Emme's Reward - The Lorax

Emme filled up her incentive jar this week and got to choose a special family activity for us to do this weekend. And her choice....going to see The Lorax movie!

Here she is with her full bead jar!
And at the theater ready to watch the movie! Can not take her eyes away from the screen. We buy the big popcorn and then I bring their popcorn bowls from home to fill! Makes sharing that much easier!
Daddy and Hannah. Daddy was being silly as this is the second picture I took of them...think he had enough of picture taking in the theater.

And then today, we went to visit Aunt Polly, Uncle Bill, and Great Nana.

Talent Show

Last night was the first of many (most likely) talent shows at school. Hannah and her friends , Audrey and Bella, were "Hula Magic," a hula hooping magic act. Before the show.
The girls did great performing. I will try to post the video. Ironically, they signed up for the hula hooping act before they could really hula hoop. BUT because of the talent show, they practiced and all were pretty good by showtime. Hannah's teacher, Ms. Pellegrine, was part of the Surprise Act before intermission. She made sure to seek Hannah out and congratulate her. Very sweet!
And then, our neighbor, June came to see the show (I had mentioned it to her earlier in the day) and surprised Hannah, the star performer, with flowers. Hannah was so excited!!!
A successful show! Hannah is already planning out her next act for next year's show...gymnastics!

Open House - Me, Myself, and I

Thursday was Hannah's second open house at school. They had just finished their unit on "Me, Myself, and I."

As usual, Hannah had her clipboard and checklist and was ready to show me around the room.


Hannah's "twin"

We lost Emme to the Dr.'s office where she stayed during the entire tour.
Inches of me...Hannah is the 4th tallest in her class (the paper was not to the floor)
As the Dr.'s office was on the checklist, we stopped by to visit Emme. The office even had "real" hand sanitizer.
Hannah's "Me Museum," a shoebox full of her favorite things.

After the tour, the girls stayed in the Dr.'s office playing for a bit before it was time for Emme and I to leave.

1st Day of Spring

With the beginning of Spring, we've had unseasonably warm temperatures, but NO ONE is complaining. It's so nice to feel the warm sunshine after Winter (even if it was a considerably mild Winter).

Technically, this first picture of Emme is 2 days before the start of Spring. Sunday was beautiful and so we spent a great deal of the day outside!





And then yesterday, on the actual 1st day of Spring, it was so warm, the girls put their bathing suits on when we got home from picking up Hannah from school and had a water fight on June's driveway (while I read my Nook on our patio). They had to use water bottles as the hoses aren't even hooked up yet for the season. They had so much fun!

Then they just started dumping water on themselves. It was quicker that way!

































And then some silly posing for the camera from the girls!

Emme's 3rd Birthday

Yesterday was Emme's 3rd birthday and it was a day full of celebrating!

We started the morning with presents from Nana and Papa, Gramma and Gramps, and Mommy, Daddy, and Hannah. Emme was very excited!

Emme then chose to go to Rainforest Cafe for lunch.
And as a special treat, both girls got souvenir light up glasses!
Emme playing with her new Merliah Summer barbie doll (Merliah Summer is from Mermaid Tale, the girls' favorite movie). The Barbie doll has a mermaid tail that turns into her surfboard.
In the afternoon, we had some friends over for a birthday party! Singing "happy birthday"
A clover cookie! Yummy!
After eating the treats from the dessert table, the kids needed to get out lots of energy and so they went outside to run off their sugar high. They had races up and down our neighbor's driveway.
Hannah and Sophie
Mommy and Daddy with our big 3 year old!!
The celebration continued this morning with the opening of presents from her friends that came to the party. She loved her new dress from Felicity and Clarice!
And her Tinkerbell doll.
Time is going by way too fast, can't believe Emme is already 3! But we had so much fun celebrating!

Birdhouses

As a family, we made/painted birdhouses for our feathered friends to make a home!

Daddy and Hannah made the birdhouses last year, but left them natural. It was really fun to watch the birds make their home (trying to fit sticks through the small openings), have their young, feed and protect their babies, and then move on. We had a family of sparrows in one and finches in the other.

This year we thought it would be fun to decorate them. Joe cleaned out the previous tenants and made new roofs (so that they can be taken off each year and cleaned). He then sanded them down and primed them for the girls and I to paint.


Primed and ready for painting.
We painted them glossy white with leftover trim paint we had. Emme painted a few strokes and was done.
Hannah took her time and came through and finished the whole first coat.
Day 2, 2 coats of white and the roof painted green (another leftover paint color from our house - yes, Joe's man room is actually this shade of green) and we're ready for painting details. We used stencils, our hands, thumbprints, and free hand to decorate the houses. Hannah is very artistic and did one of the birdhouses completely by herself.
While Mommy and Emme did the other. I probably should have let Emme paint more than just the back of ours, but I'm type A...what can I say?
We used thumbprints to make flowers. Hannah's is the purple flower, Emme's pink.
This is what happens when you leave a 2 yr old with the paints. No washing of brushes between colors...slows you down too much!
Finished houses!
Hannah's sides of her house.

Mommy and Emme's sides. Thumbprint flowers.
This side we used Emme's partial handprints and another of Hannah's purple thumbprint to make the flowers.
Emme's finished masterpiece!
Daddy put them up yesterday...OK birds, come make your home!