just for fun

Here's one we're sure Grandpa Kenny will love:

my kitchen helper

Usually, I give Liam a kitchen gadget to play with while I prepare dinner each night, such as a wooden spoon, spatula, or colander. The other night I handed him the unopened box of spaghetti while I waited for the water to boil.

big mistake

blocks

Gabriel made Liam some blocks as his birthday gift from us. He cut them out of limbs salvaged from the ice storm: red bud, maple, and walnut. They're sanded smooth and rubbed with a bit of canola oil. Liam thinks they're great.

from the farm

A birthday package from Uncle Jim and Aunt Janelle, who run a dairy farm in Iowa, came for Liam Monday afternoon. He was really excited to open another package.

It's a wooden John Deere tractor. I don't think they could have sent a more perfect gift.

Caleb was pretty excited to help Liam try it out.

Thank You, Aunt Janelle and Uncle Jim!

Monday

On Monday, Caleb and Owen spent the day with me and Liam. It was a last minute thing involving a sick regular sitter, so they spent 9-5 with us instead. It was a lot of fun (most of the time) and required extra creativity on my part.

How to spend time with 3 little boys:

-Get out the train set. Play, play some more, and then play again.

-Embrace snack time. Make it last as long as possible.

-Make a loaf of bread together, with the promise of getting to eat it in the afternoon.

-Wagon rides are always fun.

I know, none of the boys look particularly happy in this photo, but it was a bit tricky to get them all looking at me at the same time... They actually loved the tour of the backyard and neighborhood.

-Craft time:

I had Caleb and Owen draw pictures on squares of fabric, which they then watched me turn into little backpacks perfect for a favorite stuffed animal.

-Take full advantage of nap/quiet time.

-When all else fails, watch a bit of Planet Earth.

It was a good day. I felt oh-so-proud of myself for managing the potential chaos, but I was sure exhausted by the time I went to bed that night.

I'm not sure how Rochelle can do this everyday: two extra little ones in addition to Sage. There is lots of admiration coming from me!

party time

Saturday morning, the Bouchers, Francos, and Grays came over to celebrate Liam's birthday. The biggest surprise of all was the snow storm, which persisted all day long. But we all stayed warm inside with coffee, tea, and warm coconut rolls.

Liam had a great time playing with his little buddies. I made him a birthday crown (with elastic in the back so it can grow with him over the years). He really liked wearing it.


He really loved the blueberry muffin cupcakes topped with cream cheese frosting.

mmm...

internet connection

Connectivity has been down the past week.

Since our internet connection comes from the wireless waves floating about the neighborhood, for which we pay nothing, I can't really complain.

I'll try to post some updates today. If the internet will cooperate :-)