Mini Photo Shoot

Our friend Martha sewed this sweet top for Amelia and she wore it to church on Sunday. So I tried for a  mini-photo shoot of the kids beforehand. They were hams and cooperated so here are some good ones!

 

 

Spring Snow + Sick Family

Quoting Amelia - "Mommy, it's pretty silly that we had snow on the first day of spring!"

 

It was a wet, heavy snow; the perfect kind for snowmen. So they went out with the goal to build a good one.  

 

As options for a carrot nose (since there weren't any in the house), I sent out a few different orange spoons. Patrick and the kids used them to eat the fresh snow. Austin liked it so much that Patrick made him a mound of it just to eat. 

 

 

That same weekend I went to a bachelorette weekend in which temporary tattoos were involved. I snagged one for Amelia so she could have one too when I returned. She was pretty proud of it. 

 

Dressed up as a "baker"

 

 

Amelia has these dress-up high heels that make a significant "clicking" noise when one walks in them. Austin has discovered them and makes a beeline for them often. It makes me giggle everytime that my toddler son can handle a pair of heels better than his older sister.

Now the screen on my phone. Just love this.

Unfortunately the kids and I came down with simultaneous head colds just as Daddy was leaving town for work. So we powered through a few pajama days at home.

Austin is getting the hang of the drill.

 

We call him our "Russian Oligarch" here.

Pudding popsicles multiple times a day. Yes please.

Lots of paint

Not a snow day, but it was requested. Why not?

After breakfast the table was pretty yogurt covered. So I pulled out the shaving cream. Again, why not? At first they looked at me like I was a crazy lady. But once I showed them how to "paint" and draw all over with their hands, they got into it.

Best part was wiping it up.

While playing with shadow puppets in my closet, Amelia asked if she could do a headstand. Random, but again, why not? She obviously needed help, but was so proud to tell Daddy that she had been doing them.

Sick kids + sick mommy = lots of video time

Thankfully the snot diminished just as Daddy got home and we headed to a children's museum for a birthday party. I didn't get too many photos but the kids had a great time.

 

Beach Parties

Just a mix of random photos from the past week. We've been busy with playdates, outings and other fun that spring has allowed. We are all full of more energy and glad to see the sunshine.

 

Playdate at a friend's house. David spent most of the morning showing Austin how big boys play with big trucks. They're one year apart so it's fun to see what's coming.

This girl got a frozen yogurt for great behavior one morning. She asked if she could have sprinkles on it. When the clerk asked her if she wanted rainbow or chocolate, she gave him the "are you crazy?" look and said "rainbow" with gusto.

Friday night pizza when Daddy's flight was delayed = our favorite local pizza spot

They figured out that they could both fit in Amelia's bedside table.

 

Amelia has been pretending "beach" or "pool" for hours. She insists on putting on her dress-up gymnast leotard and convinces Austin that he wants a swimsuit too. There's lots of pretend beach toys, sand, waves, sunshine, sunscreen, etc. I'm not sure where it started, but it's definitely her current obsession.

 

Wants to wear big sister's helmet while on his tricycle. Why not?

Daddy turned our kid's coffee table into a functional play table. The kids love it! 

Because little spaces, like storage bins, provide hours of entertainment.

Puddle Jumping & Visitors

Spring started to appear in New Jersey; and with the snow melt, we found ourselves with gross-tasting water and PUDDLES!  So the kids and I have been out puddle-jumping, trying to wear them out for good naps.

Snacks on a sunny day

(Aunt Laura & Uncle Nathan - the kids still LOVE their outdoor chairs. We actually keep them setup in the garage and they drag them in and out by themselves. Thanks!)

Austin asks for chalk and bubbles daily now.

 

Warning: Lots of videos

We play silly games that Amelia calls "Obstacle Courses" to reinforce whatever we're working on (letters/numbers/words). I just started them with Austin for his shapes. Usually we can handle doing them simultaneously, but obviously Amelia had a different idea when I pulled out the phone to tape them. I'm not sure why I kept taping or why I expected it not to escalate, but here's a long video that keeps it all real. :)

The snow had (mostly) melted from the park so we can get our swinging and sliding on.

