An Elmo party for our Two-year-old

Way back in March, when we were discussing G-Bear's desires for her birthday cake, Buddy Bear impressed us all by announcing his choice for his birthday theme:

"Mommy, Mommy!  Gee, gee, gee.  ELMO cake!"

Yes, our little man made it very clear that he was hoping a certain furry friend would grace his birthday cake.  He has been talking constantly about it ever since.  So, naturally, we had great fun this weekend celebrating our Buddy Bear with a little Elmo party.

Yes, the table cloth is a bed sheet that we inherited from MoMo and Papa.  It worked quite well, don't you think?  The Elmo cupcakes turned out okay, in spite of my lacking artistic talent.  Fortunately, Buddy Bear was excited and impressed, and that is all that mattered to me :)

Buddy Bear LOVED opening his birthday presents.  Thanks to MoMo and Papa, Aunty Cindy and Nana for the wonderful gifts!

Our buddy didn't eat a bite of his dinner.  He was too excited about the cupcakes sitting RIGHT in front of him!  Perhaps that was poor planning on my part.  Instead, he danced to the Sesame Street background music while we ate pizza and salad.  Good thing he was the birthday boy!  He was plenty excited about getting back in his seat for dessert, however.

Buddy Bear had been practicing his candle-blowing skills all day, showing people how he was going to do it, so of course, he did a great job!  His candle was blown out even before we finished singing "Happy Birthday!"  Dude wasted no time diving into his cupcake:

We had to try that picture a second time:

Can you tell we are crazy about this little guy and his BIG personality?!

 By the end of the evening, our Buddy Bear was exhausted.  He had missed his nap for the day and couldn't wait to jump in bed.  "Happy, happy..." he would say over again throughout the night, recounting to us that it was a happy birthday.

Thanks for sharing your special day with us, Buddy Bear.  And thank you for two wonderful years.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Buddy Bear!

Hip, hip hooray, Buddy Bear turned two today!

Dearest Buddy Bear,

I can't believe it, but you have turned two.  My round belly reminds me of where we were just two short years ago, so excited to welcome you into the family.  Now, we can't imagine life without you!  The past twelve months have been a wonderful whirlwind of watching your personality, motor mightiness and vocabulary blossom.

May:  You looked just like your Daddy, riding behind me on my bike during our trip to Hilton Head.  I love strapping you to my back in the backpack, and you love it to, so we do almost everything together this way: shop at the store, stroll on walks while your siblings are at preschool, cruise up to the park on sunny afternoons.  Around the house, you love to pull the costumes off the costume wall, pull my cooking magazines off the shelf, and dig through the arts/crafts basket.

June:  You have so much to say that it is quite frustrating for you that I understand so little of it.  You are becoming very good at making me understand in other ways. :)  You enjoy our first trip to see the race cars, even falling asleep with my hands over your ears.  You can't walk yet, but that doesn't stop you from going down the slides by yourself at the park!  You have a wonderful time eating sand on the beach in Rockport.  I thought I would never get you clean after those sandy diapers!

July:  You are walking!  Nothing can stop you now.  Whether you are carrying me "breakfast" that you made in the play kitchen or wandering into the bathroom to splash in the toilet (I really should have let MoMo get you a splashtub for your birthday!), you are always pleased to garner my attention.  Your curls are long and beautiful, and I can't bear to cut them yet.  Your favorite (and only?) words that we understand are "tickle" and "hi," but you have lots of other words to share with us too!  Your days of sleeping soundly in the darkness of our bathroom are numbered, because soon we will be heading for Minnesota.

August:  It is no fun to move.  Packing boxes is especially frustrating for you, because none of your familiar toys are in their proper place anymore.  You weather the long drive to Minnesota extremely well, looking at G-Bear the whole way from your seat.   You were so excited when the truck arrived at our new house and your familiar favorites began emerging from boxes.  You now have a new room,  our large walk-in closet, and you are happy as can be.

September:  You loved your first trip to the Minnesota State Fair, riding on Daddy's shoulders for most of it!  You joined Papa in his garden, Cousin Tobi in the splash tub and miss your brother and sister on the days when they are now in school.  I am not nearly as fun as they are, and we spend many mornings in the playroom while you try to teach me the games you play with them.  We had to say goodbye to your curls so that you could get your first haircut, and you love the lollypop you get at the end.  Animal sounds are becoming your new forte, especially when it comes to lions and monkeys.  You still have so much to say that we don't understand, but we have a wonderful time pretending that we do!

