March Madness

This boy loves his basketball.  March Madness is a dream come true for him - basketball on all afternoon/evening with (usually) more than one game going on at a time!  What in the world could be better than that??  One of his favorite teams to watch is Florida Gulf Coast University - the #15 seed that has made it to the Sweet Sixteen.  He pays attention to his brackets and loves to put green circles around the teams that he has picked that win and red marks through his picks that have lost.

And, like a true athlete, he can only watch for so long before he has to go and shoot some hoops himself.  With his basketball jersey on, of course!  Some of my favorite times these past couple of days have been the nights we've let Samuel stay up past his bedtime and sit with Daryl and myself on the couch watching basketball games.  We let him stay up late to watch the end of the Florida Gulf Coast vs San Diego State game.  FGCU have so much fun playing and they put so much energy into their game that we were all laughing and having a great time watching the underdog team celebrate the fact that they were winning!  He eats up that two-on-one attention and special time with Daddy and Mommy (and I think I love it just as much!).  

And a few more . . .

Samuel is really into the whole March Madness craze this year. He even filled out his own brackets (and is doing quite well so far!!). It's like his dream come true to have so many basketball games on! We're watching the Cincinnati/Creighton game and he saw Cincinnati's shorts and said, "Those are funny. Maybe they wanted to wear their swimsuits!"

Samuel: Grandma, your new swimsuit is big!
Grandma: Do you think it will fit me?
Samuel: No
Grandma: Is it too big or too small?
Samuel: Too small.
Grandma: (thinking) Thanks, Samuel......I should not have asked :)

Aliyah has been having a lot of anxiety over going to bed lately.  She acts scared about being upstairs and it being dark.  We've been praying with her about it and talking her through it.  This morning when she came downstairs:
Aliyah: Mommy, I fell asleep and I wasn't scared!
Me: Good girl, Aliyah! Mommy is so proud of you!
Aliyah: Because God is with me!
Me: He sure is, sweet girl!
Aliyah: And God is watching over me!
..... Fast forward about an hour ..... Hope and Aliyah went upstairs to make their beds.  I hear Aliyah starting to come down the stairs .....
Hope: Aliyah! Wait for me!
Aliyah: It's okay, Hope! God is with you!

Love This Girl!

I absolutely love this precious little girl!  I peeked into my bedroom today and found her sound asleep during her quiet time.  She's been napping a lot lately during quiet time.  She always is an absolute bear when she wakes up . . . but it is nice to have an hour or so of quiet!!  

I can't believe how quickly Aliyah is growing up.  She is always talking and her vocabulary, as well as how clearly she speaks, are incredible.  Her favorite things are still babies and anything to do with babies.  She loves to do puzzles and play with anything that her brother and sister are playing with.  She'll play basketball or cars or trains with Samuel, she'll dance or make food in the play kitchen with Hope, or she'll go off alone and play with her dollhouse or her babies.  Samuel is an absolute sucker for her tears and will usually cave to her in almost any situation - whether it be something he has that she wants or he'll help her put something a certain way if she wants it that way.  They are both softies for each other and it's pretty cute to watch!  

Aliyah is a sweet girl with a soft and tender heart . . . as well as a stubborn girl with persistence and determination like none other!!  I love her personality and I am so thankful to be her Mommy!

March 21 last year and March 21 this year

Left side: March 21, 2013   High of 38
Right side: March 21, 2012  High of 84

I'm having a difficult time convincing my kids that yesterday was the first day of Spring.  We have had snow falling here in Kalamazoo for 3 days straight.  I know the fruit farmers are happy and I know the cold weather is a good thing at this time of year.  I also know last year was an exception to the rule.  But I also know that at this time in March the average temperature should be mid 40s!  But . . . I can't help but long for the days like March 21, 2012!!  My kids feel the same way, especially Samuel.  All he talks about lately is playing at the beach or on the playground and how he can't wait until he can have bare feet outside again!

