Father and Son

 I came home from school a bit early Friday to get ready for camping with Caleb. Emily was really put out at being left behind, but Amanda put together a good ladies night while we spent some manly time together.

We didn't have to look too far to find manly things to do. Enormous spiders are manly, right. Actually, this kind of gave me the jibblies. That's the Bishop holding his son's hat.  The spider is not decorative.

Because of our ward's interesting demographic, the oldest kid there was eight or so but Caleb had lots of friends to run around with. Caleb was a good camper.

We skipped rocks, ate junk food, and stayed up late singing hymns. I thought Caleb would be excited to stay up late, but he was more excited to have a tent. He kept on asking to go to bed.

It was nice to have some quality time together. We bonded.

I wanted to share this picture too. This was family scripture time. At least we're together and not... on the streets.

Decorations

Emily recognized that Mother's day was the next event coming up (I'm glad that we have the Cince de Maio festivities behind us now... sometimes the holidays can be so stressful). She asked for some tape.

She then proceeded to decorate the house for Mother's day. Plastic pots and dishes on the walls--they really add to the excitement of the upcoming celebrations. She also taped up the top of a baby-wipes container and a few other random things that still somehow evoke a strong sentiment of motherhood.  We're ready to get our party on.

Second trimester high

I love the second trimester. It is around this point in my pregnancy that I seem to get really ambitious for my kids and really into this mothering thing. This might be why Emily started gymnastics and then ballet right before Elinor was born, and why Caleb has recently started Sportball at WAYA and Emily has restarted ballet after a six month hiatus when she started school. Now I am ready to start teaching them piano. I tried teaching piano before Caleb was born because a family really twisted my arm, but I never really felt comfortable with it or confident in my role as a teacher. I am so excited now! I don't love any single piano curriculum I have found, but in buying a few different books and picking how I want to approach it, I am enthusiastic about giving it another try. Emily is set on Wednesday being lesson day, so we will see how it goes tomorrow!
I am also in love with cloth diapers. I'm not totally sure we've started saving money yet (it's been a little over 6 months since we started) but hopefully it'll make financial sense when we cloth diaper our next kid. It just makes me so happy to see my clean diapers drying in the sun and knowing that I don't have to be buying big boxes of diapers every couple of months.

These guys also make me happy.

Two year old Halloween costumes

Sunday afternoon naps. Em slept from 5:30pm until 6:30 am solid.

Cute Emily putting together a pizza.

And Elinor makes me happy too.

International Festival

Today was the International Festival at Mathews Elementary School. Emily was asked to represent Japan in the Parade of Nations, so even though she's only a quarter Japanese and I really don't know much about Japan, we were excited to dress her up.

Isn't she just so cute?

Look how little she is!

She did a great job saying "Konnichiwa. My name is Emily and I represent Japan. Sayonara."

After the parade was class dances. The pre-k did a Mexican dance that was really fun. Emily loved practicing it at home with Caleb. Caleb didn't love it.

Afterward they played silly music for the kids to dance to. It was nice to see Emily having fun with her friends.

We ended the evening with a group shot in front of the school of the three kids.

Aren't I a lucky momma?

Playmobil addition

So, I've been holding onto this story for a while, because I've worried that it might be sacrilegious, but I think I'm going to go ahead and record it anyway.
I have a stash of Playmobil toys that I keep on a high shelf to be pulled out occasionally during quiet time. Emily loves to play with them, especially the nativity set. One day she was playing so happily, but then became unhappy that Jesus was only a baby so couldn't do anything.

Here is the solution that she came up with:

This is grown up Jesus - a permanent addition to our Playmobil set. I personally like the goatee... and the tuft of hair right on top... and the big foot hairiness... ah, who am I kidding. He's a great character all around, isn't he? She even made a little stand for Him (should that be capitalized?). Go ahead and zoom in so you can appreciate all the fine detail. Everything down to the green eyes was purposeful.

I do love my little artist.

Singing Time

For the past several months, I've lead singing time in primary. It's a lot more work than leading the congregation's choir used to be. Maybe I would have had better choir attendance if I had stood on my head once in a while, but coasting along is not an option with the kids. Despite the increased workload, I've had a lot of fun with it. One of my favorite times was when we filled cups with different amounts of water and played the songs with spoons. I had to use our largest glass completely empty and smallest baby food jar completely full to get the range I wanted, but it was pretty cool.

