A pool and another pool…

"You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor."
-Aristotle

When it became warm enough for the kids to realize they could be splashing in water outside, Ashlyn started asking for the blowup dragon pool that we had last year.  Due to some unfortunate events completely out of my control, such as deciding to store it in the shed right next to the gardening tools, the poor dragon pool did not blow up it’s former glory.  Mom came to the rescue and ordered a new pool, and it was big hit with both the kids.

Ashlyn has extended her love of the Japanese Bento candy making kits to James.  This isn’t to say that she will let him have one of his own, but she will let him watch her do it and will even share some of the sugary goodness with him when it’s done.  I can’t say that we share the same love for the things as she does, but it’s become a great reward for her acting like a big girl.  This time it was for doing really well in gymnastics even with a new teacher.  Our little shy child is slowly but surely coming out of her shell and getting more comfortable in new situations.

Ashlyn was so proud of her gymnastics that she wanted to teach James how to do a few tricks.

Nina and Papa had the family over for a pool party on Sunday since it was a three day weekend.  Ashlyn did great in the pool and James showed off his sliding skills.  We had a lot of fun hanging out with the family and the kids had a great time too.  Ashlyn had so much fun she ended up spending the night.

Most importantly, today I want to say thanks.  To Uncle John and Uncle Scott, to PePa and Papa, thank you for your service to this country.  I’m incredibly proud to know each of you.

Outdoor fun and Main Street…

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”
-George Bernard Shaw

The weather was absolutely perfect this week and our goal was to spend as little of it indoors as possible.  Luckily the kids had the same idea, and it was great to see them out playing together.

It was time for the pool to be filled once the temperature got high enough.  James put one foot in the tub and gave Mom a look like he thought he was breaking a rule by putting one foot in.  I guess he didn’t realize the whole point of the tub was for him to get in it.

While Uncle Scott and Uncle John were busy competing in their first Ironman Triathlon, we entertained the kids by taking them to the Grapevine Main Street festival.  We like going there because it’s close, practically free to enter, and it’s small enough that we can walk the entire street in minutes.  A big congratulations go out to the boys for completing the Iron Man, I honestly have no idea how they did it.  I got tired hitting refresh on the athlete tracker page on my phone, so the idea of swimming 2.4 miles, biking 116 miles, and running 26.2 miles seems absolutely crazy.

Sunday was a bit more relaxing, PePa came over for breakfast and the kids enjoyed more of the nice weather outside.

Happy Mother’s Day!

"The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother."
-Theodore Hesburgh

Ashlyn’s new bed is now complete thanks to a curtain made by Grandma.  Ashlyn picked out the fabric, and I think both the kids are happy with the end result.  The bed has now become part of the nighttime ritual as the kids run in and out from under the curtain trying to avoid teeth brushing.

Mother’s day was this weekend and both the kids were excited to make cards for Mom, Grandma, and Nina.  The activity was organized by Dad and they still came out ok even though their creation began outside in a windstorm and had to be brought in after being chased across the yard.  We had to ban Mom from the kitchen as she wasn’t allowed to see hers until Mother’s Day.  Ashlyn was insistent on this.

We’re lucky to have three mother’s in the area and the first one was at Auntie Sisa’s new house with Nina.  The kids had a great time with Cousin Ben and Baxter and they were happy to give Nina her Mother’s Day cards.

On Sunday we celebrated the mother of our own house in the morning and Grandma in the evening.  After steaks, wine, and desserts, the kids didn’t take long at all to crash at bedtime.

For this last bit, I’m going to tell a story instead of showing pictures.  This past week was a long one at work with late nights and early mornings, so on Saturday Mom got up when the kids so that I could get a little more sleep.  I heard them moving around and apparently James found something that was broken because I heard “Daddy fix it”.  I smiled of course when I heard that, but because it’s Mother’s Day weekend it also made me realize something.  Sure, Daddy is there to fix things, squish the bugs, and keep the monsters at bay.  But when Ashlyn or James get hurt or feel sad, they will run right by my open arms to get to Mommy.  Daddy fixes things, but it’s Mom that teaches, comforts, encourages, and supports.  It’s Mom that comes up with endless ways to create new experiences, it’s Mom’s arms that they want to lay in on the couch when watching a movie , and it’s Mom that let’s them know things are ok when they get nervous or scared.  Ashlyn and James are truly lucky to have a Mom as special and wonderful as theirs, just like we are lucky to have equally good mothers of our own.  So to all the Mothers who give everything to their children without asking for anything in return, and to the mothers who do not even for a second consider it a “sacrifice”, your sons and daughters say thank you.

Mayfest and Star Wars…

"Truly wonderful the mind of a child is."
-Yoda

Summer is getting closer, and with it comes summer treats like corn on the cob and snow cones.  The kids approve.

With the garage cleaned out, the kids have as much fun their as they do in the house.  It’s a great place to teach the kids how to ride the bikes actually.

We had a relatively free Saturday and thought would be a fun idea to take the kids to Mayfest.  Mayfest provided the kind of fun that only a place with $5 Merry Go Round rides, expensive food, crowds, and lots of walking can provide.  All that being said, while it was not as fun as I remember  when I was a kid, Ashlyn and James seemed to enjoy the experience.  I’m not sure if we’ll be going next year though, we’ll probably stick to the local main street events until the kids are older.

We tried painting again this weekend, and it ended up the same as the first.  Two kids went from painting to a bath with no stop in between.  While they were getting cleaned off, the porch had to be hosed down.  Oh well, it’s worth it.

Today is May 4, also known as Star Wars celebration day (May the 4th be with you… get it?).  We kicked the festivities off with Star Wards Episode IV and a fun breakfast with PePa.  James was excited, a future nerd is among us.  Ashlyn just liked Princess Leia.