Fun-Filled Weekend

 We were lucky enough to have friends come visit for the long weekend.  We've been missing the C family and hadn't seen them for several months, so we were glad that at least part of the family was able to make the drive to come visit.

We were having too much fun for me to take very many pictures (and some of these aren't really the best, but I wanted some pictures for this post.) 

While they were here, we fit in a couple long walks (because I've been lazy and our old habit of fitting in a 4 mile run before breakfast isn't quite possible for me these days).

And we had a couple dinners with our other friends, which meant lots of play time for all these kids, and time for the adults to chat.  Time that is quickly coming to an end because the other two families are also moving away this summer so pretty soon, we will be the only ones from this little group who still live here.

 These two two little guys did really well with all the busy-ness, and were very entertained by E.  Too bad she lives so far away because we could use a great babysitter.

 There was some swimming--opening weekend at the pool!

And I'm happy to report that Peanut has decided the pool isn't so bad.  He didn't even flinch when we first got in and it was a little chilly (I flinched, but he was all smiles).

There were lots of stories, and late nights, movies, and by the end, some pretty tired kids.

Living so far from all our family, we don't get to have cousins come to visit, so this is our "family" and we love any chance we can all get together!

Thinking Outside the Box

This was a fitting final play for the school year-- about 4 famous inventors put on trial for thinking outside the box and changing our world, just like these kids are learning to do.  It's been an amazing 2 years with Mrs. A and this little group and its sad to see it come to an end.

And it really is coming to an end. A couple months ago, the school found out they were approved to become a charter school this fall.  Good news in the long run, but because of a state law, the school was required to hold a lottery for every single spot at the school--no spots held for the current students (don't even get me started on how ridiculous this law is).  And in keeping with our past school lottery luck, neither one of our kids got in, or is close enough on the wait list to hope things will change.  In fact, no one from Bean's 10 person class made it in through the lottery.  While one or two of the students will be back because their parents work there, for the most part, this is it for this class.  It has been pretty bitter-sweet to watch these kids together this last month, knowing that each event is a last.

But back to the sweet part of it all--their play, "Law and Order" included orignial artwork and props,

lots of dancing (doing the Electric Slide here),

and incredibly cute off-key singing.

Bean was Henry Ford, on trial for thinking out side the box when he created the automobile.

She loved learning about Henry Ford (and all the inventors), and was pretty excited when we pulled out the pictures of when she got to ride in a Model T while we were living in Michigan.

As part of this unit, they also wrote reports and made a visual about another inventor of their choice.  Bean picked Margaret E. Knight, who began inventing things as a teenager and is the creator of the modern day paper bag.

This school has been the most amazing learning environment and I'm so glad that we've been able to be a part of it.  We're hoping that when the school expands for 2013-2014, we'll be able to get back in, but for now, it means we get to return to homeschooling.    There are actually a lot of things that I'm looking forward to, but I'm completely dreading having to break the news to the kids.  They are both going to be pretty dissappointed, but I hope that we can get enough fun stuff planned to make the blow a little softer. 

For now, we'll enjoy one last week of school and keep making plans for an awesome summer.

All Grown Up

 I can't believe that this little man is done with preschool.  We love his teachers so much and are sad to be saying goodbye.

And these three. . . they weren't quite two when we first met at the preschool, and then spent the next two years in a playgroup together and the last two years at PPP.  Seems like a lifetime ago.

The school had a little picnic yesterday to celebrate with the families and then the kids got one last day with their teachers, on the playground, doing art, reading stories and looking through their year-end books together.

After we picked up Bean, we went for our own little celebratory frozen yogurt.  Just a little "time for summer" treat.  Guess we'll have to do it again next week when Bean finishes up and our summer vacation really starts.

And now, off to new adventures!  We can't wait to watch you grow, Bugaboo!  (But you can take your time.)

Better Late Than Never

 It's only taken a year--Peanut's room is finally done.  We got it painted before he was born, but the decorating has struggled.  I knew if I didn't get it done before he came, it may not happen, but honestly, being sick for the entire pregnancy really affected my productivity.  But I've dabbled here and there, and now the room is pretty much how I want it.  Good thing, too, since Peanut may only be in there for another year or so before we play musical rooms.

 Refinishing the dresser/changing table was the last project I finished a few weeks ago.  I saw this idea here and loved it.  And with the $3 sample jars of paint, its a very inexpensive way to add a splash of color.  After almost 8 years, the dresser needed a new coat of paint anyway, and it will be easy to redo the drawers if we change the color scheme.

 The stars over the bed have been hung for awhile now.  I wanted something reminiscent of a mobile, but in the color scheme of his room, and making a few stars to hang from the ceiling seemed like a quick fix.  Peanut was fascinated when I first put them up and still loves it if we send them all swinging.

