Snow and "Princess Day"

Yesterday was April 29th. 

We woke up to snow. 

It snowed past noon. 

In honor of the Royal Wedding, we dubbed yesterday "Princess Day." (Yes, I realize Kate isn't technically a princess.)

The boys played outside most of the day. I spent several broken hours attempting to watch the wedding. The ground became so nasty from the slushy snow that the house needed a thorough wipe-down every time the boys came inside. When they found out William was prince/soldier with a real sword, they lingered and watched the wedding with me. Even Brock was fascinated.

Libby played with toys and snuggled on my lap. She couldn't care less about the festivities. I didn't think I would care about the wedding, either. As the day grew closer, my curiosity piqued. So I recorded the special edition of the Today Show... just in case. 

When I flipped it on, I was riveted. There was something magical about watching the crowds roar as the royals drove down the flag-covered streets. Kate looked beautiful. The ceremony was lovely.

 

My favorite part? The page boys. Didn't they look beyond adorable in their miniature uniforms?

 

Easter 2011

We had a fun time yesterday.

The Easter Bunny sent the kids on an egg trail to find their baskets.

 Then they dyed eggs...

 ...and ate their weight in candy.

 Later on, Clarke, Charlotte, and Brock came over for an egg hunt.

We ate an early dinner, hung out, and buzzed on sugar.

Transition

Libby has officially been a toddler for months. She does many toddler-like things (walking, beginning to talk, acting sassy), but she is still a baby to us. Not only is she the baby in the family, she still looks like a baby. 

But now, it's happening...

 Every now and then, I glance at Libby and see a toddler. Those moments come more frequently than they did even a week ago. In time, they will take over, and the baby moments will fade into a memory.

I love watching our children grow, learn, and progress. Even so, these transitions tug at my heart strings.

Perhaps this is why-- after packing away another 6-9 month shirt (yes, she's that little)-- I indulge Libby's preference for bottles. After all, she can't look like anything but a baby when she holds a bottle.

Sweet dreams

Shortly before Travis turned two, he began a new morning tradition. The messy-haired boy stumbles out of bed to the nearest parent and rattles on incoherently for several minutes. His emphatic tone tells us that he knows exactly what he is saying, even if it makes no sense to the rest of us. Then he smiles and walks away.

Through our adoring chuckles, we wondered what his gibberish meant. We recently discovered that Travis is sharing his dreams.

These days, his mumbles transition to understandable thoughts as he awakens from his fuzzy state of mind. The other morning went like this:

"Blidadiramadobitaminhkjhawehakdawaasnmdbmqweoqwehfbsfawegyadas snow? It's in the snow! Did you help the baby in the snow?"

He just keeps getting cuter. How is this possible?

R.I.P.

Molly-- our orange tabby-- was hit by a car today. 

The younger kids didn't understand. Jamin thought about it for a moment. True to his sweet spirit, he said, "When Molly is resurrected, I'm going to make her a get-well card."

We'll miss that little kitty.

"When I was your age..."

Travis is now two-and-a-half. That's how old Jamin was when Travis was born.

 Libby is now 16 months old, the same age Travis was when Libby was born.

 Weird.

Icebergs

Spring soccer began a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, spring is nowhere to be found in Boise.

 

Jamin: My hands feel like icebergs!

The coaches must have echoed his sentiments because they canceled the game halfway through. 

(I'm sure Jamin's running around in circles with his beanie pulled over his eyes had nothing to do with it.)

A very long post about a very fun trip

We spent seven glorious days in San Diego. Introducing our children to the place I lived as a child-- and again as a teenager-- was a great experience. As a parent, I saw my home in a new way. I laughed as I called the kids down from stair rails I often climbed myself. The best part of "going home" was spending time with my mom and stepdad.


The break from routine felt amazing. Our mornings were lazy. We chatted, ate breakfast, and lounged on the patio. In the afternoons, we played at the beach and the park. At night, we enjoyed delicious dinners cooked by Mutti & Humey, watched hot air balloons from the deck, and went on long walks.

The Park
Knowing the beaches would be crowded the first two days of our visit (Saturday and Sunday), we opted to spend those afternoons at the park. Oakcrest Park seemed especially quiet, and we had a blast.

 We loved Oakcrest so much that we went back often through the week.

 
The Beach
Moonlight and Solana Beach became our family-friendly favorites this visit. 

 Disneyland
Midway through the week, we took the boys to Disneyland. Mutti was kind enough to watch Libby for the day.

Scotty and Travis in line for Pirates (the first time):

 Waiting for the Haunted Mansion:

Dumbo:

Teacups:

Meeting Mickey. Remember once upon a time when you could walk up to him in the park and chat for a moment before snapping a picture? No more. Now, you wander through an indoor labyrinth (aka "Mickey's House"), waiting in line for your turn to rush through a staged pose with Mickey. Kind of a bummer. The kids still loved meeting him:

In all of the fun, I took very few pictures. We spent the day running from ride to ride, spending way too much money on food, and smiling from ear to ear. (There were a few mopey moments, but we won't focus on those.) Jamin even "officially" celebrated his birthday-- two months late (we were really sick, remember?)-- with chocolate mousse at the Blue Bayou. 


As evening came, I staked out a place by the river while Scotty took the boys to Pirates a few more times. They met up with me after the fireworks. Travis was asleep. Jamin watched Fantasmic by my side and dozed off during the show. 


We had a very cool spot, right behind the switchboard.

 The sign of a good, loooooong day at the Happiest Place on Earth:

Yes, we had a fantastic trip to San Diego. My mom and I even had a girls' afternoon in honor of her birthday. 


We left California sunburned and cheerful. Heavenly.