Playground Fun.

Today was such a beautiful spring-like day that we cut the schoolwork short and went out to enjoy it!    I even saw numerous large flocks of geese heading north again!

Gina (5) being pretty.

Gina being normal.

Philip (2) absolutely loved his first ride on the seesaw.

Course Mom had to do all the pushing, or else he'd be stuck 5 feet off the ground.

Noelle (top) and Natalie, 9 yrs old.

Tub Time.

Happy 4th Birthday, Regina!

It was so much fun to make!

 Regina's Fourth birthday cake was a Candyland masterpiece!

Here is Philip, devastated that he isn't allowed to climb up on the chair and get his paws on the cake.

Regina through the years...2010, 2011, 2012, 2013.

Flashback Friday.

This picture of Sophia, Regina and Scott on the log flume 

was taken in August 2014.

And THIS one was taken about 13 years ago, circa 2001,

on BD and Sarah's first trip on the log flume.

If you look closely, you'll see a wrist poking through under my left arm.  That's all you can see of Scott, who was also clutching me for dear life.

June.

Natalie with her patriotic berry shortcake!

Regina is by far the most tech-savvy kid I own.  She had been adeptly using our Kindle tablet for the first two years of her life (until I killed it).  The first time I showed her how to operate a mouse, she was spot-on.  

My beautiful hanging basket of Lantana, a gift from my wonderful oldest daughter.

Philip backed himself under his dresser and couldn't get out.

He's determined to fall and break his head.  This is the only place where the stairs aren't completely kid-proofed.  I really gotta get plexiglass on that side.

I won my first stuffie from the claw machine!

Regina's shiner is almost completely healed.

Saturday night Noelle tried to show me how well she could go hand-over-hand across the rungs on the swingset.  She almost made it.

Her face impacted the ground.  Hard.  At first I thought the bloody nose was the only injury, but while we were stanching the nosebleed, she started complaining about her arm.  At first she said the upper arm hurt, but later said it was the elbow.  No matter...either way it meant a trip to the emergency room.  Thankfully the xrays didn't show any breaks, so we're just managing the pain until the soreness goes away, and she can wear the sling whenever the arm bothers her.

Recent Happenings.

The dogwood tree had a serious split from a very heavy, wet, late snow.  We tried to repair it, but the  branch kept cracking further and further down, so Andy had to take it off a few weeks ago.

Since Sarah has been home from college, the little ones want to hang out in her room as much as possible.    This is what happens with they hang out with Sarah.

These pics were taken at the beginning of May on a trolley ride.  We went to a free performance of an educational play about Ben Franklin, and the trolley ride was included.  During the play, Philip ate 3 cups of peach yogurt.  

On the trolley ride back, Philip threw up 3 cups of peach yogurt all over the trolley floor.

Regina and I cut out the sod and planted flowers the day Brian left.  By now, much of the grass has retaken its territory, but we do have several seedlings coming up...sunflowers, cosmos, etc.  

OK, these next pictures...........

Basically, Saturday night Regina climbed up someplace high and fell down.  Initially there was swelling the size of a golf ball, and a small cut on the top of her cheekbone.  After I assessed that her vision was undamaged and there was no concussion. we iced it to keep the swelling down.

Sunday morning, this is Regina WITH her ice pack.....

and here she was WITHOUT.

Her eye was able to open wider and wider as the day went on.  At first, she wanted to hide her face from everybody so they wouldn't see her and ask what happened.  By the afternoon, she had gotten over her self-consciousness and was back to her peppy self, and her face shape is much more normal now.  

It's turning some pretty colors, though.  Brian would be proud.

The surreal shot was taken with my crappy cell phone on the carousel.  Regina, in the foreground, names all horses Buttercup.  The twins, in the distance, have just become big enough to catch rings.  I was hoping to catch their outstretched hands, too, but my camera just doesn't have the right stuff.

And finally, Little Man at 9 months old.  He was in the baby pool (and loved it) for the first time today.

Bad Hair Day.

With Regina, every day is a bad hair day.

Regina

Regina, 3 years old, with a hat and puppy that Busha gave her for her birthday/Christmas gifts...

Happy 3rd Birthday, Regina!

I made Regina's cake in her favorite color, and Clare picked out her candle.  I bought a numeral 3 candle for her, but it got lost.  In my purse. Until the day after her birthday.

That's our Regina...sassy little thing.

Photobomb.

This last picture speaks volumes... somebody (Clare, I believe) has placed a hand in front of Natalie's mouth to prevent her from blowing out Regina's candles.  It didn't help...Noelle blew them out instead!