Two more days

They had cake for mom today, and she only has two more until she's retired.

Look what I found!

Like a cat. Chasing the ball.

Thrift store hats

La Ligament

Kateri with a look Italian soccer fans would recognize

Celebrating Betsy's birthday and retirement...

on a new deck, with lots of old friends.

Fiesta or siesta?

Mara takes a snooze, but Sylvia is ready to socialize with The Carr Family & co.

You've got a friend in me.

Sleeper

Saturday ride the train!

Chilling at Pete and Magda's

Self-painting

The Quotable Bee

(Tightly embracing Kateri while walking backwards): "You're the princess and I'm the queen, and I am dancing with you so that the prince doesn't bite you."

(Playing with Isaiah): "I am NOT a pterodactyl police.  I am a pterodactyl lady with money."

(Marching purposefully through the living room): "I am off to find money for Isaiah.  He loves to have money.  Lots and lots of money."
Mama: "Where do you think you'll find money?"
"In the laundry."
Smart girl.

(Bringing me a glass bottle that recently contained maple syrup): "This is empty.  We can recycle it or smash it."

Before the day begins

Bedtime stories

Looking back

Mara has places to go.

Readers

New shield

Grandma Anne's favorite poem

"I'm weadin' hew a stowy!"

Pleased

While she is crawling, Mara has decided walking is the way to travel. If you help her up onto her feet, you are her best friend.

Things we should know

Isaiah: "Every day Kateri hammers out trouble on her little invisible anvil."

Bernadette: " We have to listen to the Peter Pan songs every day or else I get moody."

Treed

A couple of Bernadette's favorite pastimes

"I love to play hide-and-seek.  And I like to sneeze."

Fisherman

All five

Matching

From Grandma

Dance class

The hunters

Crazy sleeper

Bernadette

At the lunch table on Holy Thursday: "Easter is practically touching our faces!"

I read her a picture book about Abraham Lincoln.  After listening to me stammer through what I hoped was an age-appropriate definition of slavery, her eyes grew wide and she said, "That is against the law of Jesus."

Notes

Slightly exasperating, but mostly proud moments as I watch the kids mature: Working the other night when I heard rustling in the living room behind me. When I headed that way, there was a scuffling of feet into Isaiah's room. A little bit later I heard something in there: He was on the floor looking at a book by the light let in through the open door. Not that I ever snuck in late-night reading.

Today, Bernadette and Kateri ran into the barn. I followed them and saw Bernadette climb up on top of a trash can to move the pivoting block of wood that helps hold the door shut. Explains why the door was not shut tightly when I went there yesterday.

The crawler

On the road, listening to NPR

Mama: "Yay, it's A Prairie Home Companion!"

Isaiah: "I prefer Car Talk."

Daddy: "Garrison Keillor makes jokes, too."

Isaiah: "Actually, what he does is he complains about his life."

Mara crawls

She crawled today, so I figured we'd try driving, too.

Neverland

Isaiah: "My Neverland has all the crime fighters in it."

Mama: "My Neverland has a unicorn.  What about yours, Bernadette?"

Bernadette: "Princesses!  What does your Neverland have in it, Kateri?"

Kateri: "Umm...Kansas City!"

"I've got a game!"

says Bernadette.  "It's called Zig-Zag-Zig-Zag-Fight-Really Fast."

Something to chew on

That's what books are for, right?

Princesses

They liked the movie.

Laundry time

Treasure in heaven

Bernadette: "Maybe, when God sees all the love I give to my baby sister, he'll give me a crown."

Mama: "When you get to heaven?"

B: "Yes, that's what I meant."

Scenes from City Park

We ran into Becky Heuer, a high school friend of Aunt Marty's.  She was experimenting with her new camera and took these beautiful photos.  Thank you, Becky!

Barnboard

Helpers

Taking it off the barn

In transit

Siding the house

Somebody likes chicks

Fantasy baseball

Isaiah draws team names for draft order

There you have it, folks.

Grandpa: "I think it must be hard to be two.  Is it hard to be two, Kateri?"

Kateri: "Not too bad."