A girl, her uncle, and a strawberry patch......

The following pictures were taken on Mother's Day at Aunt M's house. (You ever notice how I'm a week behind in posting?) I didn't realize until I was getting them ready to print that they appear time lapsed---I love watching how this scenario plays out multiple times.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day! It's hard to believe that I've been a Mom for 6 years---where has all that time gone? It seems that "the wait" to become a Mom was forever and now the time just rolls away as I watch these two little people grow-up.

Isn't that funny how our perspectives are always changing--depending on our life situation?

Here are a few of best Mom Moments in no particular order:

--Watching K at bedtime as her little face is illuminated by her glow worm and she is singing and rocking a lullaby to it.
--Seeing how nurturing G is to K--always trying to help her do whatever it is she is trying to do.
--Snuggling with two little wiggly girls.
--That just clean smell that K still has when she gets out of the bath.
--Seeing G stride confidently into school each morning; so self-assured. Most of you will remember that she cried every time that I dropped her off at preschool.
--Watching them both sleep; no cares in the world, just peacefully dreaming.
--Seeing things for the first time thru their eyes: blowing bubbles, dyeing Easter eggs, learning something new.


Me and my brood at the Mother Daughter Tea (overlook the leopard print dress--the theme was Fancy Nancy and I was trying to channel Nancy's mother:-)

Here comes Peter Cotton Tail

Easter Sunday signals the end of the G's spring break and hopefully, the crazy schedule we've been trying to keep up with!

We attended our favorite Easter event with our China friends, took K to a preschool Easter egg hunt, attempted to get a picture with the Easter Bunny, visited the Air and Space Museum and Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, colored Easter eggs, and did I forget to mention we saw a big pink bunny on the way :-)


G at one of the Easter Egg hunts


K would have been much happier without the Easter bonnet


and we spotted this bunny along the way......


Our attempt at getting a pic with the Easter Bunny


Grammy and the girls at the botanical gardens


G at the botanical gardens


K at the botanical gardens


Coloring Easter eggs at Grammy's house


G coloring eggs


K was not ready to "be done" coloring eggs


At church with Mimi and Papa on Easter Sunday


Grammy, D-daddy and Aunt J at the beach on Easter Sunday



G and Aunt J

Spring Break is here

It's early, early, early and I'm up and G is on Spring Break this week---what's up with that? Spring Break should be a time to sleep in and relax but this week is turning into anything but that-"sigh"

I don't remember doing it, but we've got multiple things scheduled each day this week. There are Easter/spring activities planned for the girls, doctor's appointments, hair appointments, sleepovers, cats to the vet appointments, and I'm exhausted trying to remember them all.

Here's a picture recap from the past few weeks:


K went to her first birthday party and was overjoyed when she found lollipops, which she calls "lollies", in the pinata. So excited was she, that she fell asleep with the stick in her mouth--gotta love that girl!


K's Birthday Day! Poor thing had just been to the doctor and had strepthroat and I didn't want to overload her with a big birthday cake so we celebrated with an Elmo cupcake.


G's class went to the Children's Science Museum and look what they got to experience. Who knew that milking a cow could be considered science?


K had her birthday party at her favorite place---Toddlin' Time. I have to say that for a 2 years-old party that it went smashingly well. All the invitees were also Toddlin' Time attendees and so because it was familiar and led by their favorite teacher, Miss Caroline, they were comfortable enough to let their hair down and play.


Lickin' the spoon from the chocolate cake that I was making for her family birthday party. Anyone see a pattern here---this household has extended birthday celebrations!


Swingin' at Grammy's house


One look at that cheese eatin' grin and you can see that I pulled her away from the swing to try and get these pics of the cousins----there's got to be one in every group pic and she happens to be mine:-)

New pics of the girls

I took the girls to have birthday pics taken this week at one of the local picture studios and the results are below. K is such a "wildcard" when it comes to sitting still for pictures that I try to go in without too many expectations and then I can be pleasantly surprised with the results.

The first pic is my favorite and it was also the first picture that the photographer took. Things started to go a bit downhill from there and K was just a moving target unless G was holding her down---not the best tactic for a relaxed looking pic :-)

Crazy type A person that I am, I thought we would try to visit the Easter Bunny for pics since we were right there at the Mall after our photo session but 20 minutes of photos (maybe I should say, chasing K for photos) was all I could take! There's always next week :-)


Sisters


Gracie


Kailee

New York adventure

and the birthday continued........This year it seemed like G's birthday celebration was a bit long-winded. There was the "birthday week", then the birthday party with school friends, the family birthday party and then the birthday trip to NYC for two non-stop days of American Girl Place.

I've now been home longer than I was in NY, but for some reason I am still exhausted! It was a great trip! We went with our best friends and created memories that will last a lifetime---I'm sure the girls will one day be sitting around saying, "Remember that time my mom chased that taxi down in NYC and then the time my mom cut-the-line at Penn Station when the train was sold out so that we could all sit together." Good times for all!

There were so many good pics that I loaded a small portion of them to a slideshow. Enjoy!

Some of you may have noticed the absence of K in that slideshow. She had her own little mini-vacation with Grammy and D-daddy while G and I were in NY. Mini-vacation for K.....exhaustion for Grammy and D-daddy. Here's a pic of a "first" for K.


First ponytails! They didn't last very long, but they were sooooo cute!

Happy Birthday G!

Hard to believe but I am now the parent of a seven-year-old---how the @#*& did that happen? It seems like yesterday we were on a plane on our way to China to bring our beautiful girl home and now here she is just about grown-up. (I know there's still a lot of growing to do but sometimes she is most definitely, seven going on thirty!)

We had a fabulous pool party (if I say so myself). Her very best friends and some of her school acquaintances were there.


The Three Amigos

We had a beautiful pull-apart cupcake "cake" from Super Target. They did a fabulous job using a copy of the party invitation.



She had a great time opening gifts, which continued into the weekend with a family party at Grammy's house.



And we will finish up this year's birthday with a trip to New York next week to spent the day at the American Girl store. I've already told R, "be afraid, be very afraid" :-)