Mother's Day

I had an awesome Mother's Day!  Mark and Simon treated me to breakfast in bed -- breakfast pizza and yummy berries.  Simon thought it was so cool that we got to eat in our bed.  We then spent the morning together, relaxing and a trip to Columbian Park.  What a beautiful day to be at the park!  One of my gifts was a new-to-me camera.  With Mark closing the studio later this month, he gave me one of his cameras.  I had fun playing with it and learning how to use it -- with my favorite subject, of course!  : )

Loves the curly, bumpy slide!

He loves to climb everything!  He has no fear.

Simon loves donuts!

Best powdered donut mustache ever!

Mark also got me another very thoughtful gift -- a watercolor by Jodi Queenan.  I love her artwork and have admired it on Etsy for some time.  She does art related to international adoption.  I'll have to post a photo of the piece he got me -- I love it.  It reminds me of the most wonderful gift we ever received and I feel especially connected to the painting because of our love of Africa and the one who gave us her most precious gift.  I love my boys and I love being a mom -- each and every day.

Sprinkle Cheese

So Simon had a little spaghetti with his sprinkle cheese for dinner tonight ... he was so proud of himself for pouring his own cheese!  He's seeking more independence each day and it's nice to be able to let him try some things on his own ... just wish he wasn't growing up quite so quickly!

Marigolds

About two months ago, our local hands-on museum for kids -- Imagination Station -- reopened.  I took Simon on opening day to see the new exhibits and renovations.  He loved climbing on the fire truck but he also got to plant some marigold seeds.  He talked about his plant off and on over the next month, wanting to go back and see if it had grown.  So two Saturdays ago, we had an opportunity to return to Imagination Station and pick-up his marigold.  Since then, we have been nurturing it along on our kitchen window sill.  And I finally remembered to get some soil over the weekend so we could plant it in a larger pot.  So tonight, we planted Simon's marigold, along with two packets of additional marigold seeds.  I think Simon's favorite part was watering.

There is literally a whole package of seeds in each of two pots.  Not sure how well they will grow being so crowded in a pot -- time will tell!  My hunch is that Simon will expect to see full grown flowers the next day. But until they do grow, they will be some of the best watered plants around!

Three Little Pigs

If you can understand what he's saying, I think you'll enjoy Simon's version of the Three Little Pigs.  He's adopted Mark's version of the story and it's pretty funny.  The parts that are difficult to understand include the pigs squandering their money on candy and toys and at the very end, the pigs make wolf soup.  : )  Enjoy!

First Soccer Practice

Simon had his first 'official' soccer practice tonight and he loved it!  He's been playing soccer at school, too, but this was our first time to see him in action.  A few parents who have older kids playing soccer wanted to do something with the younger kids who want to be part of a team.  So one mom decided to start a once a week program.  There were about 10 kids and it looked a little chaotic at times but Simon had a blast.  His favorite parts were running and playing 'red light, green light' without the soccer ball.  : )  And after the official practice was over, Mark took him back to the field and let him kick some goals -- both were grinning from ear to ear.  So we're officially a soccer family and will encourage Simon to play as long as he is interested.  We're already guessing that he'll be a track star if soccer isn't his calling.

Singing Simon

We noticed Simon singing "On Top of Spaghetti" today -- he has some unique lyrics!  Cracked us up.  We didn't know that he knew this song.  He said they sing it at school.  It's a good song for him because he LOVES spaghetti.  Thought you all would enjoy hearing our sweet singing Simon.

Fishing

With the ponds in our neighborhood and Mark's love of fishing, it's no surprise that Simon is also taking an interest in fishing. His Papa will be proud of how Simon is learning to cast the line into the water! He's caught a few fish this week and hasn't fallen in the water. : )