Reluctant Little Models

River Fun

After the Carnival, we headed over to the nearby Rillito River because it actually had water in it. We've had a lot of rain this winter, so the river isn't bone dry like it usually is. We met up with our friends, the Bennetts and let the kids go wild. Before getting wet, Booker and Ren had fun collecting animal bones. They found the skeleton of some mid-sized critter- maybe a bobcat? When we got back home, they actually fought over who got to keep what. Booker ended up with the jawbone and Ren took home the femur. Lucky for me, Ren's mom is still talking to me. That's when you know you've got a good friend!

Carnival with Ren

This is definitely a picture overload but I just couldn't resist- these guys are just too cute together. This is Booker and his best bud, Ren. If you happen to be an older kid who has Star Wars/Indiana Jones/Lego knowledge, then Booker will follow you around like a puppy dog. Ren fits all of the above, plus he's super sweet and patient with Booker.

I can guarantee that Booker wouldn't have gone on a single ride at the Carnival yesterday if it hadn't been for Ren. These boys had a blast together. Ike, as usual, was pretty nonplussed, although he did show a tiny bit of excitement on the swings.

Visit from the Evans Gals

One of Booker's all time favorite pastimes is visiting his cousins in Mesa. He adores them, all 30+ of them. He will happily endure an hour and a half in the car if it means he gets to play with his cousins. So when he heard that the Evans girls were coming to Tucson for the day, he went nuts. He didn't care that he was totally outnumbered by girls, he had a blast. Thanks for stopping by to see us!

A Night in Prescott

Earlier this week, we headed up to Prescott for a night to see my sister. We spent a beautiful, brisk afternoon at the lake, feeding ducks, trying to start a fire and eating smores. The boys had a blast. Although, whenever we travel it's pretty much a guarantee that one or both of them will vomit at some point. I guess it was Ike's turn this trip. He barfed all over me right as we were leaving to have dinner with my sister and her friends. I had to wear my pajamas to the restaurant because I didn't have a change of clothes.

Kids. They have plans and those plans are usually the opposite of yours.

Slideshow here.

Playgroup reunion at the Ostrich Farm

We had a reunion with the playgroup from our old ward at the Ostrich Farm. It sure was fun seeing you guys again, let's do it again soon!

Bookerisms

Pretty much every single day Booker does something to make me laugh. I'd like to be better at recording these funny moments... so here goes.

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While my mom was visiting last week, Booker asked her why she had a "big, fat belly." She explained that when you get older, sometimes you get a big, fat belly. Upon seeing my pregnant sister a few days ago, Booker explained, "Rie-rie, you must be older because you have a big, fat belly."

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Which leads to an explanation of babies and how they grow in tummies. Later on, Booker told me that he wanted a baby sister...

M: But Booker, what if we have a baby brother and not a sister?

B: Like two Ike's?

M: Yes, like two Ike's.

B: No, I want a baby sister.

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This morning, he wanted some help putting on his socks...

B: Mom, which sock goes on this foot?

M: It doesn't matter. You can put whatever sock on whatever foot. Shoes, on the other hand, are special. You see, each foot is special and needs a particular shoe. Socks don't matter.

B: Mom, both my feet are special.

M: Yes, yes they are.

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Booker is no longer my little boy. He's not interested in Diego, Dora or Backyardigans like he used to be. Instead, he's obsessed with Star Wars and Indiana Jones (hasn't seen any of the movies, but has picked up enough to know the main characters.) All day long, he walks around assigning characters...

B: Mom, you're Princess Leia. I'm Luke Skywalker and Ike is Little Luke Skywalker.

M: Ok.

B: And Fergus is Chewy.

M: Ok.

B: No actually, Mom, I'm Darth Vader and Ike is little Darth Vader. My light saber is red. Luke's is blue. You don't have a light saber... you have a gun.

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There you have it. That's all I can think of off the top of my head. Clark, feel free to pitch in on the comments! I've got a terrible memory.