Napless

She's starting to skip naps. And then she regrets it.

Rock Museum

This is a collection of rocks that Nora has scavenged for in our backyard for the last two years. It is her pride and joy.

Chalk Board

Another great idea from Pinterest. This should keep Nora busy for hours.

We Can Pump

They both learned how to pump in the same day. For the record, Ronan learned first.

Good Bye Crib

Jeff made me swear on my life that I would never make him convert the crib again.
Cribs never really symbolized babies to me because we always coslept. Maybe that's why I wasn't sad to experience this milestone.

Nana Visits

As if having a week in Visalia wasn't enough, we brought my mom back to Portland with us for even more fun!  She actually saved me by driving back with us.  I don't know how we would have ever made it home.

We had a great time while Nana was visiting.  We took her to the Audubon Society and showed her all our favorite birds:  Ruby, Jack, Lily, and Hazel.  My mom picked out a few butterfly books, including an incredible coloring book for the kids.



Pallet Express

My dad took us to his pallet yard one afternoon.  He has moved locations several times since I lived at home, but recently moved back to the yard that he had when I lived at home.  It reminded me of all the time I spent there while in high school and it was great to show it to the kids.

My dad didn't have the keys to the fork lift so the kids were only able to sit in it.  I can't imagine how they would have reacted if they had seen the thing in action.

Clare had to stand on the truck bed, and even did a dance.

Pappy and his granddaughters.

It took us forever to get this pictures, but it was worth it!  I love how happy my dad was to show the kids around the yard.  We had a great time there and I am sure that Ronan would have stayed all day.

Imagine U

As part of the trip to Visalia I knew that I would be spending a lot of time with the kids during the day while my family was at work.  We kept ourselves busy and made a trip to Imagine-U, the children's museum in Visalia.

Mehaul, Katiemay's boyfriend, came with us too.  Ronan thought he was the coolest guy and every time he left his sight he would ask where Mehaul was.
Ronan loved building this tower from the giant legos.  He insisted that I take a picture and moments later he toppled it down to the ground.

Swimming

I had plenty of reasons to go to Visalia for spring break:  spending time with family, Katiemay was coming home, but most importantly, better weather.

We went to at least two parks every day and would stay until the kids either needed a bathroom or more food.  It was nice to spend so much time outside.

And then there was that giant swimming pool in the backyard.  The kids begged all day long to go in it.  But with outside temperatures at only 70, the pool was still freezing.  Of course....this meant nothing to them.

Since Nora and Ronan are both swimmers, I felt comfortable letting them bounce around in the water.  I always describe their swimming by saying that I would feel comfortable throwing them in the deep end.

And so when Ronan wanted to jump off the diving board I let him.  But unlike my plan, he froze when he hit water and screamed for help.  So I slid in sideways and fully clothed to rescue him.  

Gymnastics

Jeff's parents took these amazing pictures of the kids during their last gymnastics class.  Parents are invited to attend the last class, but it isn't a realistic option for me because Clare wouldn't tolerate watching so it was perfect that Jeff's parents were able to go instead.

And of course the presentation of awards.  We could never let our children complete something without awarding them!

Dentist

Look how cute these kids are at the dentist!  Nora even found out she has two loose teeth.

Ronan's Party

Ronan's class had an ice cream party and siblings were invited to join.  Clare was so excited to sit at the table next to her big brother.  He was such a good helper and happy to have her with him.  I love that the preschool is so inclusive of families!

Garden Starts

We started our garden!!!
We have four herbs, beans, and peas started!
Now to keep them alive....