We had a wonderful--and very warm--church picnic today!
Caleb enjoyed playing croquet. Yellow is his favorite color, so he chose to play on "the yellow team" (as he calls it).
Jared tried to wait patiently for his turn in the bounce house. He didn't want to go in with the big boys.
Caleb raced to finish his donut first.
Time for the three-legged race! Again, Caleb chooses the yellow team.
The boys are getting ready for the three-legged race.
Gramma and Grampa are getting their yard ready for our church's annual Memorial Day picnic. Jared, Caleb and their cousin Trevor decided to test the water slide to make sure it still works as well as it did last year. The picnic's at noon on Monday. Come if you'd like!
Phil's doing very well today. He needs to keep his arm elevated so that his fingers don't turn blue. After I put the girls down for their morning rest time, I went to a Memorial Day craft fair with my mom. I found an adorable apron for Gracie. She loves to help me in the kitchen. Lily would rather fix tractors (see my post entitled "Country Girl"); unfortunately, this craft fair did not favor a tractor-fixin' type of girl!
We had an eventful day! Phil and I drove down to Santa Rosa today for his wrist and elbow surgery. Everything went well. They had to stick him 8 times before they could get an IV in...5 times in his right arm, 2 times in his left foot, and once in his right foot (poor guy)! The surgeon found a piece of glass in his left elbow. He had a large mass growing in his elbow that was putting pressure on the nerves. The mass encapsulated the glass to protect his arm. It's amazing how God made our bodies! If any of you would like to see pictures, let me know and I'll forward them to you. They're pretty amazing. The glass has been in his arm since February 2006!
Here I am in March of 1977 at age 2 1/2.
Apparently bloggers play games and tag each other online. I've been "tagged" by my friend Stephanie to give 8 random facts about myself.
1. I was mugged outside of a grocery store when I was 8.
2. I used to hide in the bushes and throw dirt at people when they walked by (probably because I was traumatized by the mugging incident).
3. I choked on a piece of butterscotch candy when I was little and threw up, so I call all hard candy choke candy, and the flavor of butterscotch tastes like throw up to me.
4. I used to pretend I was Princess Diana getting married in a long dress by dragging my Strawberry Shortcake bedspread behind me.
5. I was born in San Francisco.
6. I won 3 competitions in high school that involved bagging groceries.
7. I graduated from high school 15 years ago today (May 23, 1992).
8. I had 4 kids in 3 years.
Jared was never attached to any one blanket, as my other three are. He didn't even know that he had a baby blanket until last week when I pulled it out of the closet and said, "this was your baby blanket." Here he is on the couch trying it on. He was so excited that it covered him, he happily exclaimed, "Look! It still fits!"
I forgot to take a Mother's Day picture with the kids last week, so I thought we'd do it this morning before church. Everyone was dressed up; it seemed like the perfect time for a family picture. Here we are! Phil is behind the camera repeating the words "sit still," unsuccessful at his attempt. Notice there's a child missing in each photo. Somebody please tell me that family pictures get easier!
I made some caramel corn for a church youth group activity tonight. I thought I'd share the recipe. It's made in the microwave in a brown paper bag! Enjoy.
Pop 4 quarts of popcorn (I pop 1/2 cup of kernels in my popcorn popper)
Combine:
1 cup brown sugar
1 stick of butter or margarine
1/4 cup white Karo Syrup
1/2 tsp. salt
Boil in microwave for 2 minutes (don't stir).
It must boil for 2 minutes.
Remove from microwave and add 1/2 tsp. baking soda. Stir.
Put popped popcorn in a brown paper bag.
Pour syrup over popcorn, close bag and shake.
Microwave on high for 1 1/2 min.
Remove bag and shake.
Microwave on high for another 1 1/2 min.
Remove bag and shake.
Cool in a single layer on waxed paper.
Lily was swimming in the backyard, but then she decided to help Daddy with the tractor instead.
Today is Grampa's birthday! The boys had a great time making this worm cake for him. Yesterday they checked out a Max and Ruby book from the library called Bunny Cakes. Ruby made a beautiful cake with pink frosting for Grandma's birthday, and Max made a mud cake with worms. After I read the story to them, they discussed Grampa's cake and they both agreed that he would rather have a worm cake. It's so sweet to hear them converse. We went over to Gramma and Grampa's house for a little party after dinner tonight. Notice his new sign for the driveway. Now, is it..."Slow--Grandparents at Play" or "Slow Grandparents at Play"? Hmm!
Caleb, 2 years old, studying for Kindergarten
Caleb is my little night owl. He's content to stay in his bed and look at books. Sometimes he wanders out of his room, asking to be tucked in again, and sometimes he wanders into the kitchen if he can smell something baking. On Saturday night, he did just that! He was so cute, peeking around the corner with his blanket. I asked him if he wanted a special treat, and he just smiled. I poured him a little glass of milk, then we sat at the table and split one of the blueberry muffins that I had baked for Sunday morning. While we were enjoying our snack, he leaned forward, gave me a kiss and said, "You're a special girl." I'm glad he stays up a little later than the other kids. He needs these special times. Jared gets attention from being the oldest, and the girls get attention from being twins. I want him to grow up knowing that he's special.
We had a great morning. I took the boys grocery shopping, and then to the library. Lily has been doing much better at staying in her crib. She's learning to obey. Once in awhile we find her out of her bed. Two nights ago, we found her asleep on the floor next to her sister. 
This morning Jared came into the kitchen and said, "Look, Mommy! I'm a leg pirate!" He told me that pirates always cover up one of their legs.
Papa brought this wading pool over for the kids yesterday. They're thoroughly enjoying it! I choose not to wade with them, because 3 of the 4 cuties are not yet potty trained.
Phil and his sister Corinne added higher rails to Lily's crib last night, but she escaped during nap time today. Here's a picture from the other night. Lily found the container of diaper wipes that I had just filled. She pulled each one out and stuffed them into Gracie's crib. Does anyone have any advice for this tired mommy?
Lily wanted her hair done this morning. She brought me my brush and sat down in front of me just like Gracie. After lots of wiggling, here's the finished project. I have to admit that this is LOTS of fun for me! I'm enjoying my girls. The next post is about Phil's knee, so don't scroll down if you're squeamish!
Yes, we're still alive! Thank you for all of the phone calls, emails and especially for your prayers. Phil is doing very well, although his knee was a bit swollen yesterday. He's able to bear a little bit of weight and walk around using his crutches. The kids have been entertaining him with Legos and all of their movies. I've been trying keep everybody clean and fed, with the added challenge of keeping Lily in her crib. Please keep us in your prayers.