October:  You were so happy during our Disney vacation celebration.  You loved meeting Winnie the Pooh and are quick to identify all the princesses by singing Ariels song for us.  Mini wheats have become one of your favorite breakfast choices, so much so that you often take it upon yourself to load more boxes in our cart during our grocery shopping trips.  It is getting colder, and you found a favorite spot to sit and play: on the kitchen floor in front of the heat vent.  You are a charming X-ray for Halloween, enjoying every minute of trick-or-treating with your siblings.  G-Bear helped you up to many houses so that you could hold out your bag, waiting patiently for each treat.  The tastiness of candy is certainly not lost on you!

November:  You are a great helper picking up leaves in the yard.  You enjoy mornings with our new babysitting friend, welcoming me home with a cheerful "hi!" each time I return.  You and E-Bear love to ride in the stroller as we walk to and from school to pick up G-Bear.  You experience your first real snow just before Thanksgiving.  "No! NO," you yelled as G-Bear lifted you up to the window to look out.  Even though you can barely walk in the thick snow by yourself, you are very clear with me that you are excited to play in the new winter wonderland.

December:  Your favorite Advent activity is definitely cooking baking.  You skipped the decorating part and went straight to eat your cookie!  On Gaudate Sunday you were baptized into the Church, a truly special occasion that you really did seem to enjoy, especially with all three of your grandparents present.   You are a great help to me in the snow, shoveling with the new snow shovel I gave you.  Christmas is a special time, as you come to recognize Santa and figure out the joy of opening presents.  You are very good at saying "Ho, ho, ho!" whenever Santa or presents come to mind.

January:  We enjoy a wonderful 12 days of Christmas with our cousins.  You go sledding for the first time and impress me with how much you enjoy it.  You love to dress up like your siblings, especially in the Woody costume.  You also love the big, stuffed bear that you received with E-Bear for Christmas.  When you aren't fighting the bear with our jousting swords, you are racing across the room and launch yourself into it, tackling the bear to the ground.  Your favorite playmate is E-Bear, whom you love to tackle and wrestle.  We start our afternoons with GG, and you quickly come to recognize the McDonalds where we pick up her lunch!

February:  You love Thomas the Train books, trips to play at the Choo Choo Bob train store, and any superhero cape you can find in our dress-up drawers.  You are "whooshing" around our house these days, either as a flying hero or a race car.  You are good at telling me when something is wrong ("Uh-oh, Mommy!") or when someone has done something that makes you mad ("AH-NE!!").  Now that I got you an Elmo toothbrush and Thomas toothpaste, you love to brush your teeth.  We finally turn your car seat around, and I wonder why we waited so long to do it--you are so happy now that you can see the world facing forward!

March:  Morning breaks in your bed with paci and blankie are becoming more common, as you still love those two buddies.  It is so fun to see you sleeping in your bed with your buddies, bottom in the air.  Your first trip on ice skates is a hit.  You love skating between Dad's legs!  You are our wild man: we often find you putting pillows on the floor so that you can jump off the couch!  But, you have a softer side too.  You love to pat my growing belly and give the "Baby" kisses now and then.  You will be a great big brother.   Your coloring is improving too.  I am enjoying many works of pencil and crayon art from you these days.

April:  You are my wiggle worm at church, my toddling man always running to keep up with your siblings.  You won't be left out of anything.  You love to grab your "bowl!", sit at the counter with G-Bear and E-Bear in the kitchen, and ask me for your favorite drink: orange juice.  You communicate quite well with us these days, whether with your growing vocabulary or the many sounds and hand motions that you have invented to make us understand.  I love the slurping sound you make when you are thirsty, the superman sound you make when you see a super hero, the monkey sound you make when you want your monkey blanket, and the way you stick out your tongue and cough when describing your recent bout of the stomach flu.


Buddy Bear, thank you for another wonderful year and all the persistence, energy, and smiles that you have brought into it.   I love the brief moments when you let me hold your hand, when you lay your head on my shoulder at church, when you snuggle with me on my bed for a story, and when you nuzzle my nose with yours.  I also love the moments when you are asserting yourself, whether letting me know that you want to walk in the snow and not be carried, letting me know that you do NOT want to come inside from playing in the snow, making it clear that you do NOT want to get in the car again, or protesting being put in your seat rather than in a big kid chair for dinner.  You are truly growing up so fast, and we are loving every minute of it.  Thank you for loving on your siblings so and for teaching your Daddy and I more about yourself everyday.  May God continue to bless you and grow you in His image.  We love you, Buddy Bear.

