Marching with Cousins

My brother, Rib, came into town last week with his family for their Spring Break. We managed to fit in a couple of really fun visits while they were here. Wednesday night we had them over for dinner. Art came with her family, too, and my older brother happened to be in town for business. We ordered pizza to make things simple and just hung out and visited. It was tons of fun. Here is a photo of the younger cousins eating at the kitchen table:

On Saturday, Rib brought his kids down and we headed out to the park. It was perfect weather for it and I think the kids had a really great time. I took a few pictures while we were there but, really, most of the kids were moving too much to capture them very effectively.

For quite a while, Rophone and I took turns helping Edith push her imaginary twin babies on the swings. I put her on the spot and asked her what her babies names are and she answered, "Robbery and Cutri. You're pushing Robbery and I'm pushing Cutri." It's probably a good thing that she has a few years before she'll be naming any kids of her own. 

My kids were so happy to see their cousins. Thanks for coming for a visit!

Marching On

Another thing that was going on this month was that Big got to play another season of basketball. They have combined practices and games twice a week, so the eight game season only takes a month. Pretty compacted schedule, but it's nice that it doesn't drag out too long. 

Watching Big play basketball is one of my favorite things to do. The unadulterated joy on his face as he plays makes me smile. Often, by the time his game is done, I will notice that my face hurts from smiling so much while I watch him. It just makes me so happy that he's finally able to do something that he has wanted to do pretty much since birth. 

I took photos at two of the games-- the first, Big's blood sugar was low and you can tell by how tired and run down he looks, the second I managed his blood sugar more effectively and he had a bit more pep. Plus, they were both morning games and mornings aren't really Big's thing. Anyway, from here I'll just let the photos do the talking.

The first:

The second:

Okay, so maybe I can't keep myself from further commentary. I took a lot more photos of the second game because Big played the whole thing. In the other game he got taken out hard and wouldn't play the second half. Not that this is a reason to comment, but I'm going to. Ha!

This game was right after he had a big rebounding game (10!) and Rophone talked to him about the importance of rebounding and good defense in addition to scoring. In this game Big worked hard at it all-- 10 points, 8 rebounds.

The pure joy, I tell you. I know that this isn't in focus, but just look at his face. Look at it. That's what it's all about.

We were heading to Ginger's soccer game after his game was over, so Big brought along a pair of sweatpants to put on. He had me toss them to him while he was on the 'bench' so he could wrap them around his neck and mop at his sweat like he has seen NBA players do with towels while they're sitting out. Awesome.

As he was standing waiting to be put back in the game I realized that he stands just like his dad. So cute.

Crashing the boards.

Big made a few shots from surprisingly far out, considering his age and everything.

Here, his coach is congratulating him and they're laughing about how far out he was when he took the shot. When his coach asked him why he took the shot from so far out Big replied, "Well, I picked up my dribble and no one was open to pass to, so I figured I'd go for it." I'm happy about how well he understands the game and that he doesn't get flustered out there even though he's only in 1st grade. So great.

Working hard on defense:

I'm really kind of bummed that Big finishes his season this week. I can't wait until next time! Way to play, Big!

My March Madness

I must have been completely mad to put off posting for all of March. What was I thinking?? And, of course, the longer I put it off, the less I wanted to tackle the task ahead of me. Well, now I'll just have to catch up. I'll do this post of my phone photos and then a couple of other posts with photos from my real camera. Guess I'd better get to it.

I always make sure to save the towel and washcloth folding for when Edith can help me. She is turning into such a pro. This time we when we were folding, we were talking about our upcoming move. Edith said she would really like to move into a castle, but that a house would be okay, too. When I asked her if she knows who lives in castles she told me she didn't. I explained that princesses live in castles and she responded, "Well, I guess we'll be moving into a house, then."

Look at that folding technique:

I ended up home alone with Bud one Thursday late afternoon. It was so relaxing and nice. Even though he kicked my tail at Rack-o.

The next afternoon we needed to be out of the house while they conducted the inspection and Rophone had the brilliant idea to go bowling. It was so much fun. Definitely something we need to do more often. Edith thought it was so cool that we both had shoes with flames on the sides.

There's pretty much nothing better than a lazy Saturday morning after a busy week, don't you agree?

Edith and I are just doing what we always do for the most part, but sometimes she really wants me to take pictures of it all. She was super happy on this trip to the bread store, probably because it was finally a warmish and sunny day after some rotten weather. I'll admit that some days I really crave some alone time, but on days like these I don't know what I'd do without Edith around. Life would be such a bore.

I love how the workers can't resist giving her ginormous bread samples. They think she's adorable and love the fact that she always says 'please' and 'thank you'. I'd give her a big sample, too.

Un-hinging her jaw…

We're definitely back into tricycle riding weather again (on most days-- it's snowing and raining today). The bumps in the road made by tree roots make the rides more fun.

And we're glad to have a cute neighbor friend who loves to ride up and down our driveway with Edith. Friends are the best.

The pesky leprechauns came on St. Patrick's Day again. Thank heavens they kept things pretty mild-- balls in the fridge, bananas in the toaster, socks on the table, stacks of books, etc.

The Binky Fairy finally came for Edith. I didn't get any pictures, but Edith happily set the binky out for the fairy before she went to bed and was excited about the puzzles and stuffed alligator she received in return. Edith was definitely ready to move on. Yesss!

Edith still adores the unicorn she got for her birthday. It makes having to wait in the car for her siblings to come out of school way less boring when she has Gracie along.

Edith has gotten into writing books lately. Here she is reading me chapter "F" from her new work (a real page-turner):

Rophone continues to be the best dad I know. I'm so glad he's mine. He plays game after game of Memory with them even though he hardly ever wins. Talk about a good loser.

And then to play Big Bird and Smurf afterward? The best dad.

When the weather was nice a few days ago, Edith (pretending to be Megan) and Big went outside to play together while I got some things done in the kitchen. They ended up playing football, with Big acting as her coach to help her with the fundamentals. I was doing dishes by the open window, cracking up as he tried to show her how to snap the ball, pass the ball, punt the ball, etc. Big was getting more and more frustrated at Edith's inability to do exactly as he was instructing her, finally busting out with a passionate pep talk that started, "Do you want to be a football champion, Megan??" Awesome.

I love my family so much. Keeping up with this blog helps remind me just how good my life really is. So happy about it all.