The reason we must continue to call Uncle Brett and ask for more sand…
Kate loves to play games, one of her favorites right now is Go Fish…. 
This tractor does not run very well anymore, could be that it wasn’t made to carry a toddler.
Since it was so nice outside, I took the kids outside to try to get some updated photos of them. Kate was more interested in taking jumping pictures than actually standing still. :) 
We spent Saturday and Sunday with our friends, Shannon and Susan. They have a horse ranch and a number of dogs. To say that Kate and Lincoln LOVED being there would be quite the understatement. I don’t think Kate stopped smiling the whole two days and Lincoln was having so much fun he not only skipped his afternoon nap, but stayed up past 9. Thank you, Shannon and Susan, for having us and for your all you did to make it a fun weekend.
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One of Kate’s favorite things to do with her Daddy lately is to print of pages of clip art to color. This night Lincoln wanted in on the fun as well.
I’ve written a lot about Kate lately, partly because she is more ……spirited……thus supplying more to write about than Lincoln and partly because Lincoln has had a horrible time with his two year molars and hasn’t been up to his usual tricks as of late. Sunday I was home (again) sick. I have this cold I just can’t seem to get rid of. I feel a little better today, so I’m hoping it will leave soon! :) Last night was the Easter Program at church. I was helping Kate get ready so Mike could take her to sing her song with the other 3 year olds. This was going okay until I tried to put on her sweater. Then an all out meltdown occurred. I struggle with this (kids crying over very little things). I get frustrated, I don’t act appropriately, you get the picture. Well, last night, rather than react (what I usually do and regret (cry about/repent of) later) I laid the sweater down, I walked out of the room sat down on my bed and counted to 20. Kate stopped crying, I calmed down, and we put her sweater on as if nothing had happened. We even got some happy pictures. As Mike and Kate left for the Easter program I, for the 798,302 time thought about how very little I know about being a Mom….I can only pray they turn out. :)
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Oh Kate. You just never know with her. She’s a 3.5 year old bundle of non-stop energy. It makes life fun and yet, quite exhausting at times. One of her latest “oddities” I will call it, is her LOVE of pea pods. I actually bought them to eat in salads, but someone, who shall go unnamed, would pick them out. One night at supper Kate asked if she could try one. She’s been hooked ever since. :) 
Last week, we got to celebrate William and Norah’s birthdays. The kids all enjoyed playing together again and playing outside. When we took them outside, they ran in circles, screaming….hopefully nobody in the surrounding blocks was trying to nap…they were giddy. Thanks for lunch, Bethany! The lighting is bad, but in the dark picture, the kids were all standing around the table begging to eat lunch at 10:45.
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This girl is just one of the cutest kids in the world.
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  Mike got to try out his new bike trailer on Saturday. The kids enjoyed the ride and he enjoyed the chance to use his bike again. |
We had the chance to play outside a few days last week. It was BLISS! Now, you wonder why the kids haven’t been outside more often if they love it so much? Well, because I have to go out with them, and I don’t go out when it’s below certain temps. When the deck was covered in snow, they would play out there and I could watch them from the kitchen. So thrilled for the 40 degree weather. Kate and Lincoln were trying to play baseball, I’m sure you can tell from the pictures how well that went. It was fun to watch them try though. :)
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Just in case you have not heard, we are excited to meet a new little baby in August, Lord Willing. I am almost 18 weeks and feeling good again. I had always wanted to get to 20 weeks and say, “Surprise, we’re having a baby and we’re half-way done.” However, I am short, and my belly popped out, so we didn’t quite make it. :) We’re really excited, although a little nervous about being outnumbered. 
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m always glad to turn the page on February. February is a hard month for me, it’s gloomy, the kids are bored, we’re inside a lot, I run out of ideas for new and different things to do with the kids. However, March, for me, brings the hope of spring, which is exciting. February was also a challenge because we had a lot of behavior issues going on with Kate. Many a day ended in tears for both Kate and Mommy it seems, but the last week or so things have been going better…aside from Sunday when she had a complete meltdown at church. That was great. (insert sarcasm). But, it’s a new month and a new week and things are looking up. :) So long, February, we will not miss you. :)
In the sunglasses pictures, the kids thought that they needed “glasses” to read their books. Lincoln is our little cuddle bug and climbed right up on Mike’s lap to “read the paper” with him. Last, one evening I was freezing, so I climbed into bed and soon the kids joined me to “read magazines.”
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