Backwards day!!

Today was backwards day at Zack's school.  Not to many kids did it but I think it's fun to participate.  He also has an easter party in class today, decorating cookies and they are decorating eggs.  Big day!  I made and bought gluten free, preservative free, artificial coloring free candies and frosting for the party.  Mom's probably think I am crazy (hum...but whose really crazy)!  I just want it available, he can put whatever on his cookies he wants!  I literally licked all the frosting off the blenders, spatula and bowl last night!!  Yummy!!

Do They Make Maui Jims for Kids?

I used to take Zackary down to the beach every morning and I just don't do that with her, so I am starting. It is so peaceful and entertaining, not a lot of people...and we had fun, and it wore her out...she took an over 2 hour nap.  It was bright (I forgot her hat) so I gave her my sunglasses and she loved them, didn't take them off.  The tide was high too and it didn't scare her at all.

We jumped over onto the sand from the jetty and chased the birds!  I could tell she was getting tired so we headed back up the steep hill to nap time!

Easter Egg Time

 We decorated our Easter Eggs today and the colors turned out so vibrant.  At first I bought a natural egg dye kit but upon reading the instructions and seeing that each egg has to soak in the color for 10-20 min I decided to go out and get good old HAAS egg dying kit!  Instant gratification is what my kids want...the 30 seconds they had to wait was to long!  Zackary liked to put each egg in each dye...actually turned out really pretty.

Yes it's March, and we have his shirt off cause it's hot out and we were playing!  Zackary ate one of his eggs...the white only.  He accidentally got one bite of the yolk and I saw that look on his face...he quickly ate it and kept it down!  :)  Emme had fun watching them turn colors in the water...but she wouldn't eat one. 

Note to self...next year buy 24 eggs.  A dozen went to fast and we were done in 10 minutes.  But we had a fun 10 minutes.

Models?

The kids are really into posing for pictures right now.  This is Emeline's favorite dog, Soda.  He is a scottie, and a handsome one at that.  He lives on the next street over.  His parents are so sweet to the kids.  Below are my two favorite recent pics!

A perfect moment...an extraordiinary night

Ben and I were truly amazed tonight.  We came upstairs to eat our dinner and Zackary starts cleaning up all the toys...I mean all of them.  He didn't just throw them all in a pile, he picked them up and put them away without us saying anything.  Do you understand?  We were in awe.  Then Zackary ate all his food fast (usually takes an hour).  Emeline did the same fantastic thing and then decided to come and sit on my lap while I was eating and shoveled sautéed spinach in her mouth.  What?  She then grabbed my spoon and ate my dinner (a turkey dish).  We were in awe again.  To wash all this beauty down Emeline had her milk with her first cookie (sunflower seed butter cookie with chocolate chips).  Amazing...wonder when that will all happen again. 

Big Bear

Big Bear has become our home away from home.  Last summer we had a great time with the kids.  This winter we decided to head up for 4 days to celebrate Ben's birthday.  We invited another couple and their twins and had a great time.  The house we rented had 3 bedrooms, a game room, two bathrooms, big kitchen and living area and enough room in the front yard and back to sled.  The kitchen was not fully stocked as told which was a little annoying but the weather....perfect.

Zackary enjoyed one day out in the cold before a virus took him over.  The fever kept him in for the remainder of our time.  I felt so bad too because he LOVED the snow-and had such a good time building a tunnel, throwing snowballs and sledding too. Emeline HATED the snow but once Ben made this snowman the second day she became more comfortable and had fun outside.  She went down the sled with Ben a couple of times and went on some walks with me in the neighborhood.

Their snow gear took me an hour just to put on so I was releaved by the second days warmth as I didn't have to fully dress them up!  Emme liked this better as well.

I got him to throw snowballs and really embrace his first trip to the snow.  It really is a big playground...with so much to do!  After Zackary got sick, Ben continued to enjoy his time outside building a couple different sledding areas-brought back memories of his youth!

So happy!!!  She wore her brothers old rain boots. I had bought some boots for her which she hated so I took them back and found these ones in storage! 

Ben had a nice birthday with us and our friends.  The two of us enjoyed a long walk through the neighborhood and some time in the game room (mario brothers, oh how I miss you).  AG and I ate out one night at this really nice and tasty restaurant...and had a blast.  The week worked perfect minus Zackary's cold (trip number two this season and he's been sick for both-ugh).
We miss Big Bear already...summer??

Puppy Party! Emme's 2!!

 My little girl turned two today!  I can not believe how fast the time is going.  Birthdays mean a lot to me...and I like to celebrate them in a big way!  This year we threw a puppy party for Emme.  We actually had puppies here...just like a petting zoo but a puppy petting zoo.  There were 3 yorkies, 2 jack russels, 2 dachshunds and one older and so sweet shihzu.  The kids loved the puppies and as you can see below Emme wouldn't put hers down.  Here she is smiling...

...but below she is serious.  And she was very serious about 99% of the time.  Emme got to be the first in with them and she loved it.  Precious to say the least, and obviously she loves dogs!  It was a hit and I am so happy we chose this theme for her.  She is such an animal lover and well, a kitten party (her favorite) probably would have proven to be challenging and petting zoo's are expensive so we went puppy!!!!  This is how the family that breeds these dogs socializes them.  I had to put up my blinders as I prefer rescuing from shelters.

The party was Sunday and her birthday was Monday.  We celebrated by wearing her tutu and enjoying the day together.  That evening we had an early family dinner at an amazing restaurant where we sang Happy Birthday and once again she wanted nothing to do with the cake-which is fine by me!! She won't eat sweets at all...popsicles is as far as I get with her and if I give her pancakes or muffins with chocolate chips in them she picks them out.

 It was such a beautiful day out. 

She loves her sunglasses!  She is totally a girlie girl!  She notices my lipstick, gloss, and likes to watch me get dressed and put on my makeup. 

 Here is a little update on Emeline.  She is really into chalking.  She will chalk pictures all over outside the house (Great Grandma doesn't like chalking out front on the sidewalk, she thinks it is ugly), and she takes the chalk on her walks and leaves a little picture at each house.  She gives a color to everyone that is with her so you will chalk with her.  Inside she loves coloring as you can imagine.  She could finger paint all day.  She could dance, play with my iphone, listen to Raffi, eat crackers, play with animals, and dig in the dirt all day.  Her day is 6 to 6...with one nap around 11.  Her favorite food...pesto pasta (without a doubt)!  She did go through a picky stage but is slowly coming out of that I think.  She also enjoys corn, butternut squash, zucchini, carrots, green beans, broccoli with hummus, quinoa, cous cous, rice, black beans, quesadillas, sunflower seed butter, the organic plum pouches, bananas, any berries, apples, peaches, etc...pretty good.  She is not a big meat eater though.  I still give her a bottle twice a day (doc said it was okay).  Our next big milestones to work on...potty training and getting rid of pacifier.  She is speech delayed (like Zackary) and is seeing his speech therapist, but she tries hard and we all understand her anyways.  She is such a sweet, cute girl and it's so fun dressing her.  Her and Zackary get along great...and watching them together really melts my heart.  Her doctors appointment went so well...she's 30 pounds (84%) and 36.3 inches tall (96%)!

Happy Birthday Emeline.  We love you so much.  We are so lucky to have you in our lives...my little girl...so thankful for my little girl!