There are tons of singing time idea blogs out there. I use their ideas all the time and I'm incredibly grateful for them. I don't intend to turn our blog into another one, but I thought it'd be fun to share from time to time.

We're learning Jesus Once was a Little Child this month. The kids had the first verse down pretty well, but needed some help on the second.  I wrote it on the white board I got at Saver's for a buck.  I used different colors because my intent was to have them draw Uno cards and we'd erase the words in corresponding colors.  At the last minute, however, I decided to use the Nerf guns my sister got us for Christmas.  It was awesome.  My diligent and reverent singers got a chance to take a few shots at the whiteboard from behind the line of chairs.  We erased the words that got hit.  The boys have never sung so well.  They were on the edge of their seats quivering with musical intensity.   I think it went along with the theme of "playing as little children play, the innocent games of youth."

We have a pretty small senior primary; so we can do some creative things and still stay under control.  I looked through the handbook and I didn't see anything that said I couldn't use guns in primary... But it did just so happen that the stake primary sent representatives today.  They didn't jump up to congratulate me on my innovation; still, it got the boys to sing. 

We also used the April Showers theme that has been passed around the LDS singing time blogosphere to pick additional songs to sing.  Rather than put songs on paper raindrops, I just stuffed them into Easter eggs.  We've got bunches of those.  They sort of look like raindrops if you squint.

Of course it's hilarious to nest one egg six layers deep.  At least I think it's funny.  The kids chuckle politely.  That wacky Brother Cooper.  They're good kids.

Passe

I know nothing of ballet, but the teacher says this stance is called a passe. Aren't they cute, all dressed in pink? Em might need to add a little formality to her stance, but she's working on it!

Picture heavy

We were excited to dye eggs with the kids this year.

Caleb was excited too.

Emily loves anything creative.

Elinor only dropped one. Out of one.

 We headed to San Antonio to visit Jared and Sue right after Emily's ballet class.

The kids had fun with the little Easter egg hunt Jared and Sue set up.

Joseph was thrilled to give Caleb a Frankenstein egg basket.
What better way to celebrate resurrection?

Elinor was sort of sick and drugged up.

Easter morning brought all kinds of surprises for the kids.

Elinor was (and is) still fighting off her sickness, but she liked her new doll.

I love Emily's face here as she realizes the bike is red and not blue.

Blue means Caleb's and red means new bike!

We are generally not so extravagant as to give bikes for Easter, but we had been holding on to this red bike for a while and Easter seemed like a good occasion to give it to her. Plus she was really good about going without while Caleb owned a bike.

Those three kids and their loot.

Caleb's new shoes. He wears shoes about 10% of the time he's outside, but when he's shod, he looks good.

Joseph and the kids worked on finishing the eggs up on Sunday morning.

I have to say, I love the little hats.

And I love the little hands.

Happy Easter!

Blue Bonnets

So, I just don't normally post twice in a night, but I thought that last announcement deserved its own space. I am so happy with the symmetry of our family. I can't help but wonder, will this next boy be dark like the girls or light like Caleb? Or will he really surprise us and be a girl? I suppose I'll have to wait, but I wish I knew right now!

Moving on, a friend of ours, who is a great photographer (took Caleb's awesome profile picture), took us out to a nearby patch of bluebonnets the other day and we were able to sit for some pictures. I was excited about this because it is probably (hopefully) our last spring here in Austin and the bluebonnet pictures will be such a fun reminder of our time in Texas. Elinor is sort of a serious baby, so she was hard to catch smiling, but we do have a few gems in with the lot. I am so excited to share these pictures! I really like them.

Love this.

A little awkward, but really captures the essence of our family right now.
We'll worry about getting good family pictures when the kids are older.

Love.

Those boys.

Probably my favorite picture of Caleb. Ever.

A morning well spent. Katie was so fun and efficient and even brought treats for the kids. We love her!

It's a...

BOY!!!!

we are so excited for more of this...

and this...

No, really, we are.
We couldn't be happier!