Life. It’s been happening. We fill our days with ordinary moments that glue our family together. So what’s been happening here on Winslow Avenue? Let me catch you up.

Last week we attended our first spring training game with our friends Ray, Lisa and Alec. The Goodyear Ballpark is just down the road from our house, and each spring the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians train there. We watched the Reds play the LA Dodgers while Ray and Alec fed cotton candy to Silas and taught him to do the Wave. He was having a blast, to say the least!

The other night our friends, David & Melissa, hosted a 30th birthday dinner for me. Ryan and Jen and their kids came to celebrate too. Melissa made it a Mexican night and cooked enchiladas with all the fixings. The night ended with a chocolate chocolate cake–I love chocolate!

Crossroad Baptist recently held its ladies’ Bible study at my house. Jen Horkavy taught Claudia Barba‘s book, Refresh Your Heart. As Jen commented, reading this book truly was “like washing my heart.” I enjoyed having friends come each week and learning God’s Word with them. In our current church plant setting and my current season of mothering littles, it’s often difficult for me to have much fellowship time with other ladies on Sundays, so it was extra special to have this Bible study at our home.

The boys and I have been busy with play dates with several of our friends. Play dates are good for mommy talk, fun with friends, and lessons in sharing. Silas and I also made a house out of two cardboard boxes. Coloring is one of Silas’s favorite things to do, so we had a great time coloring his house together!

Silas thinks it’s so much fun to wash the wall around our yard. It’s a little reminiscent of Tom Sawyer to me. It all began when he used his sidewalk chalk on the outside walls of our house. When he saw me scrubbing the chalk off, he found a new form of entertainment.

Bitty Boy has also been spending lots of time on his potty. He especially likes Curious George books. Gummy worms and jelly beans are excellent motivators. The ultimate prize? Spiderman underwear! I’ll be just as excited as he is when he finally gets to wear these big boy underpants.

Cooper has been squealing his happy squeal and is “talking” a lot more. When he smiles wide, you can see his dimple making a shy appearance on his right chubby cheek. Baby has a firm grip on my heart. He loves to “fly” above our heads and is exploring his world by putting everything in his mouth. We’ve started him on single grain oatmeal to help fill up his little punkin’ belly. That boy is always hungry!

Cooper’s new hangout spot is the exersaucer. He doesn’t hold himself upright very well, so I have to stuff a pillow in the seat along with him, but it gives him a different perspective on his surroundings, and he has lots of new toys within easy reach.

Stephen received a promotion this year in January. Although his actual responsibilities haven’t changed much yet, he is working more since GreenLoop‘s other Senior Field Engineer moved away.

I treasure the partnership Stephen and I share for our family and our boys. There’s something about a man in jeans and a t-shirt doing late-night dishes that makes my heart skip a beat. The basic plan when Stephen’s home is that he cares for Silas, and I tend to Cooper. Last Saturday Silas “helped” Stephen pull weeds. While Bitty Boy didn’t accomplish much, he did a great job obeying and trying his best to pull the green stuff out of our rocks.

The morning of my birthday began with a sausage and egg biscuit breakfast cooked by Stephen. Then, at church, I got to hear Stephen speak for the second service.

Spring has come to the Valley. Our tree out front is now full, and it makes me happy. The desert is green–at least as green as a desert can be–and flowers are blooming.

These ordinary moments weave the unique tapestry of our family.