Throwing the Heat! (well, almost)

Last night Trent had his very first chance on the pitcher's mound. (My favorite part of this picture is his look of concentration and his dimple showing all at the same time.) He has practiced throughout the winter by throwing a t-ball at a target which he drew on the inside of the garage wall with sidewalk chalk. He determinded that he really wanted to pitch this year. Alex has helped him some and as long as he keeps his eye on the catcher's mitt, he delivers fairly well. He struck a guy out last night and that made him pretty proud. The coach even gave him the "game ball". This is a really big accomplishment for Trent. Wow, I'm tearing up. I would have paid a million dollars to see this picture 9 years ago when we sat by his bed in the NICU wondering what kind of future this fragile little baby could have. But, as always, God's grace was sufficient. He didn't make show me a picture, He just gave me His hand as we walked through the trial together.
Okay -enough seriousness, now for some silliness....
Before dinner tonight, I sent Brooke and Grant upstairs to play so Trent could finish a book report at the table without distractions. They were so good and so quiet. Finally, I realized that they had been up there a long time. When I went to check on them this is what I found...

I believe this is the first Q-tip and beauty product sculpture I have ever seen. Would someone please explain to me why we buy TOYS for our children? Grant informed me that it was an "ant house" complete with TV antenna. I didn't post the picture, but after the sculpture was finished, Grant went on to spell out his and Brooke's name in Q-tips across the bathroom floor. Perhaps someday they will get paid for their creativity!

Prima Ballerina! (well, almost anyway)

Sunday was Brooke's dance recital. It is fun to just go through the process of becoming the "ballerina". And this costume was by far her favorite. She has imporved in her control and she has really started learning more of the french terminology and positions. This is her finishing pose from her tap routine "Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch". Very adorable.

And here she is in her end pose for her ballet routine, "Do You Love Me?" Yes, baby, we love you, very much.

Look Who Lost Her First TOOTH!

Brooke has set the new record in our home for being the youngest when loosing the first tooth. Now, mind you, Grant was not quite 5 when he lost his first one. But Brooke is 4 years and 8 months old! I knew it was going to happen. It was slightly loose last month. Then two weeks ago she had dental x-rays and the dentist said it wouldn't be long at all. He said it is early but not unheard of for a child this young to loose the first tooth. Anyway - she was eatting a whole apple and, of course, you know the rest of the story! I was working at the library and Brooke called me to give me the exciting news. She is soooooooo proud of it! Now, the funny part: I played "Tooth-Fairy" last night and replaced the tooth with four shiny quarters (I usually do gold dollars, but didn't have any this time.) This morning, just before 7:00, Brooke got up bawling her eyes out because "My tooth is gone! I want my tooth!" She couldn't care less about those quarters, she wants that tooth for show-and-tell today!

Okay - now my next problem. You are looking at what is left of 2/3 of my tulips. RABBITS! I am livid! I feel so bad for Alex who planted dozens of them last fall. The tulips were not budding yet, in fact the stem wasn't even up yet, just the leaves. They were up about 6-8 inches and those pests chewed them down to the ground!

My question for all of you is: Will they survive? Is there any chance of them blooming this year?

I am so angry - I want a shotgun. They ate across the bed, then got full and stopped. So my bed is gone on 2/3 and still okay on the other 1/3 and looks completely lop-sided. Last evening, Alex installed a galvanized chicken wire covering (completely over the top and sides and he put down blood meal. They survived the night. Oh, how I wish I had known rabbits could do this much damage. We would have installed the fence at the beginning of the year. They also ate my Easter lillies that we planted a few years ago - they are completely gone as well. Kill the wabbit!

Tax Day Tradition

Well, its that time of year again. And as always, Big Al procrastinates giving the government our money any sooner than he absolutely has to! Actually, this year, he was a little more on top of it. He picked up the forms at the beginning of April and on Sunday night he began sorting the receipts and paperwork - a very early start for him! Now, here we are: Wednesday, April 15, 1:30 pm and he is off to the post office to mail our federal and state income taxes. Yippee - he made it well before midnight.

Enough about taxes. It depresses me. I really wish we had been able to attend one of the local TEA parties today, but it was too far to downtown Chicago or Rockford and I would have to be back in time to pick up the kids.

Here is what I really want to see - Daffodils and Crocus! We are finally starting a warming trend here - 60s at least.

Easter Sunday 2009

Easter Sunday

Happy Easter! What a beautiful day to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus! We have beautiful weather today, in fact, this WHOLE weekend has been great.

Last night we went to an Easter Drama presentation at Bethel Baptist Church in Schaumburg.
It was well done and the kids really enjoyed seeing some of the New Testament accounts of Jesus' miracles come to life.

This morning was our church's Sunrise Service, led by the youth. Then we had breakfast together followed by our traditional worship service. We went out for a light lunch and then home for Easter baskets and an egg hunt. Easter baskets, complete with kites, bubbles, chocolate bunnies and Peeps!

For the Grandmas: Here is Brooke's Easter dress. I bought it at a garage sale last season for $5. It is hard to tell in this picture, but the dress is actually light lavendar.

Sunshine= Easter Egg Hunt! Here are the boys using their still-empty baskets to swipe at the first egg they spied.

Brooke did reasonably well on the egg hunt. Of course in the bright sunlight she needed a lot of guidance, but she really enjoyed the hunt.

Run Grant! Don't let Trent get your share of the eggs! (Even though we dump all the candy in a bowl and share, the boys still think it is a competition!)

And, in that spirit of competition - here they are, trying to reach an egg lodged in the end of the swingset.

Brooke enjoying her spoils.

And finally, can you say - "TOO MUCH CANDY!"

Let the Games Begin!!!

Ah, yes, baseball season is finally here. (Even if we did get snow again on Sunday night - only about three inches and it has all but melted today. I am in denial. I figure I will ignore it an hope it goes away. So far, my strategy is working. I refuse to acknowledge any more snow.) Both boys had their first practice on Saturday. It was a very decent spring day, with a high temp in the upper 40's. It was great for the kids to be out, breathing the fresh air and getting some great exercise. Trent and Grant have both improved since last season. It is so cool to see them develop their skills. Trent is excited for the season and Grant is just glad to be with his friends. They both have good teams and seem to like their coaches. Trent has the same coaching team as last year.

Saturday also means dance class for Brooke. Here she is in fourth position. Her recital is coming up in a couple of weeks. Then we will take a break for the summer.

Grant has his last session of gymnastics tonight. I am debating about putting him back in for the summer. He really likes it. Oh, I found the PERFECT class for Grant: "The Rodent Club". It meets twice a month, he gets to bring Hammy, and he makes treats for her and learns about rodent care while visiting with other fellow rodent-lovers. He is so excited!!!

Last, but certainly not least - Real men get beautiful in Brooke's Beauty Shop! Stunning, don't ya think?!