Grandma's Visit

The girls had made a list of all they wanted to do with Grandma while she was here. At the top of Sonna's list was "Go to Buns by the Lake and eat on the dock". It was a chilly, rainy week but since the weather never improved, we bundled up and did it anyways! A good memory for sure and something that will surely end up on Sonna's list again.

My mom made the pretty stained glass Easter eggs hanging in the window. Svea loves watching her sisters!

Grandma brought a fun craft project for the girls. They stuffed pieces of yarn (left over from the Prayer Shawl ministry at their church) into mesh bags and hung them outside for the birds to use for nest building.

The girls get their love of playing games from their grandmas!

Tummy time on Grandma Margaret!

Enjoying some new books that Grandma brought in her suitcase. Sonna always LOVES unpacking grandma's suitcase!

So happy to spend time with Grandma! I only wish I had a picture of my mom and me. She took very good care of ME this week. Thank you, Mom!

Foolin' Around

Becca was my inspiration for making this day extra special. Truthfully, it couldn't have come on a better day. I think we were all in Recovery Mode after Grandma Margaret left yesterday. We had such a sweet time together and it was sad to see her go. So the fun we had with April Fool's Day was much needed. Becca sent several links with great ideas for April Food's Day pranks to play on kids. Becca suggested I print out the above Word Search for Mara. I did but the funniest part is that the joke was on ME! Mara spent a good 15 minutes on it and was getting frustrated. She had found 3 words and kept asking me for help. Normally, she is a whiz at word searches. I found a word for her "Pranked" after searching for awhile. When she kept complaining that she couldn't find anymore words I said, "Mara, if it's too frustrating, walk away!". Turns out, the only words that were in the word search said "YOU HAVE BEEN PRANKED" but I never noticed that! Joke was on me! I laughed so hard when Becca helped me put two and two together over the phone. Mara sort of got the joke. I think.

Becca sent a few links with suggestions for food pranks. I had decided I would do an easy one. I made cherry jello and put it in our juice glasses and let it set in the fridge. It looked just like Cranberry juice. The only problem was that Mara smelled the jello when she came out of her room during quiet time. Bummer! Then Sonna came running out when she heard the word "Jello" and told Mara she saw the box of Jello. They still played along. The best part though was that they were in on the joke when their Daddy got home and they offered him a glass of cranberry juice. So fun. They also talked to Aunt Becca on the phone this afternoon and she told them to put kleenex wads in our shoes. So when we put our shoes on to go out to eat tonight, we both had trouble getting our feet in! They were delighted.

But my favorite prank of all was the Sponge Cake. Becca's sis-in-law, Lisa, replied to us all on Becca's initial email and said she was going to buy kitchen sponges and frost them. I was so pleased to find an un-opened sponge in my closet (Thanks, Deb!). I was also excited to find frosting and sprinkles in my cupboard! I cut the sponge in half and frosted it. The girls seriously tried hard to cut into their 'cake' and even picked it up to bite into it. I am lucky I got any pictures in focus because I was laughing so hard. Jedd too. And we all needed that laughter. It was a great way to end the day. (The girls were happy to have one of Grandma's brownies as a delicious substitute).

So, Happy April Fool's Day Everyone! Thanks, Sister, for loving us and encouraging us from afar!

Svea is 6 months old!

My goodness, the past 6 months have flown by! Having a newborn and a kindergartner makes a parent very aware of the passing months! Svea continues to be so very sweet and cuddly. She is happy to be admired and passed around at church and brightens everyone's day. Recently we received a beautiful alphabet cross-stitch wall hanging with Svea's name and birth date made by Mara and Sonna's preschool teacher. Teacher Carol wrote "Dear delightful Svea, You bring happiness to those who know you, just by being here and being you". I think those are lovely words. Svea is learning to sit up and examine things closely, continues to love her hands and toes, her sisters and nursing. She saves her best smiles for me (I may be biased here!) and her spirit of peaceful contentment is a joy to behold. On Saturday we went out for Chinese food and according to the Chinese symbols/animals, Svea and her Daddy are "compatible". Jedd announced this proudly. He already knew that! We are so thankful that Svea hasn't had any kidney infections and takes her antibiotic pretty well. (She doesn't like the taste of it at all - I finally tried it and it is nasty!) We love you, Svea! Happy Half Year!

Happy St.Patrick's Day from 3 Little Leprechauns

The Letter K Show and Tell

Mara wanted to bring a person to show and tell. I remember that being the most exciting kind of show and tell to bring! I'm sure I brought Becca when she was a baby for show and tell. Well, last week we missed L for 'littlest Larson', and we missed S for 'sister' or 'Svea' or 'Sonna', so today Mara brought her 'Kid sisters' for the letter K. It was very sweet to see her so proud. She held Svea and even put her arm around Sonna. It was a lot of fun! Goodness, there are a lot of stuffed animals and dolls named 'Katie' (wink wink) in Mara's class!

Sonna the Swimmer/Bouncer

Sonna loved going to her swimming lessons and enjoyed meeting new friends Avery and Josie. She and Avery liked to share a shower after the lesson while rinsing their hair with conditioner and then admired each other's pajamas. Sonna will be 4 in less than two months. Such a social little person! The lessons were in the Therapy Pool, a very warm pool that is just 2 1/2 feet on one end. Sonna bounced as much as she swam around assisted by a life jacket or her instructor. Honestly, she was in constant motion from 6:30-7:00 PM.

A Sonna story: Last week while Svea was doing some tummy time on the floor, I looked over and Svea was on her back wrapped up in a blanket. I said, "Who moved Svea?". Sonna replied, "I wanted to wrap her up like Baby Jesus".

Later that day I was teaching her the song This is the Day (That the Lord Has Made). Each line is repeated. After I sang "And be glad in it", Sonna repeated "And play in the tent".

(:

Grandma Margaret is Coming!

Grandma Margaret is coming to visit in 3 weeks. Much excitement around here! When I told Mara she screamed. Then she said, "I don't want to make a paper chain [to countdown the days] because I want to be surprised!" The next morning, the first thing she said was "Grandma comes in 2 weeks and 6 days!" Well, she's got her own countdown!

Later that morning Sonna said she wanted to call Grandma Margaret. She dialed and said, "Hi. Are you packing?". Oh, joyful anticipation!