all Alli

This girl is so funny. She likes wit and puns. (I just love her humor.) Yesterday she helped me make dinner. She made a few appetizers... homemade pita chips, and spinach-cheese rolls. She was so proud of herself. Her cousin Eliza was over for a sleepover. They were snacking on Alli's creations after dinner and Alli said, "I guess these are really AFTER-tisers."

Pretty clever.

Alli loves lots of different music. Her favorite band right now is Cake (no, we don't let her listen to all the songs)... her favorite song is "The Distance." I love to hear her sing the words.

Alli is one chapter away from the end of Little House on the Prairie. We have been reading it together... sometimes I read, sometimes she does. She loves to read. And she is very good at it.

It is amazing to watch her grow and blossom.

rough and tumble

Some days are like this... body slams and wrestling. Usually it ends up in some sort of tickle-fest.
Little June can hold her own. She can body slam (all 19 pounds of her). Her tiny fingers know how to tickle. And she giggles whether she is tickling or being tickled.
Ruby is almost always involved in the action. That's the lot of a middle child... in the thick of things... always.

a bunch of pictures

It has been busy here: lovely weather, sister (and cousins!) in town from Boston, planting seeds, parks, picnics, running, check ups, shopping, driving, lunch with great-grandma, visiting grandpa and grandma, car in the shop.... whew.
For more on the cousin visit, click here.

progress

Here is a peek at the built-in book shelf.

It is coming along splendidly.

Andy is a rock-star!

spring fever

The sun is shining today. The thick crust of snow is finally melting away... hopefully for the last time this season.
There were dozens of kids in the neighborhood today. Playing, riding bikes, scooting around... basking in the sun. We joined them in the cul de sac for kid-fun and mommy-socializing. Alli and Ruby sped around and around on their scooters. June tried to eat the snow at the side of the road.
I am ready for the snow to be gone. February looked like this...














I think we shoved tons of snow. Literally. We got about two feet of snow. The piles of snow were about five feet high on each side of the driveway.

This little lady got into preschool. Ruby loves her teacher. She loves doing homework. This is a self-portrait... she took several pictures of herself making different expressions and poses in each picture.















Alli has had glasses for two months now. And we just got them back after the first repair. June is talking more and more. She loves to escape while being diapered and run away with a bare bottom... laughing all the way. June can climb up on chairs now. She thinks that is awesome.














It is awesome.

if I had a hammer... and a compound mitre saw...

Since moving to Ohio, Andy has a little more time for hobbies and projects. He even has his own space to work in... no more saw on top of our entertainment center!
Andy is building a bookcase. A monstrous, behemoth of a bookcase! It will be built right into his home office. The bookcase will span an entire wall... about 14 feet! The base will have drawers and cabinets. The top will hold tons of books.
It is fun to see Andy work with his hands. It is fun to see it all coming together. It is not fun staining wood... but we are getting past that point in the project.
I have been impressed with Andy's woodworking skills... he has never made anything with drawers before, this is new territory.