We've had a wild weather week. It snowed 3 inches last Monday, and this Monday it was 82 and balmy. The kids didn't really seem to mind. Mommy really wanted to make a huge snowman on our snow day, but Rhianwen just wanted to swing and Alden wasn't quite big enough to get it. So, we had a big ball of snow sitting in our backyard wondering why it was made.



Enjoying sledding.

Alden did enjoy his first taste of snow and smacked away on his mittens for quite a while.

In fact, Alden has been in discovery mode recently. He's discovered that his walker is awesome and can be rammed into the wall with force and used to chase balls or his sister down the hall. His sister has resorted to wearing shoes to protect her feet and hoping that he does not knock down her block creations. Her rug is an oasis of calm for her since the walker does not roll onto it. Additionally, anything on the far side of her rug is therefore off-limits to the walker. However, Alden has found he can get to these things when he is out of the walker and in army-crawl mode. Hence, mommy feels it is high time to transition Rhianwen to the toilet and get rid of that nice little potty before Alden finds a use for it.

Bumper cars.

"Check out my new helmet. Just the thing for our bumper car escapades." (He put it on his head all by himself!)

We solved our cold case file of the missing Bobby doll. He was in a suitcase tucked away by Rhianwen. When we showed her that he had returned and told her where he had been, she said, "Oh. I put him there." as if she had known all along, then she said, "But where's the baby?" That one's still unsolved.

Welcome back Bobby!

Because the weather was so amazing on Saturday we went to the NC Museum of Life Sciences and had a blast. We didn't get to do everything, but ended up buying a membership so that we can go even for just an hour and play in the big sandbox or see the lemurs and bears and feel like we got our money's worth. Rhi's ecstatic and is waiting for the day when she can see the bears (something we didn't get to do on Saturday).

In the Little Red Caboose (we read the story when we got home). It was interesting to see. I don't think I've ever been in a caboose before and it had 2 ladders and upper seating (seen in the picture). Now I want to find out what a caboose is used for...



At the sailboat pond where you can drive (? not sure of the word usage) your pick of mini-sailboats. Daddy had quite the time.

We had Andy and Charity over for supper one night and had a great time catching up with them. Rhianwen wisely declared that Andy had a beard but Charity did not and that it was getting dark out. She's quite the dinner-time conversationalist.

On a mommy note, I'm not sure why I've been thinking so much lately, but I've realized that in disciplining and playing and potty-training I've been so focused on praising or correcting Rhianwen during the day that I often completely forget to tell her that I love her. I tell her I love her when I'm leaving or when I say goodnight but don't just say it at random times during the day. I've realized this is so important to do so that she realizes that my love for her is not based on my approval or disapproval of what she is doing. This may seem obvious, but when you are in the midst of the day, it is often difficult to remember to say it and to look for opportunities to say it. I think my realization is partly based on my own understanding of God's love for me. His love for me is unmerited. When I was His enemy, He loved me. I love Him because He first loved me! I want this to be reflected in my love for my children. It's true, but I want my children to know that it is true. To be sure of it. Part of the realization also comes from Rhianwen saying to me, "Are you happy mommy?" She knows that when she sins, it makes mommy sad and Jesus sad, and she'll ask me this throughout the day sometimes. But I don't want her to be motivated to be a good girl only for the sake of "winning" my love. I want her to know that she already has my love and always will. In Shepherding a Child's Heart, the author says the most important thing you can do for your child is to win their trust...to invest in building their trust every day. I know unconditional love is a big part of this.

On the lighter side, we've been preparing for our musical. See the video below for a sneak peek at our stellar show. I think we'll be in the running for a Tony award.