I keep thinking it's still winter. That happens when you live in a place that has the same weather all year long! We're spoiled. How is it already April!? We've been busy and happy. Here's what March looked like according to my awesome iphone camera.
Strawberry picking at Tanaka Farms. Gwen and I are doing a mom and me preschool once a week with friends at a community college. We love the class and this month we took a field trip to Tanaka Farms complete with a yellow bus ride! We get produce boxes from Tanaka every other week and love supporting this organic farm in our community. They take you around on a tractor, let you taste their amazing vegetables (those carrots!) and then stop off to eat and pick berries. We left with bellies and bags full of berries.
Beach days! We spent a beautiful Saturday morning at the beach. The girls found tons of ladybugs--who knew they liked the beach? A few made it home with us a lived a couple of days in tupperware containers in the backyard. Kate kept asking me where to find aphids to feed the ladybugs. They were beloved pets and it was a sad afternoon when they were discovered dead.
Arizona! Paul had a business conference at the fancy Westin Kierland in Scottsdale and the girls and I tagged along. It was the perfect time of year to be in Arizona. The girls and I visited with cousins, I got a haircut (thanks, Erin!), visited Grammy Tanner (with a very cranky Gwen), ate too much delicious food, swam and swam at the pool, lounged in the lazy river and went to the park. The road trip was 6.5 hrs and went so smoothly thanks to this close pin idea I found on pinterest (my new addiction) and lots of snacks/treats, sticker books and a few movies. I'm still figuring out how to get kids to go to bed when you're all sharing one hotel room. That was tricky. Tips?
Afternoons spent at the grocery store with my two best helpers and exploring waterfront neighborhoods in search of the perfect front door, the girls found fairy houses.
The ubiquitous bedtime struggle! The girls have good nights and bad nights. The rule is they can read books in their room with their nightlight if they aren't ready to sleep at bedtime. If they stay in their room and leave us alone we don't really complain if they play. Some nights result in huge messes and wild bed jumping. Here are pictures of some recent nights. Sleepovers on the floor with drinks on hand should anyone get thirsty and Gwen's "fancy" bed below. My favorite part is the bouncy ball in her hand. She got that at a dirty gas station vending machine in the middle of nowhere on our road trip and it's been a prized possession ever since.
I love my mornings with Gwen. She usually plays contently, happy to have the toys all to herself. A few times a week we do "Letter People School" together. She loves this and has been surprising me with what she remembers. It's a phonics program that Paul did when he was a three year old, complete with an old school record player. Leslie saved it for the family to share and both of my girls have had fun with it. It usually ends with a dance party along with the letter of day... I think this day it was Mr. F and his Funny Feet.
And they're off. Bike riding down the street is the new favorite thing to do in the afternoon and I'm having a hard time keeping up. It's so nice to finally live on a street with kids and the girls love the company. Gwen, however, is still terrified of the dogs that join them...
