Week 1

Last week was the first official week of summer vacation for all of us. (now is the time to picture all of us doing a little jig) The weather has been gorgeous...finally! The fabulous weather has prompted us to mostly stay around the house and to play in the sprinkler, splash in the water table, and make use of the BBQ. When we do venture to town, we end up stopping at the park most days so Zoe can practice her new skill...The Monkey Bars (photos to come soon). We are all throughly enjoying summer and are looking forward to the many more weeks of vacation!

Atalanta's Run

Yesterday, Zoe and I ran 2 miles as a mother/daughter team in the 29th annual Atalanta's Run. It was our first time running in a race together and we had a blast! I'm already looking forward to our next race together.

30 Days until Summer!

We woke up this morning to a little surprise! It's hard to believe that it's only one month until summer.

The Happiest Place on Earth!

Lollipops the size of their heads

meeting Cinderella

Princess Lunch

Epcot

T Rex Restaurant at Downtown Disney

Just a little sad that his ice cream fell on the ground

The waterslide at our townhouse

Zoe driving the cars

The Magic Kingdom

Mandatory Poncho Day

Over spring break we took the kids to Disney World! We kept it a secret for 2 months and boy were the kids surprised! We flew out on a Saturday and had 5 full days to spend at all of the different parks before returning home VERY EARLY Friday morning. Zoe's requests over spring break were to go swimming, play at the park, and spend the night with Granny. On the Friday prior to our trip, we told the kids we were going to a hotel in San Francisco to go swimming. The next morning, we told Zoe that we had heard there were good parks in Minnesota (where our layover was). We told her we were getting on a plane to check it out. When we landed in Minneapolis Steve told her that he read on the plane that there were even better parks in Florida and that we were getting on a second plane and going to Florida (at this point Zoe was completely blown away!). We arrived in Orlando very late, checked into our wonderful 4 BD/3 BA townhouse and went to bed. Early the next morning, we told the kids it was time to get dressed and ready so we could head out to find those parks. When we were literally driving under the Disney World sign we spilled the beans. The kids were so excited! We all had a wonderful time! It truly was the "Happiest Place on Earth".

Happy 5th Birthday!

Today was Zoe's birthday party. This year she decided to have a fairy party. The girls each dressed up in their finest fairy attire. I gave each of the girls fairy wings and flowery headbands to help complete their ensembles. They drank raspberry lemonade from "fancy" glasses and ate delectable fairy treats (a.k.a cheese and crackers and fruit cut into butterfly, flower, and star shapes) I also make cookie wands and mini cupcakes that resembled amanita mushrooms. During the party, the girls went on a fairy treasure hunt and found rings and buttons. After the treasure hunt, the girls came back and made bracelets out of their treasures. All in all the girls had a wonderful time! Happy Birthday Zoe!

Happy 2nd Birthday Noah!

I'm playing a little bit of catch up...on April 11th, Noah turned two years old! It's really hard to believe 2 years have already gone by. Noah is an adventurous and funny kid! He makes us laugh ALL the time. A few weeks ago he started making up and telling Zoe a knock knock joke. Noah: "Knock Knock" Zoe: "Who's There?" Noah: "Booger" Zoe: "Booger Who" Noah: "Booger Sandwich!"

Noah is also a TOTAL a chatter box. He talks and talks and talks. His vocabulary constantly surprises me. Of course he has to be a talker to keep up with his big sister.

Noah is also a snuggle bug. He loves to climb up in my lap, suck his thumb, and hold MY ear...yes, my ear.

He is still quite the climber and it never ceases to amaze me! Just yesterday he opened up the kitchen drawers near our sink. Climbed up each one like a ladder and tried to get some water from the sink...such a stinker!

Happy 2nd Birthday Noah! We Love You!

Easter Eggs

Last Tuesday I braved dying Easter eggs alone with the dynamic duo. While Steve was at work Noah and Zoe had a blast dying eggs. Noah found it fascinating that the eggs turned colors after putting it into the cups of egg dye. They had so much fun and they both wished they could color more than a dozen eggs.