Searching for Piece(s)

Say what you will about legos, they can keep little boys' attention longer than anything I know. Our 5 year old Micah decided this week that he was going to make the Lego AT AT walker. No, I didn't know what this was until I did a google search. No, we don't have the kit with all 815 pieces. No, Micah isn't 9-14 years old, the suggested age for this project. BUT HE JUST WOULDN'T LET IT GO!! So we downloaded the instructions and this determined kid has been making it. When the rest of us have, or wanted to give up, Micah has jimmy-rigged this thing with all of our colored (and many substitute) pieces and has spent hours trying to finish it. At one point, every time I touched it something would fall off, but he just fixed it and kept going. This is how he has spent the week:

This is what we're attempting to create:

And get ready for this. This is our version:

Don't you love it?? It shows to me the determination of a little boy. It shows the quiet confidence he has that he can do it, and that he doesn't HAVE to have the gray pieces for it to be cool. It reminds me of my own attempts to try new things. And this is how they usually turn out. I only wish I had the ego of a little boy and could be as proud of myself. We haven't figured out the legs yet, but watching my little boy work so hard does bring me a lot of peace and enjoyment. "Mom, can you help me find a piece?" Gotta go!

Pinewood Derby

Even with all the hype, the Pinewood Derby was indeed a little more intense than I anticipated!! Though we weren't the fastest car out there, I think Jacob's toothbrush car was definitely one of the most creative. We had fun finding a sponsor (my brother's an orthodontist) and putting this car together. Maybe next time we'll be a little more aerodynamic, but for our first shot I think we did great (yes, WE take credit!) Great job Jacob!!
(I didn't get any shots at the race, instead you get one of Jacob right out of bed!)

Time keeps on ticking!

And these boys keep growing up!! Micah celebrated birthday number 5 this weekend!! It was a fun filled weekend, complete with a McDonald's Playdate with friends from school (such good buddies, we'll miss them next year),

party with the brothers and our adopted brother Aaron (typical Micah pose!),
presents (hello Phil!),
and a lego man birthday cake. Micah speaks with his eyes and his facial expressions doesn't he?!

One of my favorite things about Micah is the way he jumps around when he gets excited about something - all around the house, down the hall, where ever we are. I hope that even when the jumping stops (a sad day), he will continue to have great enthusiasm for life. We love you Micah and hope that this year is a great one for you!!

A moment of silence...

This was supposed to be the day that I ran the Boston Marathon but instead missed getting there by 18 seconds and now they have lowered the times and I will never be that close again...sigh....oh well, at least I can walk down stairs tonight!!!

April Fools

Besides the fact that it has already SNOWED in APRIL, we had some fun of our own playing tricks on April Fools. Along with bricks in Jacob's backpack and legos in Phil's shoes, we had

Puffle-o's for breakfast,

(Poor Ben was quite distraught when he couldn't find his puffles that morning. Perhaps he wasn't looking in the right place!)

Puffles in the driver's seat,

and Chicken Not Pie for dinner. The only time during the year in which we hear Benjamin say, "Ah man, I already ate all my peas!"

(Pie crust, vanilla pudding, tootsie roll veggies and white chocolate chicken. Seconds please!)