Easter, part 1

Since we will be in California for Easter this year, Grandma was kind enough to hold her annual Easter party early. As you can see, the kid with the cheesy grin and no hair is smiling because he is about to gorge himself on Easter treats. Was there ever a better "Goober" picture out there? Despite the fact that we had to hide the eggs in between sudden bursts of snow, the kids had a great time. Here are a few more pictures of our snowy, Saturday easter afternoon.

Here is Spencer, who will be 1 on Saturday. He belongs to Katie and Steve and is has the most infectious giggle around.

Danyn, and Dad, Teag. Danyn is 14 months and has suffered from quite a run of RSV for the first year of her life. She has been quite a trooper through it all and is almost always smiling.

Thatcher and Mom, Sara. Thatcher is 15 months and very mobile. Kevin refers to him as "The Judge" because he is so serious sometimes.

Four year-old Maisie, Henry's partner in crime most of the time. She belongs to Kerri and Teag and needs to start ballet right away. She only knows how to walk on her toes.

8 yr-old Caitlyn was just baptized last week and is such a great kid. She is so good with the little ones and a joy to have around. She is quite the girly-girl.

5 yr-old Gavin was also there, but for some reason he eluded the camera. We often wonder how so much spunk is stuffed into such a tiny body when it comes to Gavin.

Small acts of kindness

When Kevin and I got married nine years ago we were given a lot of advice and most of it could be summarized into remembering small acts of kindness for one another. Since Kevin is a romantic at heart, his acts of kindness are on more of a grand scale...writing songs, arranging private dinners at our favorite Cafe, and sending flowers just because. He is really good at making me feel loved and providing me with opportunities to impress my girlfriends. I, on the other hand, am a little more practical. My small acts of kindness are more along the lines of making him lunches, getting up in the night with Henry so that he can sleep, or always being the one to scoop the ice cream when it is treat night. Nothing quite as impressive as his displays. So when I arrived at the dentist last week for my 6 month check-up I was treated once again to a small act of kindness when I found that he had sent flowers to the dentist office for me. The receptionist assumed it must have been my birthday or our anniversary, but it was just a thank you from Kevin for all of the little things I do. It's a reminder to me that it doesn't matter how we remember to be kind to one another, as long as we do it. When I am picking Kevin's gray sweats up off of the bedroom floor for the one-millionth time, the flowers remind me of how much he appreciates it.

Oops!

For those of you that know Kevin, you know that he is a very talented individual. He can do almost anything, including haircuts. That is why he has cut Henry's hair in the past. I have watched closely and I thought I was ready for the challenge. But about 3 seconds into the haircut something went terribly wrong. Being raised in a family of girls, the clipper is still somewhat of a foreign tool to me and I misjudged the length of the attachment. So Henry is now sporting a summer buzz about 3 months too early. By the time it is warm enough for this haircut Henry's hair will be long enough for Kevin to cut properly again. Oh well, Henry doesn't care and that is the beauty of being a 2 yr-old boy.

He's got the whole world in his hands

When Grandma and Grandpa gave Henry this inflatable globe, we assumed it would be kicked and batted around just like all of the other balls at our house. But Kevin discovered Henry has a real knack for geography while playing ball with him the other night. (Now would be the time to put a dislaimer into this post...I know that every parent thinks their child is brilliant and one of my pet peeves is a parent who brags about how smart their kid is. Our real hope in life is that Henry will be kind, sensible, and generally happy, not necessarily Valedictorian.) That said, while Kevin and Henry were tossing around the globe, Henry started asking about what all the colored shapes were and Kevin showed him the US. Henry took a real interest so Kevin started naming countries and then he would bat the ball, and Henry would chase it, find the country Kevin called out and bring it back for more. One might call it an enlightened version of fetch. By the end of the night Henry was able to identify the following countries/states/territories: U.S., Canada, Alaska, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Antarctica, and last but not least, Micronesia (where his Uncle Nate is on a mission.) We were pretty impressed and we are going to keep at it as long as he shows interest. Heaven knows that 10 years from now when he is sitting in a geography class, he probably won't be quite as excited.

Henry & Co.

One may think we are a family of three, but one would be wrong. I figured it was time to document the other members of our family as they are so important to Henry right now. Let me introduce you to Henry's best buddies. From left to right : Gilbert the Trout, Red, Baby Joey, and Frownie. Henry has named all of these stuffed friends (with no help from Mom and Dad), and he doesn't do much without one of them in tow. Frownie even sported a cast with Henry when he broke his arm last fall. They are a patient bunch as they have been dragged, kicked, given countless shots, and disciplined firmly. They often find themselves on the time out mat. But above all, they certainly are loved.