The Usual

It's been the usual around here. Bridget was on Spring Break last week, which for her is hardly noticeable since she is only in school two mornings a week. And while I love those few hours each week I get just with Ross, I love having her home more. I DREAD sending her off to school full-time in a few years. I'm not ready for it and it will be here before I know it.

Good thing Ross is still just a baby to me. We always say that Bridget seemed so much older at this age, while Ross seems like a baby in almost every way still. This weekend we went out to dinner to watch a basketball game. Ross was tired when we got there, but in usual Ross fashion, he was sooooooo good at the restaurant. Perhaps all the food we gave him helped keep in the highchair, but either way, he was good! By the end of game though, he did get antsy and Todd and I took turns holding him-it was a close game and we weren't going anywhere until it was over. The game went into overtime, so we had to stay even longer. I cradled him and swayed with him right in the middle of the very loud and crowded restaurant and he dozed off...just like a little baby. His sleepy baby face stared right at me for a good 20 minutes. And even though my arm and back were killing me from holding him in that position, it was so sweet...and I know there won't be many more moments like that with him.

Like I said, this week has just been the usual...

Her favorite TV watching spot is on the arm of the couch.

Playing under the kitchen table

Still half asleep after a surprise afternoon nap

She eats her Oreos creamy middle first...

He loves chairs and is always stealing them from me

The ponytail, the jeans, the sandals...looking so grown up in these pictures to me

New bubbles

New backyard kiddy pool with room for 2!

Daddy and Ross reading together...The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog

Don't we all need a little downtime with iPhone games??

One more picture from last weeks sunset at the beach. Love this pretty girl!

A Birthday at the Beach

We never get to the beach as often as we should. But a birthday is as good a reason as any! Todd wanted a low-key, no frills celebration for his birthday on Sunday. We took advantage of the new time change and headed down to the beach for sunset. It was perfect and I swear...we will do it more often this year!

The first thing Bridget wanted to do was make an "ice angel". Ice angel, sand angel...same thing.

The first thing Ross wanted to do was dig into the snacks.

You would have thought Bridget was one of those crazy midwestern tourists the way she jumped into the freezing cold water!

This look says..."I've spotted the water and there's no stopping me now!"

He also doesn't seem to mind the frigid water...crazy kids!

And finally, the sunset...

It was Todd's birthday, but as usual, our evening was all about the kids...just how we like it!

Spring has Sprung

We are enjoying the spring things right now and spending as much time as we can out of the house and in the sunshine! Last year at this time when Ross was still brand new, I thought ahead to this Spring and how much fun it would be 2 kids running around...well, I'm still lugging Ross around for now, but hopefully he'll be chasing down Bridget soon enough! Todd and I are lucky enough to be going on vacation soon-just us!- and we know for sure that it will be just our luck that Ross will take his first steps while we're gone. Just wait...I'm sure it will happen that way!

Bridget is so enthusiastic about everything we tell her we're going to do. Washing the cars, going to Target, picking up Harley's medicine at the vet, and lately just taking a ride anywhere in the new minivan is over-the-top fun for her. She hardly ever gets worn out and her little brother is not far behind. He loves being busy. He is not a sit-around-and-enterain-himself kind of kid. He never really just sits. Even when he is playing, he is constantly moving around from one room to another dragging the toys ALL OVER the house. He raids the pantry for snacks and when he reaches something he holds it up to me and says, "Nom, nom, nom..." He's a snacker and a mover!

A Sunday afternoon car washing and popsicle party!

Seriously sweet. Look at his fuzzy hairs standing straight up!

What kid doesn't love a spray park?

Ross doesn't. The water was just okay. But the 8 inches of dirt that sits inside the fence of the spray park...that's fun!

Again...seriously sweet.

Enjoying my newly cluttered dining room table. I have card orders arriving everyday this week. I've gotten really busy, really fast and I'm loving it!

Where's Ross? In the princess tent, of course!

I guess she does occasionally get worn out...ballet class, a birthday party and dinner at Grandma and Papa's makes for a tuckered out little girl.

I love my new camera and I love the pictures I'm taking with it. Great ones of Bridget. Great ones of Ross. But of them together...nearly impossible. Here was attempt #947 at getting a Spring picture of them together.

A bunny mask, an ice cream bribe and with some help from Grandma we got a decent one. Check your mailboxes soon for our Spring card:)

Little Girl Checklist

I think everyone who has a little girl has that mental lists of "firsts" that they can't wait for. Mine included; a baby bikini, first pigtails, first day of school and so many more we've yet to get to. Saturday we crossed one more off the list though...first dance class. I tried lots of different activities as a kid, but never took a dance class, so I'm not sure why this was on my big list for her, but it was.

We signed her up a few weeks ago and she has been impatiently waiting ever since. Bridget is very outgoing, but sometimes when it comes down to actually doing something, she gets nervous and scared in the moment and needs me to do it with her. I was totally prepared to be "that mom" who went in with her and gradually snuck her way out. While waiting for class to start, I quickly realized most of the other little girls had done this before. The class is a 4 week class that starts up again every 4 weeks, and it seemed like most of the little girls had been in several sessions before.

Miss Michelle came out of the dance room and noticed Bridget was a newbie. She bent down and asked her name and if Bridget spoke, it was way too soft for anyone to hear. She walked in without me and took a front row seat, watching wide eyes as all the other girls came in. The class is for 3 and 4 year olds and Bridget was easily the tiniest one in there.

I hogged the spot right next to the door which thankfully had a big window I could peek through. Her front row seat was for perfect me peeking in on her...and her peeking out on me. We exchanged waves and thumbs up for the first few minutes. Once class began, she tried every little dance move the whole class through. You could tell she was a bit unsure of it all, but she loved it too. She seemed like such a little peanut compared to all the other girls. I watched and smiled and wiped away a few happy tears as I peeked through the window, all while taking a few pictures. Who knows what the other moms were muttering about me under their breaths!

At the end of class Miss Michelle let the girls out and came up to me to tell what a great job Bridget did for being the "new girl". She said she worried about her when she saw how tiny she was compared to the girls, but she did so great! Proud Mommy Moment!

She ran in 20 steps ahead of me!

Waiting...

She seemed so little sitting there in that big chair!

She could barely see over the chair...look how big all the other girls are!

I love how all three girls you see in this last picture are doing something totally different:)

She can't wait to go back next week!