Tiny Talk - Not a Baby & "egg" Hunt

"Tan you help me (r)wide my bike?" and then he's off;)

Growing up too fast:)

2 weeks and 3 days until he's 4! How is that possible?????

Nate and I were talking about the days and weeks left until his birthday and he said,"Oh, why can't it only be 2 days left?"

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And taking the crew to the grocery store is finally getting easier and easier;) The older ones mess with each other sometimes but have learned it to their benefit to help me so we get out of the store more quickly.

Nate though is still learning:/ While he wants to walk freely about, usually he ends up in the front basket where he is contained and can't wander. But that often is NOT what he wants and is protested loudly by cries of "I am NOT a baby!" LOL!!

So yes, even though it IS getting easier.... it's still not chaos-free!

And then he gets into the car after the grocery shop and does this:)

Totally OUT!

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We went to a friend's church for an egg hunt on Saturday! We really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and the kids all had friends to play with! Larry did a great job telling the story of the cross and presenting the Gospel. And then the kids began the hunt!

It was much different than we are used to;) They had scattered the candy all over the ground instead of putting it all in eggs. They joked about it "cutting out the middle man" but it was a huge blessing for us.

Most holidays and food allergies just don't mesh well:( Our kids are either put at risk getting into something or left out or awkwardly "separated out". We were always thankful for a safe Easter day at a neighbor's house that made us skip Easter events for many years. Of course every hard Easter has been well-meaning.....

 but food allergies DO make us different and DO at times separate us from others:/ It's just reality.

To be honest, I was just going to let my kids hunt eggs like everyone else and then help them separate the candy. I know, I was kind of leery but I hated for them to have another weird Easter function.... and last year we did it that way with no issues (but they had not used chocolate/peanut candy).

So seeing just candy scattered on the grass was awesome for us;)

 The girls got to hunt, too! No pictures of Chris because he stayed home to be with his daddy.


And Nate cracked me up:) He only picked up the kinds he liked. And then at first only one of each kind so others could have some too:)

Pre Wash

It's been awhile since I've shared much with Jack on the blog (he gets occasional posts on FB... usually when he's bad.... no more like  really bad!).

He's developed a new past time as we clean up the kitchen....

it's kind of gross and you may not want to eat at my house again...

but it's just the pre wash....

Sniffing to see what the menu will be and to find the good stuff!

Going in for the goods. Silverware is the best... right level and lots of crumbs!

Score! Can you believe how long his tongue is??? ha haha

don't worry....  everything gets washed and sanitized during the real washing cycle!

He doesn't get much because I do try to rinse most of the foodie stuff off.... but he's a scrounger of a dog! And he loves Kitchen Clean-up Time:)

Little Thoughts and a Tea Party

He loves the phones at the science center... two at a time!

"I'll never be 4!! Why can't I be 4 right now so I tan play soccer?" - Nate pondering one night as he was getting still before falling asleep:)

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And Nate's new phrase when he doesn't get his way is "That's not fairw!" He crosses those little arms and plants his feet firmly in place... serious stuff !!

Lots of  training still ahead for this not-so-little guy!

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One morning Nate and I found a few moments of quiet. I thought it was a perfect time to review some of the verses we've been memorizing together:)

So I quoted Romans 3:23 with Nate adding in words as he knew them. We talked about what "sin" was. And then I asked him,"Do you sin? Have you done something that made God "sad"?" (Trying to use very simple terms with him!)

He was quiet for a minute really thinking! And then he blurted out, "Chris does sins!"

LOL!! Isn't that our human nature? Pointing out the faults and problems of others while overlooking our own issues. Brings us right to the ideas that Jesus taught about in Matthew 7:3-5!

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And the kids were super sweet Sunday afternoon and made such a special memory for us all:)

During lunch they decided that they needed to make us a dessert!! So Chris and Lydia got into the kitchen to make cookies.... gathering the ingredients, doubling the recipe, following the directions... just good practical learning stuff;)

While Anna was secretly in the school room decorating;)

Flowers from a Sunday school project and then two of Chris' zucchini plants:)

What are you kids saying and doing??

Just in Case I Thought We Weren't Country

Think again...

Tire Walking!

Uncle Eric found us a great tire for our "one day" fort/tree house. For now the kids (and parents) had learned a new skill:) LOL!

I actually got Brian in action!! I love that he's surrounded my his biggest fans!!

And Sand Pit Swimming!

All the crazy weather has totally confused my kids;) Last week we had a very warm and beautiful Friday (perfect for our home schooling gathering) but then Saturday was dark and wet!! Don't you know my crew was begging to go outside to check out their sand pit.

I have to clarify the sand pit.... it's not a planned thing, we didn't dump sand there with the purpose of the kids getting covered head-to-toe in sand often! But somehow in the clearing of the land and the construction of the house we ended up with one;)

A HUGE one!

Once it was trenches (when we studied World War I) and then became dams and reservoirs (when we studied hydro-electricity and the Aswan Dam). Add 12+ hours of rain and it becomes a swimming pool:/

The hardest part is waiting for a towel.... he's "told, verwee told"!!