Poor Jake

Jake has the worst Springtime allergies I've ever seen.

The poor kid has a "villain mustache" of raw skin under his nose.

But at least his baby brother thinks he hung the moon.

It's Regatta Time!

At five o'clock last night I found myself holding (or, to be totally honest, dancing wildly around the kitchen with) a teething toddler, making dinner, and blow-drying the glue on two little wooden boats.  I was singing, too.  Because life is good.

On Spring and Baseball

Jake's favorite sport is football.  Cam and Dan both love soccer best.  But me, I love baseball season best of all.  Not because I like the sport any better than the other sports my children play, of which there are several, but because there's nothing quite like a Spring evening spent at the baseball field.  It just feels like the right place to be, you know?  Not to mention baseball has the best uniforms.  As a girl, I notice things like that.

So, we're right smack dab in the middle of this baseball season and we're all loving it.  The big boys play their hearts out.  Dan helps in the dugout or keeps kids on the sidelines busy with a game of catch.  Nico and I "discuss" why we shouldn't eat rocks or throw dirt.  And we all hold our breath, count strikes, balls, runs, and outs.  And cheer.  Lots of cheering.  It's perfect.

My boys are good, too.  I know I say that a lot, and I don't mean to brag.  It just always blows me away to see them work hard and succeed as they do the things they love.  It's the best feeling in the world.  Kind of like a Spring evening at the baseball field.

Happy Birthday Mayo!

Have I ever mentioned how very much we all love this old lady?

She's twelve today.

We're so lucky to have her.

Thank you, Miss Sassy-Pants, for modeling Grandma's hats so perfectly.

Love this little lady!

(And her mama, too.  This picture sums up that relationship pretty perfectly, I do believe.)

Party Crashers

For Easter this year, instead of splitting our time between Dan's family and mine, we dragged Bubby and Poppa along to Granny and Poppy's house!  It was fun for everyone, and I think the experienced egg-tossers will forgive the Party-Crashers for winning the backyard toss!  Woo-hoo!

Have I ever mentioned how much I adore my grand-parents?  Because I do.  Just thought you should know that.

Egg 2013

We had a perfect and beautiful - albeit cold and rainy - Easter this year.  We celebrated the resurrection of our Savior, spent time with family, and played with eggs.  See, told you it was perfect.

Nico learned all about egg-hunting.  This is a very important life skill that his brother's have (almost) mastered.  That forsythia bush continues to be a bit of a problem for them, though!

The toss was egg-citing, as always.

And my big boys got to participate in the big one.  The Over-the House Throw!  They're really growing up!

And now, what we've all been waiting for...

The results!

Who won Egg 2013?

Was it...

Our returning champs, John and Maria...

Or my particular favorite, Mr. Handsome...

Or maybe it was this stunning duo...

But no!  It was Uncle John and Camden!

Congratulations, guys!

And Happy Easter!

Wisdom

While reading through Jake's safety notebook, which contains important things like phone numbers of friends, family, and doctors, I came across this pearl of wisdom.  He's a smart boy, that Jake.