Fun at the Face Fountains

If you've never been to these fountains, let me just say I've never seen anything like them anywhere else! The faces are moving... blinking, looking around, etc. Every couple of minutes they spit a huge stream of water, and then the whole wall pours water down from the top, and a new face is looking out at you! The two huge faces are facing each other, about 100 feet apart, with an inch deep pool of water in the area between them. Very cool!
Seth running between the faces!

Silliness Is

...pretending to be midgits with Grandpa!

Coziness Is

...joining your sister in bed for a good story.

Big Fun in a Small Pool

Yes, the slide is way too big for this little pool, and I am sorry to report that eventually the girls blew out the side of the pool (not literally, but it will no longer hold water, if you know what I mean!). However, it was worth it for the fun the two of them had laughing and splashing together for a quite a while. And I loved watching the fun!

At the Bean

"Mama, mama, I went to town. Inside, outside, upside down!" So goes a line from a child's book about directional words. It seems to fit these pictures, don't you think?!

Around We Go

Gwen and her brothers (Sethy and Ca-ca to her) ride the "horses" at Blackberry Farm.

What's out in the meadow?

Butterflies, Queen Ann's Lace... what else?

Happy Lunch

Cousins Caden and Gwen await their meal at their own little table at Grandpa and Grandma's house last weekend.

Pig Laugh

The week before his birthday, Caleb happened upon this little stuffed pig keychain in a gift shop. When it's middle is pressed, the pig oinks faster and faster and then erupts into hysterical laughter. When Caleb first heard it in the store, he was laughing so hard he was nearly crying. We decided it was worth having, just for the laughs, and bought it to give him on his birthday. Here are his and Gwen's reactions hearing the laughing pig.

Oldest and Youngest Cousins

Caleb and Alyssa amuse each other!

Birthday Dessert

I guess when you're twelve, you're old enough to request something other than cake for your birthday dessert. Something like, say, a peach and blackberry cobbler.

I can't believe my boy is twelve.

Toothpaste

Yes, there is still a tube of toothpaste in our house that was purchased in China. You might assume that we do not brush very often, to still have a half-used tube of toothpaste that was purchased just about eight months ago lurking in the bathroom drawer.


First of all let me point out that I am a very fastidious toothbrusher. I could never, ever go to bed without brushing, and I brush after every meal on top of that. I brush long and well. My dentist has told me on several occasions that my mouth is a model of oral hygiene.

Second of all, I must point out that I found this toothpaste in the drawer in the kids' bathroom, not in mine. In the master bathroom there is usually only one tube in the drawer, possibly two if Scott has gotten impatient with the old tube and gotten out a fresh one, while I continue to toil along with the dregs of the old one.

But in the kids' bathroom, where I found the Crest that had been purchased in China, there were no less than seven (!!) tubes of toothpaste. All are partially used. There is a tube of Curious George Reach toothpaste, banana berry flavored. That was a fairly recent purchase. There is an Oral-B Winnie the Pooh tube, berry bubble flavored, that squeezes out fun shapes. I don't recall ever being able to recognize the shapes, though. There is a tube of Colgate vanilla mint. I got that one for myself, thinking that I would really enjoy that flavor. Not sure how it ended up in the kids' drawer. There is a tube of Aim Whitening Mint Gel. This one I know we accidentally brought home from Scott's parents the last time we were there visiting. Two more~ A Crest tarter protection whitening paste that is nearly gone, and the other is a Colgate Total.

Whew. I guess I need to reach into the back of the kids' toothbrush drawer a little more often. But I'm glad the Chinese Crest is still hanging around. It reminds me that we actually did make that amazing trip around the world to get our little girl. As if her sweet face every morning isn't reminder enough!

Little House on the Prairie Girl

Madelyn and I have been reading the Little House books together. The series was my absolute favorite growing up, with the exception of By the Shores of Silver Lake, which I did not enjoy for some reason and read only once. Anyway, Madelyn had the chance to live the stories this week while she attended a little camp for a couple of hours each day at a pioneer farm. They gathered eggs, made cornbread and stew over the fire, churned butter, made a candle, went fishing, washed clothes on a washboard, and even visited Mr. Edwards! They were all given a sun bonnet to keep. Here's my prairie girl!

Sunday Best

Do these dresses look familiar? They are the flower girl dresses from Aunt Sarah's wedding, which the girls wore to church on Sunday. This picture is for you, Sarah! You have beautiful nieces. :-)

Puddles

Mom, the kids are playing in that big puddle... can I go too?
They made me do it... is it okay that now I'm lying down in the puddle?
It's really fun to splash in this deep part!
Ummm... I got kinda wet.
I think my dress will be fine after we wash it, don't you?

Finally We Meet

Today Gwen and my grandma got to meet for the first time! My grandma, who just so happens to be halfway through her 98th year, lives about four and a half hours from us. With the activities of the school year and then the kids' baseball teams this summer, we hadn't made it to see her yet since Gwen became part of our family. Today we corrected that situation! Scott had some business near where she lives, so we traveled there with him yesterday, spent the night, and went to see her this morning.

It wasn't a long visit, but it was sweet. Grandma had treats waiting for the kids. Seth played his violin for her. Gwen sat on her lap to share a story. Madelyn was given hugs and told she was "our little princess" and still as beautiful as always. Caleb was told about his great grandfather, and why he would have liked him. Grandma told us all more little tidbits about her childhood~ her memory is amazing~ and also about a dark time in her life when she felt the hand of God on her shoulder to comfort her. It was such a joy to have those couple of hours together.

I am so thankful that God has seen fit to allow my grandma so many years of life. It is a privilege and a blessing to know her, and I am so pleased that my youngest child got to experience for the first time a little bit of that joy of knowing her great grandmother today!

Almost got it...

Gwen's been working hard at trying to undress herself... usually at the wrong times! If she wakes up early from a nap, she will usually not cry or call for me. Instead, she busys herself with her own entertainment, like removing all her clothes and her diaper and throwing them out of the crib. Or on another day, reaching through the bars of the crib to get a book from the bookcase. Do you know how many pieces one page can be torn into? Gwen does! Needless to say, we have made it clear that this activity isn't high on Mommy's list (and is, in fact, unacceptable under all circumstances!) and have made other plans for the location of the books. I have learned that I need to check on Gwen even if I hear no noise coming from her room, and am teaching her to call for me!