Lockdown

Outside, snow is dumping down from the sky.  

Forget the fact that the sun emerged yesterday for a few hours.  

Whatever snow melted is being rapidly replaced with a fresh new blanket.  

Aren't storms supposed to put pregnant women into labor?  

If so, why am I still plump as pudding?

~

The tornado sirens are going off in our neighborhood.  

I almost laughed when I heard them. 

Really?  A tornado?  During a snow storm?

It turned out to be an annual "community tornado drill."

This April has been so weird.

~

For three out of the past four weeks, I have had someone at home with the stomach flu or a fever.  

Surely by now, we have caught every bug imaginable, and we are now safely immune.

But then last night, Buddy Bear threw up again.

And just to prove the point, G-Bear has a fever this afternoon.

So, make that four out of the past five weeks that someone has been sick.

T went to the store last night to re-stock us with Clorox wipes,

 sanitizing spray, hand sanitizer and paper towels.

We need to clean up this house before the baby comes!

~

Somehow, we manage to keep our spirits high.  

Bring on the library books and Sesame Street!

Break out the color crayons and podcasts!

We'll put together puzzles and soak longer in the tub.

We're all in this together.

April of the Surreal

So far, this has been a pretty surreal April.

It has been snowing for the past four days.  This is not one of those spring "snows" that melts as it hits the ground.  Our lawn and roofs are covered with a thick layer once again.  G-Bear made a snow man earlier this week, and it is still standing strong in our backyard of white.  We are still wearing hats, scarves and snow boots and pants to play outside.  The Twins have played several games in the snow at Target Field.  This might be the strangest "spring" I have ever experienced.

MoMo and Papa are away for a month during MoMo's stem cell transplant recovery.  In true MoMo style, she always refers to her hospital as "The Spa", but this is hardly a spa experience.  It is an understatement to say that it is strange to have a month of birthdays, Sundays, and births without MoMo and Papa around.  T and I miss them a lot, and I can tell the kids do too.  We're praying hard for MoMo as she trudges the hard road to recovery.

This week, my sister is scheduled to deliver twins.  Yes, twins!  For a few days, until our Little One arrives, she will have more children than me.  We are so excited for K and T, wishing so much that we could be with them for this exciting time.  Suddenly, my younger sister is entering parenting territory that I have never experienced.  I have nothing but confidence in her as she does it.

Today is GG Isabel's birthday, our first one without her.  It was strange to have my computer remind me this morning that her birthday is today.  We'll wish her a happy birthday in our prayers tonight rather than over the phone.  We do love you, GG Isabel.

In a few days, we will have a 6 year old, a 4 year old, a 2 year old and a newborn.  Our family of five is on the verge of transforming into a family of six.  With the addition of each new baby, a new family life is born.   A whole host of new dynamics, excitements, adventures is only a few days away.  It is always mind-blowing to look at the piles of freshly washed baby supplies and realize that they are ready for a brand new person inside me, someone we don't yet know, but one who is part of our lives forever.

In the midst of so much surreality, moments of normalcy can be tremendously comforting.  Today, as we do every Saturday, we danced in the kitchen to T's music as we made Schubert rolls for breakfast and pot pie for dinner.  Buddy Bear is becoming quite the dancer, taking after his dad and siblings.   This afternoon, we took GG out for lunch at our usual spot.  Tonight, as we got ready for bed, T and I found the Bears together on E-Bear's bed, all reading stories.

Surreal or mundane, these are the moments we're given, and these are the moments to treasure.   

New Creation Butterflies

This week, the kids and I made one of my favorite Easter season crafts: 

New Creation Butterflies.

This craft is great for 2-6 year olds.  The materials are easy enough for little hands to manipulate, and because the craft is relatively easy to assemble, it is perfect for short attention spans.  Plus, they make a great springtime decoration!

Before starting, we read 2 Corinthians 5:17 together and talked about how God makes us new when we ask Him to come into our lives.  The kids loved the analogy of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly.  They pretended the clothes pins were caterpillars munching on the tissue paper.  Then they wrapped the clothes pins in tissue (to represent cocoons) and we got to work on our craft.

Here are the materials we used:

Materials:

Tissue paper in various colors

Wooden clothes pins

pipe cleaners

scissors

colored paper cut into thin strips

glue

Begin by choosing your tissue paper.  Cut it into two squares.

Cut the pipe cleaners into 1-2 inch lengths.

