Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Green Acres is the Place To Be!




Zachary had his first grade field trip to Green Acres farm last Friday. The kids learned about recycling. Best of all, that meant digging in the compost! The kids are so much fun.








Bedtime

Jeremy brings the craziest stuff to bed. I've found him sleeping on books, rocks, and who knows what else!


Reading to Brother


Zachary handled some of the bedtime reading the other night while Josey and Jeremy got silly.








Thursday, March 26, 2009

Swim Lessons


Here's Jeremy's first ever swim lesson. The class has since been split, and there were only 2 kids in his last class. He's doing really well!

Sweet Boys

These boys of mine are very good and kind.

Giant Bob Big Pants


For Right to Read Week, Zachary's school had a pajama day. He was very excited that Giant Bob Big Pants was the biggest stuffed toy brought into class that day.

Silly Boys!







Day of Play in the Park


Early in March, Rachel and I took the boys and their friend Aiden to see Bill Harley at the Playhouse in the Park at Eden Park in Mt. Adams. Mt. Adams is one of those places that makes Cincinnati so special. I've wanted to take the boys to the Next Generation theater series at the playhouse for a long time. I hadn't heard of Billy Harley before, though. Wow! What a treat. He was a blast. The kids had tons of fun at the show, then we enjoyed a playground at the park. To top it off, we had our first treat from the Loveland Dairy Whip.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Thankful

I'm glad I took the leap and offered to host a small group at our house for the Lenten Reset study. I've been blessed far beyond what I imagined.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

A Walk in the Woods













Well, more like a walk on the bike trail. A couple of weeks ago, we had an unusually warm day. Josey, Jeremy, Aunt Louise and I took advantage of the day to take a really nice walk on the bike trail. Here's a view from the same spot from late March of last year:

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Orange Belt

So, after just getting his third tip the class before, Zachary announced on Tuesday night that he wanted to test for his orange belt this Saturday. I couldn't believe it. First, I was surprized that he would decide on his own to test, and second, that he thought he was ready. Who can say whether he's really that motivated or if it was just about some serious competition with his friend Allison. At any rate, Tim and I tried to prepare him for the possibility that he might not pass. Mr. Patten is very clear: he doesn't give anything away. The kids have to earn their belts. We needn't have been worried. Zachary did FANTASTIC. He made it through his form and one-steps beautifully. He clearly told the audience his name, that his favorite part about martial arts was "one step number three," and the four ways he's been improving in self discipline. (They included being nicer to his brother, which I wasn't totally sure about, but I didn't call him on it!) Mr. Patten practically had me in tears when he told Zachary how great his work ethic has been and how much he has improved since he started. It seems to me that Zachary has to work just a little harder than most of us just to make it through each day, so I am immensly proud of him. The fact that he even got an extra tip for his high score had me audibly gasping when Mr. Patten annouced it. Again, I'm grateful for those people in Zachary's life who have high expectations.

Photos are at www.keepkicking.com/testphotomarch/yellow/index.htm.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Remembering a Woman of Faith

We lost my Grandma on Monday, March 9. Here she is at 18 and at 92. Unbelievably, the photo below is the only one I could find of both boys with Grandma. It was taken on her 92nd birthday.
My grandma was a women who spent time in prayer and worship. I believe she felt closest to God at "our" lake in Ely, Minnesota. As I child, we would walk together, collecting pinecones and enjoying the world around us. I clearly remember her singing "In the Garden" as she walked the path from the cabin to the boathouse. (The path from the cabin to the outhouse called for a different song - how many of the kids in our family remember this: "With a zoom and boom as they marched through the room of the big tin pan parade. Little feet will retreat as they march through the street of the big tin pan parade. It's Waterloo for Napoleon as they march across the linoleum..." Just long enough to take you from the back door of the cabin to the outhouse. How in the world did that start anyway?) I know we'll all miss the way she held our family together, but how wonderful to know she's at peace.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Karate Invite-A-Friend Day

Zachary brought his brother to karate on bring a friend day. His friend and classmate Allison brought her sister. Let's just say we learned that Jeremy is not quite ready for karate!


Boys







Homework time and bathtime.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Jeremy's Open House


Jeremy visited Ms. Ford and Mrs. Smith's room at LECC's open house. They were Zachary's kindergarten teachers, and I HOPE Jeremy gets them, too! (I think I get unnaturally attached to my kids' teachers, but so far we've be incredibly lucky. Each year, I worry that I've been spoiled the year before. Each year, I'm pleasantly surprized that yet again we've found our way into another great classroom. My boys are so blessed!

Wii Play

Far too much of this has been going on at our house!
This day, the boys got to share the fun of Star Wars Wii with their friend Reece. I was babysitting Reece, and we were a little late to Zachary's afternoon bus stop. Zachary would NOT accept a ride home with any of our neighbors. This IS a good thing, but so funny that he actually knows everyone who offered him a ride REALLY well. He didn't know their names, though (?!), so he wouldn't get in their cars for a ride down the street!

Beautiful Boys



Zachary actually let Grandma Hicks pull out his front tooth in early February. Mom and Dad are not allowed to touch his loose teeth, but somehow Grandma was. He's so handsome!

Learning









Here's Jeremy's first try riding his bike without training wheels. And some photos of Josey I just couldn't help posting. The old girl still has some spunk!