Hot Chocolate Stirring Sticks!

A Shy Wise Man!

Andrew was a wise man for the preschool Christmas program. He opted to sit on his teacher's lap and not sing (which is somewhat comical, since he is the son of the music teacher!). Some things cannot be achieved, even through the bribery of his beloved tootsie rolls!

He still looked darling, of course, and he thoroughly enjoyed the cookies and punch afterward.

Naomi's Vocabulary

This morning Naomi read a mystery in which a secret code was used for messages. She immediately set about creating her own code for use with friends.

My favorite part was when I asked her if the girls in the book had created their own code or were just using one they had found or been given. Naomi said, "The book doesn't provide that information.". I love the language my 7 year old uses!

Oh, Boy!

We love our fun boys! Here is Andrew, unwrapping a book gift at his preschool Christmas party...

 

 

and here is Gabe, helping me out by holding Peter while I get a few things done at the preschool (preparing for the upcoming Christmas program in which the 60 preschoolers who have me as a music teacher demonstrate how much I did [or did not!] teach them. It's actually a little scary - how would you like your job performance to be solely reviewed on 2-4 year-olds' singing in a venue with lots of distractions??).

 

Limbo!

All three kids love doing the limbo (not exactly correctly, but they have fun!). They are always on the lookout for sticks or other items that can be used for a limbo bar!

Helpers in the Kitchen!

I made chicken pot pie (my first attempt ever!) a few weeks ago. It was decent, but I have high hopes for the future. :)  Andrew was pretty excited about helping me, as always.

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When the older kids saw Andrew rolling out the pastry scraps, they got pretty excited and joined in the action, too!

Odds and Ends

This was on the last day of August, which also happened to be the last day of our Stone Mountain memberships. Boy, did we put that last day of membership to good use! Matt stayed home with Peter while the older kids and I hit the kids version of the sky hike (a low-to-the-ground ropes course with a zip line at the end), quite a bit of splashing in the stream, the 4D movie, and the train. We aimed for miniature golf, but there was a 45 minute wait for that. We stood in this line for quite awhile since the trains had temporarily shut down due to a concern about possible lightning. So the kids weren't in the best of humor. :)

Classic Naomi: helpful with Peter, but still trying to read even when helping. You should see her brush her hair while reading. It's not very effective.

Andrew is enjoying preschool! He is in Miss Jeannie's class, and he is one of 4 3-year-olds. They fingerpaint a lot, and he always uses scads of blue! They started school right after Andrew's birthday, and things finally settled down enough that we were able to take cupcakes in to celebrate. Blue frosting!

Handsome fella!

Peter is absolutely wonderful to have around, and his siblings smother him with love. (Literally. It's actually a bit problematic.)

We love his smiles and perform all sorts of acrobatics to get him to smile! I have yet to capture one on camera, but he condescended to give the camera a half smile today!

First Day of School!

First day of school, complete with pictures, Gabe's first bus ride, excitement over a Ninjago backpack, Naomi imparting of her school knowledge to her brother, and topped off with the celebratory first-day-of-school jumbo cookie!

How desperate is my child to have a pet?

Pretty darn. This was her latest pet proposal.

For Camille :)

Sorry it took me so long!

Peter Edward Merrell arrived on June 16 (I finally got a baby who accommodated my like for even numbers!). He was 9 lb 8 oz and has been a pretty great little (well, big!) guy to have around!

When Mom Vacuums Beneath the Couch Cushions...

Plus strategic placement of cushions for escape from the hot lava coating the floor, acrobatic tricks, and car races... So many possibilities!

Favorite Activity

Favorite activity for Family Night? Wrestling with an occasional ride from Dad! 15 solid minutes of children screaming with laughter and dogpiling on Daddy never seems to grow old.

Dentist Time!

After Naomi's struggles (read: outright panic sessions) at the dentist, I was blown away by how easy Gabe's appointment was on Monday! We walked in, got the cleaning done, and left. Whaaaaaaat?!!! Awesome!!

Gabe had a small cavity, so we returned this morning to get it filled. And, once again, we walked in, got the work done, and walked out. I'm in shock. And super pleased with my boy. That kid is getting some treats!!

Cuties during Family Movie Night!

Sunday Fun with the Marble Run!

Preschool Graduation

It's been a fun preschool year with Miss Kathy!

Pillow Fights and Giggles!

When Andrew isn't tattling about something Gabe is doing, they are best buds! (My personal favorite: when he can't find anything Gabe is doing wrong, he says, "Gabe's doing that!".)

It was so fun to hear giggles coming from the back of the car the other day!

Sweetie!

Andrew and I had a friend over on Tuesday. Andrew helped to keep her happy, and at one point he brought her a toy and said, "Here you go, sweetie!".

I'd forgotten what a path of destruction a curious 1 year old can leave behind! When I was ready for a break, I set them to sorting bugs at the table. :-)

Stone Mountain Train

This was the second day of spring break. It was also about 30 seconds before both boys began dusting off all the nearby benches, which were completely coated with yellow pollen, leaving me with two yellow boys!

Library Time!

The kids had a day off school a couple weeks ago. and we spent a chunk of time at the library. We checked out a library branch other than the one we normally frequent, and we loved it!

Gabe discovered these magnets and these were his words of choice to spell all by himself!

Home Depot, once again!

April's building project: bird feeders! Gabe was enthusiastic throughout and did everything he possibly could. Naomi did a good portion of hers, and she needs to learn to hit harder with the hammer!

We came straight from soccer, thus Gabe's soccer garb. Gabe remains a defensive player by instinct (they don't have positions when they are 4!) but managed to make 4 goals along the way!

Dish Washing Boys

Anything for an excuse to splash in the water!

Home Depot Workshop

Gabe works diligently while Naomi poses... :-)

They both thoroughly enjoyed building their race cars and have asked multiple times when we can go back. Apparently we should have started frequenting the Home Depot kids workshop long ago!

A Day Out of the Norm!

Last week, we had a day off from school (a scheduled snow make-up day, but we didn't use any this year). We took full advantage and played plenty of games! The kids were delighted to discover that Red Vines make great straws, and they also painted quite a few pictures each!

Daddy Daughter Date!

Uncle Edward gave Naomi Swan Lake tickets for her birthday, and tonight was the night! She was so very excited!

Sick Boys

Andrew has a ruptured eardrum and didn't want me to put him down for about a week. We're so happy he's finally feeling better and back to his happy, giggly, sing-song-y self!

Matt had a cold, so it was a good time for snuggling on the couch. And movies were the only way to get the antibiotic drops in Andrew's ears!