Kate and the Sombrero

I couldn't pick just one picture from this little Mexican photo shoot. Arriba!

The Zoo

One of our favorite things here is the zoo. It has so many animals that are actually out and ready to be seen. Matt's company rents the zoo out for a night for a big company picnic and the kids had a blast. It was Cinco de Mayo so they loved the sombreros and the Mexican theme.

Complex

Sometimes I think the word complex has a negative connotation.  Over the last 7 years as a mom, I have come to love complex.  All of my children are complex, in their own special ways.  They are beautiful, intricate, confusing, awe inspiring, exasperating, joyful, perfectly individual, and I would do anything for each of them.  My sweet Ethan Boy and I had a rare and now completely treasured (by me) photo shoot the other day with my new iphone.  :)  Yay!  I can finally be in some of our family history.  

A few things I know about Ethan:

He is loyal to the core, when he's ready to love, no one will find a better friend or partner.  He is loyal when common sense would drive someone else away.  He isn't going to hug you or talk to you if he doesn't want to, and he's not going to feel bad about it either.  He will do things when he's ready.  He's going to make you earn his loyalty, he wants to make sure that he's safe before he dives in.  But once he's in, you'll never have a better friend.  Lucky for me...I'm in. But I will tell you, I've earned it.  

If you need a babysitter, Ethan's your man.  He loves Mia and Kate, and takes such careful steps to make sure they're comfortable, and safe.  He just knows what to do, sometimes I'm surprised at how innately he is able to care for such little people when he still is a little person, but he is a nurturer through and through.

He is a joker.  Sometimes, he gets this little flash in his eyes and even if I'm totally frustrated he can make me burst out laughing.  He loves to have fun, and is constantly finding joy and humor in the world around him.

He is a social butterfly.  Happiest when he is with people (don't know where in the world he got that from), and can make friends in seconds.  He is who he is, and isn't afraid to be himself.  

Fierce, Ethan is a force to be reckoned with.  His name means "steadfast" and let me just say, he is.  When he sets his mind to something, you better believe he's going to figure out how to get it.  

Ethan is a foodie.  He loves good things to eat, and as I have said before, will ask me at lunch what we're having for dinner. 

Ethan is my friend.  As with my other children I believe, in the end, he will have taught me much, much more than I could have possibly taught him, and that's why being his mom is one of the greatest blessings of my life.  

And last but not least, he is a total hunk.  Man I love this guy, sometimes I look at him and my breath literally catches a little in my throat, what a stud.  I am diligently holding him to his promise that he will "Nevah, evah kith a gol."  Never ever kiss a girl.  We'll see about that one Eth.  A girl, if she's got her head on straight, is going to kiss you!  :)  

Zoo, Nursing Home, Botanical Garden

This Sam of mine, he's a pretty amazing guy.  As KK told us (and Grandma Hazel used to tell her) "Every crow thinks hers is the blackest", but really, he's a great little crow.  My thinker, happy to be reading a book or working on a puzzle or game.  I read a ton when I was growing up, but Sam has put me to shame.  Literally devouring books as fast as I can put them in front of him.  He is happiest when he is reading, creating, or staying up late snatching a few extra minutes alone with me.  Of all the kids I feel like I get the least amount of quality time with him.  When he gets home from school everyone is awake, it's dinnertime, and things are just hectic.  I'm really looking forward to summertime and the relaxed schedule I hope it will bring.  I use the term "relaxed" loosely, since I have an entire house to unpack and organize.  It's too late in the evening to even think about that tonight. 

The kids and I went to the Botanical Gardens here and had such a lovely, peaceful time.  I felt like I was in the Garden of Eden.  It was so nice and the weather was beautiful.  The kids loved playing on this huge ball that had water coming out of the top.

A few weekends ago we went to visit this sweet lady at the nursing home.  Wanda goes to our church and recently had a stroke, she is the sweetest lady, and I was so glad that I got to know her for a few weeks before her stroke.  We went with some of the other kids at our church to sing to her, and she loved it.  Her son said she was visibly better after we left.  I love older people, I think they have so much wisdom and love to offer.  They have been softened by time, and seem to be able to love everyone.  I think by the end of life you've been through enough that you've learned that it's better to love than to judge.  I hope I can learn that sooner than later.

My sweet Sam, the thinker.  So much like his handsome Dad. 

Mia being a monkey at the zoo.

Dinner in our new backyard.  We love the privacy and space that we get to enjoy in our house here.  It's been a dream come true! The best part of the dream...that guy on the right is actually home eating dinner WITH us!  Hallelujah!

Me and my sweet little Kate.  I love when she falls asleep on me.

Ethan picked a bunch of flowers for Wanda before we went to sing to her.  I loved seeing his big strong hands carrying this little bunch of dandelions. 

Mia and Ethan getting ready for Zoo Day at Ethan's preschool.  He was so excited for zoo day, and had been counting down for almost two weeks, finally the big day arrived. 

Sam and Eth walking in to the nursing home.

Could I love these boys any more?  Impossible. 

Pictures and More Pictures

Mia has always had some of the funniest little faces, from the day she was born.  She is a corker. 

Mimsy loves her strawberries and blueberries.  She also recently discovered "veggie straws".  I like when companies name potato chips "veggie straws" so I feel better about feeding them to my children. 

Kate in her sombrero, more of these to come, we could not stop laughing about how funny her tiny little head looked in that big hat. 

Ethan loves his bean and cheese quesadillas, and he loves pretending to be a tiger.

Can I bottle this up and put in on the shelf?  I love those eyes, and eyebrows.  Doesn't she kind of look like Dana Carvey's "Church Lady"?  Well...isn't that special?

Blurry, but I still loved this picture

Mia loves to paint just as much as her brothers.  She also likes to taste the paint, and this day she decided to purple would be a good nail color. 

Sweet little Kit Kat

My kids now fill up a whole swing set.  :)  Loved this day at Ethan's preschool playground.  The weather here is so beautiful (when the tornado sirens are not sounding) 

Mia wore this Super Why cape and mask around the entire day. 

Another great Mia face

I love finding little evidences of my kids imaginations.  It's like getting a window into their minds.  Sam made a tee pee and house for all of his guys.  I especially love the tiny purple blankets he made out of construction paper.  So funny. 

Ethan's enormous hand, holding the biggest strawberry I've ever seen.  Love those hands.

She's our girl, she's Super Why! 

Kate discovering my necklace