Trey Turns 1!

Now this is how you eat cake! My nephew, Trey, turned 1 a few weeks ago. He actually needed some coaxing to get started, but then he grabbed, smashed, smeared, and, oh yeah, ate it like a champ. I came across this picture today and had to share...Happy Birthday, Trey!

A Good Influence

That Frankie Kendziera. She is a dear little friend of ours and just about the sweetest 4-year-old you're ever going to meet. In fact, Saskia (Frankie's mom) just posted on her blog about Frankie's kindness and I was just thinking how I need to pray for this quality in my children because it doesn't seem to come naturally. To any of us, really, I don't mean to beat up on my kids. But after spending the day with Frankie and the Kendzieras today, literally a minute after they left, here's Claudia and Jake's conversation...

Jake: Claude, want to play with me?

Claudia: Sure! What do you want to play?

[as you're replaying this in your head, be sure to give my kids the highest, most polite voices you can imagine]

Jake: I don't care! We can play mermaids! Or whatev! [YES! He said WHATEV.]

Claudia: Mom, what do YOU want us to play with?

Me: I don't care, guys. How about these building sets?

Claudia: Oh yes!

Jake: Ooh yeah! These are the best toys EVER!

Maybe that doesn't seem over-the-top wonderful to you, but believe me, after the bickering we've had the past few...weeks...this conversation made me stop in my tracks (is that the saying?) and immediately get on the computer to document it. Bless you, Frankie, for rubbing off on my children today.

Plus, I just went upstairs to look in on them. I got this whole post out and they're STILL building nicely alongside each other. Hallelujah! And on that good note, send them to bed!

Quick, post something!

Quick, the kids are watching their morning cartoons! Here are a few pics to document, in some small way, our past few months!!!

The first swim of the year at Nana and Papa's. I had to double check the date of this swim, but just as I suspected, it was the earliest ever -- April 5!!!...which is why the kids are in their undies...I did not expect the kids to be swimming over the Easter weekend!

One of my favorite pictures from Florida this year - Sam with his great

grandparents. What a blessing to see my grandma, age 89, holding my son! And

just outside the picture, other adults getting ready to catch him JUST in case. :)

Florida was a much-needed break for Ed, and it showed. Here, he's

leading the kids on a lizard hunt while singing AUDIBLY (a rarity for him).

And this is what Ed spent most of his time doing. Meghan said it best,

"Ed's been holding on to that baby like somebody's going to take him away."

The whole family, still on speaking terms, after a week together in Florida.

We spent Mother's Day with Ed's parents this year. And we got a pretty good

picture! Quite a feat! It's just Sam who's not looking at the camera. And who

can blame him? He can't be expected to lift those cheeks up!

Claudia chose to have her friend, Haley, spend the night for her "birthday party" this year.

They also went to a carnival with Ed and came home with these beautiful princess faces.

Sam is 100 days old! It's a Korean tradition to celebrate this milestone in a

baby's life. Look at that face! Ooh! I just want to kiss it! And kiss it! And nibble it!

Thank you, God, for this beautiful 100-day-old child! How could I

NOT want another one? And another? And another? Somebody stop me!