A conversation that took place earlier this week:

Kyle: "Mom, why are babies born naked?"

Mom: "Well, I don't think moms can grow clothes in their bellies."

Kyle: "Hey! I have an idea! Maybe if mom's ate some clothes while they were pregnant, the babies would come out with clothes on!" (lots of laughter...)

He thinks he is SO hilarious...

Easter Celebration

Yes, I realize that I'm a week late and a dollar short, but we had a fabulous Easter holiday. I really, really love this holiday. It must be the beautiful spring weather, fun activities, and the chance to truly reflect on our Savior. This year was made even better by the fact that Kevin arrived home after being gone TDY for the week.

We started it off with coloring Easter eggs. The stand out's: Kyle's eggs, entitled "Happy" & "Sad," and Kevin's red egg that said, "I [heart] Ruth." Fantastic.

Then it was on to our egg hunt. Kyle specifically asked to "just do it with our family" this year (feeling greedy???) so it was so surprising when he found the grand prize egg. As you can see, he was overjoyed.

Of course, Kevin tried his best to steal the $2 grand prize, but Kyle put him in his place.
"I found it - it's MINE!"



Marie was content to cruise around on the grass with the three pink eggs I'd filled with Cheerios and strategically placed within baby-reach.



The kids got some fun Easter surprises from the Easter bunny. Kyle's favorite? The air rocket he's received three years in a row. And a gigantic Easter bunny is always a must. It's the only candy he cares about.

This baby girl was just happy with the Easter grass. I'm still finding it all over my house.

They received some new Easter clothes from Dad & Mom. Actually, the dress is courtesy of Grandma, but we saved it for the occasion.

These two can't get enough of each other. He thinks she's adorable, and she thinks anything he does is wonderful and hilarious. I love it.

And then it was off to church to celebrate the reason for this beautiful holiday. How grateful I am for the Plan of Salvation, a beautiful family, and my Savior, who made it all possible.

Happy Easter!

Shark Teeth

It seems as though Kyle has inherited his mother's inability to properly lose teeth. If you'll look closely, you'll see two rows of teeth. Yes, two rows of teeth.

If I recall correctly, it seems as though I had to have all four of my bottom front baby teeth pulled because they just wouldn't fall out. And by the time I was 18, I still hadn't lost a side baby tooth on top - the left canine, to be exact - and had to have it pulled, the permanent tooth drilled out of the bone it was stuck in, and pulled down into place. It wasn't pretty. Or pain-free.

I called the dentist about this "too-many-teeth" issue, and she seemed to think it could wait until his next cleaning on June 1st. I hope she's right. His top teeth aren't looking so great either. He has this strange gap that seems to be getting bigger everyday. Really. I think another permanent tooth is shoving its way in, but those baby teeth are hanging on for dear life.

I'm really hoping that we'll have a miraculous falling-out of baby teeth in the next month. I wouldn't wish the pain of pulling teeth on any innocent 5-year-old. But I'm also worried for my pocketbook. It seems as though I got paid $10 from the toothfairy for my pulled teeth - you know, for all of the extra pain and suffering. If you add 20 years of inflation to that...well, it's not going to be pretty.

After all, I'm quite certain I'm going to need that extra cash to pay for years of orthodontic treatment in the not-to-distant future.

Let the Games Begin!

It's that time of year again. Today marked the opening day of baseball season.

Kyle's playing for the Pirates this year and has a fantastic coach. And yes, I know those aren't baseball cleats (I just learned the difference this year) but I was way too cheap to buy him separate cleats for baseball and soccer. The way this kid grows, he'll be lucky to wear them one season. I figure I have at least a year or two before he realizes that it's embarrassing to wear soccer cleats to play baseball. Might as well save my pennies while I can.

They had "Opening Ceremonies" tonight and each team got to run out, do a cheer and run back. It was adorable and hilarious. So cute. Except for the poor little Phillies player, who was the only one from his team to show up. They still made him run out with his coach and do the cheer all by himself. Poor guy.

