What Every Little Boy Needs...

a PINK trampoline!

Despite the color, it has obviously been a huge hit!

Oh, and by the way, it's now black!

Baseball

This spring, many of our Saturdays were spent cheering on Gabe at his baseball games. He was on the Cardinals and had the same coach he had for soccer. He loved playing, especially when it was his turn to bat. The outfield didn't hold quite as much excitement for him, but he was willing to put up with it in order to get back to batting.

Cardinal Baseball team

(Gabe is at the right end of the top row).

Waiting for the pitch...

the swing...

running bases!



Outfield isn't quite so exciting...


actually, sometimes it's boring!




But, he tried to stay ready!


One of Gabe's biggest fans!

One of Gabe's sweatiest fans!

What a fun season! We're looking forward to next year when the number of baseball players at our house doubles (thus doubling the number of practices, games, time in the sun, etc.)!

Father and Son's Campout

May at our house means two things...Mother's Day and the annual Father and Son's campout.

This year, the boys went to Lake Success...and from what I hear, the campout was a success! Mark got a little extra help this year when grandpa decided to join in the fun (though grandpa was smart enough to bring a tent that is only big enough for one person...sorry, Gabe!).

The boys look forward to the campout for months! They are so cute about preparing...they want to help pack the bag and the car, they make sure they've got their headlamps (usually wearing them for several days before), and they make sure they go grocery shopping with me (did you know licorice is a "must-have" on a campout?). There are lots of friends from church to go on adventures with and to play with. They love camping and getting to sleep in tents. I heard the boys had a great time helping Mark set up the tent and they loved cooking dinner outside (not to mention the smores!!)!

Smore time!!

All done putting up the tent.

Camping with grandpa!

Will enjoying his morning cup of hot chocolate.

Aren't they cute campers?

The boys made their own fishing poles from sticks and string. Even though they didn't have any bait (or a hook!), they still had high hopes for catching a big one!


Playing on the boat...unfortunately, they had to leave early to get to Gabe's baseball game - otherwise they may have actually gotten to go out on the water.

There was a great playground for the kids. As you can see, Will didn't have any fun at all!

This is an event we all look forward to every year...the boys get time with their dad in the great outdoors, and I get a little peace and quiet! Maybe next year Sam will get to join in the fun!!

9 Months

Sam - 9 months

Once again, another month has come and gone! Sam is continuing to grow and develop. He even got his first tooth this month! We were a bit surprised by the tooth, Gabe and Will were both close to a year old before they got their first tooth. But, Sam has been beating his brothers to all of the milestones so far...so, I guess we shouldn't have been too surprised!

He is also starting to sign. So far we only have "more" mastered, but we're working on some other signs. He claps and dances. And he continues to be one of the happiest babies I've ever been around!

Sam has become quite the speedy little guy when it comes to crawling. There has been more than one time that I thought I heard one of the older boys running down the hall, only to find out it was Sam!

Gabe's Spring Program

The end of the school year brought Gabe's Spring Program. It's was his last performance as a preschooler. And while we are sad to see this chapter of his life come to an end, we are excited for the adventures of kindergarten and beyond!

Grandpa entertained Sam with some fun hand games.

But, once the music started...Sam wanted to see what was going on.

Poor Gabe, he'd had a bloody nose just as we were leaving the house. Apparently he was embarrassed about the handkerchief we made him put in his pocket just in case he got another one.

He's a little happier here, but still has a "deer in the headlights" look. He couldn't find us in the audience.

Ah, he found us!

Gabe with Mrs. Palmer

Gabe with Mrs. G

Yum! Sam enjoying his first cookie.

Will and Gabe enjoying the refreshments. I'm pretty sure that's why Will came!

Gabe and his best buddy, Holden.

Thank you Mrs. Palmer and Mrs. G for giving Gabe such a wonderful experience and preparing him for kindergarten!!!

Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Day started a little early...Gabe's Pre-K class invited the mom's to a little program where the children sang a song and presented all of the mom's with these cute bags.



I like to ask the boys questions to see what they're answers are (a child's perspective can be quite interesting!)...so, this time I geared it toward Grandma Lucy and Nana.

I asked Will the following questions about Grandma Lucy...

What is her name? Grandma Lucy
How old is she? 8
What is her favorite color? Green
What is her favorite animal? Lion
What is her favorite food? Animal Crackers
What color is her hair? White
What color are her eyes? Green
Where does she live? You tell me. In 'sconsin?
Why do you love her? Because I like to play games with her.


Then, I asked Will the following questions about Nana...

