Andrew's 4th Birthday - a belated post

Andrew has spent the last year telling people that he is 17. Some days, when he was 19, I packed his suitcase and reserved a room at the MTC. He has been insane about his age. I'm just guessing, but I think he was set off the day we told him he could sleep on the top bunk when he is 5 years old and not one day sooner. On this day he got one day closer.

Happy 4th Birthday Andrew!The boy has some wonderful sisters. They each made him a card and lots of paper crafts to go with it. Katie explained that hers was blue because that's his favorite color and had a frog on it because he likes frogs. They were all so sweet.

He's been asking for a toy submarine with a diver for a long time. This one came with Diego the Diver and an octopus that needs rescuing. Trust me, dear Octopus, after you see Andrew's room, you'll need a rescue.

At the very last minute I stumbled across this Melissa & David wooden word puzzle set. 8 puzzle boards with a word and picture on each side. All the letters come out and there are lots of extra letters to make other words. He loves it and he LOVES to read. Kindergarten is the best time ever.

T-ball! Andrew loves the St. Louis Cardinals (because I don't give him a choice) and he loves to play ball with his Mama. We went out a day or so after his birthday and the boy can swing that bat. I spent just 15 minutes pitching and he hit 5 really solid balls. Jac loves to be the catcher so we had a great time.

And finally, a close-up of the cake. There was so much boy-drama over this cake. He wanted Mama Jaguar on it, but not Baby Jaguar. Well what good is Mama Jaguar if no one needs to be rescued. Andrew was adamant. I took my chances and decorated the cake the way the story goes - both Mama & Baby - and when it was done, told Andrew the story. A smile crept across his face and I felt much relief. Boy-drama is hard.

Another First

Picked our first ripe tomato on Tuesday. Very exciting because the plants are toppling over all around the garden. They are massive plants and I'm running out of sticks and twine for propping them up. We've got another rodent or something that is enjoying the ones on one particular bush. Most of us up here in the thumb are ready for some red in the garden so we can get these babies in a jar. The peppers are beginning to turn their bright colors too. Salsa anyone?

Sharing a Memory

Alex is putting away the Mary Poppins DVD and she says to me, "Mama, in this movie, Mary Poppins is 45 years old."

We own the 45th Anniversary Edition (woo-hoo!) so I explained that the movie is that old, not the actress. I then tell her that the actress is the same person as the mother in The Sound of Music and the grandma in the princess movie they like to watch with Grandma.

She says, "Oh! We used to sit on Grandma's bed and watch that movie and when it was over, Maddie and Sariah and Tanner would come home from school. Then we would have a tea party and Grandma would make cookies and we would drink milk and eat cookies on the Princess Tea Party set."

Way to go, Grandma!
Grandma with her brother, Frank (l) and her husband, John (r) (who could pass for brothers)

Berry Pickin'

We live only a few miles from the world's greatest blueberry farm. Scott and I want to buy it. It's wonderfully huge and covered in...blueberries! I'm not even sure Scott likes blueberries; they are, after all, a fruit. But when we are there he starts thinking of farms we can buy and produce stands we can build where our kids can work to save money for college and missions. All great dreams. Mean while...

The kids and I spent a cool, cloudy Monday morning at the farm picking blueberries and playing in their park. I asked that we fill a bucket before we played and I tried to fill one myself to keep up. I did slightly better than expected and we left with 2 full buckets.

Andrew gave me a full 45 minutes of picking before he finally couldn't take it any more - he had to get to the park and play!

Good for berries, better for a seat, best for a hat. (Fancy Nancy would love that.)

Picking... and play!We're getting a little big for these toys.Queen of her castle.

Caroline

Tonight I had an online conversation with a friend who is naming her baby (born tomorrow!) and she mentioned that Caroline was on the short list. I wrote the following to her and she suggested I save it. So here, I journal.

"Caroline is a divine name! It is also the name of so many fiery, wild-tempered, powerful women. If Caroline comes to your home it will change your life forever. Ours is such an intense little girl. She's the most explosive person I've ever met, but when she has something to say, she is profound and thoughtful. She is deep and direct. The gospel is very cut and dry for her. There is no gray area in the doctrine and she knows it. Applying that to her temper is her challenge in mortality - she fires before she aims and she uses a machine gun! Isn't it amazing the spirits who have been saved for the last days? It's incredible to be their mothers!"

They listen

Tonight we were reading and discussing Alma 32 and I read verse 17, "Yea, there are many who do say: If thou wilt show unto us a sign from heaven, then we shall know of a surety; then we shall believe."

Caroline shouted, "That's just like Korihor! He wanted a sign, but he didn't really care. He just said that." She went on to tell all about Korihor and his evil ways and how signseekers are wrong.

She has a mind like a steel trap. She remembers everything. And she listens to everything. I love her so much.