Pinch the tissue paper in the middle and insert into the mouth of the clothes pin, followed by the pipe cleaner.  Then glue a colored paper strip to the clothes pin and write part of 2 Corinthians 5:17, 'In Christ we are a new creation!'

Then, let your butterflies take flight!

Pretty soon, our dining room was full of butterflies.

Thanks to G-Bear and E-Bear for their hard work.  Our home is full of butterflies, ready for spring.

Lord, thank you for making all things new!
 

Sixth Birthday Party for G-Bear

She beams, she glows, 

she's the official six-year-old in our house!

A beaming G-Bear at her birthday party.

On Saturday, we hosted Uncle Carl, Uncle C, GG, and Aunt Cindy for G-Bear's "Jasmine" birthday party.  We decorated the living room with stars and streamers, as well as coloring pages courtesy of the birthday girl and her brothers.  The table was decked and ready for the guests, complete with a lovely cake from our neighborhood bakery (a wise decision--I was way too wimpy to try to make a jasmine cake myself).  G-Bear loved her cake!

G-Bear received several thoughtful presents from her family members, including a handmade Jasmine headband from our talented cousin M, as well as new clothes and accessories for her most beloved Baby Doll from MoMo and Papa.  Baby Doll also received my old baby doll bed, which G-Bear was photographed in when she was 2 weeks old.  

G-Bear in my baby doll bed at 2 weeks old.
This weekend she received the bed as a gift for her baby dolls!

Can you believe how much our girl has grown?!

G-Bear, E-Bear and Buddy Bear, opening the baby doll bed.

The only one more excited than G-Bear about the Baby Doll bed and accessories was Buddy Bear.  :)  Do you think this little guy is ready to be a big brother? 

T and I also gave G-Bear several of my childhood toys, including a wooden puppet theater and wooden puppets.  Seeing G-Bear enjoy the new toy with her brothers made me appreciate MoMo's talent and thoughtful efforts in buying such high quality toys so many years ago.   It is wonderful to see a new generation enjoy these toys as much as I did.

We had a super fun Arabian Night.  Thanks to all of our family for their kind efforts to help us make G-Bear's celebration special!

Happy Easter, Judas

E-Bear and G-Bear recently made Easter cards to send to family members.  They did a great job and put so much effort into making each card special.

One card left me puzzled.  It wasn't addressed to anyone in particular, and I am not sure for whom it was intended, nor to whom it would have been appropriately sent:

G-Bear's card reads: Happy Easter, Judas

The irony of wishing Jesus' infamous betrayer a Happy Easter wasn't lost on me. :)

While I didn't think it appropriate to address the above Easter card to anyone in particular, I found it to be a rather fitting reminder for today.  Today is Divine Mercy Sunday, the second Sunday of Easter, dedicated to celebrating the unbelievable, limitless mercy of Christ, demonstrated so powerfully for us in His death on the cross.  Each of us, in our own way, has betrayed God with bad choices, unfaithfulness, and lack of faith.  Yet, Christ offers each of us His boundless mercy, again and again, when we turn to Him for forgiveness.  The merciful Good News of the "Happy Easter" greeting was meant for Judas the Betrayer just as much as it is meant for the betrayer in me.  Whereas Judas failed to turn to Christ for forgiveness and mercy, may we all choose differently, turn to Jesus in trust, and embrace the Easter miracle in our own lives.

"Dear brothers and sisters, let us not be closed to the newness that God wants to bring into our lives! Are we often weary, disheartened and sad? Do we feel weighed down by our sins? Do we think that we won’t be able to cope? Let us not close our hearts, let us not lose confidence, let us never give up: there are no situations which God cannot change, there is no sin which he cannot forgive if only we open ourselves to him."  

~Pope Francis, Easter Vigil Homily, March 31st 2013

For now, with G-Bear's kind permission, I'm keeping this card for myself!  It will serve as a good reminder.  This Easter season, may we all turn to God and accept Christ's mercy, that we might be forgiven and changed.

Happy Sixth Birthday to You, G-Bear!

Dearest G-Bear,

A happy birthday breakfast, complete with sprinkles and candles!

