Growing Everyday

Bubbles bring out the giggles in my children. The bubbles seem to just bring out the joy in them, even if it is just stomping them. And Beka and Jared have always been like this. Even as babies, bubbles could cause them to laugh and forget about what was bothering them.

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Beka is my artistic one. Both kids are very creative when they work and when they play, but Beka loves the arts. She dances around the house, listens to all kinds of music, and loves art of any medium. So out comes the sidewalk chalk in the spring and summer. It is different than drawing with chalk inside, and she has a much bigger canvas to work with. It is amazing how much more skilled she is at drawing now.

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Jared is just as creative as his sister, but his is expressed through his imagination. I have always said that boys make better sound effects, and Jared is no exception. Jared comes up with the most amazing games and stories for his action figures. It is just a joy to watch him create a whole narrative around some toys that don’t move. The playground added a whole new element for his play. The figures were "exploring new places"

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The ice cream truck came through the neighborhood on the first really nice day. I couldn’t resist letting the kids have that special treat. There is just something different about the treat that comes from the ice cream man. I don’t know what it is. Jared wanted the original bomb pop and Beka chose a cherry bomb pop. We sat outside at the playground and ate our treat and then went to play

By the way, as you can see from the above picture I am playing around with photo imaging software. It is fun, but I still need alot of practice.

The other day Jared was doing this:

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so of course I had to take his picture. It was even cuter when he did the same thing on a couch at church. But anyway, after I took his picture, I look over and see this beautiful face on my daughter:

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all because I took Jared’s picture first. Sometimes I just can’t win!

Who knew Indiana had earthquakes? It woke Andrew and I both up this morning at 5:38am. We had no clue what was going on. The house shook, the windows rattled, it actually felt like the house was moving off of its foundation. But it only lasted seconds or so. I finally got up and checked the news to see what it was. They are stating it was a 5.2 magnitude earthquake epicenter about 130 miles SW of Indianapolis. Andrew thinks it is cool. I think it was a little freaky. Of course both kids slept right through it.

ETA: I just talked to Beka who said she felt her bed shake, but just thought it was a tornado.

Beka and Jared were not really bored, but getting tired of the same stuff to do all the the time. So I went in search of come computer games for them. What I really wanted was somethign creative that also gave them practice with the computer mouse. I found Tux Paint. It is wonderful! The kids can draw, stamp premade images, and generally doodle until their heart’s content. It is very kid friendly. In fact, Beka figured out how to resize the stamps when I could not figure it out. Most mornings one child will be on "my" computer, the other on the "kid’s" computer , both drawing and creating in the program. They really do love it. Thankfully, neither of them has tried to print anything out yet. But they do have many artworks saved.

Spring Breaks is almost over around here. Beka, Jared, and I had a wonderful time visiting the grandparents. ONe day we met up with Uncle Joe, Grandpa, Uncle Luke, and Miss Vicki at Going Bonkers. The kids had a great time being chased around by their uncles. I think the uncles were more tired afterwards than the kids. Beka and Jared are still talking aobut that day. Another day we flew kites with Grandma and Grandpa Westberg, Uncle Luke, and Miss Sarah. Beka had a blast with the kite and Jared enjoyed climbing the woodpile. The kids also enjoyed dancing and playing dress up later. Overall it was a wonderful time.

While we were off at the grandparents, Andrew was in Milan, Italy for a Flex conference. He had fun, although, he never left the hotel so he didn’t get to see any of Milan except for the drive to and from the airport. Beka received a dog pen and a bendy pen, but she was most excited to just have Daddy back home with her. I think she would have attached herself to him if she could have. Jared received a warrior/ninja action figure which he loves and can NOT stop talking about. Andrew was a very smart man and brought his wife back a wonderful package of chocolate.

Why yes, my children do live at the playgrounds in the area.

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Jared turned 5 years old today and he was quite proud of that fact. He is now ready for kindergarten at least according to him he is. He is growing so much….he is maturing everyday. He still doesn’t have much empathy, but he is loving and kind. Jared puts 100% into everything he does. Once you get him focused on a task, a game, or activity, he stays focused until it is done. Unless of course it is TV and then he only focuses until the commercial. He loves his sister, mom, dad, and God. He is such as amazing little man. I love him dearly and I am so proud of him. Jared has been running around the house lately and then asking if you saw that blur go by or he will be very quiet (as quiet as a 5 year-old can be) in order to sneak up on you. He certainly makes everyday different and exciting.

For his birthday, Jared decided on Chinese for his supper (He loves the teriyaki chicken) and a big cookie instead of a cake.

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