Sun, Water, Sand

We have been loving the warm weather and spending lots of time on our back patio! The girls are having even more fun in their little cars this summer since they are a bit bigger and stronger and better able to steer. Mina couldn't quite comprehend why she couldn't squeeze the big ball into her lap in the car...funny girl!


This is the girls' FAVORITE outdoor activity. They love to splash, throw, dunk, etc. in this table. They ask to play with it everyday, but we've only had a few days warm enough to fill it up!


My dad joined our two cement patios last weekend with a row of cement pavers and sand for grout. The girls are like magnets to the sand. After a long series of timeouts and other disciplinary efforts, I surrendered. Play in the sand, what do I care...they are occupied, happy, relatively out of trouble...I've picked my battles and this isn't one of them! : ) Maybe they'll get a real sandbox at some point, but for now have a ball in the filler sand!

Fun & Games

The girls got two packages recently from Aunt Sarah and Uncle Andrew in Texas. Above is a picture of the girls exploring their second package for Easter. It was so much fun to open the package and watch their reactions - they were SO excited. They loved the eggs filled with hair things and all the foam Easter stickers. We spent the next hour learning how to peel the sticker backs off and sticking them to paper. Thanks for the fun activity Texas Bakers!


We got laughing so hard last Saturday. Someone started acting silly at a meal (can't remember who started it) and then we all took turns doing our impressions of what "acting crazy/silly" looked like. The girls' impressions were so cute, but Daddy's was by far the favorite. The girls are getting so verbal and interactive - we laugh together often and are really enjoying this stage.


Always a favorite activity - reading books together on the couch!

Turning Two in Twos

The girls turned 2 years old last Thursday. We had a special breakfast with Daddy before he went to work. Mina was a bit more in the birthday spirit. Apparently, Addie wasn't quite ready to have her picture taken!


Unwrapping gifts has become a lot more fun now that the girls are a bit older and can really rip into the paper themselves. We gave them tambourines and maracas on the morning of their birthday and they were HUGE hits!


We had their birthday party this past weekend. We are SO grateful that it happened to be the only nice day of the weekend! The day before and the day after were raining and cold, but Saturday was warm & sunny. We invited lots of little ones over to come play outside and fill up on sugar! Above is a picture of Addie and Papa getting the patio ready just in time.


The girls had a GREAT time at their party. Their Parent's Day Out teacher let us borrow some multi-colored rice that we used in their water table outside (too cold for water). All of the kids loved scooping the rice.


Happy Birthday Addie & Mina~!

More Camera Please

My parents stopped by last week on their way back into town from a Spring Break road trip. The girls were thrilled to see them. My dad brought in his camera and took some candid shots of the girls. After a minute or so break from their modeling session - Jasmine looks at my dad, flashes her brightest grin, and says "more camera, please!" Oh...no...

We started a Love & Logic (parenting class) last night. My parents are teaching it - which always brings out amusing stories sourced from Andrew & I's childhood. Thankfully, this particular class is aimed at young children - and everyone in the class has a 2 or 3 year old - so we can all relate! Our homework was to come up with an empathic but brain dead response to whining/arguing. Need less to say, I've said the phrase, "How sad" 50+ times today. I'm really hoping for some good tools to end bedtime battles and reduce tantrums!