Dear Boys,

I had such a fun day with each of you today. It was a beautiful day first of all and made me SO THANKFUL for spring. It doesn't seem that long ago our driveway was lined by mountainous piles of snow and I'm determined not to take one day of this nice weather for granted!

Today after Colin's preschool, we went to the Nature Center for a picnic and a walk along the trails. We spotted frogs and turtles and heard many birds. You guys soaked it all up. You're always asking questions like, "What do frogs eat?" "What do turtles eat?" "What bird made that sound?" It's funny because I find myself having to google so many of the answers! But that's part of our process I suppose. Together, we figure it out. Also, your nanny Jordyn is thankfully a huge nature lover! She is such a good match for you boys in so many ways!

Spotting Turtles

After the nature center, we stopped by Kollen Park, which is a playground nestled along Lake Macatawa. We hadn't been there since last summer and it felt SO good to be back. There were a few ducks and one speed boat spotted on the lake.

Finn, Carter, Everett, Colin (Owen was being held)

This evening, after dinner, you guys helped Daddy spread mulch while Owen and I watched you and I tried to keep him from eating any bark or grass. Watching you all hard at work, I felt such gratitude for each one of you. Not only because you are such worker bees who I'm sure will keep my lawn looking lovely for years and years to come. :-) But just because you are so darn cute! You do everything just like you see Chris doing it. You each watch him intently, such as how he holds the shovel and moves the dirt....  Then you try and do it just the same. Watching that process unfold again and again makes me smile so much.

Thoughts while on the train

I wrote this while traveling last Saturday, Dec. 19 but forgot to post. Here it is:

I'm on the train with little c and we’re heading to Michigan for Christmas. Chris will meet us there on Wednesday. He’s tackling the master bathroom during the next 4 days…. We left it in almost shambles and I’m hoping and praying that when we return I have a finished bathroom with subway marble tile, a rain shower, and a gorgeous, new, dark wooden vanity with marble top. I can hardly stand the wait.

I haven’t a clue how my husband can turn our measly, outdated bathroom into the masterpiece we’ve created in our minds but I have no doubt that he will. It will require walls coming down, major plumbing adjustments, moving a toilet, building new walls..... re-wiring the electricity. Seriously, how do some people just know how to do this?? He’s got such a talent for carpentry, and plumbing apparently.... and electricity apparently.... and for tasks associated with building and remodeling that I don't even know the terms for. I seem to find out something new about him with each home project he tackles. Sure, the lights did flicker in the whole house for about a month after the last time he wired new electricity, but that's not the norm. The norm is I'm pretty freaking impressed with what he does.

I didn’t know he could do this type of work when I married him but it’s certainly one of the things that I admire most about him now. There’s just something about a man that can build things. :-)

Very sexy.

So anyway, I’m on the train with little c. He’s finally tired himself out and is laying beside me with his giraffe covering his eyes.

So cute.

I’m amazed at how social he’s become recently. Last time we rode the train, which was on Thanksgiving day, he smiled at people passing by and engaged with them a bit but now he’s suddenly reached a whole other level of communication. He’s babbling nonstop (I felt bad for all the people trying to sleep on the train earlier!) and wanting to “show” his favorite toys. Someone will pass by our row and he’ll babble to get their attention, then smile and proudly hold up his toy. It’s as if he’s saying “look at this!”. He’s also started pointing and waving.

So yummy to watch!

When we first boarded the train, I sat him on the seat next to me and he immediately grabbed his hammer (new favorite toy!) and began hammering away on the armrest. I find this curious because like I said, my husband is often hammering away at home. Colin wouldn’t already be picking up on that and imitating would he?? Maybe in our subconscious we’ve directed him toward the hammer because we think it’s adorable to see him be like daddy.

Or maybe he is just like his Daddy.

Most people say that little c looks just like me, but I see a lot of his father in him already. Something in my bones tells me that he will have his father’s patient and curious disposition. Always seeking to solve the puzzle, fix the problem, or build the solution. This takes a certain kind of mind and a certain disposition.... one that clearly I don't have. But my husband does, and as I watch my son hammer away at his seat on the train, I smile to think that he has that in him too.