Aren't they lovely??
Christian loved playing with his sharks, lizards, and other animals that all enjoyed going for a swim. 
Kari had fun giving her baby doll a bath--the little changing table opens up to a sink/bath for the dollies. Soooo cute! 
We've had some fabulously warm weather as of late (as in, we had to turn the air on...in April). This makes for some great times, though, in our own backyard! 
I busted out our camera (along with the sunscreen!) Saturday morning and caught some of our fun little moments. (Not the most "meaty" post, I realize, but the pictures turned out cute and I wanted to include them in a future blog book!) 
Emily told me,"Mommy, I smell summer!" (She definitely knows the smell of sunscreen!) Christian was so excited to wear his "short pants" as he likes to call them. 
Cubby was mowing the lawn and Kari wanted to help.
Grassy, green feet! Ah, Spring! 
"Look at my muscles!!!" 
Fun Timers! 
Today, it rained. Welcome Spring! Actually, it was great. Not only because everything is getting green, or that the air smells wonderful. But, it gave us a good chance to just take it easy! When the weather is beautiful (as it has been all week...and the weekend before that!), I can't stand to be inside. So, naturally we're all totally exhausted and needed a "day off" from nature! 
Kari also got in on some of the fun. She loved playing with all of the regular play-doh and cookie cutters.
Some of the songs that they sung were "Yankee Doodle" and "Star Light, Star Bright." They also did a little interpretive number to "I Like to Move It" (from the Madagascar soundtrack; it was a big hit with everyone!). The kids all made up moves based on a book they read in music class about little polar bear cubs who take their first swim in the ocean. Their teacher, Ms. Johnson, is a favorite with Emily and she does a wonderful job getting all of these little ones to sing their best!
Here is Emily and her Fan Club. Great job, Em!
I wanted to do a post about Christian's speech class and his teacher, Ms. Lori. Christian LOVES going to speech and he LOVES Ms. Lori. (And so does Kari for that matter! She thinks we go there for her and always wants Ms. Lori to hold her and play with her--it's very cute.) To say Ms. Lori is a "good" teacher would be an understatement. She is excellent. Christian's speech has come such a long way since he began going to the S.T.A.R Center back in September. Lori's patience and consistency, along with Christian's hard work, have really paid off. Christian loves speech because he gets to play games, do puzzles, and play with cool toys--like dinosaurs and trains. He's very focused and Lori is always amazed at how quickly he can put puzzles together. His favorite games include Hopping Frogs, dinosaur bowling, and, the classic card game of "War". Lori tailors each game so that he repeats certain words/phrases that he's working on that week before he takes his turn. Christian hardly knows he's working b/c he's so interested in the fun games! 
I am so grateful that our school district has such a wonderful speech program and employs such wonderful teachers. Christian's confidence in his speech has grown in leaps and bounds and as a mother, my worries that he would not be understood by his peers has decreased dramatically. We've still got a ways to go, but I just can't believe how much this program, and teacher, have helped my big boy. 