Then they had the base commander throw the first pitch, which was even more hilarious (4th time's a charm!) and some other pomp and circumstance. It was a great evening and we can't wait for our first game next week!

Fu-netic Speleeng

This has got to be my favorite part of kindergarten:

(I like to play Super Smash Brothers. It is cool.)

I love, love, LOVE it when Kyle has to "journal." I love to see what's on his mind and what he chooses to write about (go figure - video games). I love to see his drawings, because he's never been much of an artist. But most of all, I LOVE the spelling. He's not allowed to ask for help, so it's all his own doing. It makes me laugh and makes me so proud all at once. It's absolutely adorable. I think I'll save every one of his papers.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick's Day seriously rivals Christmas in our house. It's a big deal. I get woken up way earlier than I'd like (especially if sister's been up all night) to hear the words:

"Mom, the leprechans have been here!"

And sure enough, they were. Chairs and pictures were upside down, as well as Kyle's lamp. They tore the house apart. Oh well. At least they were kind enough to leave a trail of chocolate gold coins, and a pot of gold and goodies. And some green milk for our AppleJacks.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Disney Mania

After 18 months of Kyle's pleading, we finally made it to Disneyland! Two days of
uninterrupted Disney fun made it too hard to choose our favorites, so here's a whole bunch:

We kind of dragged Grandpa & Grandma Turner along with us, but they were such good sports. It was so fun to have their company, and super nice to have extra helping hands.

We didn't find a ride we didn't like, but Kyle's top three were:

1. Buzz Lightyear
2. Star Tours (I didn't get to ride, but apparently he giggled and cheered the whole time)
3. The Matterhorn (which we kind of had to talk him into)

"Oh, and number four was the Caterpillar ride (Alice in Wonderland)...oh, and
number five was Toy Story...oh and number six was..."

As you can see, we loved it. We didn't think we could make it three days, so we only bought two-day passes. But we left wishing we had just one more day. I guess that's the way to end a vacation -wanting more.

Made with Love

Once upon a time, Kevin's grandmother was a young newlywed, expecting her first baby. In anticipation, she made tiny little dresses, hand-crafted with care and absolutely beautiful. Well, baby #1 was a boy, and he was soon joined by a little brother. The parents called themselves blessed with two wonderful sons, and those tiny baby girl dresses were packed away.

And there they stayed until a few years ago, when Grandpa Turner pulled them out. Grandma had recently passed away and he wanted to share a few of her things with his family. Out came 4 tiny, beautiful little dresses that he gave to 4 grateful granddaughters and granddaughter-in-laws.

I've always been a bit partial to blue, so I chose the white one with a beautiful scalloped edge with blue embroidery. It even has a matching slip, complete with embroidery. It's amazing.

Little did we know that years later we'd have a beautiful baby girl, or that we would name her after this wonderful woman. We didn't know that someday she'd be able to wear this beautiful little dress. And we had no idea how it would match her beautiful blue eyes.

If you ask me, it's pretty meaningful. And if little Marie becomes half the woman her great-grandmother was, I'll call myself blessed.

Radar

You know, I have to give it to Kyle. When he decides to do something, he does it full force. There's no halfway point with this kid.

But this time, his obsessions are affecting me. You see, he's become my own little policeman. And let me tell you, his radar gun is on 100% of the time.

His seatbelt reminders are actually quite helpful. But he recently learned to read the speed limit signs. And it's annoying. Because if that sign says 45 mph, you'd better not be going 46 or 47. Because Kyle will notice. And how do you explain fudging the law with your son?

There's a particular stretch of road on base that changes speed limits 4 times within 4 miles. No kidding. So here's my personal policeman, from the back seat:

"45 miles per hour! Are you going 45 miles per hour?"
(as he cranes his neck to check the speedometer).

"35 miles per hour! Um, mom, I think you're going more like 40."

"55 miles per hour! Mom, it says 55 now. You can go 55."
(And when he says now, he means now).

Seriously, if it wasn't so cute, and if I didn't know he'd get tired of it in a few weeks, I'd be really annoyed.