Egg Baby and Speed Racer

Today the kids had their spring music "concerts". Towards the end of each semester, the various classes gather to perform a song or routine. It is very laid back and the kids enjoy listening to the music and seeing the other children on stage.

Mr. B's class (0-24 months) performed early in the program. They shook egg rattles and wore egg bibs. He was more interested in putting the egg rattle in his mouth than in making music. He takes after his mom and tries to eat anything that doesn't eat him first!


Miss H's class for toddlers age 24-36 months performed later in the program. Her class wore duck hats and sang a song about ducks where they marched around in a circle, beating on their drums as more and more children joined in. She was the second child in line to get up and march and, when it was her turn, she jumped up and took off like a rocket! The entire audience burst out in laughter. She had actually been trying to get up to start marching as soon as the first child began but I told her that she couldn't get up until it was her turn. As you can see, she was a very quick little duck and lapped several of the other ducklings multiple times. Our little Speed Racer did a great job and enjoys anything that involves walking/running or movement.



We had a great weekend and I'm not sure who enjoyed the concert more- the kids or their proud parents!

Two Peas in Our Pod

Here are a few new photos of our little sweet peas! We love watching them play together and interact. They enjoy each other so much and are great buddies. We really try to foster and promote a healthy, joyful relationship and we hope that they will continue to maintain that relationship their entire lives.

May Day Update!

Happy May Day!

I can hardly believe that it is already May. I apologize for the lack of updates over the past few weeks. The kids, jobs, friends and other projects have kept us busy (but in a wonderful, very good way)!

Here is a brief rundown of what has transpired in our household:

* Mr. B is crawling everywhere. He also pulls himself up to stand. Oh, did I mention that he tries to walk while holding on to the furniture and that he waves hello? Don't blink or he'll be moving out to go to college!

* Miss H is a squirrel. Yes, a squirrel. She woke up one day and informed me that she was not Miss H anymore but rather a cat. After one day of being a cat, for some unknown reason she decided that being a squirrel was more desirable. When I asked her if she wanted some nuts to eat since she was a squirrel, she replied "No, I eat doughnuts, not nuts." Funny little kid! She has a great sense of humor and is always making us laugh.

* Miss H has an incredible memory and can "read" about ten of her favorite books to us. She remembers what we say when we read each page and she will "read" the book back to us verbatim, cover to cover including the author and illustrator. It is kind of creepy how good her memory actually is. Don't mess with this kid because she won't forget about it any time soon.

* Hubby was invited to play in an All-Star hockey game. Unfortunately the timing didn't work for him to make it to the game but I still think it is neat that he was invited. The guy is a good athlete, handsome, smart and kind- can't get much better than that!

* I am back at work (my real job) part time and am really enjoying it! I have amazing coworkers and it is fun to get to use a different part of my brain and to not talk about strollers, baby classes, teething, diapers or any such thing for a few hours each week. Of course, by the time I get home I'm ready to cuddle the kids and talk about strollers, baby classes, teething, diapers and other topics all over again.

* I am working more than full-time at my unpaid "job"- organizing a not-for-profit volunteer group that a few friends and I started several months ago. Our little endeavor has taken on a life of it's own and we now have over 100 volunteers and provide assistance to around 3-6 local families per week. I love it and feel like I've really found my calling as far as what I am meant to be doing. I get to meet incredible women on a daily basis and, though it has been challenging and time-consuming to get it off the ground, it has been very rewarding to watch the group grow and evolve. Check it out at: www.madebymomma.org

We are looking forward to a very busy and fun spring and summer and have several adventures, trips and events planned. In the meantime, we'll be busy working, crawling, volunteering, laughing and being squirrels. Ciao!

Our Piano Man

Mr. B is seven months old and he is crawling everywhere, he sits on his own and he has even started pulling himself up to kneel or stand.

One of his favorite activities is to crawl over to the toy piano, sit and "play" it. He does this over and over again all day long. He often "sings" while he's playing. Watch out, Billy Joel- there's a new Piano Man in town!

Everything Old is New Again

Here is a photo of Miss H in a very special dress! It was made by Hubby's grandmother (Super Yiayia, as we call her) for my mother in law (Hubby's mother) when she was a little girl! It is true indeed that some of the best gifts are handmade. Thanks so much for the wonderful dress!

Easter in the Desert Southwest

This year we traveled to visit Granny and Papa for Easter. Hubby had a few extra days off so we figured we'd take advantage of the extra time and head south!

We had a great time and here are a few pictures of some of the highlights of our trip.

One of my good friends from high school was in town visiting to help with a 10K run in memory of her father who was killed in a bicycle accident in 2004. The run is held annually and it just so happened that we were there for it this year! She asked if I would like to run with her and I agreed. Only later did I realize that it was a 10K distance, that the first 4.5 miles of the race were uphill and that I would be running at an altitude of almost a mile high. Not having run much more than 5K since before Miss H was born it probably wasn't the smartest idea but, hey, some of the best times are born out of the dumbest ideas :) I can't honestly say I enjoyed the running part but I did enjoy catching up with good friends, the beautiful mountain scenery and the big breakfast burrito that I ate after I was finished.


Our little Snow Bunny loved playing outside, running around the pond and racing Hubby back and forth across Granny and Papa's lawn. She really enjoys green grass and sunny skies so we always spend lots of time outside on our vacations.





Papa hid eggs and Miss H had a wonderful time finding them on Easter morning. Whenever she spotted one she yelled "Oh no! Another one!" and excitedly ran over to get it. We got so tickled watching her run from one egg to another.

Her Easter dress was given to us by Yia Yia (Hubby's mom) and it fit perfectly! Thanks so much Yia Yia!




Mr. B enjoyed his first Easter. We think he makes a pretty cute little bunny too!



Hubby and I were able to go out for dessert and to run errands in the evenings and we left the kids in very capable hands. We wish Granny and Papa lived closer so we could do it more often! What a treat!


One morning we took the kids to the Natural History Museum. I was a little worried that Miss H would be frightened of the large dinosaur skeletons. I thought wrong! She loved them and asked if she could climb on them and slide down them. Lately she has been saying "I'm a wild thing!" since one of her favorite books is "Where the Wild Things Are". She is a wild thing indeed!


We had a great Easter and it was fun to get to see friends and family in the desert southwest. Thanks for a great trip and hope to see everyone again soon!

P.S. We think Granny and Papa should move here to be closer to us. Please?!?

Haircut Trifecta

A few weeks ago Mr. B had his first haircut! Though he was not quite seven months old it was well overdue. The hair on the top of his head and continued to grow and his signature spike/mohawk had turned into a Donald Trump-style comb over...not particularly attractive on a middle aged man and sure not cute on a baby!

Enter my good friend Erin who is a professional stylist/colorist (and Miss H's best friend's mom). She went to work on the comb over and soon the Trump look was gone and a very smiley, cute little boy sat in his place.

Here is the before picture:


Here he is during the cut. As you can see, he seemed to enjoy the experience!



Finally, here is the end result! Fantastic! What a handsome and happy guy!


Mr. B was not the only child who received a trim that day and big sister also got in on the action. Look at that mop! Yes, there is a kid under there! Though the length of her hair would suggest otherwise, Miss H has had several cuts already. Our children are like little monkeys and they grow hair and nails like nobody's business!


Here's the end result for Miss H, sporting her new 'do and posing with her buddy:


Thanks so much to Auntie Erin for the great cuts! Mr. B's first haircut was a great success and even he seemed very pleased with the results! Even I got a cut, color and style out of the deal. If she could groom the dogs then the whole family would be set!