Baby Violet Beauregarde???

I think she would be a shoo in!

My Reader Boy

Andrew has discovered Nate the Great books. We are really encouraging him to read challenging and longer stuff these days. He is a very good reader but it often a bit lazy when it comes to length.


He is at a major transition point between picture books and chapter books. He is learning to see the pictures in his mind rather than have them on the page. It is forcing him to use his imagination more and more. It is a good thing but it is difficult to get him into a new series. Once Andrew has read a book in the series it is fine. He has a frame of reference but trying to get him to try something new is tough. Just part of his personality though.


Right now Andrew has read all of the Frog and Toad books and all of the Poppleton books. Both series are quite cute. I am going to try and rope him into Henry and Mudge next. This summer will be full of reading! Got to keep that brain chugging along!

Kids Fishing Day at Lake Tye

Today was the kid fishing derby at Lake Tye in Monroe. We have gone with the kids the last two years and it is a lot of fun. They overstock a netted off portion of the lake and it is supposed to make it easier to catch a fish. Zane was very excited to fish. He saw the poles in the back of the van before church this morning and he started asking questions. Can't pull the wool over his eyes for long!


Gwen was not impressed with the fishing. It was nap time and she wanted to sleep. I ended up carrying her most of the afternoon which made it very difficult to help with the fishing.

Within the first 5 minutes of us putting pole in the water Zane had managed to get his line in a terrible snarl. I still don't know how he managed it.

This was Lucy's first experience with fishing. She thought holding the pole was fun. But even more fun was putting her feet in the water.... with her shoes on of course. Then she got sand on her hands and screamed for about 10 minutes. It was a wonderful experience.

Andrew was the most excited to fish. He is very patient with the process. He is a good fishing buddy for Eric. Doesn't get too bored. Seems to enjoy the quiet.

The end result of the day was zero fish. That was ok though. Nobody else around us seemed to be catching much either. We had fun anyway. Of course now I have to figure out what to have for dinner tonight. I had planned on some trout! I suppose there is always next time!

BASEBALL!

Andrew started Coach-Pitch baseball this year. He is really enjoying it. I think T-ball was bit dull for him. He seems to be having a much better time this season. He has really great coaches too which definitely helps.

I took my camera several weeks ago for a game but I never took any pictures. The night that I planned to shoot was super chilly and frankly it was all I could do to not shiver for two hours straight. Tonight was not warm but it was better so I figured that my camera and I could make it!

Andrew has been doing great with hitting this season. I think that is one of the things he disliked about T-ball the most. He prefers to be pitched to. I think he sees the tee as being for babies.

The field we were on tonight was directly facing the sun. It was absolutely brutal for the batters. Most of the kids had to resort to at least one time using the tee rather than hitting it from the coaches pitching. It wasn't a big deal tonight because so many of them had to do it. It certainly makes the games move faster!

Andrew truly loves the defensive portion of baseball. Tonight he got to play catcher and he was very on top of it and aware of what was going on. Several times the ball was hit just into the in-field and he ran out from behind the backstop (the kids stand there for safety reasons), scooped up the ball and made the force out at home. He did a great job! I am thinking we will have many more years of baseball to come!

My Princesses

The older Lucy gets the more princess crazy she gets. Today she rediscovered the tiaras that she got for Christmas. She has been wearing her crown all day. In fact she even wore it to Andrew's baseball game tonight. She has been wearing necklaces and bracelets for awhile now but I think the tiaras are starting.

Of course since Lucy was wearing one Gwen needed a tiara too. They just adore each other. It is so sweet!

Two pretty princesses!

Zane is quite proud of his sissy. He declared that Gwendalyn was the prettiest. He also denies that her middle name is Lily. He firmly believes that her middle name is Princess. I hope he always loves her so much. It will be wonderful for both of them.

Calvin the Hurdler

When we bought this house 3 years ago we were pretty happy it had a tall 6 foot fence. Now we could leave Calvin at home in the backyard without worrying about him getting out. And we didn't have to tie him up which is distasteful for everyone. Today we put Calvin in the back and got ready to go to Costco. All of a sudden he was in the garage with us and trying to get in the van with the kids. Eric and I went and checked the gates (Calvin has figured out how to pull them open if they aren't shut tight). The gates were totally locked tight. So I put him out back again. Before I could say 'hot dog and a pop please' he was back out in the front. So this time I had Eric put him in the back and I watched through the kitchen window. Sure enough that old man dog of ours had flung himself at the side fence gate and scrambled up over the side. How is he getting younger and MORE agile as he ages??? It is almost a Curious Case of Calvin the Dog! Anyway, we had to move the dog house in front of the gate so he can't get a running start anymore. That seemed to help. Who on earth knows what that dog is going to think of next!

Sooooo NOT Ready for This!

Sweet mercy!

Look what Gwenie figured out to do today!!!

She is sooooo proud of herself!

Next it will be stairs and walking and running.....

So proud of her! She is trying to keep up with the rest of the crew I am sure!