Shake It Senorita

a bit of the ADD version... 

my favorite part: "shaaaake it like a mustard!"  (?)

family portrait

This girl amazes me.  No. she FLOORS me - daily.

Mommy:

Can you tell? This next one is Jake.  She counted 4 legs and a long tail. :)

note - Baby Stella is her doll.  yup, that's Tinkerbell standing next to daddy.  Mom and Jake are off to the right. :)

end of spring break DAYBOOK

Outside my window...

cherry blossoms. daffodils. magnolia trees blooming. sunny 50 degree day today.
90% chance of SNOW tonight.
(?)

I am thankful for...

daughters.  sweet, little girl, crazy-making daughters.
and dear, dear friends.  So happy to have Aileen out to visit these past few days!  Friends fill parts of our soul that make us more whole.  Thankful, also, for our amazing time at Ocracoke beach with our bosom friends Justin & Joelle.  I am refreshed, recharged, re-healthified, and rejuvenated.

I am thinking about...

spring. Somehow - it wakes me up inside. At least, I'm attributing that tingly, antsy, hopeful, wonderful feeling to spring.  Despite modern living, our bodies are still part of this magical earth that changes with the seasons.

Learning all the time...

How to pour Guinness from a can.  How to do a fancy drip coffee artistic coffee-house style. To carry extra toddler pants, tissues, wipes, etc. (still not good at it, but I'm working on it).  To make pesto (yum!).

It's time to buy Gessell's "Your Three Year Old" - we are entering new territory with our little Tornado.

From the kitchen...

chocolate ravioli.  Not kidding.  Fresh, homemade chocolate ravioli from the local market - pan fry in a bit of butter.  What a delicious treat!

I am creating...

a garden!

I am working on...

gearing up to plan our road trip for summer! I'm so excited.  I haven't started yet - but I keep thinking about it.  I think it's time to get out the maps, the AAA website (so I've been told), the KOA campsite locations, etc.  But before that, I should probably focus on report cards - that starts soon.

I am going...

to the White House Easter Egg Roll!  Jas put our names in the lottery and we got tickets!  (Along with 30,000 others) Jasper will be in China for Easter ~ and that whole entire week, Auntie Lisa will join us to help fix dinners, play, watch Ains while I rehearse, and keep the house in order. oh. and go to the White House Lawn to play!

I am hoping...

that my new intestinal issues remain under somewhat control.

I am reading...

The Forgotten Garden - by Kate Morton (nearly finished!)
Possibly my most favorite book. EVER.
 Or second - after Wuthering Heights, which still steals my heart.

I am praying...

for patience

I am hearing...

ok, not me, but I have to share this note from daycare:

“While I was going pee-pee and poopy I read this book twice.  I asked myself if I wanted to read it again and I said Yes!”  

Around the house...

tulips and hyacinths in a vase.  incense burning once a night. fresh carpets that don't collect as much dog hair.

One of my favorite things...

the sea.

A few plans...

watch a movie tonight (saw Burlesque last night - fun!!!)
dance class tomorrow
grocery shopping
more laundry
back to work & bustle of daily life

A picture thought I'm sharing with you...

The Story of the Ants - a piano tale

baby carrier!

Thank you, Aunt Tonya & Cousin Dylan!

uh oh

This is what happens when the girls are left to their own devices...

A MESS!

[and thank you, Cait, for the sequins.]

 She independently got out her dustpan and brush to help clean up. :) What a sweetheart!

tumble time!

 

You're a good sport, Jake - pup!

"pahn-cakes"

Every. single. weekend.  Sometimes twice in a weekend! This is Ainsley's latest FAVORITE.

 Sometimes pink, and sometimes green...

she's a pancake eating machine!

 

The Chimney Mystery - a wordless picture story

And, just because she's so darn cute in these green jammies, a little peek into Ainsley Being Mommy (a daily occurance around here):

Avocado Pesto

Thank you, Haylie!

Your recipe was a big hit! So yum!

 That's your blog up, so I can follow the recipe as we go. Ains was the blender button pusher.

 

What does green sauce look like to a toddler?

You can not pick your friend's nose

she's either very serious... or not sure about this one... :) I could watch it over. and over. and over. and over again.

night night, Daddy

Sometimes, dolls don't cut it.

 

Daycare Days

naptime - Daddy covered a nap shift, along with other parent volunteers, so the teachers could have staff development.  His comment, "It's amazing!  They all slept!"  I guess the secret is a magic cot.

One of the moms visited - gave a nutrition lesson. Looks beautiful!

Shrove Tuesday - all school pancake breakfast (including daycare kids).  Boy, is it nice to have my little one at my school!

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Books are Ainsley's FAVORITE THING these days... She goes straight for the book bin when she arrives at daycare each day and anxiously asks who will read? 

 

Thanks, Chris!   This book is a big hit! It was so much fun to see you!  Glad you came to visit.

More Birthday

Really? I mean, REALLY!?  She's 3, folks.

 This is what happens when birthday gifts come in the mail. 

:)

Thanks Justin and Joelle! (It's my favorite hat.)

Thanks Dasha and Papa Jack!  I can kick my new soccer ball!  It's fun to bring it to the park.

Look at Jake!

 

 Thanks again, Dasha and Papa Jack!  "We match!"

 

[Jake is totally into this]

Thanks Auntie Lisa, Uncle Jimmy, Chris, Shanny, and Great Grandma Diana! So much princess stuff. I do love princesses.

Her first "Banano" (or 'filano' sometimes: words for piano) - our little prodigy.

Thanks mommy and daddy. ;)

Thanks Nana and Papa Joe!  I love LOVE my AG babies. They are perfect for snuggling and I can change their diapers all by myself.

 

How many boxes?

 

Piano