in like a lion (well, not really)

It's March! We've had lots of clouds and rain this week. We sure get more rain here than I thought we would. It's nice.

We had more visitors this week which was great. I got a call on Friday from my cousin Bob telling me that he and my Aunt Pat were down from Vegas for the day. They stopped by and visited for a while and then my aunt stayed and joined us for lunch while Bob ran to a work meeting. Bob has a dog (Carmella) that my boys LOVE. They love running around with the dog, and Bob and Aunt Pat ALWAYS bring some sort of toy or treat for the boys. I had a great time visiting with my aunt. She has always seemed more like a Grandma to me (she is 50 years my senior) and sends thoughtful cards and funny letters, and has given each of my children a beautiful handmade quilt. I love her and our visits.

Friday evening we were fortunate to have Rob's brother John and his wife Julie over! Rob and John were able to go golfing on Friday afternoon and we stayed up way too late visiting that night. We sort of took it easy on Saturday. John helped Rob with a little yard work (trimming branches off of one of our big front trees) and Julie was an awesome aunt and played football with the boys while we were outside (thanks Julie!). It really has been a blessing that we've had so many visitors down here. KEEP COMING! We love it.

Burke finally lost his other front tooth. The tooth fairy left a note under his pillow giving him a clue as to where to find a full-size candy bar (and a reminder to brush his teeth after eating it). The tooth fairy somehow knew that this would be more of a treat for Burke than money...and Burke thought that was pretty great.

Hewitt starts a tumbling class tomorrow! I don't know which one of us is more excited (probably me). I *showed* Hewitt how to do a cartwheel last night and couldn't believe how old it made me feel. Rob said that he could hear my back cracking from across the room. Of course, Rob had to give it a try and did a nice cartwheel with straight legs. Can't I do anything better than this guy anymore?

One of the aides in Hewitt's preschool class stopped me today (when I was there picking him up) and told me how awesome he is (and he really is. I love age five!). There are mostly girls in his class and I guess that they all "love" Hewitt. He offers to play the "Dad" when they play pretend and the girls love being the "Mom" and will want to hold Hewitt's hand. This is a new one for us. I think that Burke would rather eat dirt than touch a girl. Hewitt is starting to pick Liv up and carry her around. It still makes me a little nervous, but he is so careful with her and she just adores him.

Tosh, Liv and I have all been a little sick this weekend. The kids with runny noses and me with Laryngitis, itchy nose,throat and eyes, and sneezing constantly. I'm guessing that my problem is allergies, because I really feel fine otherwise--just tired.

Liv took her first bath in the big bath tub this week (time to get rid of our baby tub!). She loved it and didn't mind a little splashing from Tosh. I'm hoping that her next pool experience will be much happier than her first. Her little "rolls" are so cute, aren't they? And can you see her little tooth in the second pic?
She is starting to do some silly things like spit out food and blow raspberries after taking a bite (she only does this with the veggies though...). I am seriously going to have to start wearing an apron to feed her because she is getting so messy. Her "crawl" is getting faster and I have her wearing a sock on her hand most of the day now because she got a sore between the fingers she sucks on. It seems to be working okay (until she figures out how to pull it off).

Our computer is acting up so I can't get to a few good photos that I wanted to post today. I'm on the home stretch of Youth Conference prep. It's this Saturday and I'm getting excited for it, but will be relieved when it is over for sure. I signed up for another round of tennis lessons. I was pretty embarrassed on Saturday when I *served* the ball and hit my doubles partner (a nice guy with a thick Middle Eastern accent) in the back. Our teacher was trying hard to hide his laughter and I apologized about three different times. I'm still not much of an athlete, but I think I entertain the class with my witty comments and effort...or at least I think I'm funny anyway. Yep. I think that wraps it up! Have a great week.