Biker boy

"Hey, come over here."

"I am so cool. Yeah, really cool."

"Because I'm riding on a trike! With my new haircut!"

Signs of spring

Cowboys and Indians.

Taking a break for snack on long Wednesday afternoons.

Keeping up with Calvin Jesse

There are a few things that Calvin Jesse adores right now.

Trains:

And basketball:

Signs of spring

It has been beautiful here this week.

This tree stands front and center in our front yard, and it's definitely saying it's spring.

Perhaps that's why I can't seem to stop sneezing ...

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For a boy fascinated by all things wheeled and motored, there is nothing better than having a dad who rides a motorcycle. Unless it's that dad letting said boy sit on said motorcycle. (I know he doesn't look too thrilled, but that's mainly because he's concentrating on how he distract us so he can drive away.)

Sleepover

Miss Lu and her friend Grace had a mini sleepover the other night because Grace's family was going to be in town late (they came and picked her up at 9). 

So much giggling! So many pink pajamas!

My favorite part was peeking in and seeing Miss Lu reading aloud to her friend ... who had completely conked out and was fast asleep! Lucy was a bit disappointed that she didn't get to read longer, but overall they had a fabulous time.

A royal family

Just in case you need to feel special ... 

... Miss Lucy will make you your own customized crown ...

... and she'll make sure you wear it all day!

Calvin, Live

Puppets

Miss Lucy is currently in love with making all sorts of puppets and masks and the like. Such as Dog and Panda, who, after some consideration, Miss Lu changed to Siamese Cat.

Happy Easter!

We had a wonderful Easter.

Yesterday, we went to the unofficial ward Easter Egg Hunt & Potluck lunch.

Miss Lucy knew the drill.

Calvin Jesse gave it a good effort and managed to pick up five eggs before losing interest.

Easter morning came early since we had to be at church early to warm up the choir.

But the kids still found their baskets from the Easter Bunny.

(Complete with a golden egg apiece. That was a big deal this year.)

Lucy sang with the choir.

Calvin didn't fuss too much when we all left to go sing.

And after church we had our Family Easter Egg Hunt.

Miss Lu found the last golden egg.

Calvin Jesse, again, picked up about five eggs.

Then he tossed the rest of them off the trike so he could sit on it.

We napped.

We made whole-wheat orange rolls for dinner.

(Because we ran out of white flour.)

Miss Lucy hosted an indoor egg hunt for the parents.

We went to an Easter party hosted by our neighbors, the Stevens family.

And we went to a lovely dinner at the Alexanders.

I loved being with people we love.

And I love these kids.

Spring in springing

Which means that we are starting to spend a lot of time at the parks. Calvin Jesse is fearless. Miss Lucy is strong. His favorite: slides. Her favorite: monkey bars.

The strong-willed child

Calvin Jesse and Miss Lucy are really quite different creatures. He's taciturn and agile, she's talkative and, well, not always as agile (but definitely willing to try!). So it's funny when I notice things that they share. Such as having their own, strong opinions early on.

Right now, Calvin Jesse has decided that he would rather go hungry nine times out of ten rather than have Mommy or Daddy feed him. He will shake his head "No!"and swat spoons of applesauce out of the way with a vengeance. 

But, put the same food in front of him and hand him the spoon and it's a different story. He really just wants to feed himself.

The result? After every meal, Calvin's looking down at the mess as if to say "Huh? How'd that get all over me?" It's pretty funny. 

Behind the neighbor's house ...

... there is a great little cul-de-sac perfect for bike riding. And since Emma and Ellie both know how to ride, Miss Lucy has suddenly become quite interested in bike riding herself.

Calvin Jesse, meanwhile, barks at dogs,

explores rusting trailers,

and feeds dirt to the chickens. He's thoughtful that way.