A few chuckles...

I was cleaning up the living room the other day when I realized it had gotten very quiet in my home...which is a signal for trouble! The kids had been playing with a glow-in-the-dark ball earlier and so I started searching closets for them. I found them in the pantry, although they had given up the ball for a huge bag of fruit loops. They were sitting there eating them by the handfuls. When I opened the door, they both looked up at me with sticky grins and Landon says "Mommy, you don't see me" which is code for: I don't want you watching me. So I shut the door to much giggling and they stayed in there for another 5 minutes or so before emerging with a sugar high.

As we were driving home from preschool the other day, Claire starts telling Landon about cows. "Those black and brown ones have chocolate in them for their milk, so when you milk them you get chocolate milk. You don't like chocolate milk, so you probably should only like white cows, because they are the ones with the milk you drink". This conversation was so matter-of-fact. And when I looked in the rear view mirror to see Landon's expression, he was nodding with a look of total astonishment on his face. Was the astonishment from the cow story or from Claire's knowledge: we'll never know!

Just A Regular Day

I love days like these...just regular things happening with no "appointments" or "dates", just preschool and playing. Claire did not want to leave preschool today, even threw a tiny fit. I think she missed it so much over spring break that now she never wants to leave. I guess I shouldn't complain...if she wants to stay in the halls of learning, then more power to her! Landon has been cranky today, but still refuses to take a nap! He would not get out of the truck today when I was picking Claire up; I'm talking crying and kicking. Well, I figured if he was going to be safe anywhere, it would be in a church parking lot, so I left him. Several moms were giggling as I met them in the parking lot, telling me he was "waving kindly" to everyone who walked by. Guess he just needed to be the greeter today. Besides this, we played: outside, inside, with new toys and old, paper and crayons, and even some glue. We snuggled and watched a little TV with a snack. Nothing extraordinary, nothing spectacular. But these are the things I love about days like this...just the ins and outs of life with kids. I wouldn't trade it for anything, for these are the things mommy's remember and I love that my kids give me the chance to have these things.

He Has Risen!

Beth and Sara came to Claire's party on Friday, and gave her some darling clothes and sunglasses, that will be the hit of the summer!

We had a wonderful Easter day in the Daniel home. First, the kiddos looked for their baskets that the Easter bunny hid for them. They each got some little toys and a chocolate bunny. This was fun and even Landon got into the spirit of looking for his "Mickey" basket. We went to church early for a pancake feed and egg hunt. Although it was a little chilly, there were a bunch of kids that hunted for all the eggs in the courtyard. Claire was very proper about the whole thing, but Landon was ruthless! He is all about "get 'er done". The church service was lovely, then we came home and rested before heading to our surrogate family/neighbor's house for Easter dinner. Ms. Beth outdid herself with all the fixings, and we all ate until we could eat no more. Then we got a little Wii played and visiting done before the night was over. It was a great holiday and start to spring. Thanks Scott, Beth and Sara for hosting us for dinner!

Some Family Time

Geoff's family came to visit at the end of last week. Ling, Lucy and Nana came on Wednesday. The kiddos play so well together, we hardly got anything else done! It was nice here most of the time, so outside activities were first on the docket. From riding bikes, to sliding, to swinging, it was all hail the out-of-doors! The kids all went to Gymboree class on Thursday. Landon and Lucy had lots of fun playing "house" and running around together, while Claire learned about music with Nana looking on. That evening, Papa and Hoopy arrived and we all went out to eat at Doe's. This was a treat for everyone! On Friday, we celebrated Claire's birthday. We made a cake and opened presents after lunch. Claire hit the jackpot, from clothes and bows, to Barbie's. In the mean time, the boys all played Wii and some intermittant Guitar Hero for the girls. The kiddos also enjoyed both video games in the evenings, for they were too busy doing everything else during the daylight hours. Saturday morning, the cousins colored eggs, and the men hid eggs for a hunt. My children had already played this game several times in the days leading up to this event, and Lucy had the chance the day before, so the initial excitement had sorta worn off. But they still had fun, all dressed up and hair blowing in the wind, looking for every last egg. Everyone was gone Saturday afternoon, and after tears of sadness, some AWESOME naps were taken by everyone. Overall, a great time with great people!

Baby!

Our neighbors across the street recently had a new baby, Will. Claire has been anxiously awaiting the time when we were all healthy enough to meet him. We played outside last week for awhile with the big brothers and Claire received an education about babies and their habits. This week, they stopped by our house to drop off a present for Claire. She got to hold Baby Will, and didn't let go until his Mommy said he was hungry.

Babies are something Claire has been talking alot about lately. Ling is due in June, and Claire has lots of questions about Baby Laney. "How does she look right now?", "Where does she get her food?", When can I feel her kick?", and the best one of all "When can I have a baby in my tummy?". Now after the heart attack, there was a short and simple explanation. But Claire walks around with a "baby" (stuffed animal) in her shirt and then miraculously gives "birth". I think Ling and Hoopy had an eye-opening experience during their visit this week when Lucy walked in with a stuffed princess dress and told them "I have a baby in my tummy, too!"

Boxes and Mail

It's been awhile, so I have lots to share...prepare yourself!

Claire and Landon both received boxes and cards this week due to Easter and birthday. The excitement that ensues is generally beyond belief! You'd think someone had delivered the answer to all of life's questions. Both kiddos enjoyed the anticipation of Mommy cutting open the tape on the boxes, rummaging through the packing, and finding what treasures are theirs to keep. They take turns opening the cards they receive, unless of course, they are addressed specifically to one of them. Claire received several in the last week for her birthday, and she nearly fainted a couple of times trying to get the envelope open and see who it was from!

We are now the proud owners of Wii. The few, the sore, the Wii-ers! The kiddos have had a BLAST playing the sports games. Claire is a bowler, I'm talking beats me every time, bowler. She does it sitting down, looking away from the screen, and between the legs...everytime hitting pins and making points. Landon enjoys bonking ("boxing" says Mommy, "yeah, bonking" says Landon). He is a hoot to watch "work the bag" and is becoming a pro. He also does this better than Mommy, along with swinging a bat. I've decided I will stick with Guitar Hero. (Lindsey is not lying, the kids know most of the words...even "Juicebox Hero" (Jukebox Hero)).

Claire's 5th Birthday Video - Remember to scroll down and turn off the music.