Preschool

John had his preschool open house this afternoon. He's going to be going to Rising Sun Learning Center, which is just on the other side of Pleasant Hill. Very convenient to say the least. Anyway, he LOVED it. Here are some of the highlights for him (although when asked what he was looking forward to most, he said, "EVERYTHING."):

1. Washer and dryer in "the blue room"
2. Butterflies (real ones and the butterfly puppet) and a fish
3. Pet carrier with a dog and a bone in "the blue room", along with lots of dress-up clothes
4. Bathroom (for BIG boys and girls)
5. Puzzles in the "quiet room"

Voiceover and Barnstormers

Scott's barbershop quartet, Voiceover, sang the National Anthem at the Barnstormers game. It was the first game we (Scott, Julie, John, Emma, and Grandma VM) had been to, and we had a lot of fun. Grandma was quite the trooper taking Emma (and sometimes John) on walks, so that Scott and I could actually see part of the game at least. It was a good game, even though the Barnstormers lost.

Emma and John loved their hotdogs. They ate before the game was even close to starting, since we had to be there at 6 in order for Scott to meet the quartet and the person in charge. The game didn't start until 7:05.

Voiceover - Bill Diesslin, Scott Wiederstein, Carl Wilburn, Bill Buttermore

waiting for kickoff - Tim Dodge (our youth pastor) is in the lower left. Every time John saw him, he'd say, "There's Mr. Tim!"

Grandma bought John a t-shirt. (He wore it at the game, to bed, to church, and to bed again. He WILL take it off Monday morning.)

The Barnstormers and the Quad-Cities Wheelers praying midfield after the game. The Barnstormers do this every game.

Pigtails

Outdoor Fun

After the I-Cubs game, we enjoyed some time playing outside in the yard. Then we had a picnic supper with Grandma Van Manen in Altoona. It was a GREAT day for playing outside.

Iowa Cubs

Scott directed the Studebaker Elementary Roadrunner Chorus as they sang the National Anthem today at the Iowa Cubs game. It was a BEAUTIFUL day to spend at the ballpark, and a Cubs win made it even better. Emma hadn't napped all day, and finally fell asleep near the end of the game.

Daddy and Emma

Aren't they cute?

Shoe-Addict

Emma loves walking around the house with something in her hands. Usually though, she's holding a spoon, toothbrush, or shoe. The obsession with shoes continues to become more and more noticeable though. Yesterday, when I went to lay her down to bed, I put the shoe away. She screamed, but as soon as I gave her the shoe, she closed her eyes.

Tonight Emma was carrying a leather shoe to the bathtub and was about ready to throw it in. I quickly grabbed that shoe and replaced it with one of her crocs. Who knew shoes would become bath toys? After Emma had a shoe in the tub, John wanted one too. His Lightning McQueen crocs received a good bath. Don't know about John though...Here are the pics of Emma with her shoe. She was the main reason for the bath - spaghetti all over her face and hair (and she'd had her hair in a clip today too).

Lunch Date

I watched Tate again today. Tate and Emma really had fun this time since they're both walking. They chased John all around and had quite a bit of fun. I could tell they wore off a lot of energy because they ate A LOT for lunch. These are pics of Tate and Emma eating their dessert (lemon pudding) This was after 3 helpings of macaroni and cheese and half a hot dog. Emma had also eaten pears and green beans. You'd think I didn't feed them a good breakfast (eggs, toast, and fruit). It was a fun day, and after Tate left, John kept saying, "I'm sad about Tate." Translation: I want Tate to come back.

Money Hungry?

After writing out our check to church on Sunday, Emma grabbed the checkbook. She was walking into the aisle with it and it was too cute! Suzette just happened to be sitting across the aisle, so she snapped a few quick photos for me. Emma had been tapping Jack's arm to get his attention, but she still wouldn't share that checkbook. When I first tried to get it back, she gave me quite the look. Wish that was caught on camera! Then I actually took it from her and she started screaming...during prayer. She got the checkbook back until I brought her to the nursery.

Climbing...

Emma LOVES climbing. Her favorite thing to climb is the step stool in the bathroom because then she can look in the mirror...or grab combs and toothbrushes. She had gotten up early on Friday and my wonderful husband got her up in order to give me a few more minutes to sleep. Anyway, she was following him around and then climbed the step stool and turned on the curling iron! Needless to say, Scott unplugged it after she got it on two different times. These are some pictures I managed to take on Saturday night before bed.

Stickers Galore!

John loves stickers. I have to be careful to give him only a few at a time. Unfortunately, a few sticker sheets fell off the shelf in his bedroom. This was the result:

Our Poor Baby Girl

This morning when I went to pick the kids up from MOPS, I was informed that Emma was covered in a rash. Covered is putting it mildly - she was spotted from head to toe. I called the doctor's office, and our doctor was heading out for the rest of the day. She wanted me to head to Mercy Central Pediatrics, so I got Emma an appointment. After a fairly long wait, we got in. The doctor confirmed that the rash was an allergic reaction to augmentin. She's now on another antibiotic so that we can hopefully clear up her ear infection/cold stuff. What a day!

Easter Egg Hunt

Grandpa and Grandma Wiederstein gave John and Emma Easter baskets on Saturday, so after a good nap today, I hid John's eggs outside. He had fun searching for them and still looked handsome...even with the Lightning McQueen shoes on.





After bringing the eggs inside, John and Emma both got to open the eggs full of circus peanuts and vanilla wafers. They would always shake them first, so we had an impromptu lesson on the different sounds the items made. That way, we didn't have to open every egg. I think we'll fill the empty eggs with more items and have John guess what's in them.



Emma got ahold of one circus peanut during the impromptu lesson with John. Needless to say, that made a mess! I took the picture and then took it away.

Easter

Conversation with John this morning on the way to church:

Mommy: Happy Easter! He is alive! Who is alive?

John: John

Mommy: Yes, you are also alive. But it's Easter, so who do you think I meant?

John: JESUS!

We enjoyed breakfast at church before first service and then attended first service together (for the most part anyway). I did the children's message at both services and am always amazed at the number of children at NewLife. We have a great group of kids and volunteers!

Scott took a very tired Emma home for a nap, and John stayed with me for second service. He and his friend Tommy even stopped playing long enough for me to get a picture of them dressed up. After church and a long wait in line, we enjoyed a delicious buffet at the Triple Crown Eatery (Prairie Meadows). Emma enjoyed smearing a butter packet on the table.