March 18

We made it through February. They said that Ohio beat the 100 year old record of having the most snow for the month of February. We got over 30 inches. But it is now all melted and we are very excited for spring.

We enjoyed many visits with Sarah and Mike. Our normal routine when they come down is that Saturday morning we start with a run. Then Troy and Mike will fiddle around with some music. Sarah and I will play games with the boys. And between eating and talking, the weekend is gone. I went up to Michigan this past weekend for my second time. It was so fun to have Sarah and Mike all to myself. We put a quilt top together for Sarah, she made some amazing food, we went and saw Alice in Wonderland, ate at, I think it was called, Zingerman’s, and enjoyed a lot of great conversation.

Andrew is coming on his last months of 1^st grade. He has mixed feelings about school, and I’m having a hard time putting my finger on why some days he would rather not go. My only thought is that his friendships are getting a little more complicated. He will often come to me and say, “Mom, I’ve got a problem.” He will then tell me how someone acted or what someone said. I will then talk with him about solutions, and then he feels better about things.

I’m trying to enjoy these last months with Parker before he starts school. He keeps me laughing with his ideas, and we talk almost the whole day about something he is thinking about. Troy works the 3-11 shift this week, and we were doing some errands on Monday, and Parker was talking with Troy and asking him the random questions, (ie: Why is the sky blue? What do vampire bats eat? Can skeletons really move? ) I am usually grilled with. I had to chuckle a bit at listening to Troy trying to explain various things to Parker, and told Troy, “Well now you see what we talk about all day.”

Dylan is now running, trying to jump, and smooshing his way into everyone’s heart. His new ‘trick’ is when someone, other than his family, says ‘Hi’, he will close his eyes and give them a big smile. He loves to play outside, and is at the point where he can play in the backyard by himself, not needing me to entertain him. His favorite things are to play in the mud and to dig in the dirt. So outside time is usually followed by a shower, another favorite thing of his. He started nursery in January and really enjoys it. I love this stage of life where all the kids go to their own classes on Sunday and Troy and I can relax during the last two hours. Well, kind of relax between teaching classes.