This and that

Our drought was interupted a few weeks ago by a rainstorms that lasted one entire day.  When the downpour began, we all ran outside to enjoy the nice warm rain.  As you can see, our grass is basically dead.  What's left are a few tufts of crab grass.  Thankfully, the other plants in our backyard are still thriving... the Hybiscus, iceberg roses, and citrus are still going strong!

This little one loves to smile for the camera.  She is quite the ham these days and keeps me laughing all the time.  The other day, she pointed to my foot and said, "you have a big, big bum!" She is quite stubborn too.  When she wants my lap, she WANTS MY LAP!

Joseph and "Mary" with baby Jesus.  Love the Aftrican twist on Joseph's outfit.

Ruth is my diligent student.  After inventing her own homework for the past few weeks, she cried with joy when her teacher finally sent "real" homework home yesterday.  Actually, she did cry when I told her it was time to stop so that we could get ready for school.  It's looking like she will have all her homework done in one day.  School is a great fit for Ruth.  In all her five years of life, I have never seen her happier.

Most of the time, payback as a parent comes in very small doses.  Once in a while, however, your children surprise you.  David wrote this sweet essay to us for back to school night.  It made me cry!

James seems to be adjusting well to first grade.  He is embarassed when I kiss him goodbye, but then shouts hello from across the school when I am on campus during the day.  The most surprising thing about James is that has gone from super shy to Mr. Butterfly, and makes new friends quite regularly.  Apparently James likes Wolverines?!!!