shocking, isn't it? She'll be five in just a few months, and in LA, the Kinder cut off isn't until December, so she should have a few kids older than her in her class. It is a HUGE relief for me to have her enrolled in a school with good test scores and a good reputation that isn't too far from our house.


After much whining about their cousins' toys and playrooms, Kent and I decided to purchase the kids a jumper for the yard. It should keep them entertained this summer, and since it cost less than two jumper rentals, it's not a bad investment either.

Update: Sophie

And now a little update on the baby, who's not much of a baby anymore! Little Sophie will be 19 months old this week!  She is signed up to start preschool when she turns two in the fall. I am not sure she'll be ready to leave Betty's, but we'll wait and see when October rolls along.


I think I'll just rest a bit here. Making everyone dote on me is sure tiring.

Sophie loves playing with her babies: feeding them, holding them, and doctoring them. She can say over 30 words now and can point to 15 body parts including her neck, knees, and thumb. She can identify by naming her neck, eyes, and poo-poo (her butt, so cute). She can also jump up, she learned how watching Maddie play hop-scotch.