Happy Memorial Day!

After deliberating in my head whether it would be more fun for the kids to ride in the parade or watch the parade (both equally fun), I decided to take advantage of the opportunity for the kids to get to ride on a trailer behind a tractor in our local Memorial Day parade. It looked like it was going to be rainy, but the sun came out just as we pulled onto the main road to see the crowds. The kids really had a great time! They were both very tired at the end.

Here's Zachary proving he is "fit for survival" on a float that included 10 middle schoolers who wanted to hog all the candy. He was not going to miss out on the candy-throwing. When we got home, he showed me a stash of candy he hid in his shorts pocket. I'm still trying to figure out if this qualifies as stealing? I'll probably have to talk with him about this...even though it is funny & clever!

Allie got really sweaty (like Mommy) and about 3/4 of the way through, she literally laid out on the floor of the trailer, in everyone's way.

Zachary was a trooper, throwing candy and VBS brochures to the crowds the whole time.

And he hung out with two of his little buddies on the back. The children's pastor (turquoise t-shirt) reassured me that he would stand on that step to protect any little ones from falling off the float. And I just want everyone to know that I didn't worry a bit.

Little Ladybug

Allie was so cute with her little ladybug and pigtail. She's a doll.

The downside to intimacy

Being a close-knit family has a lot of perks. We all love each other, we help each other out, we can share special memories, we can enjoy being affectionate, etc...
However, from the eyes (and nose!) of a 4-year old and a 2-year old, one of the negatives involves the close proximity we sometimes get to enjoy.

Recent quotes from the kids about this "too close-ness"...

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Zachary: "Grandad, when you talk, I can smell your breath."

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Mommy: "Zachary, would you like to hold baby Ari?"

Zachary: "No, I can smell her breath."

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Allie: "Mommy, juice please. My mouth is stinky."

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Zachary to Allie: "Ew, I smell your breath. It smells like a bird."

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Allie to Mommy, just after some kisses, "...smell something!" while she holds her nose.

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Zachary: "Mommy, why do I smell people's breath?"

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Zachary to Daddy, on a Saturday morning when all four of us were in our bed: "Daddy, why do you stink in the morning?"

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Cousins

We spent the last 24 hours with Aunt Jen & baby Ari, which was super fun!! Zachary really likes Ari. He asked me if Aunt Jen was going to have another baby after Ari. I said, "Yes, probably in a few years." He thought about it for a second and then said, "Will she put this one away then?"
Of course we laughed a lot and explained that Ari would grow and be a big girl like Allie. His favorite thing about Ari is that she'll grasp his finger now. Allie's favorite thing is to kiss her sweet little bald head. I think Allie's just glad to have a little friend who is as bald as she was/is.

Aunt Jen took these cute pictures of the little cousins. SO fun!

Grammy & her grandkids, being so silly...This picture is hilarious. My kids have started doing a little dance that looks a lot like how a Quail runs...It is really funny.

This last picture is cute. Even little Ari is smiling nice!

Creating Diversions

We've had this awesome marble track for awhile now, but only recently has Zachary started actually making an effort to build it himself. In the past, Todd & I have been the ones who put it together while Zachary just rolled the marbles down the track.
Yesterday, he & I (yes, I still helped a little...it's really challenging for a 4-year old) built a few tracks that turned out pretty cool. I love to watch him build, test, and fix this track so that the marbles will make it through successfully. I'm certain this is critical thinking at its best. My dad said it well, "It's all about creating diversions...", you know, to move the marble along the track...each wood piece is to divert.

He gets a little frustrated when the marbles get stuck. And his first instinct is to send another marble down to "push" the stuck marble. This is funny because the problem isn't usually a stuck marble. It is usually a piece of the structure blocking the track, so each "push" marble actually just joins the other stuck marbles.
Oh, and the "necklace" he's wearing? A track medal of mine from high school. We visited a trophy shop recently and he became very interested in trophies & medals. He's been wearing my medal for several days now. I could only find 1 ribbon that would fit it...thus the polka-dots.

...Love those beautiful eyes.