Happy Easter!!!!!!!

Best friends

Dearest Joshua and Luke,

This was an unusual spring break this year.  In the past, we have gone to visit cousins, but this year we stayed home.  We definitely missed our cousins, and our aunts and uncles, but we made the most of a few days off. 

Is it a bunny?  Batman?  Jedi?  Baseballplayer? 
No, it's Luke!

On Friday, Joshua had his friend from school over to play.  He has been friends with her since the very beginning of school.  At first, there were love notes coming home, then pictures, pretty bracelets.......  There was even one conversation with Mrs. H that was unforgettable to me.  Sorry, Joshua, but here it goes. Joshua was sent a yellow note home for not listening.  Apparently, Joshua and his friend were cuddling during rest time.  Joshua had quietly loved from his rest towel on one side of the class to her rest towel all the way across the room.  It may have just been a warning, but the friend moved to Joshua's towel the day before, and both had already been talked to. These two have been wonderful friends all year.  I am certain that this is one friend that Joshua will not forget.  Her family is moving to Florida once school is out, but I am thinking that they might keep in touch. 

No more eggs to decorate?  Come on, pretty please!

Back to Friday, Luke, Joshua, and his friend ate lunch together, played dress up, played house, played on the trampoline, drew pictures...... Then, we called her parents to see if she could stay for dinner and a movie.  The kids watched about half of Lady and the Tramp before deciding to play more piano.  It was a great time for all three kids!

Happy Easter from Joshua and Luke!

Saturday began with an Easter egg hunt at a church in town.  The boys had their face painted, played Bunny Bowling and pin the tail on the bunny.  Luke decorated an Easter egg cookie, and both boys colored some beautiful pictures.  The hunt was inside the church, and Joshua and Luke must have collected about 30 eggs each.  Each egg was filled with a lot of candy.  We saw a lot of families that we knew, and it was loads of fun.  Later in the day, Joshua attended a birthday party at the bowling alley, and Luke and I had some special time together at home.  We dyed Easter eggs that night. 

On Sunday, we began the day with an egg hunt in the backyard (before the rain).  The Easter bunny visited and brought lots of candy and presents.  The boys got a bug vacuum, a reptile net, a reptile habitat, a bubble blowing machine, lots of water balloons, an outdoor throwing game, and more!  We attended church at a small church about ten minutes out of town.  It was a blast, and we heard a great Easter message! 

Grandma Nichols with the boys

Eric picked up Grandma Nichols, Grammy, and Papa, and brought them over for an Easter BBQ.  Grammy has not had BBQ in a long while so she requested BBQ.  It was simple, but fun.   Joshua and Luke were so excited to have their grandparents over.  They drew pictures, played with Play Doe, read books, played with the new toys, and had loads of fun. 

It was really nice to have one more day off.  The boys played with friends at our house.  They played some new Leapster games that they got for Christmas, and watched Polar Express.  Daddy helped Joshua make a recycling project for school - a fancy guitar made from a box, empty gift wrap roll, rubber bands, and lots of tape.  And crayons to make the different chords.  We have much to be blessed for.

Papa, Grammy, Luke, and Joshua

I love you both to the moon and back and back again.

Love,
Mama

Sorry, no mercy for this chocolate bunny!

Love Actually

Joshua at the T-Ball kickoff with Fredbird!
Go Red Team!

Dearest Joshua and Luke,

Spring is here, and love is in the air in so many ways.  Here are some stories from the week.

I came home from work, and

Luke:  "Mom, Mom, come up to my lovey room!"

Mom:  "Your lovey room sounds great!  What is that?"

Luke:  "We love each other in there!"

Mom:  "Sounds great,  Let's go!"

As Luke pulls me up the steps into his room,

Mom:  "Oh, your lovey room!  What do we do in here?"

Luke:  "Just love each  other!"

Luke lies down on the bed, and motions me over to his bed, too. We both stare up at Batman on the ceiling for a few quiet minutes, and Luke sighs, "I love you, mom."

Luke in "Luke's place."  Luke loves this little place that
he makes for himself.  Notice he has Baby Branson covered
up with a washcloth on the Batman couch.  Only Luke
is allowed in Luke's Place.

