Our First Family Camp Out!

We decided to take the plunge and try a real camping trip. You know the kind...the tent sleeping, hot dog roasting, s'more eating, dirt playing kind of camp out. We had an absolute blast. The kids loved riding their bikes around the paved loop. Kai even learned how to use his brakes on his new "Cars" bike.

Not only did DiDi and Papa join us for dinner, but Maya and Kai's cousin Kayleigh arrived in time for S'mores (they were staying with my parents who live a mere 2 miles from our campsite).

Kai played in the sand until he was covered from head to toe in dirt (too bad there are no bathtubs here).

Once in bed, the kids were asleep within minutes. Unfortunatenly, Maya woke with the sunrise. We were all up by 5:30a.m. and packed up by 7:30. There's not a whole lot to do at a campground at 5:30a.m. So we decided to pack up and head home for some rest and relaxation. Wait a second...isn't that what camping is for?

Maya's Last Day of Preschool!

I can't believe that our girl has completed her first year of school. Where did the time go?

I can't tell you how many times I have heard from other parents..."if you think time goes by fast now, just wait until they're in school". My how true this is!

We celebrated her last day with a great lunch at Dairy Queen. All of her preschool friends were there and they had such a great time.

Per Maya's request, I had to sit at the designated "mom's table" and wasn't allowed to sit anywhere near Maya. I though I'd have a few more years before this kind of thing started happening.

Congrats Maya on a terrific first year of preschool. We're so proud of you!

Mother's Day Tea!

Today I got to attend Maya's preschool Mother's Day Tea.

In front of an audience of proud glowing moms, the kids from both the morning and afternoon classes performed a series of songs and poems (written specifically in honor of Mother's Day).

Afterwards, Maya gave me a beautiful present...a plaque with her handprint and poem.

We then ate bagels and doughnuts together and sipped lemonade.

I can't imagine a better way to spend a Tuesday morning.

Thank you Maya, for making me the luckiest Mom on the planet.

Happy Birthday Kai...Part 2!

Our favorite boy is 3!!! When asked what he wanted to do for his birthday, Kai immediately responded "I want to go to the Choo Choo place". So that's exactly what we did.

There's a great restaurant not far from us called Tyler's Tender. We sit on bar stools around a counter and wait for the model train to deliver our food.

While we're waiting, the kids love pushing the buttons to make a model train neighborhood come to life. One button makes the helicopter go while another activates the train and so on.

As we're eating our yummy food, we anxiously watch the clock count down until it's time for a real train ride. The kids proudly give their train tokens to the conductor and climb in the train car of their choice...Maya and Kai always choose the engine car so they can ring the bell. After 3 or 4 trips around the room, the ride is over and it's time to go play in the arcade.

Towards the end of our visit, the train makes one last stop at our bar stools to deliver fresh baked chocolate chip cookies for the birthday boy and his sister. They devour them and wash them down with their old fashioned milk shakes.

What a great birthday! Happy Birthday Kai. We love you so much and can't imagine life without you.

Kai's Birthday Celebration...Part 1!

I can't belive our favorite boy will be 3 tomorrow!

Kai had a great birthday celebration today. It was small with just family. We felt so lucky to have Auntie Jil and baby Ely here to celebrate with us.

Kai was so excited when he opened his light-up Thomas shoes and his "Cars" bike. He also loved his Lightning McQueen cake. Maya was such a great big sister and did a nice job passing the spot-light to him for the day.

Our First Visit with Baby Ely!

My sister Jil came to visit for a week. This was our first chance to meet our new cousin and nephew, baby Ely. He was just 2 1/2 months old and such a great baby. We all fell in love with him at first sight. The kids were enamored with him...especially Maya. She held him, fed him, burped him, played with him, soothed him, and always wanted to be next to him.

Thanks Auntie Jil for such a great visit. We can't wait to see Auntie Jil, Uncle Drew, and Ely again this summer.