Meadowlark Botanical Gardens and Frying Pan Farm

We took advantage of the beautiful weather at the beginning of the week and went to Meadowlark on Monday. On Tuesday, we met the Orozcos at Frying Pan and the girls had a blast too...

Busy Weekend

Though we didn't do anything special, it was a busy Sunday for us. Last week on a walk, the girls and I found some nice big flat rocks, and today they decorated them with paint.

In the afternoon, Arturo drew a picnic table for them using sidewalk chalk and they had a birthday party for Arturo, who according to Emma, was celebrating his 4th birthday. Happy Birthday Daddy! On the menu was: Chocolate Soup (cup of sand), Spicy Tofu (cup of sand), and Strawberry Cake with Grape/Lemon/Tofu icing (another cup of sand). YUM.

Emma also took lots of pictures with the camera. Here are some of the funny ones she took. The 2nd one is a pic of Alexa in the middle of a temper tantrum. Funny.

The Reston Egg Hunt

This is the Reston "Egg-normous" Egg Hunt. Despite the cheesy name, it's actually lots of fun. We got there early and had a picnic lunch which was really nice. There were also lots of carnival games and a moon bounce set up. Emma did this thing where you have to throw a bean bag into this hole far away -- she was 3 for 3 -- and she didn't even look like she was trying, so I'm thinking we have a little basketball star on our hands!

Next was a visit to the Easter Bunnies... The funny thing here is, if you look at the pictures, Emma is always doing this "half turn" pose, which perhaps looks "cute." In actuality, I'm standing just off camera to the kids' side, and was trying to get Emma to turn all the way around. But she wouldn't budge. She's all smiles, but I think inside she's thinking, "I don't know what these things will do to me if I turn all the way around!"

The hunt is divided by age, and since the girls are in different age groups, we decided to have Alexa join in with the 3-4 year olds, rather than have to go to 2 hunts. We were slightly worried that Alexa would be run over by aggressive preschoolers, but she held her own. In fact, she ended up with more loot in her basket than Emma! As soon as she figured out what the goal was, she was all business, cleaning up the eggs and candy all around her. It was actually quite funny to watch.

Decorating Easter Eggs

Over the weekend, we decorated Easter Eggs. Though it was fun, decorating eggs with a 3 yr. old and a 1 yr. old is nerve wracking because:
1) The eggs are cracked before they are even dyed. (I think Alexa dropped at least 2-3 eggs on the floor)
2) It is MESSY doing this - the dye does not come off your clothes that easily...
Still, we had tons of fun, and we had nice colored hands to show for it afterwards.

Spilled Milk

Ok, most of this video takes place in Spanish... so for those who are spanish-challenged, the basic gist of the video is that Alexa spills the milk on the floor, is upset, but then when she realizes she is on camera, she does a little dance...

Basketball Star!

March madness...Check out our little star!

Jingle Bell Rock - Winter Revisited

Ok, so winter is a memory now, but the Chesterbrook Holiday Show Song lives on in Emma's repetoire! Here she is...

Fruit Smoothies for dessert

We had fruit smoothies for dessert tonight, and here are the girls showing off their smoothie mustaches. They were really proud of this!

Warm weather is finally here!

It was actually 80 today! The girls and I went to Great Falls Park first and it was still so beautiful when we got home that we laid out the blanket and read books in the front yard. But, Alexa wanted none of this and instead dragged out the big orange bucket, plopped herself on (I swear she did this all by herself!) and read her book there. Hilarious!

Ahhh...Quiet Time

Each afternoon, when I'm working on getting dinner together, we have designated "Quiet Time." This is when the girls are supposed to read quietly by themselves. It's heaven -- but it usually only lasts 5-10 min. Here they are, sitting on a set of beach chairs that Scott (our neighbor) gave the girls.

Rhee/Chen/Gay Playdate

The Rhees recently came by for a quick trip. The kids got to play together for a little -- Alexa is not in the picture because she was too busy playing and could not be disturbed!

Snowball Fight!

Emma, Alexa, and Arturo had a "snowball fight" which involved scooping up snow with shovels and throwing it. Fun, but messy!

Another snowy weekend...

It was another snowy Sunday, and after playing in the snow, we stayed inside for the rest of the afternoon. The girls read books together, and then we all had a tea party in the living room.

The many faces of Alexa

Lollipops

Snow Day!

We were snowed in on Valentine's Day -- the ice and snow prevented us from getting out and our road wasn't plowed for a good 2 days! With all that time indoors, we had to be pretty inventive with keeping the kids busy. Here, Emma is playing with "Magic Goo" that I made for her -- corn starch with water makes for icky sticky fun... and a mess!

More Fun in the Snow

We've been able to put our front lawn to good use this winter -- it is a nice slope for the girls to sled down!

Afternoon Snack

Yes, that is a ballet leotard Alexa is wearing over her fleece. She rarely leaves the house these days without her ballet skirt or her leotard. She even sleeps with it on!

Fun at Sydney and Julia's House

Emma and Sydney, mixin' it up:



After dinner, Alexa was obsessed with clicking the strap of the booster seat. She tried it from many angles...

Fun in the Snow!

On Babi's very last day, it finally snowed! The girls woke up from their nap on Sunday and got geared up to play in the snow. Arturo even made a "snow slide" for Emma, which she loved.

Fun with "Babi"

The evolution of "Babi's" name:
Abuela (Grandma in Spanish) became Abue. When Emma was about 18 months old, she couldn't pronounce "Abue" and changed it to "Abi." Now, Alexa at 18 months old tries to pronounce Abi and it comes out as "Babi."

Swimming Lessons

The pool is sooo cold, but Emma still seems to have a lot of fun!

Syd's Bday Party

Everyone had a blast at Syd's Birthday party...!