What is her name? Nana
How old is she? I don't know, maybe 18?
What is her favorite color? Purple
What is her favorite animal? Tiger
What is her favorite food? Maybe ice cream or something.
What color is her hair? Dark brown
What color are her eyes? Red
Where does she live? At Nana's house.
Why do you love her? When you take me to Nana's house, I will tell you.


Then it was Gabe's turn. About Grandma Lucy...

What is her name? Grandma Lucy
How old is she? I don't remember.
What is her favorite color? All of the colors, even white.
What is her favorite animal? Zebra
What is her favorite food? Cheerios
Where does she live? Wisconsin
What color is her hair? Brown
What color are her eyes? Green
What do you like to do with her? I like to go to the stores with her.


About Nana...

What is her name? Kathie
How old is she? I don't remember.
What is her favorite color? Yellow
What is her favorite animal? A horse, because she is a cowgirl.
What is her favorite food? Apple
Where does she live? Shirk
What color is her hair? Brown
What color are her eyes? Green
What do you like to do with her? Going somewhere, to the special place...McDonald's.

As for my day...the boys were on their best behavior! Mark had planned to have the boys make me breakfast in bed, but instead I enjoyed my breakfast at the table with everyone. We attended church where the children all went to the front to sing to the mom's. This was Will's first time going up, so Gabe helped him out. For some reason, neither of them sang...but they sure looked cute! After church, we invited my parents and two other friends over for lunch. It was a busy day, but a lot of fun.

My Mother's Day gift this year was a trip to Magic Mountain. Mark sent my friend Susan and I off to pretend we were teenagers again. We had an amazing time, but unfortunately we realized we are no longer young! Those rollercoasters took a lot more out of me than they used to!

A Farewell to Fabiana!

The Graduates...Fabi and Thais

Our fabulous Brazilian friend Fabi has graduated from Fresno Pacific University and it is time to say good bye! My parents, Gabe, and I attended the graduation ceremony (it was outdoors and WAY too hot for Will and Sam...so, Mark brought them up later). After almost melting during the ceremony, Gabe was thrilled to find out there were "free" cookies. I told him to go get a cookie. He looked at me and said, "But, I don't have any money!". It took some convincing, but once he realized that he really didn't have to pay for them...he had several! Being the nice brother that he is, he also made sure to get one for Will. He carefully carried Will's cookie around until Will arrived.

Gabe entertained himself in the heat with some magnet games.

Fabi and her mom prepared an amazing array of Brazilian food - YUM!!!

Fabi wanted a picture with the boys...but SOMEONE didn't want to cooperate!

After enlisting the help of Fabi's boyfriend, we were able to get Will in the picture. Looks a bit like a Christmas card photo...doesn't it?

Fabi, you will be greatly missed! Gabe is already planning a trip to "Who"ston to visit you!

Let's Just Give It Away

Getting the boys to keep their room clean is a constant battle. I've tried several different tactics to try to motivate and help them. Some have worked, some haven't. On the way to the grocery store this morning, I told the boys that they needed to clean their room as soon as we got home. Throughout our trip, there was a lot of discussion (okay, actually it was a lot of whinning and complaining) about the impending chore.

On the way home, the "discussion" continued. That's when I told them they did have another option...they could pack up all of their toys and give them away. (I meant this as a means of encouraging them to make the decision to clean their room.) They actually jumped on the idea! So, when we got home I got the trash bags out and we went to work...

The closets...empty, except for clothes and books.

They each got to choose 3 toys to keep and the rest got bagged up. Don't worry, I'm not actually going to give all of my children's toys away...that's just what they think. However, I did take the opportunity to purge some of the toys. The rest are stacked up in my room. I told the boys that I didn't have time to go to Goodwill today and we would just leave them in my room until I could go.

ALL of the toys, stacked up in my room.

So, now they have an empty closet! I'm wondering how long their enthusiasm will last! I know the reality is starting to set in for Gabe. Tonight at bedtime, he missed Yogi (his Build-A-Bear dinosaur that he opted to give away). I offered to trade Yogi for one of the toys he opted to keep. After a little negotiation, we came to an agreement and he happily went to sleep with Yogi.

Gabe and Will...looking not so upset about their lack of toys!

At least I know their room will be pretty clean for the next couple of days!

****UPDATE****
It's been over a week since the toys were packed up and no one has asked about them!!! I figured that within a day or two, they would be begging for them back. But, no! The only time we've talked about the toys was the day we went to Goodwill. Gabe asked if I had given all of our toys away. My answer was that we had given some of their toys away but not all of them because I didn't have enough room to take them all (it was quite truthful!). That was that, not a word since!