We

put

up

some

swings!

Iris did not like swings very much until just recently.

She likes the security of being in a bucket swing.

Akiva would rather be practicing his walking skills.

Akiva pushed Iris all the way to Joshua’s house.

As of today, he officially takes only one nap per day.

Joshua has been acting a bit off since his daddy lost his job a few months ago.

We’ve hardly seen him in the last year, since Akiva was born.

Now Iris asks if we will ever see him again after he moves.

Probably not. But I don’t say that. I say, “I don’t know.”

She asks how far away he is going.

I tell her, “As far away as Gramma and Gramps, but in a different direction.”

When we broke the wishbone after Thanksgiving, she wished to see Joshua more.

She got the bigger half, but she didn’t get her wish.

I still remember when I was four and my best friend moved away.

Then I didn’t have a friend.

 Then we moved away.

One of the things in life I am most grateful for is my little sister.

I don’t know what I would have done without her as a child.

I have never wanted to be an only child.

It would have been a very lonely little world for my child-self.

Stick together, children.

You never know when you might need each other.

The museum opened.

We went to ride the carousel.

The horses were all in different places.

Iris chose white instead of black.

She held on with two hands.

She was a little nervous, back on the carousel.

Akiva: “Hey, Big Sister, what’s all this white stuff?”

Iris: “Snow. It’s supposed to come in winter. I guess this year it just forgot.”

Iris: “I waited for snow all winter and it just didn’t come and didn’t come and didn’t come

and now I thought it was supposed to be spring

and I thought spring was supposed to be warmer than winter!”

Akiva: “Hmm. Bbbbbthbb. Bababa.”

Iris: “I just got so tired of waiting.”

Akiva: “Snow…“

Braised asparagus, pan-fried sweet potatoes, filet minion on the grill, red wine.

There’s a special wine section in the local fancy-foods store that has wine for girls turning four.

The blue blob with the candles poked in it is play dough—

because I couldn’t poke candles into strawberries with whipped cream, which is what we had for dessert.

By then, I was too busy eating to remember to take any more photos.

I always try to get my children to wear appropriate hats for the weather.