the many faces of levi

just going through more photos from our time away, and enjoying levi's varying facial expressions i had captured throughout the course of a day...

park pics

the kids and i seem to be starting a tradition of visiting grandma and grandpa D (and aunts and uncles and cousin, and don't forget the pets) for a few days on their spring break, since many of them teach or attend school. matt came down with us for one day, but then headed back home for work. one day was warm enough for the park, so we got out and enjoyed it.

a few of moses' favorite spots

in the little house miriam and daddy made for him

in the bathroom sink

on top of sleeping baby on the drive home from chicago today

he also is quite fond of sitting on my head/hair/face at, oh, about 5 AM. unfortunately (or should i say fortunately), i don't have a picture of that one.

and, he makes a beeline for my lap every time i sit down at the computer. he is there right now, asleep.

merry easter

i just took this from our front door. is anyone else having a hard time getting in the "good" friday mood? i would like to think that the white stuff would be gone by sunday, but i fear there is only more in the forecast. looks like spring dresses and sunrise hikes will be replaced with winter boots and ever-rising furnace bills this year.

resurrection eggs

we have used these resurrection eggs for the past few years as a family to help tell the story of Jesus' death and resurrection during the week or so leading up to Easter. as far as Easter eggs go, i could take them or leave them, but it is fun for the kids to get to open them one by one to find something tangible inside that they can hold in their hands and recall another piece of the story.

funny moment: tonight we were doing this, and as part of our discussion about the suffering Jesus endured for us, i asked Levi (who was too busy wiggling and being silly to listen very well) how that made him feel inside. his answer? long pause..... then "the Jews". oooookay, let's try again tomorrow night.

why i love milne

i think the classic pooh stories have to be some of my all-time favorites. a. a. milne has such a way with words, and they are especially entertaining when matt reads them aloud in all of the different character voices. :) here are a few quotes from Winnie the Pooh that just make me smile.

from chapter 2: Pooh has gotten himself stuck in Rabbit's front door and he cannot budge. Here, Christopher Robin is informing him that he will have to go without meals until they can get him unstuck...

"I'm afraid no meals." said Christopher Robin, "because of getting thin quicker. But we will read to you."

Bear began to sigh, and then found he couldn't because he was so tightly stuck; and a tear rolled down his eye, as he said:

"Then would you read a Sustaining Book, such as would help and comfort a Wedged Bear in Great Tightness?"

from chapter 4: Pooh comes to Owl for wisdom regardaring how to find Eeyore's lost tail...

"Well," said Owl, "the customary procedure in such cases is as follows."

"What does Crustimoney Proseedcake mean?" said Pooh. "For I am a Bear of Very Little Brain, and long words Bother me."

from chapter 7: Pooh is asking Owl to help him write something...

"Because my spelling is Wobbly. It's good spelling but it Wobbles, and the letters get in the wrong places."

the world is waking up

the anticipation is building in the dietsche household with the official start of spring just a few days away. i can't tell you how excited i was to see this patch of dirt emerge from underneath the pile of snow that has hidden it for the past months. oh, sweet, sweet dirt, how i have missed you. (though i quickly recalled how easily that beautiful dirt makes its way onto my chidren's clothes, shoes, my floor... but let's not dwell on that for now.) march in michigan may be messy, but it is also full of hope. the robins are returning, the trees are budding, and each day i wait and watch anxiously for the new little bits of green as they begin to appear in my perennial garden.

so... here's hoping this is last of this season's icy pictures!

maple sugar season

levi had his picture in our local paper this week! he and miriam had gone with matt last saturday to watch some maple trees being tapped and see how maple syrup is made. matt had told me that the kids had their picture taken by the paper while they were there, but i forgot again until my mom sent us the article in today's mail! (in the online article, there is also a picture of miriam.)

how's this for contrast?

what can i say, i have eclectic music taste! besides, this song reminds me of "home"... not far from here. except it would have been a green john deere.
international harvester
(sorry, i couldn't figure out how to post the video on my blog.)

excellent soundtrack

... and movie, for that matter! that is, if you are a fan of grassroots music, independent films, and can hold on through a significant use of the "f" word at the beginning. (he's irish, give him a break.) my friend sandi introduced me to "Once", and both matt and i love it. the music pretty much makes the movie. go here to have a listen. i can't get enough of it. you can also watch the movie trailer at this site if you scroll down a bit.

the boys are back

i realized that levi and sawyer have not made a blog appearance in quite some time, so here's a few i snapped today... just because.

levi doing what he does best.

sawyer has added dinosaurs to his list of loves.

nothing is safe in this household!

and here's a random one that i took at my sister's house yesterday. it has nothing to do with the boys, i just thought it was pretty. :)