Well Visit...and this time I mean it!

Yesterday was Aila's 15-month check-up, and HALLELUJAH, no ear infections!

It seems the last several "well visits" we've ended up leaving with a prescription

for antibiotics. Two clear ears...we'll take it! And her good health meant she was able to get her vaccinations this time, as you'll see from the bright pink bandaids on her legs.

I was glad. She wasn't.

Weight: 16 lbs. 14 oz. Well below 3rd percentile. Still. (Gained 10 pounds since birth)

Height: 28 inches. 3rd percentile. (Gained 11 inches since birth)

Grateful for a healthy little girl!

Curious George!

Last weekend I took the kids to Barnes & Noble to see Curious George. Right when he came out, Aila began squealing, stomping her feet and clapping.

She was far less excited when it came time to sit on his lap, though! I didn't catch it on camera, but her bottom lip curled downward at one point.

Trevor had an opposite reaction--nervous at first, then fine once it was his turn.

This is Trevor looking up at me holding on tight. He was fine once he got up to George,

but he is a little timid about big, dressed up characters. I learned this nearly 2 years ago when I took him to see Clifford. I thought he'd be ecstatic...but he wasn't a fan.

Fun day visiting Curious George!

We Love Him

We all just adore Justin. I don't have a special occasion or reason to say so, but oh, how we do. We are just so grateful for him. One day recently, Trevor wanted to dress up like Justin, and wore Justin's tie everywhere we went all day long. I will say I don't think Justin would wear quite so feminine an eyeglass frame (those are mine). :)

This is Aila looking out the window as Justin headed off one day...

I think the rest of these photos speak for themselves...

Healthy (Shhhhh!) Food

I have two children who don't dig veggies. Trevor won't eat anything that has what he calls "salad" on it (which means anything green, green-ish, even green-esque). He used to eat anything, but somewhere along the line, he got the kid-memo that says "Hey! Revolt against veggies!" Aila seems to have gotten a copy of that memo early, too.

Enter some attempts at creativity! I've already blogged about the Green Eggs Man (he appears every now and then, and stopped by on St. Patty's Day) who mixes spinach in with our scrambled eggs, but this week the "Purple Oatmeal Man" stopped in to work his magic. Not only did he turn the kids' oatmeal purple (thanks to cooking the oats in fresh blueberry juice), but he also left a heart in the middle (fresh strawberry juice frozen in a heart ice cube tray). Oh my goodness, they loved it. Phew...success!

Other victories this week included the kids dipping "orange swords" (carrots) and "trees" (broccoli) into "super dip" (yogurt with a teeny bit of ranch dressing). And finally, they both love Berry Delicious Hot Chocolate (Ovaltine and milk with blueberry and strawberry hearts to cool it off a bit). :)

Hey--it's progress!! :)

Lessons in Nature

Caterpillars and bunnies and bees--oh my! Here are the kids checking out what we were hoping would be a very hungry caterpillar on the couch. And contrary to what the book says, this little guy wouldn't eat the one slice of swiss cheese, one slice of salami, one piece of cake, or any of the other things we left out for him...

What we've learned around here:

1. Do not squish caterpillars. Hard for them to survive this sort of thing (I didn't take pictures).

2. Bees are super cool! To look at from a reasonable distance. And by "reasonable distance" I mean three houses down.

3. When you are using a nest you found in a tree to show your daughter what a real nest looks like, and when you fill the nest with real eggs for a visual, she will undoubtedly pick up the real egg and try to eat it.

4. When you run at a bunny making truck sounds, they might just run away.

They aren't willing to stick around and find out if you are a nice little 3-year old boy!

Here's a picture taken "pre-running and trucks sounds/pre-running away."

3. When you are willing to hold a caterpillar without squishing it, it's willing to survive for you. And those things are really one of God's masterpieces of creation from start to finish!

My Girls

Ahhh, friends. From CA to GA, I'm grateful. :)

Kelly, my BFF of 20 years...

Small group ladies (we still need to get a pic with the husbands, too):

Briahnna (who doubles as a CA/GA girl), Megan, Liz, Holly, Me

This was at Liz's baby shower for Caroline, due May 24th. I realized when I got home that

this is like the only picture I took at the shower (oh, and one of the food table)!

Teresa, my dear, dear friend...And more Cali girls: Kelly, Arianne, Vickie, Kristi, and Julie

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you!

Water Table

The kids are all about playing in the water table...

...and by that, I mean that Trevor likes splashing Aila in the face a lot.
See how he is bone dry and she's dripping wet?

Caught in the act...

Resurrection Sunday (belated!)

We spent Easter weekend up in Franklin, TN with the Maddens. Great time! Then we had more Easter festivities back at our house, too. A wonderful (albeit tornado-ish) weekend!

Itty Bitty Queen of Denial

Yep. She does the exact same thing when I ask her if she's ready for bed! :)

Lightning Struck Twice

A few weeks ago, I walked into the living room and saw Trevor and Aila watching a movie together. It was just one of those really sweet moments. Well, yesterday I was cleaning the kitchen and came around the corner to see this...

Trevor was just rubbing her head...so sweet!


Then the next time I came out, they were like this:


These two are buddies. They love to sit side by side and drink milk together, for some reason...

...or just use the laundry to make "capes" (this is Trevor's idea--Aila's just forced to play along!)