Springtime and lots of play time

Sprinkler fun

Enjoying time with neighbors

4 generations!

With friend Alissa

Some stories about the kids:
 
The other day Strider came up to me and proceeded to interview me:  “Mommy, what do you like about your home?  Which room do you like best?  Why do you like that room?  What do you like to do in your favorite room?”  At this point I finally stopped him and asked him where in the world he got all these questions.  He matter-of-factly just told me he got them from a Blue’s Clues episode.  He LOVES interviews.  In fact, when I watch him on the playground, he plays on all the equipment for awhile, but then likes to just sit down and ask the other kids lots of questions.  “How old are you?  Where do you live?  How old is your sister?” etc.  As someone told me recently, he’s either a politician or a reporter in the making!  I’m hoping for the latter.  J

Strider and Rayna have a new game they like to play when they’re getting ready for bed.  With Rayna in just her diaper and Strider in just underwear, they run around laughing like crazy, and then they organize a game of “Beada Dayda.”  They get SO excited about this game… but all it consists of is turning their little play plastic table over upside-down and then walking over it.  Strider goes over it and yells “beada dayda!”  And then Rayna goes over it and throws both arms up in the air with a big triumphant grin!  Such fun…

We went to a pond to see some baby geese and ducks the other day.  First we saw a family of geese with 2 adults and 4 goslings.  They were walking across the street and both Strider and Rayna thought that was very cool.  Then we saw a family with 3 adults and 7 goslings.  Strider pointed at them and said, “Look, their grandmother is with them!”

Strider was telling someone on the phone about a party we had at our house.  He said, “Yeah, we played a little “bolleyball”, and then some badminton.  But why didn’t we play “goodminton?”  Why indeed.

"Look, I'm a popcorn!"

Strider had to come with me to my class when Rayna was in the hospital one time, and he’s also seen Pete teaching his class once when we were watching him from the hallway.  So now when he plays “school” and he’s the teacher he says, “Good morning class.  Now I’m going to write something on the computer.”  And that’s all he knows about school!

Strider chilling with Aunt Amy

Then last night he was telling Pete about what he had done that day, and in the middle of the story he said, “And we played at the playgroup, blah, blah, blah, and then we came home…”  

He also likes to make up his own words for things still…  Like when something might come apart, he says “it might break a piece.”  Or when there are too many people around, he says it’s “too crowdy.” 

Strider likes to play “church” these days.  The first time we played it, he sat Rayna and I down in little chairs and stood in front of us, announcing he was the pastor.  He said a few phrases like “The Lord is the Lord,” and “Praise the Lord, Hallelujah” and then suggested we stand up to sing a song.  At that point, Rayna decided to walk away.  Strider just watched her go, and then said, “Well, I guess she had to go to the bathroom.  Anyway, let’s sing the song!”

And speaking of church…  There are several big teen-age boys in our church who seem quite taken with Rayna.  This past week, as we were coming into church, one of the moppy-haired, baggy clothed young men came running up and gave Rayna a big spontaneous kiss on her head and then turned back around and left!  Rayna just gave him a cautious smile, and his friends all laughed.  When the big teenagers love the little babies, you know you’re in a good place.

Sweet sleeping girl