Happy, happy birthday to you, sweet girl.  You are now more than one hand old, as close to college as Daddy!  We are speechless at how quickly these years are going by and by the wonderful young girl you have become.   This morning you awoke with the most joyful smile.  You have been anticipating your birthday for weeks.  We enjoyed a super breakfast with cereal and sprinkles, and then you had a wonderful day of celebration at school, complete with gummy treats, prayers in your honor and several surprises from your teachers.  Your birthday dinner at Red Robin was a real treat--complete with a surprise sundae that left a huge smile on your face.  The past year has been a wonderful whirlwind, one full of joyful G-Bear memories:

April:  You started your year learning to ride a brand new bike, something that you took on with both enthusiasm and great caution.  You hunted Easter Eggs with your cousins in Chapel Hill, cheered on Alabama at the A-Day game, joyfully celebrated Buddy Bear's first birthday (offering to give him your $5 birthday money), and wrote your first sentence.

May:  You loved lunch at the Salty Dog Cafe and dancing with E-Bear on the beach during our impromptu Hilton Head vacation.  We sadly said goodbye to our Bible School, something that you loved and looked forward to each week this year.  We also said goodbye to your teachers and friends at preschool at our final spring picnic.  We celebrated our new found summer freedom by going berry picking, eating countless meals on our "garden porch," swimming at the pool and visiting Mr. Gary at his office in the afternoon.  You are excited everyday for our afternoon learning time, and are often found coloring at the art table or playing dress up.

June:  You loved your first Nascar experience at the car races, complete with your pink noise-protection ear covers.  You tackle the monkey bars at the playground and help me decorate our apartment for Daddy's birthday.  You enjoyed your first weekend with a babysitter while Mom and Dad go to be with your Godmother and Godfather.  You and E-Bear play for hours at the Beach during our Rockport vacation with your cousins, even though it was only 50 degrees.  You and MoMo are again two peas in a pod during our Minneapolis visit, as you are every time you are together.

July:  You love launching rockets in G-Ville with our friends and amaze us by climbing a real climbing wall by yourself during our trip to Baltimore.  You amaze us again when you swim across the pool by yourself after watching the olympic swimmers!  That is our amazing G-Bear!  We push through some hot, restless summer days with lots of trips to the park, bike rides up the street and afternoons on the porch.

August: We enjoyed our last days at our library Music and Movement class, where you danced your sillies out with pure joy.  We began to prepare for our move by cleaning out the pantry (popcorn balls!), using up the last of our paints (painted picture presents for all the staff!) and packing up our rooms.  We put the finishing touches on our Fruit of the Spirit project, which you put so much effort into all summer long.  You were a trooper during the 1,000 miles home to MN, reading and coloring for hours in the "nest" you made for yourself in the backseat.  We loved our Wisconsin Dells waterpark detour and you jumped for joy at the sight of our boxes arriving at our new house.  Ever my helper, you were up bright and early on our first morning to help me water our lawn for the first time :)

September:  We finished our summer watching you whirl on the fastest kiddie rides at the state fair.  Our eyes were filled with proud tears watching you jump for joy on your first day of Kindergarten.  You waved to us from the plaza with pigtails bouncing, so eager to get started with your new class.  You decorated MoMo's birthday cake for her birthday.  You are so good at affirming each of us, whether giving Buddy Bear hugs after his first haircut, or handing me a "special delivery" card that you made for me at school.  You were bursting with excitement on your first day of "soccer school" with the Beetles team, and we were so proud to see you work so hard at something new.

October: We traveled to Disney for the second time in a year, and this time you were so excited to try all the fastest rides.  You even braved the Yeti and rode the Wild Rapids three times!  You continue to be a great helper around the house, whether clearing your dishes after meals or helping us by raking the leaves in the yard.  You are such a hard worker at school, impressing all your teachers.  You were a lovely Rapunzel for Halloween, running with E-Bear from house to house, even helping Buddy Bear gather a few candies.  I thought we would never get through all the candy you brought home!

November: All Saints Day was a true celebration with MoMo and Papa over for dinner.  I had tears in my eyes watching you process proudly into the All Saints Mass with the Kinders, wearing your Saint G-Bear hat.  We had our first Minnesota snow, something you had missed in NC last year.  We spent many learning time afternoons practicing your new sight words, settling into your new school routine.  At Thanksgiving you performed proudly in your Thanksgiving Paraliturgy, and we were so proud of you.  Thanksgiving at the cabin with the whole family was a real treat, eating lots of mashed potatoes, looking for deer and snuggling by the fire.

December: You helped Daddy light the Christmas tree, wore your new snowsuit to school for the snow piles at recess, and helped us shovel the walkways with the new kids shovels.  You loved skating for the first time and bunking with your cousins in Blue Ridge, GA during our holiday reunion.  You enjoyed the snow globe we got on the Feast of St. Nicholas, joyfully celebrating E-Bear's birthday, and carefully decorated Christmas cookies with me in preparation for Christmas.  You were on cloud nine over Christmas, with Nana and cousins here to visit and presents to open on Christmas morning.  You were so thoughtful of the younger kids and loved watching our St. Nicholas movie with E-Bear.

