Promised Pictures!

This is a happy Joseph.  We've had this puzzle for years, but this is the first time he was able to do 100% on his own.

This is a ham.  A total, complete, bona fide, no-holds-barred ham.  He keeps us laughing constantly with his antics.  And his vocabulary is exploding -- some words still doing double and triple duty.  He loves balloons and doesn't mind when they pop -- "Oh, wow!"  He has discovered how to open the fridge and helps himself -- cheese sticks and carrots are a favorite.  (We keep his water and milk in there so he can drink when he wants, too.)  He is incredibly particular about which Snappi goes on his diaper, which Elmo is on his bedtime diaper, and who puts on his shoes.  Best of luck to you if you should happen to touch his step stool!  And of course, he is two now.  Very, very two.

Pinewood Derby!

The Young Men at church held a Pinewood Derby fundraiser last weekend.  (We I went for the ice cream.)  Lil'Nathan's car has been ready for nearly 2 years, but Joseph and Mary had new kits.  They drew on them how they wanted them cut, and Daddy took them to work and cut and smoothed them beautiful.  The rest was entirely up to the kids.

Mary and her car Princess.  After it's first run, the wheels fell off.  Daddy took it to the kitchen for some hot glue.  It also received a big bolt on the top for weight--Daddy had it in his pocket, and it had to go back to work with him Monday to screw someone's leg on.  Fortunately for Mary, her first race was declared void b/c of a glitch in the computer and she got the chance to run again.  Princess finished all her races in 2nd or 3rd place.

Nathan and his car Wraith.  (Note:  Wraith from Fablehaven, not Lord of the Rings.  He's very particular about that.  Now, where was I?)  As you may notice, Nathan's car is only 3 wheels.  We warned him this may not pass the rules or may have trouble with the track.  He insisted it would be fine.  (He knows everything.)  Well, if you know anything about a Pinewood Derby track, you know there are bolts down the center between the wheel tracks.  A wheel riding down the center hits these bolts... and flips off the track.  Wraith didn't finish a single race, but by golly, it's a cool car.  He's more prepared for next year.

Joseph and his car Lightning Whale.  When Joseph was first making his car, he hammered in the wheels and then changed his mind and tried to pull them out.  A fair chunk of car, right at the axle area, came with one of them.  (That and the attempt to shape the car with a hack saw, which took Joseph and I the better part of two hours--maybe we need a new blade?--may have been what prompted Daddy to take them to work.)  So, the car had an unusual shape.  Lightning Whale finished every race in 2nd or 3rd place.  Next year, we'll add weight.  :)

See how sophisticated we were?  Computerized results allowed us to wander out between races and visit the cake and ice cream.  Charlie was pretty good about keeping off the track, but it was a sore temptation for many of the little kids.

Can you tell our ward has a high concentration of dental students?

Our annual Charlie-at-General Conference picture.  He liked this song, especially.

My hero.  Helping me, unasked!, to hang the laundry.

And very pleased with his work, too.

I made the mistake of telling Charlie to get his clothes the other day.  He threw down everything in every drawer.  Even sent down a diaper, complete with cover, though he was already wearing one.   The emptying of the drawers is actually, now, a daily occurrence.  I guess he just likes to get a good look at his options.  If you try to limit him, he yells, "Coles! Coles!"  Generally he wears two shirts, but we can keep him down to just one of everything else.

Egg decorating yesterday.  I actually splurged on an egg dying kit this year.  (Big spender, I know.) The kids were thrilled.  Especially exciting was the plastic egg wraps that we shrunk on the eggs with a hair dryer.  Good times.  (Lil'Nathan was reminiscing about egg dying years past and said his most favorite year was the one we were in FL, living with my mother.  When I asked why, he said b/c GG also bought an egg dying kit.  I guess specked, streaky eggs from food coloring just doesn't do it for this kid.)

The Easter Bunny (or as Mary calls it, the "Easter Bunny", complete with air quotes) came this year and left juice boxes, fruit cups, fruit snacks, balloons, pencils, and a popsicle mold.  He didn't hide any eggs, b/c we had early church.  But, much to our surprise, when we got home, the bunny still hadn't come and hidden the eggs.  I told Joseph we may have surprised him by coming home on time, instead of being late, and offered to hide them myself.  "No, you don't do as good a job."  Oh.  So he went upstairs to change, a little sad and forlorn, poor kid.  What do you know?  That bunny showed up and hid most of the eggs in the kitchen and living room, but a few he managed to hide upstairs!  Lil'Nathan found one on his bed. Joseph came down and checked the fridge again and yelled that the cartons were empty.  "Did you do it?" he asked.  "When?" I answered.  "I didn't think so.  Good thing the Easter Bunny is invisible," he concluded.  Good thing.

Joseph is now peeling eggs for deviled eggs.  That's his favorite, favorite, favorite part of Easter.  "Better than the bunny, even!"

My maternity sewing... two of the three ribbon tied shirts look better tied in the back, so that' how I wear them.  :)  The other is good in front.  The re-made and crossed over shirt... well, I think I forgot that I'm rather, uh, flat on top, and stupidly followed directions and cut a deep V at the neck.  I think I can tack it high enough to wear in public.  (Glad I only paid $1 for the shirt.  Lessons learned are easier to swallow when a lot of money isn't involved, I think.)  I modified the elephant dress (a lot) and now it works.  It's neon orange.  (Joseph picked it out.)  I cut out another yesterday modifying and combining with another pattern that I know I like (and I know how it fits).  I used leftover and scrap material for it, so if that fails I won't feel awful.  (It will probably be awesome and I won't be able to remember what I did to replicate it!)  I also cut out a jumper and a bag.  Yes, another bag.  No, I don't know why, except that my sister-in-law recommended the pattern and darn it, it's going to be cute!

There, enough of that.

Nathan (aka Daddy) has decided to learn German.  So, now in the evenings, after we get the kids down, he sits and learns German from a variety of websites, the best one so far sponsored by the BBC.  As he learns, I'm "reviewing".  (Actually, I'm sewing Charlie's birth announcement.  Maybe I'll have it done before the next baby comes... or at least by his 3rd birthday?)  The other night, we hit a spy/mystery story designed to help learn the language.  We spent a little extra time on it (uh, 1am) and that night both of us dreamed in German.

Auf Weidersehen!