Stuff Kids Say

Daryl: Samuel, you're our firstborn, do you know that?
Samuel: Yeah!
Me: Do you know what firstborn means?
Samuel: Ummmm . . . that I don't always go first!

Today, Samuel said, "I want God to stop the snow!" I think I may have been a little outspoken the past few days on how I feel about the weather!

A not-so-proud parenting moment - 
Me: Oh no! I forgot to take the bread for sandwiches out of the freezer!
Aliyah: That sucks!
(I had her repeat it a second time because I wasn't sure that I heard her right.  I did.)
Me: Who says that??
Aliyah: Mommy does!
Me: I was hoping at least I could blame it on Daddy!

The kids all wanted to go outside and play in the rain this an evening last week after we ate supper. Daryl was a good Daddy and followed them outside with an umbrella in hand. Those silly kids played in the rain/sleet for over a half an hour - riding bikes, splashing in puddles, and having a great time! At one point, Samuel said to Daryl, "I bet Mommy doesn't believe how much fun we're having out here!" They all came in soaking wet and muddy but it was so worth all the laundry and extra work that it made!

We have been frustrated with how early Samuel has been waking up lately. We often hear him moving around in his room (turning on lights, turning on his music, etc.) around 6:15. This is so early for him and pretty unusual . . . until recently. He knows he can't get out of bed until 7:00am but being awake so early makes for a cranky boy during the day! Well one morning I was getting him dressed when he picked up his watch and said, "Mommy, did you know this goes beep beep beep every morning at six zero zero?" Strangely enough, the 2 mornings after the watch was removed from his room, he slept in until almost 7:30!

Related to this, he said to Daryl yesterday, "Daddy, I know that sometimes after I'm asleep you come in here and turn off my red light. But guess what? Some days in the morning, at six zero zero, I sneak and turn it back on!!"  Well . . . now we know why this happens at six zero zero in the morning and not some other random time!  He does have a major light problem that we are trying to slowly minimize.  He hates it dark and wants every light on possible.  Now he is just allowed one light on when he goes to bed.  He always picks the hallway light, which makes sense, because it makes his room the brightest.

I was getting dressed the other day when Hope walked into my bedroom and said, "Wow! Cool belly button!!!" After 3 pregnancies I'm pretty sure this belly button will never look the same again . . . :)

Samuel was trying to help Aliyah get on the toilet to "go potty" (she didn't go) and he came running into the kitchen and asked, "Mommy, I forget.  Is Aliyah a sitter-downer or a stander-upper?"

Kalamazoo Nature Center: Maple Sugar Festival

The kids went with Daryl and my Dad to the Kalamazoo Nature Center this morning for the Maple Sugar Festival.  Me?  I sat at Panera Bread and worked on my CEUs so I don't lose my nursing license!  I was disappointed to miss the fun morning but it was a special time for the kids with their Daddy and their Grandpa.  

Daddy and Aliyah at the pancake breakfast

Hope and Grandpa eating pancakes with real maple syrup

This isn't the greatest picture of Hope, but I still love it!  They watched a birds of prey show and this owl was one of the birds that participated in the show.

It pays to know people who work/volunteer at the Nature Center!   Mr Chase is a long time friend of my family and when he saw the kids he got a snake out of one of the cages and asked the kids if they'd like to touch it.

Hope and Samuel both touched the snake.  Aliyah didn't go near it. :)

Hope got her face painted!  Samuel and Hope both got tattoos on their hands.  Aliyah wasn't sure about either one but she did bring her tattoo home so that Mommy could put it on her hand!

A winter walk to the maple sugar shack out in the woods!  Last year when we went to the Maple Sugar Festival (same weekend) we rode our bikes out to the Nature Center and the temp was in the 70s!!  But this year the weather is much better for maple sugar as well as for the fruit farmers!

King of the snow pile!

My girls :)

March 15, 2013

The invitations to Hope's 4th birthday party!