Apple

Maggie loves apples.  She refused to eat apple slices, she wants the whole apple.  She eat all the skin off first and then eats it down to the core if she is really hungry.  Henry happened to get the remains of her half eaten apple and refused to give it up.  Needless to say, we now have two apple eaters.

What a mess!!!

Okay, I started out my day excited to document all the messes I clean up everyday but after the second mess I was already exhausted.  I thought I could prove to Sara and to myself that I actually do things during the course of the day.  The funny thing is... while cleaning up one mess... another mess is being created in the other room... pausing to take pictures only begins to compound the problem.  Pretty soon, there are two or three messes to cleanup and photograph.  Needless to say... I gave up rather quickly.

Cousins at Calico

This morning we went to Calico Basin for the first time.  It was hot and I was happy to have remembered sunscreen.  Aunt Jenna (my cousin), Uncle Mark and Cooper were in town visiting.  Mark actually took most of the pictures above.  Later at the house Jenna took Maggie to the market.  Later, they returned with a balloon labeled "Happy Assistant's Day!" apparently, that is the one she wanted.  Later Sara got home and we had an amazing meal, courtesy of Jenna.  More later, Mom (Cindy), Aunt Tasha and Paige arrived, just in time to join in the meal.  Late, later our guest went back to LA and we were left alone to reminisce

Easter dress

Smocking and dress provided by her Grandma Torgerson.

When the family gets together

Who knew taking a picture with the children could be so difficult and fun... and this is the edited version.

Pretty in Pink

Strange traditions

This is the first Easter Maggie encountered a strange story about how the Easter bunny bringing eggs and candy to children.  As a child, I could always count on finding an egg in each my shoes.  I also remember taking an empty basket around searching for hidden eggs.  Our search started inside the house but continued out in the yard.  The eggs were so well hidden that inevitably one or two eggs would be discovered weeks after our search ended.

I guess in some parts of California, the Easter bunny doesn't hide eggs but just scatters them about in broad day light.  I also discovered that instead of hiding each egg, some bunnies just stuff a hidden basket with goodies.  This is strange way of doing things.  I was also surprised when Payton discovered her basket, but instead of finding it full of candy, it was full of toys. 

It never occurred to me before, but I guess no Easter bunny is the same.

Henry's first suit vest

Henry's first suit vest, courtesy of Grandma Richins

The hunt

This story begins with a basket and a few happy children...

The hunt begins

Cool tree swing

I think this is the first time I have seen Maggie and Chase play together.  I thought Chase's strategy for pushing Maggie was quite ingenious.

Windy day

Monday we visited to the bird preserve... again... but this time we brought a stroller and Mom.  It was uncomfortably windy.  We should have taken our kite... next time.

Peas

One of my favorite moments of the day is watching Maggie and Henry playing nice with each other.  Nobody can get a bigger smile and laugh out of Henry than his big sister.  Maggie enjoys stealing frozen peas off his plate and it always seems to get a big smile out of him. 

Maggie's fever

Maggie threw up all over me yesterday.  She has been running a fever the last few days. We had plans to go fly our homemade kite but we scaled back on our field-trip ideas.  Although Maggie was sick she still wanted to go on an adventure.  She got hooked on the idea of going to the library.  The Paseo Verde Library has a cool play area for kids that she loves.  I was impressed because she picked up every single book and toy that was  left out by the other kids.  I didn't want her to pick up every single item but she insisted, even Henry helped put  toys away.

Afterwards, we walked around the Farmers Market adjacent to the library... but let's be honest... there aren't any local farms in Vegas.  I highly recommend the farmer's market if you like paying more for your produce and enjoy the walking around in the heat.  Still, it was still fun to look at all the overpriced items.  Henry was asleep by then and all that walking around wore the kids out.  I stopped at the grocery store on the way home and picked up popsicles for the kids to consume after they awoke from their nap.

Eggs in a nest

Hmmm... my favorite breakfast, one-eyed-jack or toad in the hole... the perfect blend of egg meets toast.  This is what we had for breakfast today to help gear up for our big adventure.  I tried to make a rhombus and a square but they are indistinguishable.

Maggie made Valentines

If your have been the recipient of one of our handmade cards, I hope you have taken note of the beautiful paper.  I bought this wonderful two-hundred-pound-one-hundred-percent cotton paper for a project but I soon discovered it doesn't feed through my printer or any printer for that matter... so we use it for our card business.  Don't worry if you haven't gotten a card, we still have over 80 sheets left.

First Disneyland

It was Maggie and Henry's first time at Disneyland back in February.  I am glad they got to share it with family. We had a huge group that materialized as if we had been planning it for months.  I am so glad everyone came out.  My only regret is that we didn't take a group picture.

I am not crazy about Disneyland but maybe that's because it's not linked to my childhood.  Sara loves Disneyland and I am sure if we lived in California we would have a season pass.  Maggie was an inch shy of some of the rides like Splash Mountain but I think she enjoyed chasing Tanner and Chase around more than any of the rides.

Catching up

Last time we were in the hood was for Tyler's blessing.  Good times!

Henry's first steps

While our friends were visiting on Saturday, Henry took his first few steps.

Henry's fall

Last week while I was reaching over the shopping cart to get some cabbage, Henry leaned forward while simultaneously Maggie gave the cart a push forward, catapulting little Henry out of the shopping cart.  I watched it in slow motion as he free fell to the concrete floor several feet below. He landed perfectly flat on his back, while his head never touch the ground.

It was horrifying to watch but I knew it could have been fatal.  The fact that he didn't even get a bruise or scratch on his head is nothing short of a miracle.  Only a few hours later he was playing with his sister like nothing had happened.  The grocery store attendant was very helpful.  I had to file a report, which felt like an application for the worst-parent-of-the-year-award, but at least I wasn't rushing off to the hospital.  We are all very grateful Henry is still alive and healthy.

PS. Yesterday, I shot pictures of him falling onto the bed.  In light of this story in might not seem like fun but unlike the event at the grocery store, Henry was contagiously laughing which put a big smile on my face.

Wrestling with Mom

At some point in our life, I hope Sara gets the opportunity to do this all day long.  Being a stay-at-home parent is a lot like WWF wrestling.  It's nice that Sara comes home everyday at 5 pm so that I can tag her into the arena.  I don't know how single parents manage.