The fabrics I picked out for his quilt had a splash of orange in them, so I painted the little shelf over his dresser and the coat hooks orange.  Not a color I'd feel safe using much of, but I think its fun to have a little bit here and there.

 And the "H" on his wall is a yarn-wrapped piece of cardboard.  I've seen a lot of different ones on Pinterest--and it looked so easy, but the execution was a little trickier, maybe because I picked a style of letter that had curved spots.  I had to do some notching, and a little hot glue, to get the yarn to stay, but I like the finished product.

 And the quilt.  I need to get a better picture of the whole thing laid out.  That project was all my mom.  She's made a baby quilt for each of my kids and I love them.  She also helped out with the curtains and valence when she came to visit this last summer.  Even with them almost complete, it still took me several months to get them hung.  I'm just not good at finishing things up when I have so many distractions (and so little sleep).

Finally, I love having these pictures of my sweet little guy.  When I hung these up, he wasn't much bigger than in the photos, but now, it's been almost exactly a year and its getting harder to remember that sweet little newborn who just snuggled and slept so much of the time.  Peanut loves to say "night-night" to the babies, too.

Only thing left is some sort of bookcase or book holder on this wall under the photos.  I wanted to repurpose some wood spice racks from Ikea, but they haven't been in stock for months so I may need to give up and do something else.  Or if I wait another year, Bean will be ready to move in here and I can completely change the whole thing.

We've Got a One Year Old!

 It's hard to believe that Peanut has been around for a year now.  We decided that even if it was just going to be a small family party (with my mom and brother coming into town), this little guy needed a party theme that fit. . .

 The Very Hungry Catepillar.  He's small, but loves his food.

 We had Peanut's favorites: salmon, artichokes wiht homemade mayo,



 and a fruit plate complete with "catepillar" holes.  Peanut may not have known what was going on, but the big kids loved it.

 Then Peanut got to open his presents.  He's a huge Lego fan and was excited to see more.







Hanging out with Daddy-o.

 The cake and cupcakes were made with this recipe and topped with a meringue frosting, and everyone thought they tasted great.  (It's so fun to have a treat that isn't just a substitute for what everyone else is eating.)

Peanut was a little concerned by the fire, and the singing, and had absolutely no idea how to blow out a candle.  Bean had to help him with that.

But he did start to play with the cake.  Actually, make that the frosting.

  He never got down to the cake.  I think the stickiness of the frosting was a little too much for him and he wasn't sure how to use his hands after that.  We've never had one of those kids that ends up diving into the cake.

His 12 month well-check was 2 days later--and he finally hit 18 pounds!  31.75 inches which puts him at 85% for height, and just over 5% for weight, but he's hanging in there!

Happy Birthday, Peanut!  We are so glad we get to see that smiling face every day and have you as part of our family!

DC Outtakes

 It might have been just a little windy while we were in D.C.  Some of us weren't exactly excited about that.

 Some of us were.

 It may not have been windy enough to actually get air, but Daddy-o's hat did on the second day and was lost to the Tidal Basin all in the name of getting a good shot of the Jefferson Memorial.

 It may have been a little sunny, too.

(Squinty eyes and the tongue--I just want to squeeze this baby!)

 7 year olds may have gotten very silly when it comes to pictures.

 5 year olds may have gotten a little intense and may have needed some hugs to get over the fact that sometimes we took pictures of more than just him.

 These kids might have spent the entire week walking around like eskimos--it was a little chilly because of all the wind, but their hoods ALL.THE.TIME were a little over the top.

 We may have taken too many pictures--and stopped getting real smiles, especially from Bug--after about the first hour of the week.

And we just might have listened to more crying in the car than any of us could handle, which resulted in be willing to do anything to get Peanut to stop, even if it meant having to clean up a box of tissues that he had torn into itty, bitty little pieces.

But in spite of it all, it was a great trip!

Mount Vernon

Our trip to Mt. Vernon was a last minute decision.  Or, rather, the day that we went, it was a last minute decision.  We'd fully planned on going and were just waiting for the warmest day of the week since it involves a lot of outside sight-seeing, but as we drove around 2 different Metro Stations looking for a parking space so we could go into DC on Wed, we finally gave up and decided to change plans.  It all worked out, but we kind of wished that we'd planned for it so we could have had a couple extra hours because with the new museum as well as everything to see on the grounds, it really is a full day activity.

 Bean had studied a little about our first President for President's Day this year, so she was very excited to see where he'd lived and "meet the family".

 We got to see the gardens and the farms.  And the baby animals.

 We toured the 16-sided barn which was actually pretty amazing, the way it was set up.

 We saw Washington's grave,

 watched the blacksmith at work,

And sat on the back porch.

The view of the Patomac was beautiful.

And the museum was pretty incredible.  We didn't have much time to look at it all, but really, that is was the theme of the week.  There is just so much to see and learn in D.C. that is would take months to see it all.