Sunday, May 02, 2010

Counting Down to the First Day of School















Sophia's first day of Kindergarten is fast approaching.  There are some big changes ahead, and not all of them related to Sophia's schooling. There is another big move on the near horizon. For me, it's really just going home, for the kids, it means warm weather, good schools and a Mandarin Immersion program, and for Colin.......well, it really is as simple as a four letter word, golf.....

Stay tuned, more information forthcoming.

The Replacement

For us, the suitable replacement was a Prius.  The kids really seem to like it and, as an added bonus, it is the first car that Colin has ever owned that is brand new.  Granted, it's not sporty, fast, and responsive like the Acura, but getting 50 mpg pretty much makes up for it.

Fare Thee Well


Two door Acura Integras and two small children don't mix all that well, so parting with my little white car of thirteen years in favor of a four door was long overdue......Still, a few tears were shed.


Daddy Cuddles







Keenan


Sophia




Scooby Doo, Where are You?

The kids discovered Scooby Doo and now it is ALL they want to watch, so much for educational T.V.  As a first generation Scooby Doo watcher, I keep telling myself, well at least it's not violent and watching it gave me a lifelong love of mysteries, so it really can't be all that bad.  


Springtime in Seattle


Yeah, well, at least the Dandelions seem to think so, but I might be hard pressed to call it Spring here quite yet, but hope springs eternal, he he he......



















Mike, Mike Jr. and Sleeping Keenan

My brother and his son are both Mikes', so to keep them straight, we used to refer to them as "big Mike" and "little Mike". Uhhhhh, little Mike went through a growth spurt and he's not so little anymore. Back to the drawing board.

Meanwhile, Keenan played so hard while visiting my parents, that he crashed out on their couch.






Sophia the Photographer




Believe or not, Sophia took these pictures (with the exception of the ones of us together). And she took them with our REALLY, REALLY big Nikon camera, jeesh..........




















4th Year of Butterflies!











Ah yes, it is springtime again and that can only mean one thing in Western Michigan....our annual outing to the Butterfly Exhibit. While it is true we no longer reside in Michigan, my parents still do, so we paid them a long overdue visit.

Since we attended the exhibit a month later than we normally do, the weather was so terrific this year, we were able to roam around the outdoor sculpture garden and kids play area. The horse was a sculpture inspired by DaVinci's horse drawing. If you see the two little sprouts at the base of the feet, you will get a sense of the horse's size.

As usual, the butterflies were amazing but there was exquisite blue bird in the conservatory and I spent more time looking at the bird than I did the main focus of the exhibit.

The kids are growing up as evidenced by their new found comfort level with the butterflies. No screaming, crying, or running when a butterfly would happen to flit close by. Keenan actually crouched down to study them when they lit on a the feeding station or a flower but, for once, made no effort to touch them. There were no colossal melt downs or freak outs. In short, the kids' behavior made for an especially enjoyable exhibit this year.

This is Keenan's third year seeing the butterflies and Sophia's fourth year, which can only mean one thing..... Gotcha Day is around the corner and I simply can't believe that it has been almost four years since we first met our sweet girl. Time truly does fly.