From Hawaii with Love

Our package from the 'black' grandma came yesterday. Side note - Mike's mom has red hair and
became the red grandma when Anna Elise was very young. Naturally, that makes my mom the black grandma, although she has brown hair, it looks black to the kids. I have to say that living in Richmond, we get funny looks when the kids talk about their 'black' grandma!

Anyway, mom sent a package from their trip to Hawaii. I had all the kids put their shirts on for a picture. Anna Elise had been crying and refused to smile. Madeline let us put her new shirt on, but as soon as the picture was over she got down, crawled over to her normal shirt, drug it over to Mike and begun tugging at her new top. It's so fun to see her able to communicate her opinion (well, except usually it involves crying and that's not so fun!) The kids also got some pieces of coral. Anna Elise insists that they are sea shelfs (that's not a typo), she doesn't know what coral is, so it can't be coral. Calvin believes her, not mom. She has been asking for the past 2 days if she can wear them like the Little Mermaid wears sea shelfs. We don't own that movie anymore. It was thrown away a year and a half ago when at the age of 2 1/2 she informed me "I'm not a child anymore". Although the movie is long gone (along with several others) we are still dealing with the effects of it. We had another lesson on modesty (besides wearing coral there would hurt!).

We've all had the flu for the past week and a half. I'm just starting to feel better and the kids are still grouchy and tired. It really came at a bad time since we had 70 degree weather for the past 3 days that nobody felt like enjoying and this weekend it will go back to being cold.
I'm sorry for all of you in Washington state right now dealing with the snow. That is one thing I
don't miss!