apple battle

We took advantage of the beautiful weather this week and enjoyed a picnic lunch on the capitol grounds.  

Emma Jane loves apples.  She eats at least one a day.

Vivian has always had trouble biting and chewing apples,

so we've never given her a whole apple. 

Emma Jane decided to let Vivi try her apple,

 but Vivi did NOT want to give it back!

She held onto that apple for dear life....

even while the girls explored the grounds...

and she refused to give the apple back until it was

virtually down to the core and I had to take it from her!

I guess there are worse things in life than

having to pry an apple from your child's hands!

life as we know it

Life as we know it has been filled with a variety of things these past few weeks.

laughing and giggling for no particular reason...

hanging out in our pjs catching up on some light reading...

hoping for a new puppy...

 mastering training wheels and coaster brakes...

getting caught in rainshowers... 

projects, projects, and more projects for me...

(more to come on this one soon)

and even BIGGER projects for Paul...

(he designed, built, and painted our backyard fence

for that new puppy that Vivi is dreaming of)

98% done...he still has to paint the toppers!

and Paul's newest project...

(more to come on this, too!)

Life as we know it is, well, pretty darn good!

in like a lion...

March has definitely come in like a lion!  The weather around here has been windy and rainy (with a few sunny days thrown in) since March began.  Emma Jane's preschool class had a lesson about kites last week and all the kids in her class were given their very own kites.  She couldn't wait to get hers up in the air!  Luckily, the small park just down the street from our house is a perfect place for kite flying.

Trying to figure out the string...



With Paul holding onto the string,

Emma Jane helped launch the kite.

Getting the hang of it...

So proud of her kite flying skills!

Higher and higher...

Vivi did not understand why the kite was flying away!

Come back kite!

Vivian finally gave up on this kite flying business until...

 

big sis let her give it a try!

In this picture, you can see just how high this kite flew!

Emma Jane, now a self-proclaimed pro, 

had the handle slung casually over her shoulder.

Emma Jane was thrilled to see her kite flying high!

Time to come down!

I'm sure we will be taking Emma Jane's kite for a few more spins before the wind dies down and March goes out like a lamb...

dr. seuss on the loose

Emma Jane and a few of her friends had a small birthday celebration for one of our favorite authors last week...Dr. Seuss!  It's hard to believe that he would have been 108 years old.  I vividly remember reading many of his books as a child and I love that Emma Jane enjoys them just as much as I did.

Mrs. Stacey read The Cat in the Hat to the kids.

The kids decorated red-and-white-striped hats and became....

silly little cats in their hats!

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Vivi proudly wore her hat, too!

It was fun making (and eating!) marshmallow hats!

Vivian may not know anything about Dr. Seuss, but she is a BIG fan of marshmallows!

take me out to the ballgame!

Emma Jane attended her first baseball game with Paul last week.  One of the docs at the hospital gave Paul two USC tickets the morning before the game.  We tried getting a sitter for the girls so he and I could go, but when that didn't work out I suggested he take Emma Jane.  I am positive that she was a much more exciting date than I would have been!  I'm also pretty sure that this will be the first of many daddy/daughter baseball games in their future.