Irish Luck

For the first time ever, we decided to check out the Beale Street St. Patrick's Day Parade. The day was beautiful - perfect for short sleeves and sunglasses. So we put on our green and headed downtown. (Well almost all of us had on green. Taylor had to wear a U of M shirt, in support of the Tigers.) I had heard good things about the parade, and it didn't disappoint! Maybe it was the pretty weather. Maybe it was the promise of lots of beads and candy. Whatever the reason (maybe the green beer), the place was packed and everyone was having a great time. Including Andrew and Noah.

  

Andrew scored loads of beads, and even Noah, despite a slight lack of interest in beads, managed to get some too. Hunger got the best of us and we left before the parade was over to grab a patio table at Aldo's Pizza Pies. The pizza was good, but I don't think it lived up to the hype. Regardless, the warm weather and people watching more than made up for the underwhelming pizza. The afternoon was a great success!

Since the weather was still nice the following day, we made the most of it by cleaning out the front flowerbeds. A few years ago, I planted a several rose bushes and some cannas, which have both grown out of control. So every spring we have to do major surgery with the shears and loppers. Andrew was very excited and promised to be careful with the cutting. He did a decent job, in between taking breaks to go inside and watch TV. Noah supervised from the car, then got bored with the whole thing and went inside too. So much for getting some help! Taylor and I were left to finish the job ourselves. The little ones are big on talk, little on action.

Super Andrew

Andrew turned five last week. Some years it has snowed on his birthday and some years it has been warm enough to wear short sleeves. This was one of the colder years. We got a little bit of snow - not much, just a few flurries but still fun for two little boys...

Andrew wanted his party at Pump-it-Up. It basically has a bunch of inflatable slides and bouncy houses. Perfect if you are five. Actually, he really wanted a water slide for his birthday, but I told him that is never going to happen (see pictures of snow, above). So his second choice was Pump-it-Up. We opted for a superhero theme. Captain America and Batman came to entertain the children. It was a great time.

After playing hard, the boys got their superhero capes and it was time for cupcakes and presents.

 

The grown-ups decided to pass on the kids party (wise choice!), so we had dinner and cake on Andrew's actual birthday. He was excited about the telescope from Nana! We may get to see some stars soon, if Taylor can get through the giant instruction manual :)

Birthday Questions

He's a year older, and some of his favorite things have changed, but some have actually stayed the same. 

Favorite Food:  Ice cream (Absolutely true!)

Favorite Sport: Soccer ball 

Favorite TV Show: Scooby Doo

Favorite Person: Preston (This is one of Andrew's best buds at school. They can be quite a handful together!)

Favorite Thing to Learn at School: Paint

The Thing I Do Best: Stay at home (I can relate - I like to be home too!)

If I Could Go Anywhere, It Would Be: Beach (I promise I did not feed him this answer. He is definitely my child!)

My Favorite Color: Blue (No surprise here)

When I Grow Up, I Am Going to Be: a Builder (I can see this - the kid loves a project)

My Favorite Song Is: Scooby Doo songs (His music choices continue to be somewhat baffling

My Favorite Book: All kinds (This is true, he's not picky. Lately we are into reading books on the ipad and transitioning to chapter books with fewer pictures. He seems to like it, but sometimes loses interest if he's tired)

My Favorite Snack: Cake (I have to call BS on this this one. Maybe apples or chips, or ice cream)

One Food I Really Dislike: Rice (Yep, no rice for him.)

Favorite Place to Eat: Chick-fil-a (It's still mostly about the playground. He's also a fan of Lenny's, Las Delicias, pizza, hot dogs)

Favorite Movie: Prince Caspian (Seriously, still? He rarely watches it now, but didn't hesitate with this answer.)

Favorite Toy: Puzzles (loves them right now. He got a superhero puzzle for this birthday that was 3-D. It was pretty tough, so Taylor and I had to help out. By the time we finished, I was dizzy and my eyes were crossed. 3-D puzzles are a challenge!)

It was a nice birthday week. 5 is going to be super!

Karate Kid

Andrew started taking Karate lessons. He's been asking about it for quite some time, and we finally stopped being lazy and signed him up. I think he was envisioning lots of kicking, punching, and epic good guy versus bad guy tests of strength. 

In reality, it's more about discipline and "yes, ma'm, no sir." So I think it's great! And Andrew is happy too. There are a lot of rules which he still needs to learn, but he gets better and better with each class. One of the ideas they teach is that you need to listen with your eyes and your ears - a great concept that we have begun to apply outside of the classroom too.

Andrew is hanging out in the back, trying to pick up the moves. The class is a good mix - some kids are more advanced, and some are younger, and well,... less disciplined, which provides for great entertainment!

No patches yet, but we are working on it!

 On a cold, sunny day, we went down to the river, to get ready for spring sports, like T-ball. A good idea in theory, but it was really too cold. We didn't last long outside and had to head over to Movie & Pizza Company for dinner. When Taylor and I lived downtown, we ate there a lot and it's nice to go back sometimes. Even though it was too cold to sit outside, the pizza was good and the atmosphere was perfect for two less-than-quiet children.

We warmed up at home with a fire.

Noah is into reading books lately. He's not into other important things, like eating or taking naps! Hopefully this stubbornness is just a phase. But I hope the interest in books stays around.

 A random walk to the park. Someone is trying to keep up with the big boys. He can move pretty fast too. And he doesn't fall much anymore either. Andrew, on the other hand, spends more time on the ground than he does standing upright. A lot of this is self-imposed...battling an imaginary bad guy, fighting an imaginary fire, leaping buildings in a single bound, that kind of stuff. He's got a great imagination. But he trips a lot! The thresholds in our house will be his undoing, I know it. They are his kriptonite.

So far, Andrew displays selective athletic ability - he's good at some sports, like golf. The bike riding needs major work. He can't get the pedals figured out. But he's not motivated to ride very often, so I think it's a matter of practice.  In general, he likes to play outside, which makes me happy.

And also puzzles. He LOVES puzzles.

 Borrowing my sweater to work on his puzzles!

Someone is turning five this week. And he's super-excited!