R.E.A. (Ready to Explore Aquatics)

Ok, so for the past 2 YEARS Rea has been faithfully petitioning her daddy for a pink wetsuit so she can go scuba diving with him (which is only legal when she's 10, by the way). And of course, it had to be a PINK wetsuit, because there is no other color... So, finally - after months of searching zillions of area shops and websites - the pink wetsuit has arrived!!

Waiting to try it on till we were actually by a body of water bigger than a backyeard puddle was simply out of the question, so she got all decked out in full scuba gear, and happily posed for a photo shoot in the kitchen. She couldn't stop laughing and giggling, but she did manage to practice her "I'm okay" signal a few times!

This is promising to be a very exciting summer indeed!

Lounging on the Ottoman...

Apparently this is the new favorite spot to be - lying on the ottoman!! It's not exactly big enough for them all, but they cuddle up together all the same! It's fun to overhear their imaginations at work when they're playing together...

Sometimes the ottoman is a rocket ship, sometimes it's a baby crib, and today it was a big boat and they were "out on the ocean"!! I hope this creativity follows them into adulthood - and a productive means of employment ensues!!!

The Backyardigans

Ma-lak: "Mommy, we need some pop-sicles and a snack!!"

Rea: "See Mommy, I made you a garden!" (actually, she pulled the heads of all my existing flowers and "planted" them into her new one!)

Ni'ke: "Look, Mommy! I can gallop and run really fast!"

Ya'shar: "No! Mine!! No! Mine!!"

(And, yes. Ni'ke is still in her pajamas...)

Feeding the Birds

We finally got some chow for our neighborhood friends. So it was time to "fill 'er up"! Ya'shar thought this was super cool - he kept standing there looking up at the sky, expecting them to all come flocking in at once! Next up, the hummingbird feeder!

Sidewalk Chalking!!

This stuff is the greatest!! (Thanks, Grandma!!) It's so beautiful out this weekend, so some fresh air was just what the Mommy ordered since we've all had the "sniffles"!

Ma-lak traced around everyone's feet with his chalk, and Rea wanted me to show her how to write "Tinkerbell"... (she's wearing Tinkerbell shoes today)

We had to switch to another project when they started in on grafiti-ing the house!

The Fantastic Four Conquer the Great Outdoors!

Well, there's no "fencing" these guys in when it's as beautiful out as it was today! So off to the park we went! These are the kinds of simple moments that I cherish so much as a mom and will remember forever. What a truly amazing gift they are, and I'm so humbled and honored that God gave them to ME!!

"Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her." (Proverbs 31: 28)

Yes, I am blessed indeed!

"Just A Swingin'!"

Ma-lak

Ma-lak, who is now officially registered for Kindergarten at Meadowview Elementary School, can't get enough of the park! I have a feeling this is where we will be enjoying alot of his last days as a "pre-schooler"!

"Mommy, I liked this stuff at the beginning, but now it's full of GAS!" Wow, how exactly DO you explain to your 4 year old the age-old phenomenon of the Icee Freeze??

Rea

"This is a fun, special day, Mommy!" (sigh) Yes, my heart melted!!

Rea's working hard at becoming an expert "scooter-er". (Although, she calls it a skateboard!)

Ni'ke

There wasn't much sand left by the time we went home - most of it was in her hair, or Rea's shoes, or Ya'shar's mouth...

Ya'shar

"Yes, I AM as mischievous as I look!"

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