SUSHI NIGHT

We are ridiculously behind on Ethnic Supper Club nights, so we decided last minute to revisit a favorite - Japan! It's easy (thank goodness, since I was barely able to move today...) and delicious and we just can't get good sushi in Vicksburg. (Kroger tried, and they are acceptable, but far from delicious.) Sandy came over before her Bootcamp to drop stuff off, and when she returned I had the shrimp cooked and diced w/ sauces and spices, and we were ready to roll! We had various combos of tuna, crab, cooked shrimp, mango, cucumber, avocado, green onion, and cream cheese.

BUBBLE WALK

I needed to go for a walk to work out some of the tightness in my legs, but Optimus Prime and Merida just wanted to stay in the yard (it was suddenly colder again). I ended up walking down the street like the Pied Piper, blowing bubbles in my wake to get the kids to follow me. We barely made it half a mile before they gave up on me and went back into the warmth of the house...

PLEASE KEEP CHRISTOPHER IN YOUR HEART

Guys, I need your help. Our little friend Christopher, who has worked so hard getting through all his cancer treatments over the past year and who was just about finished and ready to start recovering, has been readmitted to the hospital. He had fluid around his lung, causing almost total collapse, and has had a couple of chest tubes placed. The doctors found a large tumor in his chest, most likely the neuroblastoma, which is pushing on his heart and other lung. There are lots of tests to run and details won't be known until later in the week, but it seems he will be facing another full series of cancer treatments. More than anything else, he needs all the positive thoughts, prayers, and love that you can send him, so please, please lift him up and keep him in your heart. You can keep following his journey at his CaringBridge site.

In support of Christopher's love of tattoos, the kids are covered, and we'll aim to keep it that way (he has generously shared many of his coveted tattoos with them!) Every time we look at them and their tattoos, we will think of Christopher and send up another prayer. We love you so much Christopher, Robyn, and Stephen!

Under the assumption that the Johnsons will be spending a lot of time at the hospital once again, if you are so inclined, you may help them by donating to their cafeteria fund (as far as I know, no other funding site has been set up for them over the past year). Details are the same as they have always been, which you can find via this link to my post last year.

HANGING WITH THE HANCOCKS

While I was out running a race today, Cora spent a couple hours with the Hancocks so that Jay could take James to their soccer game (and not stress about losing her while he was coaching). The game went well, though it was a bit more chaotic than usual (Jay had to coach  both teams because the other coach is an "absentee coach", and had to substitute a couple of his players to the other team so that they had enough to play a 4 against 4 match, which highly confused our players). Cora enjoyed some outdoor play time, walking Bella, playing tea party, and watching Frozen. Dawn put her hair in perfect pigtails and painted her toenails, so she was looking extra adorable when I got home at dinner time (though she told me "Mr. Stirlin did it!")

Thank you Dawn for watching our little spitfire, she had a blast and we really appreciate the help!

MONSTER ART

Jay and the kids worked with James' fingerprint monsters kit (a birthday present from Ned and Mary Beth) while I was out at my race. Very cool stuff! Too bad the ink stains fingers though ;-)

HOOLIGANS!

Because we're gluttons for punishment (and lovers of beer!), we took our exhausted (post dance and soccer) kids out for dinner, to Martin's St. Patrick's Day party on the deck. They wanted to go, but they were absolutely too tired (and late for dinner by 30+ minutes), and we probably should have just gone home... Instead, we quickly ordered our Irish Stew, Corned Beef and Cabbage, and "Leprechaun Bread" (green grilled cheese for the kids), broke out the LeapPads and locked Cora into a high chair (she was melting down...), and chose our Guiness layered pours: Black and Red for me, and Black Death for Jay. We opted to take dessert to go (Guiness chocolate stout babycake for me and a chocolate coconut layered brownie for Jay) and get the heck out of there at bedtime!

 

Martin's had their St. Patty's Day celebration today instead of yesterday since the weather was so much warmer for deck dining.



 

No photos of the kids at dinner because it just wasn't pretty...
Sometimes that happens :-)

RETURN TO SOCCER

Just as Cora has gone a few weeks without dance, James has gone a few weeks without soccer practice (none during Spring Break, and none the week prior due to rain and closed fields). As awesome as our team is doing during the games, it's really extra fun to watch them during practice. They all seem to love the drills and training games that Jay sets up for them, and yeah, they're just so CUTE out there running around and cheering each other on. Just like last season, Brycen is the unofficial team leader/VIP and I often hear Jay tell the other boys to follow Brycen's lead. James plays well with all the kids on his team, but he definitely favors Grant and gets really excited to see him (and tends to stick close to him during practices). I love that all the boys show respect to Jay and listen pretty well to instructions (they are 4 and 5, so there is obviously some goofing off, but the following directions:goofing off ratio is far lower this season than it was in the fall). So much can be learned out on the field (not just soccer skills)... Jay has them work with left vs. right, math (adding and subtracting players/balls), patience/sharing/commaraderie, and I've even heard discussion of angles and kicking velocity. 

