A monster...

Tonight as I was putting Molly to bed, I told her to scoot over toward the wall so that she would not fall out of bed. For the second night in a row, she replied..."no mommy, there is a monster over there." Last night, I played it coy and said there was no monster. Tonight, I asked her to show me where the monster was in her eye. She pointed to the wall and said..."right there." I, of course, did not see the monster. So, I said touch the monster. She touched the wall and told me that it was right there. The only thing that I can come up with is that she thinks there is a monster that is in the texture on the wall. She is not so afraid of it that she wants to move the bed or won't go to sleep, but she sure is not going to lay too close to the wall. Funny what kids pick up on...Jack has never even mentioned a monster in his dark room all of these years.

Friends came to visit...

This is Wyatt and Darby Rapp, some friends of Jack and Molly. They are all really close in age, and have lots of fun together. The Rapp family is sadly moving back to Texas sometime soon, so I thought since they were over today I would take a minute to snap a photo for a memory. Kyle thought I was a little crazy to watch all four of them, but I knew it would be easy. They are all old enough that it is less work and a true joy and blessing to listen and watch them play together. I love to listen from the other room while their imaginations go wild. The joys of childhood!

"The end of an era..."

Tonight as I was walking out of Molly's room to go and start dinner I hear Kyle say..."this is the end of an era." Indeed, it is! We are officially out of the crib, and have bought Molly a big girl bed complete with pink sheets. They did this while I was hosting a baby shower at the house. They came home with the mattress and box spring. I was excited to make the switch. Molly was more than pleased to sleep in it. We put them down for a nap, and we don't think Molly moved from the position we left her in as we closed the door. Although it is on the floor, it is fun to see the kids grow up...at least she can climb up into this way. Before naps...
After baths, before bedtime...

Molly, the headband girl...

We got a new dress for Molly the other day, and it came with this headband. She immediately wanted to wear the headband, which looked really cute in her hair. However, she would pull it off and want it back in her hair. I was not always around to help her with it, so there have been many times that I have caught her with this "look." She wore it this way all this morning, and I had to take a picture of it and share it with you all. I laughed!

Molly, the really big girl...

She chews gum now!! Jack does really well with gum, and LOVES it. I guess he learned from his mother and Grammy. I decided with this last pack of gum that Molly might be ready for it too. Kyle thought I was crazy to let her do it, but I reminded him that she is growing up and we have to let her try new things every once in a while. Well, the first couple of times she did indeed swallow it. However, she got the knack of it and does quite well. In fact, this morning she chewed a piece from about 9 am until lunch time. I kept asking her if she wanted to throw it away- knowing that the flavor was all gone - but she was content keeping it in her mouth. I have to admit that I do have to watch her a bit more because of her hair. Jack does not have the hair getting caught in the gum issue like Molly does now, but that is not the only thing that is different about those two that I have to keep track of now days!!

Jack's last day of school...

Jack and his class were supposed to have a beach day outside for their big send off for the schoo year, but alas we live in Oregon. It was a mere 49 degrees out and raining when we got to school. So the teacher has to think quick, and they had a day of fun inside. She got a bunch of boxes, and they could color ALL over them. Jack and his buddy, Nicholas, loved it and were excited to color on the "ceiling." For snack, they had hot dogs, chips, and juice...but for dessert they got a cold treat. Jordan, Gus, and Jack got the green one, while Preston enjoyed his yellow treat!
Mrs. Matson, Jack's teacher, handed out the memory book at the end of class. She was TRYING to get a hug from Jack, but of course he did not want to have any of it.
After some time of coloring on the boxes, they discovered that they could stand them up and climb in them. Jack thought that was loads of fun!
Molly and I joined Jack for most of the class. Molly really enjoyed playing at the sand table and coloring in the boxes. Here she and Jack await the hot dogs. Jack wanted Molly to sit by him, and she happily joined him on his beach towel. I thought this was a sweet picture of them together!

Temptation got the best of me...

I couldn't pass up these adorable flip flops for Molly the other day, and of course she loved them because they are pink and they sparkle and they are flip flops. They are a little big. I bought them in hopes that they would replace the loud plastic play shoes that she pretends she is a princess with, but to no avail. These are real shoes...they have gone real places now!

The blueberries are coming...

Calla Lilies...

I love these calla lilies. I have never lived in a place that they are grown. I am just used to seeing them in flower arrangements. After these opened up, I got online to do some research on them. There are some great colors out there, and of course, I want to plant more next year!

A Surprise Lily...

I have been watching this come up for some time now. My friend and I were pulling weeds this past fall and came across the bulbs, but were unaware of what kind of bulb they were. I was excited to see the lily come up, and even more excited when it opened to be red. I love red flowers. Now, I only need more of them to make more of a statement. Next year...