April fools eve

What a great evening full of jokes and Link was in on all of them this year and it was fantastic.

The Bruxvoort Colligans came over for dinner.

First we offered them tea.  That was stuck in place.  Some got tea, some got Jello.

Next we pretended it was Sam's 10th birthday and baked him a cake.

What, no meal, just dessert?

With trick candles.

And the cake was meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

We followed that up with dessert.

Yum, brownies!

With nuts!

They loved them, we finished the whole pan.

After great conversation, Sam and Link playing in the backyard and some video games when it got dark they went to put on their shoes. That no longer fit.  Tissues in the toes.

And a text on their way home makes me know they saw the final prank.  "Just married" on the back window!  

Such fun!

You're a good man Charlie Brown

Happiness is a sweet gift from the cast, filled with slips of paper with favorite memories.  Oh and that one awkward note that read "despite what my face looked like, I don't hate you."

Felix-almost 15 months

This poor second child.  They're right, milestones become less noted.  Sometime this month Felix started walking.  He's really good now.  He babbles a lot but still doesn't say many recognizable words.  He's very stubborn, but very cheerful as well.  He loves to play peek-a-boo.  He also adores his brother.  So kids toys really are of no interest when Legos are around.  He has lots of uncontrollable curls that I can't bear to part with.  He is super energetic and keeps us on our toes.  His fine motor skills are superb (even able to assemble some Legos and take toothpaste lid off and on screwing it) and he shows so real smarts with recognizing when writing is upside down or sideways.

Mainstream holidays and religion

When Link used to go to Joan's house to daycare someone's favorite movie was Jack Frost and Link has this mainstream view of holiday chapters now that I don't really like.  And he thinks they all look like they do in that particular movie.  So he believes in the tooth fairy, but he says not other fairies.

I don't combat him, but I ask a lot of questions and share a lot of stories.  This year I emphasized the saints of St. Nick, St. Valentine, St. Pats, and now that it is Easter, Jesus.  The story he mostly gets is that we celebrate people teach us to love one another.  The same goes for Buddha.  His favorite song right now is Mason Jennings, "oh Jesus I love you, and I love Buddha too".  He likes to argue Easter is really about the Easter bunny and st. Pats is about leprechauns.  I'm trying not to squash that magic, while also helping provide him with some magic of closer to life legends.

Nevertheless here is out leprechaun trap.

The gold was stolen but we didn't catch a leprechaun.

We had a great St. Pats day this year mixed with library, green eggs, cookies, a fantastic parade, shamrocks, wearing green, homemade corned beef and cabbage, etc.

Lincoln- 5.5

Link is five and a half.

He thinks it's funny to take 100 selfies and send texts from parent to parent of Minecraft world photos.

He doesn't like the lyric "the past is in the past" but he likes the song "Let It Go".

He thinks he looks ugly when wearing socks and underwear so he always takes his socks off before his pants.

We just finished reading Charlotte's Web at night, but this was Mom's pick; he always picks a Lego magazine which he anxiously awaits in the mail.

Link loves to spend all his time with his Legos or playing video games, which he has to earn chore points to play.  He also likes to watch a YouTube channel called Evantube where a young boy named Evan reviews toys like Legos and Minecraft.

When not behind a screen or a Lego brick, you will still see him part of that superhero world as he forms ice balls and power throws them at imaginary villains, avoids lava between sidewalk cracks and stand on every sewer hole in order to change costumes like in the video games.

Valentine's

In the spirit of st. Valentine we made love notes for our friends.

Weaving baskets

When we were at effigy mounds at the beginning of winter we bought this basket kit.  Now that it is getting closer to Easter I thought we would give it a try.

Perfect activity for link.  It's not messy, something he can do, and he is excited with the results.