Happy Spring!

This tree right outside our balcony brings me joy each spring. Just thought I would share the cheer!

Click on this photo for the full effect (and to find the bird hidden in the blossoms!)

Missing Tooth!

"This is a picture of me holding up my tooth! It came out at breakfast."




After weeks of wiggling it finally came out! Joshua has been so so proud to show it to all his friends and even became somewhat of a celebrity at preschool. It happened a lot earlier than we were expecting and I think it makes him look so much older. I remember when that tooth came in. It seems like so long ago...
Anyway, it has been a very exciting event around here and if you ask him, I'm sure he'd love to tell you all about it!

*side note: I love the little bag that Joshua's tooth is in, in the top picture. It's called a bagette and I got a pack of them at Michael's. I use them for so many things -- they are perfect for storing small parts of toys in (like Play Mobil pirate guns & swords) and games (like the bones from Operation)...and apparently baby teeth! It was so cute because Joshua carried the bagette around with him everywhere that day and it worked great for the Tooth Fairy to put the money in later that night!

Joshua's Cherry Pie

Joshua found a recipe for Easy Cherry Pie in this months' issue of The Friend. True to its name, it was pretty easy to make. It was also yummy to eat!

Boys' Bunk Bed

Life is fun for boys with a new bunk bed




Look close, those are the tops of their sweet heads!

Gifted Gabber

Whoever said "Children should be seen and not heard" would have met his match in our son Joshua, although I'm sure he's not the only kid who asks multiple questions without waiting to hear the answers. However, the memory of a few days ago at the dinner table still makes me laugh.

"More eating, less talking," Leslie prodded as Joshua chattered away.

Joshua barely even paused. "Why do you say 'More eating, less talking' Mommy?"

Now that I think about how much he talks, I wonder less why I sometimes accidentally call him by my brother's name, Alec.

Preschool Update

This update is mainly aimed at Joshua's grandparents, who are the ones most likely to be interested in this sort of thing, but of course anyone is welcome to read :). We are now halfway through the school year, and I am happy to report that Joshua is thriving at his preschool. He loves being there and has made great friends, which, as his mother, truly makes my heart sing.

He has done well right from the start, but his teachers and I have noticed how much he has grown since last September. I notice he has grown in independence, confidence, social skills, leadership, empathy, articulation (since when did he need to grow in this area?!), creativity, problem solving, appreciation for cultures outside his own. We made the decision to enroll him for an additional day, so now he is attending 3 days a week, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons. He seemed ready for it, and we're hoping this will help make for a smooth transition to kindergarten in the Fall.

And speaking of preschool, I wanted to write about the experience I had picking Joshua up from preschool today, so it would be in print and maybe I could blackmail him with it later on in life. Anyway, Daniel and I ran an errand while Joshua was at preschool, and made it back in time to pick him up with about 20 minutes to spare. This was perfect because Daniel loves to play on the lawn area in front of the school, and there is this perfect little tree that has low, thick branches that all the kids love to climb on. Daniel happily climbed on the tree while I waited on the bench that's just across the lawn from the school.

After a minute or two, one of Joshua's friends saw me outside on the bench and said, "Hey Joshua, I see your mom." Joshua came to the open window and called out, "Hi Mom!" I smiled and waved, and explained that Daniel was climbing on the tree while we waited for preschool to be done. By this time, a small crowd had gathered at the window around Joshua. "That's my Mom. She's my Mom," he told the kids. "My Mom is there waiting for me," he told each new friend that came to the window.

The kids eventually got in "trouble" for clustering around the window, and since I was causing a little too much commotion I went and sat on a low-lying branch of Daniel's tree, out of sight. But oh how I love Four and wish that I could somehow reach out and preserve a piece of Joshua just the way he is. That way, there would always be a part of him at this dear, sweet stage someplace in the eternities; when he was excited to see his mom, proud to show me to all his friends and not one bit embarrassed to have me around.