Doing circles around the coach

Following a figure-8 of the field, hands in pockets (or behind the back)

 And what does Cora do while James is practicing? (If we haven't gone home and skipped practice, which we sometimes do.) She plays with Grant's little sister Evie, who is almost 2-years-old (her birthday is this Saturday) and shows every indication of being a little spitfire, just like Cora. She's totally adorable and talks nonstop (and follows Cora everywhere, but sure doesn't let Cora boss her around!) I was trying to capture a picture of them running back and forth across the bleachers here, but it looks more like Cora told her a funny secret.

RETURN TO DANCE

 It's been a few weeks since Cora has been to dance (due to Spring Break closure last week and being in Texas the week before that) and she was very insistent on showing me some of her moves before class today. I know nothing about ballet, so hearing her call out the names of the different moves (positions?) as she does them floors me (I try not to squeal and smother her cuteness with kisses, but I haven't succeeded yet). She is so very serious when she is all dressed up and "performing", and it makes me really happy to see how much she genuinely enjoys dance (we refuse to be parents who force their kids into any specific activity just because we like it, and likewise refuse to be parents who don't let their kids do certain activities just because we don't like them - though we're honestly crossing our fingers the kids never get interested in baseball or cheerleading...) Anyway, I asked to take some photos of her while she "practiced" before class and she told me I could, as long as I promised to "send a picture of my new outfit to Gramma and Grambot". Done.

PARADE BUST AND MUSEUM WIN

Today's plans included a couple of parades (the pet parade and children's parade in downtown Jackson for St. Patty's Day) and a trip to the Children's Museum. The parades were a bust (we missed the pet parade due to slow-poke-itis and the children's parade ended up being actual children on parade, for about 25 yards down the street...), but the museum was a hit. And we had a yummy lunch in between with the Kennedys, so we'll call the day a win!

Watching the children walk down the street

Checking out the llama and miniature horses that had been in the earlier pet parade

Climbing art outside the Mississippi Art Museum...

Playing with pizza dough at Sal and Mookie's

Wearing one of the necklaces James made

Will was a giggle monster while waiting on lunch!

Al and Lauren, James with his Italy outline



Kiss of the non-Irish

St. Patty's Day greens!

Their favorite game at the Children's Museum? Donating money :-)

Second favorite activity, ALWAYS, is the pretend rock pile and conveyor belt



So glad they're both tall enough (and no longer too scared) to play on the slides

See? Carrying all the grocery bags in one trip is a natural instinct. Even 3-year-olds do it.

Fossil digging break, followed quickly by lots of time in the play kitchen

Trying to slam mommy with the construction beams...

After the museum, the kids passed out in the car and us adults stopped for yet another cup of coffee!

CUTE CHICKS

We had a fun play date / dinner date with the Hancocks tonight, with the bonus of seeing their new baby chicks. Both kids were a bit scared of the baby birds (James of hurting them, Cora just plain scared) and were far more interested in the chicken coop that Stirlin built. And the dogs. And the play set. And the TV and indoor toys. They had a great time as always at Hancock Farm and us adults enjoyed a nice evening as well - thank you so much for having us over guys, we need to do it more often!

James at least briefly held a baby chick

Helping "Mr. Stirlin" feed Donald (their resident muscovy duck)

Jay was smitten. Pretty sure we'll be getting guineas and a few chickens one of these days...

Emma used the chicken entrance to the coop...

Our cute "chicks" feeding the fish in the pond

Watching a little Magic School Bus side-by-side

So fun to see Cora getting a chance to play girly games! We'd never seen her play tea party before and it was absolutely adorable to watch her and Emma set up their tea and baby dolls!!

SPRING BREAK HAS SPRUNG!

So what have the kids been up to this week with Gramma?

 

They have been digging in the dirt, riding bikes, playing on the zipline and teeter-totter and play set, crafting (making necklaces, painting, coloring, cutting up papers, working with their WaterWow and ColorWonder books), putting together Legos and Lincoln Logs and puzzles, watching the ants excavate tunnels, setting up a hospital (bottom bunk) and doctor's office (top bunk) where they treat Gramma for various ailments, playing in their forts, reading lots of books (and re-reading their new alligator book over and over and over - it's a new favorite), going for walks and picking flowers for the table, and watching some early morning cartoons. No napping. But that's OK, we didn't feel like enforcing that this week. They've been pretty well behaved for Gramma (especially James... Cora has pushed his buttons a few times, resulting in some "talks" with Gramma) and have been happy as can be when we get home in the afternoon. It's so nice for all of us when we have family in town!

 

And as hard as it is not to get too homesick for family in between visits, or too jealous of those who are lucky enough to live near their extended families, we just have to remind ourselves how blessed we are that our family DOES come visit as often as they can, and that when we DO get them around, we get to keep them 24 hours a day, usually for a week or more at a time. That kind of quality time is pretty special and we think our kids are lucky to get to experience it as often as they do!

 

 

 

(The necklaces in the above photos are ones that I made for them using old beads I purchased while living in Ashland, Oregon for college. They've each made me 2-3 necklaces this week, along with painting pictures and coloring wooden Easter scenes for Jay and I, and picking us flowers, so I figured I owed them. Cora has my old moon/sun charm and James is wearing a dragon.)

 

Thank you for coming out to babysit this week Gramma!