Today's Happenings . . .

• The only good thing about spilled milk inside the fridge is that it gives me an excuse to clean the shelves.
• Things we lost under the refrigerator today:  Ken's birthday card and Amelia's harmonica.
• In a quiet moment:  I found the girls playing quietly and nicely with the play-dough.  AND Amelia even put away the play-dough when she was done.
• The only good thing about food spilt/thrown/dropped on the floor - at least the floor gets spot mopped.
• We got mylar balloons for Ken for his birthday.  I can't count the number of times I've gotten them down from the ceiling today (thank goodness for long strings).
• I bought some new summer clothes for Amelia and Sophia and brought them home for them to try on.  Both girls threw fits trying them on; they like getting new clothes, but for some reason they hate trying them on.  The only plus side was that the tantrums were at home and not at the store.
• In another quiet moment I found Amelia methodically pulling off the leaves of my Christmas cactus and tearing them into shreds.
• In response to being sad about the cactus, Sophia gave me a hug and a kiss.
• And if I haven't completely lost it by bedtime, I'll reward myself with some of Ken's leftover birthday ice cream cake.

Amelia said . . .

The other day, while driving down the street, Amelia says to me, "Mommy, slow down, you're driving too fast."  (Ken thinks this is hilarious, btw.)  When I asked Amelia why she thought I was driving too fast, she said "I can't count the trees because you're driving too fast".   Seeing that we live in an area with a lot of trees, I suggested that perhaps she try counting something a little easier, like cars.

Finding Joy in the Rain

Amelia got an umbrella and raincoat for her birthday, and just recently, I bought her rain boots to go with it.  But we haven't had a good opportunity to play in the rain . . . until today.  The weather was perfect for playin' in the rain - not to cold, no wind, mild rain, and nowhere to go afterwards.  So here we are, enjoying the rain, and of course, the puddles.

Finally caught a smile on camera.

 Very serious about puddle jumping.

Sophia hates getting her hands dirty, so after playing in the muddy water, she had to show me her muddy hands so that I could clean them for her.

Amelia showing off her umbrella skills (sorry for the sideways video).

The Things I've Heard & Seen Recently

• Amelia loves to dance and sing . . . and Sophia loves to do just what her older does. So here are 2 short videos of the girls singing and dancing on Easter morning.

• I've wondered when this day would come.  Today I heard, coming from the backseat,  "she's looking at me".  I just started giggling from the front seat.
• I've heard of "mud slinging", but I've never actually seen it.  But every time the girls go outside with me, they start "slinging" dirt at each other.  I'm glad they like being outside, but I wish I could figure out a way to prevent the "slinging" to make outdoor play less messy.
• Sophia has the cutest smile, but I rarely catch it with a camera.  This is what I got when I asked her to smile.
  
   However, when I asked Amelia to smile, I got this:
  
  

Egg-cellent Day

A beautiful sunny day, two happy children, just the right amount of eggs to find, no crowds = a perfect egg finding day.

Amelia is an old pro at looking for/finding Easter eggs.  Here she is showing off her egg finding pose.  

We got their Easter baskets on clearance last year . . . but I think Sophia's is almost too big for her.

This was Sophia's first time.  She was excited, but a little unsure of how it worked.  She caught on pretty quickly and got almost as many eggs as Amelia did.

Our yard is perfect for egg hunts.  I can't wait to hide them better and better each year ;)

A successful egg hunt.  The girls look cute . . . too bad Mommy blinked.

Laughing Instead of Yelling

Today for nap time, I left Sophia in her room to cry/ get herself to sleep.  I made sure Amelia was tucked in, then went downstairs to take a much needed nap.   5 min. later Amelia comes into my room and tells me she's all done with her nap.  I was too tired to argue, so I told her to go upstairs and play in the play room, with strict instructions to be quiet and NOT wake up/bother Sophia.  Minutes later, I heard (through the baby monitor) Amelia in Sophia's room, talking to her.  I was giggling as I listened to Amelia "checking on Sophia", telling her about "Daddy outside mowing the lawn", and lots of other things.  When I went upstairs, I found Amelia putting all of Sophia's toys in Sophia's bed.  I love that Amelia is concerned about and wants to spend time with Sophia, but I'd prefer that she doesn't do it at nap time ;)

I finally got Amelia back to bed while Ken got Sophia to sleep.  Amelia wanted to sleep in the window seat (I'm actually surprised she hasn't wanted to do that before), and not surprisingly, she only slept for about 20 min.  Maybe that will work out to my benefit tonight at bedtime.

Joy in the Moment

Finding joy in the moment . . . two sisters playing quietly together - no fighting, no yelling, no crying.  Aah!  Enjoyed that moment!