The whole reason I kept this video is because it is so exemplary of Amelia - we start playing with a random ball found at the park and she immediately decides it's cake and it needs sprinkles.  This girl may end up as a pastry chef, or at least working at Baskin Robbins one day.

 

 

Be ready Grandparents for our spring trip - this kid won't be stopped

 

Friends from Virginia, Martha & Jim drove up and spent an evening with us. Unfortunately, Austin started running a fever (ear infection) shortly after they arrived so we ended up in the house the whole time. But the kids loved having a new audience for their antics, more attention and someone to read to them. And Martha brought us precious Easter outfits that she sewed for them (photos later!)

They loved having snack with Mr. Jim.

Indoctrinated into preschool games. Once she realized that they'd play with her, there was no stopping.

More Snow, Camping Out, Dress Up & Other Randomness

First the snow photos.

 

We had multiple days of snow over the last week, with Thursday watching snow fall all day (6-7inches by the end).We went out in it a few different times since even Daddy had a snow day.

 

Even adults have fun in this much snow!

Amelia begged for a snowman and we had all the paraphernalia prepared and then discovered that the snow was too powdery to build. But Daddy built this teeny one and it was satisfactory. 

A hat instead of a nose

Amelia decided to lie on her back for this photo.

She asked to be buried.

The snow was this deep.

 

 Just kidding. Daddy built a mound, dug out a hole and stuck the kids in it for fun.

 

It was actually up to his knees.

 

 On one of our outings, we headed to our neighborhood park to see how we could play. We discovered that snow makes a slide super slippery and its awesome to fly off the end and land in the snow. Amelia did it over and over and over.

We had one above freezing day this week where the top layer of snow turned super slushy so I dragged the kids out for some playtime in the snow/water/mud puddles.

So the kids and I go to a chiropractic office that had a husband/wife team. Amelia learned how to climb on the table and receive adjustments early on; Austin has been coming since 4 months so he is also really familiar. (in fact, we call Dr. Kim his "lady friend" because of how he flirts with her). But this last month has seen him go from the "baby" method (lying on a pillow, sitting upright, etc) to the "big kid" version. I've tried to get some videos but Amelia is chattering the whole time so I'm opting to post some photos of this big boy with Dr. Joe. It's well known that toddlers, much less toddler boys, don't stop moving. Well this kid climbs up on this table and lies perfectly still. He loves his adjustments. 

Austin has entered this weird phase where he INSISTS on holding a hand while eating. It doesn't matter if you need two hands to feed yourself or you need a hand to feed him (which in his newfound independence isn't allowed often). He'd prefer to hold both of your hands, letting go to cram food in his mouth and then begging for your hand again. He doesn't get that much often, but we can allow for one hand now.

With the reading of much Angelina Ballerina these days, Amelia had dressed up in her tutu and ballet shoes almost daily.  Austin normally is a nonparticipant or is content to wear necklaces/sunglasses. But sometimes the power of suggestion reaches him.

Amelia is asking him "Buddy, do you want to wear your ballet outfit?"

 

He answered in the affirmative. So we put it on.

This is going to make it into a future wedding photo op. For sure. 

 

Just in case you thought Austin was the only man in this house dressed by Amelia, you'd be wrong. 

 

Shirts big enough to go over his head usually can fit over his shoulders too.

 

With an upcoming month-of-travel in view, we decided to have the kids "camp out" over the weekends so they can get better at room sharing. They had so much fun on the first morning (even if they woke up an hour earlier than normal).

This face can wake up an hour early any day.

Playing peekaboo under the quilts.

Amelia is all about reading to Austin these days, but it's "quietly". :)

Toilet paper roll snowman project

You'd be surprised at how well he walks around the house in our shoes.

A little shaving cream painting on a day stuck inside.

Because who doesn't dress up while drawing?

(Tutu and shoes also at Amelia's suggestion)

Amelia has been pretending "fire extinguisher" for days now with every toy drill/hair dryer she can get. Austin picked up on it and is putting out the fire on the whiteboard.

(as a side note, we just discovered washable dry-erase crayons - and they are awesome!)