Celebrating the 4th

This year we spent the 4th of July at home. Really we didn't need to go anywhere, since our neighbors put on a great fireworks show. Huge, spectacular fireworks. We just pulled up some chairs at the end of the driveway and enjoyed.

The only meltdown that was had was when Talya's above pictured balloon floated away. Luckily she recovered quickly and watched the colorful explosions. Anyone who knows Talya would say that it is no surprise that her favorites were the pink ones.

Happenings

To be honest, I am a bit reluctant to post on this blog due to the inherent obligation I will feel to maintain it. Especially since I am not sure I can live up to the obligation. There are so many great happenings in our lives right now that I just can't keep the stories and pictures to myself. Plus it will make my mommy happy and that is always worth the risk. :)

Since I have too much to share for just one post, I will leave you with some photos of my littles. They just don't stop getting cuter!

(Keep your fingers crossed that another year doesn't pass before the next post. So I don't have to wither in shame...)

Lets Go Orioles

One of the things I love about our home is that it is walking distance from Matthew's school and the Mt. Tabor Little League field. This was the first year Matthew was able to play baseball due to age requirements and he loves it. He has been practicing with Carlos and I and sleeping with his gloves under his mattress.

His team, the Orioles, have won all their games and Matty has several hits, runs, and RBI's. It has been a joy to watch his interest in baseball develop. I can definitely see both Carlos' and my competitive spirits in Matthew.

Playdate

Matthew had a play date with his friend Solomon last week. Actually, it wasn't a play date. It was two friends, "just hanging out." Because play dates are for babies. At least that is what Matthew told me while reminding me that he is almost six years old.

My boy has outgrown the term play date. I am not sure how I feel about that.

Sweet voice in the morning

I am posting this mini-video so you can hear Talya's sweet little voice. Not because I want you to see what I look like before 7am. Definitely not that.

Its pretty shaky because I was taping myself. At the end, when you are seeing the floor, Talya was holding the camera up to her ear like a phone.

Egg-citing Easter

Easter 2010 was quite lovely. Carlos' mom Marianne has been in town so we were able to share the day with her. Portland has been very rainy, windy, and cold as of late, so early Easter morning we decided to take advantage of the fact that it was dry outside and have our egg hunt.

Natalya took Matthew's cues and frantically raced around the front yard in search of hidden eggs. She did awesome, finding three eggs. She would find an egg, exclaim "a chicken," put it in her basket, then take it out to re-find it. It was pretty cute.

Matthew did a good job of letting Talya find the obvious eggs and really had to search for the rest. He was climbing trees, sliding under cars, and generally dashing around like a lunatic. In the end of it all, both Matty and Talya had fun and were delighted with the loot.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing, enjoying each others' company, and preparing and eating a delicious meal. He had a spiral ham, mashed sweet potatoes, and grilled asparagus. Yummy. After we stuffed ourselves, we watched "Sherlock Holmes" and snuggled on the couch. Talk about the perfect day.

Splashing in the Sprinkler

Yes, they really did run through the sprinklers when it was only 68 degrees outside. I should add that it was a gorgeous 68.

I love the firsts of spring/summer. The first time Carlos has to mow the lawn. The first time I can wear a dress or skirt without tights. The first flowers blooming. And, naturally, the first tromp through the sprinklers. (Not to mention the gorgeous photos made possible by better and more natural light.)

To my fellow bloggers reading this, I have to tell you about Picnik, the web-based application that I used to create this collage. I heard about it during an e-course that I took recently and this was my first time using it. And boy was it EASY, FAST and FREE. I created my account, uploaded these photos, and created the collage in under 15 minutes. I will definitely be using Picnik over Picasa from now on. Check it out.

Please note, that I used the free version but there is an upgrade available, for $24.95 per year. I am considering upgrading because I think the price is reasonable and I've heard great things about it.