Aaron and Peanut man the BBQ

No training wheels!

Canaan is learning to ride without training wheels! Granted, this is probably the best video clip I took today, but he's making great progress!

Bubble Wrap

Is there anything cooler than bubble wrap?

Shy Matty

I tried to get some pics of Matty today. He pretended he's shy.

The Great Toe Discovery

Gracie has noticed her feet. It's awfully cute how she pulls them up and looks at them as if they are strange and new, and sometimes she grabs her toes before she flops her legs back down and then completely forgets she has feet until they come into her view again. She hasn't stuck them in her mouth just yet but I'm sure that's coming.

Stickers

All kids love stickers, right? Mine are no exception. Matthew, in particular, seems to enjoy peeling them off and sticking them in inappropriate places. I've peeled Lightning McQueen off the coffee table and Diego from the playroom walls. I think the worst yet is one I did not discover until after I'd walked all through Sam's Club, toting giant packages of bottled water and enormous boxes of diapers and returned home only to find a small square sticker reading "Tax Day" stuck to my rear end!

Some newer pictures

New Bikes

Aaron and I got new bikes this weekend. We also bought a bike trailer so we can take Peanut and the boys on family bike rides through the neighborhood. Matty tested out the trailer "to make sure it's safe for Gwacie." She didn't like the trailer one bit when we tried it out yesterday. She screamed so loudly I was sure something was pinching or poking her and took her out immediately. She stopped crying as soon as I picked her up. Today she was content to look around and flash big toothless grins at anyone looking her way.

I sometimes wonder...

Are my children normal? Canaan's birthday is fast approaching. I took him to the commissary to pick out his birthday cake. Many of the popular character cakes had already been discontinued. Finally he asks, "Do you want me to get this one?" A cake with the Air Force emblem on it. I said no, keep looking. He said, "Why not? It's to honor dad!" What soon-to-be 6-yr-old boy talks like that?! I am proud that he so often considers the feelings of other family members.

And am I the only one with a child that will talk or sing himself to sleep? Matty doesn't do it every night. Usually, it's those never-ending nights. The ones that follow days in which he accidentally slowed down long enough to fall asleep for 10 minutes in the van. If I listen closely on those nights, I'm in for a real treat, if I can get over my exasperation at how long he's continued to toss and turn beyond his bedtime. If I listen closely, I can hear him count to 10 in Spanish. Or repeat selected scenes from the movie "Madagascar." Or wonder softly, "Where do the stars go when it's day?" Or, I can be completely taken by surprise like I was tonight when I hear him whisper-sing:

Da-Da
Da-Da-Da

Da-Da
Da-Da-Da

Stawt spweadin' da news!
I'm weavin' today!

I have no idea where he's even heard that song! And now that he's sound asleep, I can admit how cute it was!

Grace's many faces

Snow Day

We got about 4 inches of snow. And 2 days of school cancelled so far! We all had a blast playing outside. It wasn't the right kind of snow for making a snowman, so we had to settle for snow angels and flinging it at each other. And after seeing the boys fall asleep on the sofas tonight, I sorta wish it snowed here more often!