Luke and I are startled by Joshua running into Luke's room to announce, "Don't come in my room yet.  It is off limits!"  Joshua is very busy doing something, but who knows what yet?   A few minutes later, Joshua comes to get me from Luke's room.  He wants me to come in his room now.  "Mom, I have a surprise in my room for you."  As I walk into  Joshua's room, there is a note on the door handle ~ a large piece of paper with a small hole torn in it so that it sticks on the door.  The note reads, "I love you!"  As I walk into the bedroom, I find several notes ~ love notes ~ all over the room.  The notes read, "Happy Mother's Day, mom!"  "I love you!"  "You are the nicest mom."  "You are sweet."  "You are nice."  After I read each note, I tell Joshua how much I loved the notes.  Joshua then asks, "Do you like my lovey room?"  It occurs to me that he needed a lovey room like Luke's.  How sweet! I am sure that Joshua was not trying to "outdo" Luke's lovey room at all.  The next thing Joshua says is, "Mom, leave for a minute.  I am going to surprise Dad with my lovey room now."

Joshua and Luke are playing on the same soccer team this spring ~ the grey greyhounds!    The boys practice and play so well together.  I enjoy having them on the same team and watching them.  After soccer practice, the boys played at the playground for a long while.  I sat on the bench watching closely for a long time.   Joshua was playing with a 7 or 8 year old boy.  Joshua was chasing him, and pretty much doing whatever the boy was doing.  Of course, Luke was trailing right behind Joshua.  The older boy started playing Simon Says.  He would tell the boys what to do, and they would do it.  Luke was climbing up the rope ladder, and the older boy was shaking the rope.  Nothing too scary - Luke seemed to be doing fine.  I hear Joshua say to the older boy, "Please be careful with my little brother, Luke.  He has not been climbing as long as the rest of us."  How wonderful ~ another example of big brother Joshua looking out for little brother Luke.  It would have melted your heart. 

Joshua and Luke, best buds, at Luke's 4th birthday party!

Then, on the way to the van after a long time at the playground, Joshua puts his arm around Luke's back, and says, "Well brother, we played a good game today.  We made more goals than the other team.  I made four and you made one.  It was a good day at soccer.  We played a good game, and everyone had fun."  Again.....would have melted your heart.

There is no doubt that I have the two most amazing boys ever!  I love you both more today than I did yesterday.

Love,
Mama

Happy Birth Week, Luke!!!!

Luke's birthday treats at school!

Dearest Joshua and Luke,

This week has been all about Luke!  It started with Luke's actual birthday on March 30.  I took off work to spend the day volunteering in Luke's classroom.  Needless to say, I had a blast!  Our day started with Luke waking up early and asking if he had grown yet.   You just gotta love this boy!  :)  We went to Schnucks to pick up the Batman cupcakes that Daddy ordered for Luke's special day.  While we were there, we also picked up a singing birthday bear, a cake wind sock to hang at the house, and a few other things. 

I absolutely love volunteering at the boy's school.  I played lots of dinosaur games with the children.  I loved watching Luke play so gently and sweetly with the other boys and girl.  On at least two occasions, he went up to some children playing, and said, "Can I play with you?"  He certainly knows how to play with all of the kids.  He can fit in with just about any group.  I was so proud to be there with him. 

Luke got so many phone calls wishing him a happy birthday.  He was so tickled with how many phone calls e was getting.  He felt like such a celebrity.  I am glad that so many others find him to be so special!!!

Happy 4th birthday, Luke!!!!

On Friday evening, Luke had his party at McDonald's playland.  He had several friends from his class attend the party.  He has been so excited about it all week.  He was a great host.  He thanked each person for coming and for the present.  He is such a polite boy, always remembering to say, "please," "thank you," and "I'm sorry" when he needs to. 

Luke can be a real rough and tough kid.  He can play hard.  He can be very strong willed, too.  Possibly stubborn, too. (He gets that from his dad! :))  But he is also the sweetest, most gentle soul.  Every night he prays for homeless people.  Lately he prays every night for the people in Japan who got frustrated with the tsunami.  Bless his heart.  He really does think of others. 

This is a picture that I took of Luke the first night we were in the hospital together.
 I remember just standing and staring at him ~ thinking how beautiful he was.

Luke loved hearing his birth story, so here it is again.  On the day that Luke was born, we went to the hospital around noon.  Nana was already there waiting for us.  Once I got settled in, they took me in for the c-section, and about an hour later, we met Luke for the first time.  He was soooooo beautiful.  I was very concerned about nursing him right away.  He latched on right away.  It was a beautiful partnership.  Later that day, Aunt Lisa and Papa Ed came to visit Luke, too.  The next day Luke met Grammy, Papa, Big Brother Joshua, and Miss Sarah.  The day that Luke was born was one of my favorite days in the whole world tied only with the day that Joshua was born, too.

I have said it before, but I will say it again.....I am the luckiest mama in the whole world.

Love,
Mama