The last two weeks...

Owen, while initially eager for at tractor ride, got the stage fright.

James is a vet.

We eased Owen in slowly. Dad cracked a couple of jokes about the tractor unable to pull us all.

Remove Mom, substitute fingers.

Boys with hats.

Finally building things up!

Intense focus.

OK, so you can't see it very well but I totally risked my life to snap a picture of that car's license plate. It says "WAH PAH." Can I get a Friends witness out there? Please? 

Olivia Grace. Swoon!

Owen meeting Olivia via photo. She is his intended so his fascination was a good sign.

Kid who loves vacuuming is the same kid who is terrified of the hair dryer.

Monday: "Daddy, you forgot your coffee."

Tuesday: "Daddy, you forgot your wallet."

Going on a "race" with Grandpa.

Wood chip excavation.

Nice Owen.

Hiding in the cleft of the tree. Took Grandpa to our favorite by-the-bay trails.

Owen watching Wii Frisbee Dog. 

First ice cream walk of 2016! Check out the fifth flavor down. 

Coookieeeee butterrrrrrrr

Living across the street from a huge playground is such a perk right now.

"MY ball."

James playing Wii golf outside with a roof slat.

My parents' beautiful home. First visit of 2016. Glorious colors everywhere!

Spent a week co-leading worship for a pastors' conference in Baltimore. This team was incredibly gifted and focused on the task at hand. Especially Roland. :D

While I was in Baltimore the boys soaked in every moment of spring at Grandma's house.

I think they look a little bit alike. Grandma and Owen.

Our grass was a mile high upon our return. My men were up to the task!

Owen semi-awake after a scary incident yesterday with a stolen table knife from the dishwasher that had remnants of peanut butter on it. A swollen face covered in hives, Benadryl, and a thorough bath yielded a baby who was extremely mellow, but hive-and-misery-free. Praise God!

James modeling his new cap for Lucas and Melissa's wedding. What a handsome dude! Swoon again!

Today's 1%: Book update!
26/50: Raising the Barre: Big Dreams, False Starts, & My Midlife Quest to Dance The Nutcracker. The title caught my attention, but I almost put the book down permanently on several occasions. The author spent far too long rambling about her own midlife crisis and its surrounding neurotic behaviors. I'm all for empathizing and often relate strongly with what I read, but this gal was just weird, and her soliloquies were difficult to connect with. So she came off as selfish to me. But the ballet stuff was interesting.

27/50: Confessions of a Prairie Bitch. Hah! I read this one half so I could write that naughty word in my blog. Alison Arngrin played Nellie Oleson in Little House on the Prairie and I hated her guts growing up. So do a lot of other people in the world apparently. Her memoir was largely funny, reflective, and a little bit sad. Glad I read it. Learned some things about LHOTP and to feel a little sorry for Nellie.

28/50: Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies. J.B. West was chief usher at the White House for twenty years, serving as an employee from FDR through Nixon. His memoir was a fascinating inside look at the lives of the first ladies. As a lover of American history, this may be my favorite book of the year so far. West's loyalty to the office of the presidency renders his hundreds of details matter-of-factly, without passing judgement or ranking favorites among the first ladies. It was wonderfully written, extremely classy, and delightful to read.