Two Bums

Do you recognize these little bums?  While Sara was laboring away in the hospital on Sunday, Coleman and Brady were having a great time running around naked in our yard playing with the hose.  I couldn't resist snapping a few photos for embarrassment later on in life.  Congratulations to the Cook family for their latest addition; Baby Abby!

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Ballerina Rose

Rosie had her Prodigy Dance Recital on Friday night at the Rose Wagner Theater.  She was very nervous, but after a prayer and a hug she felt better.  Rosie had a happy smile on her face during her performance and danced beautifully!  She was so proud of herself afterwards, and we are so proud of her also.  In Rosie's dance, the girls were birds with feathers in their hair.  Rosie was the only one in blue and it matched her pretty blue eyes.

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Does Coleman Need to Repent?

     Coleman is really, really into hitting people lately.  He and Brady are constantly going after each other, and Coleman is starting to take on other kids as well.  He has stomach butted Macy twice, and only one time did Laura catch her.  The other time she went flying.  He has hit Max (his age) and Will (not his age).  He pounds on Rosie and Bud in the evening when he gets bored.  I put him in time-out in his crib and he lays down and looks sad.  Then, after about 30 seconds he calls out, "Mom, don't push!"  I don't know why he says that, but he says it everytime.  Most embarrassing was the other day at Target, when Coleman walked up to a Grandma and slugged her!  I apologized profusely, but she just smiled and said, "My grandkids give me high fives all the time."  I didn't correct her, but he was not giving her a high five.  He also made a boy cry and cry when he hit him in the treehouse at Wheeler Farm.  I heard crying inside and had a sinking feeling that Coleman was at it again.

     Then, came Bud's prayer.  He gives very thoughtful and sincere prayers at bedtime and the last thing he said was, "Please bless that Coleman can repent of his sins."  I burst out laughing! Please bless that Coleman can repent of his sins!  After the prayer, I asked Bud why he said that.  He answered, "It just seems like Coleman has lots of sins lately."

     I hope that Coleman is cured of his hitting problem sometime soon.  Yesterday, I went to break up another fight between Coleman and Brady just to discover they were trying to give each other high fives and could not connect.  Maybe, maybe the end of the hitting is near...

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Motorcycle Mama!

     JD drove his new bike to our Mother's Day party and look who took it for a spin!  She's our own Motorcyle Mama!  All of us love our Mom so much, she is such a wonderfully loving woman, we are so blessed to have been raised by her.  She is a very special mom.

     We had a yummy steak dinner with lots of great side dishes followed by a carrot cake that was lucky to make it to our dessert plates.  Coleman helped me make and bake the cake, and when I took it from the oven, I sighed a sigh of relief; the Oettli cake curse was over!  The cake sat cooling and I went to blowdry my hair.  Coleman found Jono and began saying "hot carrots, hot carrots".  Jono went to the kitchen to find the cake upside down on the floor!  Miraculously, very little damage was done, and we thought the Oettli cake curse was back, but not too bad.            After a thick coat of cream cheese frosting, I covered the cake and Jono loaded the cake and Coleman in the car.  At Grammy and Grampy's house, we discovered the Oettli cake curse was not only bad, but back in a big way.  Coleman had stepped on the cake; there were two distinct van footprints in the aluminum foil!  Luckily the frosting was so thick, we just scrapped it off the foil and the cake was good as new.  What's Mother's Day without a little drama?

Grammy is opening her present, a very practical present of cards and stamps.  She will think of us every time she sends a birthday card to one of her missionaries.  (really, she will be thinking of us always, just as we will be thinking of her always!)

Here is cute little Macy driving a cool ride!  These are the most adorable curls and cheeks you have ever seen.

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Hello, Goodbye and a Rematch

Blooming in our front yard right now is a magnolia tree.  In early spring, before the leaves begin to bud, these beautiful white flowers bloom.  They are so lovely and fragile and they only live about 10 days.  Then, the leaves grow and it is a nice little tree, but my favorite look is when it is covered with soft white flowers. 

Why is it so hard to say goodbye?  Coleman has been wearing Bud's old red pajamas all winter long and they are falling apart.  They have holes in the feet, so Jono put duct tape over the holes. Now the duct tape has holes in it.  It is definitely time for new pajamas for Coleman, but I am so sad to throw these dear-to-my-heart red pajamas away; pajamas that my boys slept in for so long.

Jono and Bud have putting contests after dinner.  They play "sinkies", you only count the holes you 1 putt.  One evening, Bud beat Jono!  Not just by a few, but by 7 sinkies.  Jono hates to lose, especially to children, women or his friends.  He complained about losing all that night and insisted on a rematch the next day.  Jono really wanted to win, but they ended in a tie.  You know what that meant; another rematch.  The night after that, Jono's putting stroke was on fire and he won by 8 sinkies!  He was remarkably proud of himself.  

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