Shelby’s Baptism

Shelby was baptized on Saturday morning. The service went really well, and Shelby was very happy. Grandpa Williams gave a talk on baptism, and Grandma Kolditz talked on receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost.

The baptism went smoothly, and after Shelby had been immersed and we were walking into our dressing room, she gave me an enthusiastic thumbs up. After the baptism, we had a small barbecue at the house with some of Shelby’s friends.

Shelby then had her confirmation on Sunday in Sacrament meeting. A few of us had to leave right after the blessing because Noah was running a fever and needed to go home.

Hollywood Cafe

Saturday night we went down to Tunica and ate at the Hollywood Cafe. It is a local hole in the wall that has been made famous in the Walking in Memphis song by Marc Cohen. The restaurant is also prominently featured in the music video of the song. John Grisham also used to frequent the restaurant and included it in one of his books.

The Hollywood specializes in fried Southern food. We had fried green tomatoes, fried dill pickles and fried onion rings as an appetizer. My dad ordered fried frog legs with his meal and I was the only other one brave enough to try it. It actually was pretty good and tasted similar to a chicken wing. You just had to get over the fact that you were eating a frog.

Mud Island

Tamara looking at the flower of a Magnolia tree.

After going to the Pink Palace Museum, we went downtown to eat lunch at Silky O’Sullivan’s on Beale Street. From there, we headed to the Mud Island River Park on the Mississippi River. Amazingly, this was the first time we had gone there in the five years we’ve lived in Memphis. We’ve tried a couple of times, but it was always closed during the times that we went.

The park has a full scaled down replica of the Mississippi River. It’s about a half a mile long and the kids had fun wading through it as we walked down to the end. At the end of the river, they had paddleboats that the kids and I went on. Tamara poked fun of me afterwards because my side of the boat was nearly all in the water, while the kids’ side was almost completely out of the water.

Pink Palace Visit

Grandma and Grandpa Williams are here from Idaho for the weekend for Shelby’s baptism. We took them to the Pink Palace Museum in Memphis on Friday. It was our first time going as well.

The museum had a lot of interesting exhibits depicting the the history of civilization as well as the history of Memphis. The museum is in a mansion that used to be owned by the founder of the Piggly Wiggly grocery store chain.

I had a lot of fun scaring Noah while we were there. Noah has watched too much TV and has an imaginative mind. Plus the movie Nights at the Museum didn’t help. He was scared of the dinosaurs and all of the exhibits that had people in it. I would tease him that they needed to work on him next, which would send him running. He was happy to leave at the end.

Shelby’s a Gifted Child?

Shelby had her last day of first grade on Thursday and is excited for the summer. In this photo, she’s wearing the Hawaiian dress I got her when I was in Hawaii.

Shelby came home with a letter last week with a permission slip that needed to be signed by her parents. The letter said that she has been recommended for the gifted program at school. At first, I thought it was referring to a program for the academically challenged. We held Shelby back for another year of first grade last year to help her after she was struggling .

But we were surprised to find out that the gifted program was for smart kids. Amazingly, Shelby ranked in the 97th percentile on the OLSAT intelligence Test. The Group Intelligence Test requires a minimum of 90 percent for further assessment. She has met the preliminary qualifications for the gifted program, and the next step is a formal I.Q. test to be administered by a psychometrist from the county office, hence the need for a permission slip.

We are really proud of the improvements Shelby has made in the classroom. She went from not being able to read simple sentences last year to reading Junie B chapter books. She also went from getting D’s and F’s in everything last year to getting all A’s and B’s. She was excited to come home this week with a bunch of certificates honoring her academic achievements, including being on the Principal’s list all four semesters.

However, I still think, if she’s so gifted, how come she has a hard time learning to be obedient to her father. She’s still the same trouble maker, but at least she’s showing signs of brilliance.

Frogs and Toads

We found our first tree frog in our yard the other day. You can hear them at night chirping, but we’ve never seen one. I think they’re pretty cool and would love to give Shelby and Noah another pet, but Tamara won’t let me.

Of course, a toad had to join the picture. We have toads all over our yard. When I mow the lawn, I find about two or three every time on the side of the fence jumping away from the mower. At night when I go jogging or for a walk, there are always a few on the sidewalk collecting the heat from the concrete.

Mother’s Day

For Mother’s Day, we gave Tamara what she really wanted. A day to relax and do nothing. The kids and I cleaned up and made her dinner while she got to lay on the couch and watch Twilight for the 100th million time. Noah even took a nap, which is rare these days. The picture shows the funny way he likes to sleep with his hands behind his head. I made Tamara some stroganoff with chunks of beef that was really good. You can check out the recipe and a pic at our cooking blog – Kolditz Cooking.

Future Football Star

We got Noah a mini football for Christmas and the other day he was throwing it back and forth in the house. We thought it was pretty cute and had to get it on camera. He always tells us how his muscles are getting bigger and we got him to show them to us in the tape.

Noah’s Birthday

Noah turned four years old on Saturday, and he’s been talking about it for weeks now. He thinks he’s a pretty big boy now. We went to Incredible Pizza for his birthday for lunch and then he opened his presents from us in the afternoon. That night we had his birthday cake – chocolate chip, his favorite – and ice cream. It was a big day for him, and he really enjoyed it. Both Shelby and him are growing up so fast, and it’s fun to see how much they are changing and become more independent.

Noah’s birthday cake. I thought I had turned the camera on for the lighting of the candles and the singing, but I must not have and we didn’t get it on camera.

Me and the kids with Noah’s new Spiderman scooter. It was something he really wanted. We also got him a Sponge Bob coloring book and story.

Noah opening his presents and singing the Sponge Bob songs.

Noah’s Birthday Party at Incredible Pizza

We went to Incredible Pizza in Memphis for Noah’s fourth birthday party. It was a longer drive for us to get there, but we wanted to try it out since we’ve always just gone to Chucky Cheese. It is similar to Chucky Cheese, except they have a pizza buffet and bigger activities such as bumper cars, 3D simulations, miniature golf, bowling and go carts.

This is Noah when we first arrived at Incredible Pizza and were finishing eating our lunch.

They had a miniature bowling alley for the kids that Noah and Shelby enjoyed.

Noah and Shelby riding the merry-go-round

 

Playing air hockey with the kids

Noah riding a rocket ship

This is Noah and Shelby on the ride home from Incredible Pizza. It’s quite a difference from the beginning. They were both ready to get home and take a nap.