January:  You tore up the snow slopes on the new toboggan from Uncle Charlie. You learned to stand and skate on your own at skating school every week.  There were countless dress up imagination days over break, something that you loved to do with Buddy Bear and E-Bear.  For MLK day you created a wonderful puppet show complete with stuffed animal audience.  You are learning to count to 100, more sight words, excited for the baby in my growing belly, and so proud to show us your school during Open House.  Winter bath time is a highlight in our afternoons, so much so that I can barely get you and E-Bear out of the bath in time for dinner!

February:  Each Thursday when we visit GG you are excited to show her your folder of work and read your first stories to her.  You seem to understand Buddy Bear's words so much better than me, and you are so sweet to him when you wake him up from his naps in the afternoon.  You and E-Bear have so much more energy than I do during these winter afternoons, but the two of you find lots of ways to stay entertained in your room during quiet time.  You worked hard on lovely valentines for your classmates and truly enjoyed the Valentine's Day festivities.  We are well into the 4th book of the Little House series, and you and E-Bear are often playing "Little House" imagination games.

March:  Your prayers for others are so thoughtful and sincere during Lent, and you are enthusiastic in your efforts to get beans in our basket!  You tell everyone about the baby in my belly, more and more excited everyday for your little brother or sister. You work hard on your Leprechaun trap on St. Patrick's Day, even harder on your first Lego set from Nana.  You are excited about Easter, excited for your birthday, impressing us with your reading skills, loving riddles with Papa on Sundays.  My favorite moments with you were our evening Stations of the Cross during Holy Week.  You did such a good job reading your Stations book and sharing with us what you had learned about it in school.

G-Bear's happy birthday dinner at Red Robin.

G-Bear, your thoughtful, generous heart never ceases to amazing to us.  Whether you are helping Buddy Bear find eggs on Easter (you were so careful to pass many over so that he could find some), playing chase games with E-Bear, "mailing" me a letter that you made at school, or saving a spot for Daddy at the breakfast table, you are so often thinking of others.  It is quite fitting that Buddy Bear said "happy" for the first time today in reference to your birthday.  You remain E-Bear's closest friend and role model, and the two of you can both entertain each other for hours and drive each other crazy.  You are a devoted sister to Buddy Bear, always willing to wrestle with him or keep him busy with his trains.  I love our days together and still get misty as I drop you off at school in the mornings, even though I know how excited you are to get to your class.  Daddy and I are so proud of your loving spirit, your love for God, family and friends.  We can't wait to see what you have in store for us in the coming year.

Chilly Game Day

Yesterday we celebrated G-Bear's last day as a five-year-old by going to the Twins Game to cheer on our friend, Mr. Josh.

It was a record-setting day:  freezing cold, and the lowest attendance ever for a Twins Game at the new stadium.  

It was indeed cold, but we were prepared, and we had a great time!

We may be Minnesotans after all.

G-Bear ate two whole hot dogs by herself.  "I like hot dogs at the stadium," she admitted.

Good thing it was "Dollar Dogs Day!"

We stayed until the bitter end and were lucky enough to cheer our team to victory in the final inning.  Hooray for the Twins!  E-Bear declared that he would like to play baseball on Mr. Josh's team when he grows up.  Everyone was impressed by the fireworks at the end of the 9th inning.   All in all, it was a very special afternoon.

Auntie Cindy gets a big "Hooray!" for joining us in the cold.  We can't wait to do it again, but next time we'd like to leave our coats and blankets at home :)

Happily Ever,

Queen B

Adding a thumb

Tonight is G-Bear's last night as a 5-year-old.  Tomorrow is her sixth birthday, and our house is buzzing with excitement.  

E-Bear's perspective has been especially entertaining.  His comments on G-Bear's impending upgrade have included:

"I can't wait to have a SIX-year-old in our family!"

"Mommy, after tomorrow G-Bear won't be a Kindergartener anymore, she'll start first grade, right?"

and finally, upon being asked how old his sister will be on her birthday, E-Bear raises a full hand of fingers, puzzles for a moment, and then holds up his other hand:

"She's going to be an extra thumb."

So, on this birthday eve, let's here it for the Extra Thumb that is about to join our house!