Bday Time!

F's bday party was great! We had absolutely beautiful weather and it's early enough that there were no mosquitos crashing the party. We had water everywhere - pool & sprinklers. There was much squealing involved.

Look at these guys, what are they planning??



We brought out water balloons. How long do 100 water balloons last with 7 kids under the age of 5? About 3 minutes!



After a couple hours of water play, it was grub time. I love F's casual arm slung over his chair. Is he really only turning 3?



Here's the gang minus the littlest who was a bit wary of the number of kids in the hammock:


Here is a funny pic. How many kids fit into a princess pavilion?


And finally the cake was brought out. F wanted an excavator on his cake, and Craig's Cake Shop obliged. Wow, they do great cakes.


I love this pic because J put her arm around F and he let her without fighting back!

He knew exactly what to do when we finished singing to him. All 3 candles blown out with one big breath!


And here is the little bean enjoying his cake. My little surfer dude.

Mother's Day Hike

Today we went for a beautiful mother's day hike at Devil's Lake. The kids did fabulous and loved most every minute.

It started with a picnic, to set the scene:



Cookie Monsters:





Then the hike...some pics to show how beautiful it was!
















And the finale...a movie of the two climbing down a 'mountain':

Spring 2010

Last weekend we took a walk in the UW arboretum because it was peak lilac blooming season and the weather was gorgeous. The kids had a blast exploring the different smells and being just goofy.

Here's J smelling the flowers:


Amazed at all the white flowers in the tree:



Jumping from every stoop they could find. F wasn't sure whether he was Superman or Spiderman.



F's discovered winking now...


There is something about this pic that I just love:



Joyful boy in the grass:


Taking a break by a tree.


Shall I dive or jump?


Poppa with the kids taking a break:


And me:



Our Montessori school had a diversity festival last weekend. J & F got to wear their outfits from Kazakhstan & Turkmenistan. They loved getting dressed up.



All previous years J's been too shy to get up on stage. But not this year! She was a natural performer. Here she is dressed in her Guatemalan outfit getting ready to perform.


J's last ballet class and end of year recital were today. She had a lot of fun and looked like a little dancer.

I liked this pic because I caught her reflection in the mirror:

Here she is preparing for her hat dance.


And then as Belle from Beauty & the Beast.


Look at this smile:

Easter Fun

We had a beautiful spring day for Easter this year. The kids were visited by the Easter Bunny and enjoyed the grandparents' gifts too. Here are some pics!










We went outside to hunt for eggs. The kids wanted to keep on their PJs so here they are in their PJs and shoes tromping around the yard to find eggs.













And then within a week after Easter, here's what it looked like:

Fun Times

We've been having a lot of silliness in our household recently. Wanted to share some pics.

Here is Master F with his first light saber that he got at the circus. I love the attire.



And without the flash on, here is the sword in action, our naked jedi:


Here's F in his cool new jeep tent. He's such a ham! At the PJ party at his school, we hear he cracked up quite a few people with his antics.


Poppa made robots for J and F. They loved it and tromped around the house for a good 10 minutes making robot sounds.


And outside in the beautiful sunny weather. F's not so sure about this until they start going...


Who's lovin' it now?