Asparagus Sandwich with Chalk for Dessert

My sister has always accused me of eating "weird things". Vegetables and fruits not commonly served to children, grains beyond bread and pasta, and strange sauces. Guilty as charged. And, I've indoctrinated my children to this behavior.

We had roasted asparagus and chicken sausage sandwiches the other night for dinner. Jonathan decided against using the meat for his sandwich and made an "asparagus sandwich" instead. When asked about the flavor, he replied, "it's delicious, Mom." A child after my own heart.

Caleb loves to eat. Unfortunately, this trait extends to non-food items. Crayons, mulch, dirt, sand, and CHALK. Oh, does he love sidewalk chalk. Jamie brought him in for his bath the other night and he was screaming (REALLY loudly) about coming in, snot and tears were running down his face smearing blue chalk all over everything. When he opened his mouth to continue the tirade his tongue and teeth were blue from the chalk. Yikes!

The Elder Son

The oldest son in this household is now three and a half. He's very talkative if he knows you and decides that conversation is on his agenda for the day.

One of my recent favorites:

"God sent the rain today so there would be lots of puddles for me to splash in."

Jonathan stepped on the scale yesterday, and I realized that we have reached a milestone: he now weighs 30 pounds. He said, "Mom, I'm huge." Not really, kid, but I'll let you believe that until you are faced with reality.

Baganigal Gardens

During one of the lovely days last week, the boys and I joined some friends at the Botanical Gardens for a day of fun. The weather couldn't have been more perfect and we all had a great time! Jonathan was a bit confused on the name of the place, and kept calling it the "baganigal gardens".

Had to keep a careful eye on Caleb lest he pick the plants that were artfully arranged

Jonathan and Owen near the maze

The water area in the childrens' garden was one of the favorites. Both boys were soaked which necessitated a trip back to the car for dry clothes. I was certain that the water area wouldn't be open as it wasn't THAT warm. Wrong! Just glad I had clothes in the care :+)

Soaked on a Hot Day

On a beautiful day, before the rains of the last couple of weeks began, the boys and I brought the water table up from the basement. What a blast!!! I would hazard a guess that water is the most universal entertainment for the human population. Children are not exempt from this generalization, and here is the evidence to corroborate my claim:

Dunk!

Jamie and the boys play a game that brings shrieks of delight from Caleb and requests a plenty from Jonathan. Dunking! I have been petitioned to play the game, but I'm not tall enough to successfully lift them for the dunk.
Before I know what's happened, they'll be dunking on their own.

On a Lap

My parents came to visit before the picture fiasco so here are the couple of pictures that I have from that weekend:
Both boys like to sit on a lap and read stories. Often Jonathan likes to read the same book repeatedly. Richard Scarry's Car book was the book of choice for this weekend. Grampie and Grammie lovingly obliged his wishes for much reading. Caleb just backs into an available lap and sits down for a quick story.

Silver Linings

Aside from the photo debacle, we've had a less than stellar couple of weeks. Nothing that exceeds minor annoyances, but annoyances they are:

~ Jamie had an unpleasant week of work at the end of April which was expected but unpleasant, none the less.

~ Our long awaited vacation to Florida is toast due to the possibility of oil on the "pristine beach" that was to be our entertainment. The oil isn't currently on that beach, but we weren't too keen on rolling the dice. The potential of dead animals washing ashore, oily water, and dirty beaches didn't seem worth the money.

~ And, the photos...

~ Jamie had to attend a conference last weekend so when he left for work on Monday we all felt cheated of our time together.

The silver lining:

~ Jamie has a job. A good one for which we are most thankful.

~ A very kind friend offered her parents' vacation home in the mountains in Montana to us for a week later this summer. Montana is our style... lots of outdoor activities. I've always wanted to vacation there, so now we are going!

~ I have the blog, so the last six months of photos are not a total loss.

~ No working for my man this coming weekend so we are going to spend a fun day as a family on Saturday to celebrate Mothers' Day.