Will y'all be our Valentine?

H and I took the three to their day care's Valentine's Day party. It was neat for us to stand back and observe them. They seemed so much older to us: sitting at the table, interacting with others, being content without us right there.
Here is Lu getting her bag of treats from their teacher, Miss Debbie.
She loved the balloon.
Mama Bee and E reading a book from his bag of treats.
E, enjoying a cookie and punch.
Maze with her new bracelet and a sucker.
All three of the children were double-fisted eaters.



One of our favorite things to notice while at the party was how Lucia is so good at sharing. She tried to share just about all of her treats with the other kids, including her brother and sister. It was so sweet to watch her go up to others and offer them a bite.




We hope you had a Valentine's day filled with love.

Oh Atlanta

During our trip to Atlanta we were able to see lots of loved ones in a short amount of time. H and I loved living in Atlanta (okay, I loved every second of it, she liked it some of the time). We usually stay with our friends Summer and Rachael when we go back to visit. To get to their house it is quicker to go around the city, but H and I love to drive into Atlanta so we can see the skyline and then drive down Ponce through Decatur. We do it every time we visit.

Here is Lu playing with Wyatt and Parks' toys.
Parks, sharing his books.
Wyatt, just up from his nap.
Elliott in the boys' cool play tent, also Parks.
Elliott and Parks playing together. (Notice my child has not only taken off his shoes, but his socks too.)
Here the babes are in Auburn. We spent the night with our friend Michelle. She is showing the three her German Sheppard. They loved him. She also has flying squirrels they got to see.
We spent part of an afternoon with my Grandma. Here is Aunt Nancy with Lu and Grandma's poodle Misty.
Mazie at the big people's table. The children ate Sprayberry's BBQ for the first time this trip. I ordered them Brunswick stew. I thought they'd love it. They wouldn't touch it. The barbeque they loved.
Grandma can't slow Elliott down.
Grandma, Misty, and Lucia.
Mazie was in two new phases this trip. One was to wear her hat all day. They other was to take off her left shoe and sock while traveling. She has moved out of the hat phase, not the left shoe and sock phase.
Mama Bee and Maze reading Seth's books in Atlanta.
The three really enjoyed playing with all the new toys at Seth's house. Rachael keeps a few other children so they have a lot of neat toys. Lucia and Elliott in the house.
Lots of activity.
We drew with chalk for the first time. They also had a short slide the babes played on.
Lucia playing with Seth's cycle. Seth is currently obsessed with bicycles. He calls them cackles.
Elliott is checking for mail.
Mazie is riding that horsey to town.
Seth's Grandpa (Grumps) patiently sharing his quiche and muffins with our little beggar children.
We were so happy to see the lovely Amy too. She makes Lucia laugh.
Here is Mr. Setheroni. He shares his cool toys so well.
Wow. Mazie loves the cube.
So does Lu.
"We've got to get us one of these things."
Before we left Elliott decided it was really fun to play on Top of the train table. You can tell from the way he is cutting his eyes over at me that he knows this is not a good idea.
We enjoyed our time in Atlanta and can't wait to get back.

Sophia

Last week our dear friends' four-year-old lost her battle with brain cancer. Sophia was a very brave little girl who lived all of her days to the fullest despite her twenty month struggle. If you haven't read Sophia's CarePage, I recommend you do. Shirley (Sophia's Mom) writes about their journey with such grace and strength. (The link is in the left sidebar.) Your life will be richer having read their story.

At the beautiful memorial service each person received a flower bulb with several cards attached. One card was a "Random Acts of Kindness" card. Shirley and Wayne asked each of us to perform a random act of kindness in memory of Sophia and leave the card for the recipient.

We ask you to pray for Shirley and Wayne and Fiona and their family.

Changes, Part One

The kids have started school. They are going two full days a week. Yesterday was their first day. They had a good day and were happily playing when H and I picked them up. In fact, when we were leaving, Elliott was signing "more, more."
H and I came to this decision for several reasons. It is increasingly difficult for me to get anything done around the house with three little ones into everything. It is also very rare that I am away from them. Of course I love to be with them, but I have gotten to the point where a little time away will make my time with them more focused and engaged. Additionally, we felt the three would benefit from interacting with others their age. We believe sending them to "school" will help them become more independent.

Miss Debbie is their teacher. She is very sweet and nurturing. The babies loved her from the start. Lucia, Elliott, and Mazie will be acquiring new skills which is another reason we decided to take this plunge. They nap on cots. They eat at a table. They play with other children. They pick up their toys.

We feel happy about this new change, knowing it will be good for the mamas and the babies.

Rainy Days

The older the children get, the tougher rainy days are to get through. Also, our morning walks have been our biggest help in transitioning to one nap a day. So, with the rain yesterday, our morning was very long. I know my morning was very long, and I feel it was a long morning for the children as well. In an effort not to go insane, I pulled out the art supplies Grancy had given the babes last week--desperate times, desperate measures.
We colored with markers and then finger painted. The entire activity time might have eaten 30 minutes of our long morning (it was a very long morning, did I mention that?), but it helped us get to lunch time. I can't say they really enjoyed their first art time. They really didn't know what to do with their markers and paint, but we'll keep working on it. We did think their first pieces were beautiful.
We hope your day is filled with color and beauty.