Gymnastics!

Nate's friend Cooper had a gymnastics birthday party at the YMCA.  Nate had a *ton* of fun . . .

. . . but was a little grumpier than normal.



After a good nap he was back to his old self.

And Allie got to go to the airport with Grandma to pick up Auntie Em.  Apparently she was the only princess there . . . can you believe it?!

Healthy Kids Day Celebration

We went to "Healthy Kids Day" at the YMCA . . . Allie enjoyed getting her face painted. 

Nate opted to continue playing in the Bouncy Bounce.  Please note: it is not a Bouncy House.  It is a Bouncy Bounce.  Don't worry, if you can't remember Nate will remind you.

And one of the highlights in the kids' recap of the day was that they got to see their cousin Shannon :)

Where do kids come up with it?

Allie: Can I have a sleepover at Grandma's?
Patrick: Not tonight Allie.
A: How about tomorrow night?
P: No.
A: How about the night after that?
P: Allie, you're going to be spending the whole weekend at Grandma's next weekend.
A: How come?
P: Mommy and I are going on a little trip.
A: Where?  To Virginia?
P: No, we're going to a place in New York called the Finger Lakes.
A: Are you going fishing?
P: No, we're not going to go fishing.
A: Well can you just bring me back some fish?

Stamping and smoothies

Stamping and enjoying some smoothies on a cold and dreary Sunday afternoon...

(yes, I add spinach to their smoothies.  and yes, they know I add spinach and they don't seem to mind a bit... it amazes me how much they love their smoothies)

Tree fort

Patrick built a ladder and added a swing set on to the tree fort this weekend.  A few safety railings and we'll be ready to go :)

Allie's tribute to swinging on the tree fort. . . enjoy! ;o)

Finally!

Finally . . . a vacation day that I didn't have to work and it was *gorgeous* outside!  We started the day with a walk downtown and met Lisa for breakfast.  Then Allie and I went to the bead store and made her a bracelet.  A stop at the library, home for a late lunch, a quick walk for the dog, and a trip to the park later and I am exhausted.  But what a great day!

Spring break

Allie and I are on "vacation" this week.  I put it in quotes because I've still had to do quite a bit of work from home . . . but I think she's enjoyed the extra time she's gotten to play games on Patrick's computer.

For our vacation I vowed that I would teach Allie how to blow her nose and also help her rearrange her room (I know, I like to live on the wild side).  But mission accomplished! :o) 

And she's in love with her new room.  Patrick hung up a shelf for her and she can now display the bird music box she got from Papa Ralph's house.

I will add that I totally adore Allie's love of learning . . . she worked in her "math workbook" for well over an hour (pretty sure it was some random thing I got from Borders clearance).  I think we were in a little over our heads with fractions today and I noticed the next page is learning about time - wish us luck tomorrow!

Easter Day

A few highlights of the day . . .

Nate was waiting at the table for dinner.  Mind you, dinner was still probably a 1/2 hour away but that doesn't stop him.

One of Allie's favorite pastimes . . . curling up next to E while he plays video games.



Decorating Easter Eggs

And the Easter extravaganza continues!

Making rolls

Any excuse to make a mess . . . roll making time!



A visit to Uncle Karl's

It was a perfect trip for an Easter weekend . . . to Uncle Karl's house to see bunnies and chickens and ducks!

The two gorgeous ducks didn't like these free-range kids very much but you can see them in the background here (to the upper left of Nate's head).

Uncle Karl had some pretty neat set ups for the chickens.  This was a pretty normal-looking shed with an opening in the back for the chickens to wander in and out.  You can see the nesting quarters in the bottom right of the picture. 

I was joking that this coop is about the size of the underneath of our new tree house . . . and I know the neighbors had a few chickens last year.  Hmmmm . . .

Nate loved this group of chickens so much that they probably each gained 2 lbs from all the bread he fed them!

I think this group was one of Allie's favorites . . .

Here Nate is telling me how the piece of bread he just threw bounced off the chicken's head . . .

 And Nate wasn't too concerned with the bunnies but Allie couldn't leave without petting one . . .



Auntie Em!

Auntie Em kicks off our Easter weekend with a quick visit on her way into town before we left to go up to Peru.  This is the shot Allie took of her "bunny ears".