New Growth

I took some pictures of some of the new growth going on around us. Iris, rose bush, lettuce from our garden, and one special one of Rowan and Holland.

Rowan and Holland's relationship has grown tremendously over the past few months. They have been sharing a room now for quite awhile and except for some really loud moments at night or in the morning they are loving it. There have been many times when we go in to get them up and Rowan is in the crib with Holland. I've had to put a stop to this because the crib isn't meant to hold that much weight, but the point is they really enjoy being together. This doesn't mean they don't squabble as siblings always do, but they like each other. Last Saturday they played cowboy and cowgirl for almost 2 hours straight while I worked on cleaning up the house and other various projects. No fighting, no whining, no screaming-just playing. What a relief! And, what a great example that boys and girls can play together and that siblings can play together. Rowan is also becoming very protective of his "sissy". We had some friends over not too long ago and I entered the den in the middle of a scene where Rowan was taking a swat at another girl. I made him apologize to her for losing self control. He did and we didn't make too big a deal out of it. Later he told me that he didn't like the way that girl was treating sissy and so he hit her. He still didn't have the right response, but I was proud that he stuck up for her!

Nothin' Can Stop the Sharks!

As many of you know, Rowan has been playing in a soccer league this spring. He has really enjoyed being with a bunch of boys (and one girl) out on the field running like mad after the ball. It really is funny to watch 4-year olds run in herds after one small object. Their coordination still has a long way to go in terms of development and they have no concept of BRAKES! It can be hilarious to watch. Rowan has definitely shown improvement since the start, but most of all he enjoys his time out there every week.

2 weeks ago when I took these pictures he played the hardest he'd ever played. He really tried to stay focused on the game and was really participating the whole time he was out there. He ran, he kicked, he cheered on his teammates. It was so fun to watch! When we got in the car after grabbing his snack I was telling him how proud I was and how great he did and going on and on really. His only response- "Nothin' can stop the sharks". I laughed so hard. No, the sharks is not his team name or mascot, but rather his cleets. They are red and black with a shark print across them and big white teeth. Apparantly he attributes all of his succes to his shoes. I'm not sure about this, but I'm pretty sure Michael Jordan would be both impressed and agree with Rowan's attitude. Too cute!