Fountain Fun

As part of our picnic in the park, the kids enjoyed playing in the fountains. I loved watching them play in the water. They are so sweet together.

I caught this picture of Zachary spitting water at me.

The fountains would change levels every few minutes. There were several times when Allie would be doing this (below) and catch a face full of water...So funny!

Picnic in the Park

We had a fun Friday night picnic at a nearby park.

The kids enjoyed some cupcakes we made earlier that day. Zachary enjoyed putting "sprinklers" in the dough, under the dough, and on top of the dough.

And we got a few cute family pictures with our camera timer. The kids look SO much alike in this picture:

Everyone has a "tell"

In poker, when a person is bluffing, a good player can watch their gestures or expressions and find a "tell" that reveals the fact that they are lying. Todd tells me that everyone has a "tell" and it's just a matter of figuring it out & then using that knowledge to win the game.
Zachary has a tell. When he has done something that he knows he shouldn't have, he does this:

The other day, he came into the kitchen with this exact pose and quietly stood right next to me. Obviously I have seen him do this before and therefore I'd learned his tell.

Mommy: "Zachary, what are you doing?"
Zachary: "Covering my ears so I don't hear you yell."
Mommy: "Why would I need to yell?"
Zachary: "Because the leaves are in the vent."
Mommy: "You mean the leaves that Daddy told you to throw in the trash?"
Zachary: "Yes"
Mommy: "So you put them in the air conditioning vent instead of the trash?"
Zachary, still covering his ears, nods his head: "Are you going to yell?"

(By the way, it does make me feel terrible to see my kid covering his ears when he knows he's in trouble. Apparently I have a predictable response.)

More Sidewalk Art

We had such a mild-weather week!! It got me in the mood for a beautiful Georgia September. We spent every day this week outside and I tried to incorporate some learning. Zach and I colored shapes all over the driveway and then played a toddler-appropriate version of Twister. SO FUN!! These are just a few goofy pictures of the kids -

Portrait of Mom

I think I've mentioned (too many times) how much I love Zachary's art. And every week, he draws something new & a little more advanced than the week before (Seriously, last week we had limbs extending from our heads - remember that fabulous family portrait he drew? This week, people have torsos now!).
We spent over an hour yesterday doing sidewalk chalk in the driveway. At some point, I remember Zachary saying, "Mommy, I'm going to draw you." I was a little distracted (with Allie) while he was working on it, but he kept asking things like, "Mommy, do you have a big head or a small head?" "Mommy, are your legs long?"
When he finished, I realized he'd been really working on it...much more than I thought. I'm sure my excitement is over-the-top, but I LOVE this piece of art. And I'm SO disappointed I can't frame the original (it's chalk on the driveway - dimensions are about 3 ft x 4 ft)!
"Mom" by Zachary, age 3

My new favorite thing

Every meal, this is how it starts -
1. I'm always the last one to sit down at the table. When I get to my seat, Allie clasps her hands together and squeals her word for "prayers."

2. Zachary leads the prayer (and we've noticed he has a little throat-clearing habit at exactly the same time in the recited prayer...I am trying to figure this one out...)

3. After just a few lines of "Thank you Father," Allie starts peeking at Zachary, giggling at Mommy & nibbling on her food.

4. When we say "Amen," everybody claps!

This is the highlight of my day - three times a day.

A birthday for Panda

The other day, Zachary woke me up & said "Mommy, today's Panda's birthday!" To which I said, "ok, Happy Birthday Panda!" When we got downstairs, he set Panda on the floor in front of this little plate and then grabbed some candles. Because I didn't realize we were actually celebrating Panda's birthday, I didn't have anything special for him.
Zachary said, "Mommy, I need something to make the candles stand up." So I put a piece of bread on the little plate, Zachary stuck the candles in, and we sang "Happy Birthday" to Panda. It was really sweet because Zachary really got into it. HE wanted to take pictures of Panda and actually took the first picture below!

I love how thoughtful Zachary has become. SO sweet!!

To the Pool!!

We've enjoyed lots of pool time lately!

We've just started working with Zachary on swimming without any help. Todd's trying to get him to kick to the edge of the pool & push off the edge (thanks for the suggestion, Chad!). He is doing really well.

Letter from Allie

Dear Friends,
I've been playing some interesting games with my mom lately, you know, just to keep her on her toes. Last week, I decided I'd eat anything & everything she gave me. (Although, this week, I've decided I'm only eating grapes, strawberries & animal crackers.) Anyway, last week, we celebrated the 4th of July & I enjoyed all the festive foods.
My confused mom made Mexican Fajitas for our Independence Day meal, so I tried salsa for the first time. WOW. I mean, I've seen mom (and Grammy!) shovel down truckloads of chips & salsa many times, and now I understand why! This stuff is fabulous!

And, I've recently discovered what Daddy's calling my "ridiculous sweet tooth." I love cookies, cakes, ice cream, popsicles and milk shakes. I don't know why I'm just now starting to eat these wonderful foods! I feel like I've been missing out. Anyway, mommy made chocolate cupcakes, which Grandad loves. While I enjoyed the flavor, I found them to be extremely messy...

But now that I'm grown, I can wipe my own hands & face after messy desserts.

Everything else is going pretty good. My mom has finally learned a few of my non-verbal signs, so we are communicating much better. I don't know why she was trying to teach me a bunch of useless hand gestures. Who needs "sign language?" Allie-talk is not that difficult to understand and MY signs are much better than hers. It just took her while to learn them.
And I've finally figured out how to deal with my brother without getting myself into trouble. As long as he just THINKS I'm going to bite him, he'll leave me alone. That seems to be working well.
Another new thing I've discovered is what I call, "pai-yers". It is the most fun. Every meal, when everyone is sitting down, I put my hands together & say, "pai-yers". Everyone joins in and Zachary starts singing the best song about many blessings & being thankful. I like to put my hands together & say "pai-yers" many many times during our meals. I'll have my mom take some pictures of this, so you can see how much fun I have.
I guess I better get ready for bed. Hopefully Daddy can find a matching pair of PJ's for me. I'll write more soon. Love & Kisses, Allie Marie

Zachary's Rendition of E4

I love love love when Zachary draws people. Especially our little family. He has started putting little bodies on their heads now, which is super cute.
Here's Mommy & Daddy:

And here he's added Allie & himself:

Allie Knows

Funniest Funny Yet

Mommy: "Zach, I don't want you to drink all that water before bed. You will have to pee in the night if you drink that much."

Zachary: "Mommy, I won't have to pee. I'll drink the water and make it go all the way to my feet. And since the water will go to my feet, it won't be in my pee-pee."

Better than the zoo, Part II

Here are some pictures of the kids feeding the animals. SO fun!!

Better than the zoo, Part I

Over the weekend while Mimi & Grandad were here, we took the kids to the neatest place. It was a 1-mile walk through game ranch where they keep rescued wildlife that are people-friendly. Most of the animals are not caged, roaming around, and will eat right out of your hands! The kids LOVED it! It provided such a great learning experience, as well as a lot of fun! Here are some pictures of the animals we saw wandering around -

This is a momma duck with her little ones following behind her:

I caught some great little expressions from both kids:A non-conforming chicken:

A very well-fed pig:

3 new baby deer - can you see them?:

A duck with a perm:

A beautiful peacock:

A Very Festive Fourth

As part of our Independence Day celebration, we went to a baseball game with Mimi & Grandad. After the game, we stayed in our great seats for an AWESOME fireworks display. Wow!! It was very impressive. The kids really enjoyed their little American flags -

...and yummy snow cones -