Happy Birthday, Leo!

Leo is two today, and we are counting down the hours until we get to go see him at Uncle Derk and Aunt Arika's house in Philia-del-phia, as Mase would call it. Mason already claimed the window seat on the plane for himself, and I am patting myself on the back for getting a non-stop flight. Now that the boarding passes are printed and everybody is packed, I can relax (a smidge). I keep thinking about Derk and Arika and how traveled they are- I don't know how they do it. Sean and I tried to model our packing after them and put everything in one suitcase for us and one backpack for the boys. This will be the first time we have traveled so far (and in an airplane!) with both boys. We lied about Ashy's age to get his ticket free, so having a 33 lb "baby" on my lap for the flight should be fun. Thank goodness it's a short flight.

This was the last day of school, and looking through Ashton's CELL book I can't believe how much he has grown; and what a ham he is! He has more pictures than any of the children, and in all of them he is playing up some emotion for the camera. Here he is, coyly tilting his head at the camera with a sly smile, and there, with both hands on his cheeks in an expression of exaggerated surprise. I'm amazed at the things he has accomplished this year. Mason, too has changed; he has lost his timid and shy self, become more (sometimes too) confident, and is just a joy to be around. When I think of the tantrums he used to have, I can't believe how grown up he is becoming. Thank goodness for the love of the Montessori teachers, they really are wonderful. Today, when I picked the boys up, both of their teachers were teary eyed. It must be hard, to love a child have such a short time with them. (It's also hard to love them and have them 24/7).

Summer Camp starts on the 11th, and t-ball soon after. This is going to be a wonderful summer!