Mulch Day

Joe took off this week too in order to spend some quality time with the girls and of course get things done around the house. And as has become our annual tradition, we had 'mulch day'! Joe and Hannah got 3 truckloads of mulch for our garden and flower beds. To Hannah it is a day to get VERY VERY dirty.

As Joe unloads load #2 into our driveway, Hannah plays in the mulch, dumping it onto her head. While it seemed like a good idea at the time, she was not a happy camper at bathtime when I had to get it all out...

Hannah taking a ride on the wheelbarrow.

Showing me just how dirty her hands got.

Waiting until I gave her the OK to go into the house and straight to bath! It didn't show up as well in the picture, but when she took her shoes and socks off, you could see a perfect line of dirt.

What was mulch day turned into mulch week as it took Joe a while longer to distribute all of the mulch (considering he had his little shadow by his side the whole time).

DeCordova Sculpture Park

This past week has been school vacation week so my friend Kerry and I took the kids to the DeCordova Sculpture Park for a picnic and a look around.
First picnic time... Hannah and Cai were in charge of the maps. Here's Hannah trying to decide where to go next after our lunch. The sculptures were mostly abstract. There were signs not to climb on any of them but oddly most of them looked very enticing to climb on....

Little Emme eating her lunch. Poor child has such sensitive eyes with the sun....it seems she always has a tear just sitting under her eye.

Kerry and Cai. Apparently he did not want his picture taken.

Climbing on a wall. Not a sculpture so OK to walk on....

Heart sculpture. Not sure what the kids were doing here.

Emme's take on the whole situation....from her stroller.

Amelie, technically climbing in the structure and not on it. But can you see how inviting they look? Hannah and Cai were playing that these were their homes and they were neighbors.

Such a beautiful day! We couldn't have asked for nicer weather to enjoy the day.

Easter

Easter wouldn't be Easter without first dying eggs. As usual, Hannah takes her job very seriously!

But is all smiles with the results of her beautiful eggs! Easter morning, we came down to find our table filled with treats left by the Easter Bunny.

Hannah was very excited!

And this the Easter Bunny left Emme her very first Easter basket filled with goodies!

And bunny ears too.

For Easter brunch, we went to the New England Center with Joe's extended family. A family shot! Our girls looked adorable in their Easter dresses.

While at lunch, the Easter Bunny came to visit us a few times! The kids loved seeing him and even getting a few more goodies!

Hannah's favorite part....the chocolate fountain for dessert! Marshmallows with chocolate! Yum...she looked like a vampire with the chocolate running down her face.

Mommy's Birthday

Yesterday was full of birthday celebrations...lots of singing, candles, and desserts!

The first part of the day was spent at Hannah's preschool as the parent helper (she goes to a co-op nursery school). For "snack" I brought yummy "Easter themed" cupcakes as it was their last day of school before Easter. Hannah quickly told Miss Lori that it was my birthday and after she asked "really?" which I get a lot of since I was born on April Fool's Day, I got my very own birthday sticker. At snacktime, the class sang happy birthday and Lori even had a candle for me to blow out. Too cute!

After school it was off to lunch with my friend and her girls. Hannah told the server that it was my birthday...really? yes. After we were completely finished with our meal, paid in full, she brought a scoop of ice cream with a candle and all sang happy birthday.

It was such a lovely day and so the afternoon was spent hanging out in our yard enjoying the sunshine and fresh air!

If you look closely, you can see Hannah as a fairy climbing the tree. If you look even closer, you'll notice Hannah tied Joe's truck (he rode his bicycle to work) and my car together and said she was selling them.

For dinner, we went to Bisuteki, a Japanese steakhouse (much like Benihana). Hannah took this picture of Emme and I, a bit shadowy as she always has her fingers in front of the flash!

Me and my girls! I'm trying to keep Emme's finger out of her nose (her new pasttime) but can't seem to keep the tongue in the mouth.

Our chef, Hunter. He was really funny! and did all sorts of tricks that Hannah just loved!

Hannah was amazed at the whole show and while she knew he was being funny and doing "tricks", she was so serious watching him! She loved the show and the food!

As seemed to be the theme of the day, Hannah told the server that it was my birthday. really? yes. today? yes. I had forgotten (I'm sure I would have remembered eventually) that it was very important to tell them that it was your birthday because your entire meal plus dessert is free! That isn't why I chose the place, but it was definitely a perk!

It was such a fantastic birthday! Between that and all of the birthday wishes from friends and family, I couldn't ask for more!