I wanna be like Mike

Mikey loves playing at the basketball court. Usually, we go out and take the toddler basketball along with the big orange one, but he is much more interested in handling the adult size ball. I think it's because that's what Adam uses so he'll have nothing else. Adam loves to be out on the court with him, as do I, but there's something special about seeing the two of them playing together.

Adam took Mikey with him to show him how to do a lay-in (is that what that is?). After a few rounds of one-on-one with Dad, Mikey was ready to show us some new skills. He was thrilled to be up close to the basket. How's that for a slam dunk smile?

Oh boy!

Make-believe

Monday afternoon was full of big adventures for Emily. The first--a fishing trip. She was seated at the edge of her bed with her fishing line dangling in the "water". What I loved most was seeing her seated with her little pup.

Later she found this "riding cap" (the riding cap is from watching The Saddle Club movie) and pretended to be Cowgirl Dora riding away. Emily is a big Dora fan. It is so funny to see Emily make believe. I can't believe how good she is at it! It's so funny when I think that I spend my time with someone who pretends she's someone else interacting with things I can't see. What a kid!

Easter Weekend

Emily and I really had fun painting then decorating these eggs with Cinderella stickers and sticker designs.

We set our decorated eggs in a basket, which I let Emily take along on our trip to the playground. Driving home, I looked back to find Emily quietly sitting with a blue Easter egg in her hand and chewing on something. I had expected the eggs to be well loved and cracked, but not eaten! We upgraded to the more durable plastic eggs for future play. ;)

We went to a local plant nursery for an Easter egg hunt. In typical toddler fashion, Emily savored every aspect of the hunt: finding the egg, trying to open the shell, and finding a treat inside. Each egg was a new surprise. The best part was that she was as happy with one egg as she was with half a dozen.

We put together simple Easter baskets for the kids, but instead of baskets we actually used plastic buckets and shovels that they can later play with in the yard.

Mikey was just thrilled to carry around the plastic eggs and share his snacks with Dad. I don't remember Easter being quite this fun before. The kids really helped me to appreciate the less important, but still meaningful traditions of the Easter holiday.

Adam's "Grandma Anderson Lunch"

Adam spent a summer living in Enoch with Grandma and Grandpa. Over this past weekend, he brought home some groceries and said that he got some things that would make a "Grandma Anderson lunch." Any guesses or recollections of what that would include?

Michael's First Birthday

Recent discoveries of an almost one year old

Mike's discovered the fun of flushing the toilet. When I'm busy in the kitchen, and the house is suddenly quiet, I listen carefully and can hear Mikey crawling up the stairs. The next thing I hear is the toilet flushing in the upstairs bathroom.

Mikey does things that tell me he's fearless (at least more so than Emily). He loves to feel the shower on his face during bath time. If he gets a hold of the rinsing cup in the bath, he'll try and try and try to take a drink. He doesn't seem to mind when he gets way too much water and gasps for air, which is what always happens.

He's very determined, too. If he's interested in something, he gives it his total attention. He's learning to walk, and totters all around the house now. It's fascinating to watch this boy grow and learn. And sometimes I have to watch him very close!

By the way, happy birthday!

Adam, the kids, and I spent part of last week with my sister Elsa and her family. Elsa and Chris are buying 3 acres for their new home. We went and saw the property, which has a small creek running through it. Right now it also has a lot of dirt "castles" for the kids to climb.

While we were walking around their property, I spotted Emily, Curtis (4) and India (7) all heading for a nearby dirt castle. Curtis glanced back to see Emily way behind them--her short stride just couldn't keep up. He turned around and affably walked back to Emily, giving her his hand to walk with her. Curtis, you are such a good friend!

Adam and I also spent a day and a half away from the kids. Just the two of us--as it was when we were first married, and like it will be when the kids leave the house. For our Birthday dinner, Adam and I went to a Mexican restaurant with a festive feel and tasty food. Our waitress and another employee sang the Birthday song to us!

We were enjoying our time away so much, we even forgot to wish each other a happy birthday when the real day came. We were heading back to Elsa's house in the afternoon and Adam said, "By the way, happy birthday!"