Petri

I'm going to lead with James this time! He is talking up a storm and he says the cutest things!! So lets name a few... he calls our dog Pearl = "Purr low." He was trying to tell us something the other day "Pee Tree" Pee Tree" we couldn't figure it out until we looked out the window and saw his pee on the tree outside on the tree - where did he get that from! I have be doing a bunch of planting lately to get ready for spring and James is always right there by my side watering the plants with his bucket of water and then proclaiming "They are happy now!" Of course Will and I melt everytime he says "Thank you mommy" or "Thank you daddy" without prompting. One of his favorite phrases "He's not sharing" whenever someone has a treat or toy and James is convinced that it is whoever's responsibility to share with him, he has pointed out random kids he barely knows and tells on them in this manner. He is so so cute!

Ben is raring up for kindergarten he spends half of his time nervous about it and half the time excited. Ben is getting to be quite a responsible older brother he cleans his room with a little prompting and holds the Madison and James down in stores when they try to run off. I have been pleasantly surprised that instead of terrorizing our new dog he is becoming a little buddy to Pearl. I mean he still does some terrorizing but mostly they are a little team that runs around the neighborhood and Ben feeds her and scratches her little tummy. His new habit is to go around to all the neighbors houses to tell them the latest and greatest about his life. He does this all without telling me. The other day he snuck out of the house and went trick or treating to the neighbors-- the stinker took James and they both came home with a sucker!

Madison is smarter than a whip. She is very perceptive and puts us in our place when she doesn't get what she wants. Today Will chastised her and she wouldn't stop crying until he apologized and then after that she would be consoled. Maddy is tough, she doesn't shy away from jumping on the trampoline with her two rambunctious brothers and she doesn't complain when they topple on top of her. Madison also loves her mom she is a little more reserved than I am used to. James and Ben both have very few boundaries but Madison stays at my side with her hand in mine until she feels comfortable in new situations. Maddy loves the dog and the dog loves her-- mostly because Maddy is short enough to grab just about any food out of her hand with very little effort. And it doesn't help that Maddy will sneak food to the dog when I am not looking. Finally she was my best sleeper the first year of her life and now she is my hardest to get to go to sleep the second year of her life... totally opposite of the boys. Its like she has to decide when she will go to bed or she won't do it. She has been known to cry for five hours straight in the middle of the night if I don't come to her aid!

As for my William- I have not seen a lot of him lately and I miss him like crazy. He is studying every free moment he has to pass a very difficult accounting class he is enrolled in. My kids put me in looney town every other day and often by the time Will does come home I hand them off and go hide in my bedroom until I regain some semblance of sanity.   As for house projects since the bathroom remodel is pretty much done (except a few touch ups here and there) we have turned our focus to the garden. Will has cut sod out of our yard, built four garden boxes and brought in truck loads of dirt rock and sand. Meanwhile I have put together a rock path to our shed and Will is halfway done with a sandbox he is making for the kids....

Before garden picture

 Halfway done garden picture

The boys "helping" with the garden remodel

Halfway done sandbox

Things are going well in Blackhurst town. We are in love with our little family and with one another. Will and I went to the symphony a couple weeks back and I was reminded of the first time we held hands leaving the symphony about a decade ago Will reached down and held my hand for the first time! I was thrilled!

Hope alls well - keep with us on our journey!

Love,

Summer