Baby Becca, Soccer and a Pile of Dirt

One month ago on April 6, Elly gave birth to her fourth child. Her name is Rebecca Brianne Catmull. Her big sister, Maggie, wanted to name her Banana. Her dad sometimes calls her squeaky burrito. We all agree that she is beautiful (a combination of each member of the family), cuddly and oh so sweet.

I drove to Utah shortly after her birth to spend a few days helping out. What a change from the peaceful existence to which I had become accustomed! First task, get Nathan out the door in time to catch the bus. That seemed simple enough, after all I've spent the last 23 years getting kids out the door to catch the bus. Breakfast went well. Matthew even got up in time to join us. Then it was playtime. Playtime? Nathan insisted that he could get ready for school in 5 minutes. Ten minutes before it was time to leave, I informed him that it was time to get ready. At three minutes before having to leave for school, I realized that Nathan was still playing with Matthew. He hadn't even started getting ready for school! Miraculously, in spite of the fact that he couldn't find any pants to wear, or socks, or shoes and needed to get his folder signed and had to check to see if he was buying lunch or not (thankfully hot dogs were on the menu), he actually was out the door in about 5 minutes. He didn't miss the bus.

Next task, pick up Nathan from school about an hour later because he isn't feeling well. Matthew needs to go along to help me find the way. He's dressed and ready to go. Maggie wants to go but needs to get her diaper changed and clothes on. Jim calls about this time. I talk to him. Maggie talks to him. Maggie still needs to get dressed. By the time we talk Maggie into putting on clothes and she decides what to wear and I get Maggie dressed and we find her shoes and socks and I get Maggie and Matthew buckled into their car seats and we find our way to the school, Nathan had been impatiently waiting for about 1/2 hour. He was not a happy camper. Matthew, by the way, knew exactly how to get to the parking lot of the school from his house and told me to turn left here, then right, then left, etc. I was impressed!

Matthew was his silly smiley self, always looking for ways to be the center of attention. He entertained me one day with his two-legs-in-one-pant-hole trick. He showed me how he could kick a balloon with both legs and land on his bottom. Another day, he put on a pair of pants with a hole in the knee. He put his leg through the hole and was thinking that it would be fun to go to school that way. His mom talked him out of it.:) Matthew got invited to two birthday parties. I got to take him birthday gift shopping. He found exactly what he had been wanting and we bought two of them. He was hoping that maybe he could play with them before he wrapped them up?

I spent a lot of time playing with Maggie. We read books, played with Little People, put together puzzles, blew bubbles, and even played in the dirt! Maggie helped me mop the floor one day. After the floor dried, we could see her footprints.:) She was always saying the funniest things. I loved how she said, "Man!" whenever she got a little frustrated. A couple of times, when she saw her dad coming she would slam the door in his face and say, "Whew, that was close!"

Sometimes, I even got the chance to hold little Becca. That was a treat!

Jim flew to Salt Lake on Friday. He had been in California on a business trip. I picked him up at the airport and we joined members of the Wilson family for dinner.

Early the next morning, we braved the cold to watch Matthew play soccer. We all bundled up.

In spite of the cold, we had fun watching Matthew play. I especially liked it when Matthew got a break from playing and snuggled up on my lap to get warm. At one point in the game, he got control of the ball and kicked it clear across the field right into the net. Score!

Matthew's grin couldn't have been much bigger!

Maggie wanted to play soccer. She played with Grandpa for a while...

...then found a new little friend to play with.

Amazingly, the day turned into a beautiful warm spring day. We had a picnic in the greenbelt and the kids played in Dad's new pile of top soil. What a great playground!

We really enjoyed meeting Becca Banana and spending time with Elly and her family!