Family Party

As most of you who read this blog know, Mommy has a rather large family.  More specifically, Grandma has lots of siblings (9 brothers and a sister to be exact).  This means that Mia and CJ will probably be able to assume at any family event, the person they don't recognize is probably their mother's cousin.

Today, we spent time with an even more extended family.  Grandma's cousins Mary Lu and Sue invited us to their home for a Memorial Day Weekend family picnic.  We had a lot of fun.  It reminded Mommy of her family picnics as a child, running around with all the cousins, lots of food and laughter.

Mia felt right at home surrounded by all the red heads.

 Great-Grand Uncle Tommy is mommy's maternal grandmother's brother.

Mia hangs out with Grandma's cousin Bill C. while singing Happy Birthday to a variety of family members.

 CJ got to play with his 3rd cousin John Patrick, whom we found out lives just outside of DC, too.

 

Sadly, the picture of the boys with Bill and Judy C. didn't come out so well.  The kids were having too much fun playing to pose for a picture.

And, we know one of the best things about family parties is the kids having fun with everyone else.  Mommy and Daddy really enjoyed getting to eat a meal while the kids enjoyed time with Cousin Sue.

Strawberry Picking

Continuing on with Mia's vacation days, we headed off to Great Country Farms, where we get our summer CSA, to pick some strawberries with Nina.

CJ got his fill of strawberries because if Mommy wasn't feeding him one, he would go after the moldy or animal eaten ones. Mommy, clearly, got very little picking done and was quite happy Nina came along to help.

Mia was so covered in strawberries when we got back from the fields that one of the farmers commented that we should have weighed her before and after!

Can't wait for Nina to make the strawberry jam!

Baltimore Aquarium

Mia had a few days off from school for Shavout, so Mia, CJ, and Mommy had a great time at the Baltimore Aquarium.  We seem to never grow tired of the main exhibits and the dolphin show, but this was our first time to see the jelly fish and CJ's first dolphin show.

One of the dolphins recently had a baby and the baby participated in the show!  You could not have pulled these kids away from the railing while the dolphins swam and jumped.

Bedside Manner

Mia really enjoys "fixing" everyone in the house with the doctor kit that Grandma and Grandpa gave her. Today, I thought she had particularly good bedside manner when she told me I had to have knee surgery.

Mia: Mommy, I cut open your knee to make you better. It will make your knee happy. I will have to take off the skin, but your knee will be happy.
(Pause)
Mommy, say, "Are you sure?"

Mommy: Are you sure?

Mia: Yes, I am sure. Your knee will be happy.

(Mia then proceeds to pretend to cut open my knee and put the skin she's removed on my ankle.)

Mommy, your knee is happy now.

Somehow, I felt I was in quite capable hands.

Lag B'Omer/Butterfly Release Party

Mia's preschool class has been raising caterpillars for the past few weeks and today was the party to release the butterflies into the world. All the parents were invited to watch the release and then join the kids for some singing and lunch. Mom, Dad, and CJ were all able to join Mia. (We also discovered CJ's love of watermelon and lemon Italian ice.)

Bedhead

The humidity has definitely hit. Mia is waking up with hair that looks like she's had it in curlers all night.


Look at those ringlets. People spend hours trying to get this (though maybe a bit tidier) and Mia wakes up with it.

Tricycle

CJ received a hand-me-down tricycle from a friend who had outgrown it and it has been a big hit. It doesn't have any pedals so you are just supposed to push along with your feet. CJ is just a little too short to reach the ground at the moment, but that doesn't keep him from trying. Mia also loves it too. We've had to break up a few fights over this one.

Adleigh's Birthday

Mia is definitely making the birthday circuit this spring. We went up to the Wheaton Regional Park for Adleigh's 3rd birthday. It had been raining so the miniature train wasn't running, but the carousel was.

Mia was OK with it at first, but then decided it was not for her.

Monthly Dinner

It was our turn to host the (mostly) monthly dinner. It wasn't that warm (though you wouldn't know that from Mia's refusal to wear a coat), but the kids did get to enjoy the sunshine in the back yard before eating.

Maddie's Birthday Party

Our next door neighbor Maddie had a Princesses and Knights 3rd birthday party. It was a morning party so we had a doughnut instead of birthday cake, played some games, read some stories, and then headed to the Chinquapin soft playroom.

I was most impressed with Maddie's mom's ability to get so many kids to sit down at the same time for princess stories.

CJ's First Steps

CJ has taken his first steps! I have no pictures or video, but I thought it worth a mention all the same. Hopefully, it won't be too long before we get some photographic evidence.

Taid's Birthday

We headed over to Nina and Taid's on a beautiful Saturday to celebrate Taid's birthday. We had a fantastic time playing in the yard and Mia especially appreciated getting to help blow out the candles.

(CJ found his favorite toy inside: the dog's water dish!)

First Tooth

You can't really see inside CJ's mouth, but he has finally cut his first tooth and a second is on its way.


For reference, this is exactly the same time that Mia got her first tooth as well.

Easter "Egg" Hunt

Easter was pretty relaxed this year. We just spent the day hanging out with Grandpa and Grandma. They did decide to get a bit creative with the kids' Easter "egg" hunt and use colored golf balls instead of eggs to hide in the yard. Mia loved finding the eggs and helping her brother a bit, too. So much so, that she didn't have any time to bother with Daddy's attempts to get some photos of her finding the "eggs."

Mountain Drive

Now that Daddy has arrived, we thought we'd try to go hiking in the mountains. We drove up into the mountains, but Mia got car sick so no hiking was to be had. The drive was fantastic and helped you really appreciate the valley that Tucson is in. We were also amazed at the Saguaro cactus forests as we drove up and how they turned into pine forests covered in snow as we reached the top at 8,000 feet.

Tucson Zoo

Before Daddy arrived, Grandma and Grandpa took us to see the Tucson Zoo. Mia became riveted by the giraffes. We had no idea that she loved giraffes so much, but we had to keep on going back to see them and tear her away at the end.

Tucson

Grandma and Grandpa moved to Tucson in January so we decided to go visit them for Easter. Mom, Mia, and CJ flew out early and Dad followed a few days later. The kids did great on the planes and Mom was very happy that there were some very nice people to help get on and off the planes.

We had a great time enjoying the desert, especially seeing all the plants and wildlife.

Being a Big Sister Means...

Being a big sister means helping your brother learn how to walk...



Mia and CJ did this for quite a while after school yesterday, but I sadly only thought to get it on video when they were getting tired of the game.

*Sorry about the video quality, but this was taken on my iPhone.

Oh What A Beautiful Day

We could not have asked for a more beautiful Sunday.

We played outside after church.

And then headed to Nina and Taid's for dinner. We even got to eat outside!

My Ball

"Where is my ballllllll? I can't find my balllllll."

"Do youuu know where my ball is?"

"Please help me find my ball."
(Notice pitiful remaining tear on left cheek.)

"There you are ball. I missed you so much. I'll never let you out of my sight again. "