Play time!

Happy spring! We are having so much fun but I haven't been blogging very much about it! Here are our indoor fun pictures for the month.

Tuesday was a rainy and cold day so we stayed inside and played. First, I made an Easter egg hunt for the kids. I "hid" some eggs in some very obvious places so Maya and Nolan could practice finding them before the big day on Sunday at Nana's. I put 1 jellybean in each egg and they were so pleased that there was candy inside!!

Here is Nolan posing with his basket.















This picture of Maya is a funny story. I wanted to get the kids together in 1 picture, but each time Nolan smiled Maya put her basket in front of her face and I couldn't see her! She didn't understand what I wanted at all so I showed her the pictures and explained what I wanted. Nolan was done with pictures by then, but Maya went straight to her seat and peeked through her basket with this cute smile for mama. What a sweetie!

I also made this homemade match game. I intended to make it a memory game, but the kids ran away with the cards before we got that far. They had fun identifying cards by shape and color and are learning their shapes so well now! So far they know square, circle, rectangle, triangle, diamond, star, oval and sometimes octagon.

Right after this picture, Nolan kicked Maya in the face, so he went to "time out" to think about it. He was actually smiling at first because he doesn't "get it" yet, so I had him look at his hands to make it seem like he was really sorry for the picture. He is getting the routine down though...after time out he goes to the person he offended and says, "I'm sorry for _____." Then he gives hugs and kisses.

Bob and Gayla have officially moved into their new house now! It won't be long before I get some pictures of the kids running around their new hangout. We stopped by on Sunday night for a sneak peek and Grandpa got out their laundry basket to pull the kids around in. This week, Nolan has been in a laundry basket phase because he remembers how fast Grandpa pushed him around. Mommy can't do it as well, but I try. :)

The kids also modeled their new t-shirts from Gwyn and Kevin. They went on a cruise in the Caribbean for their 10-year anniversary and brought back these souveniers for the kids. Nolan is a pirate (ahoy, matey!) and Maya is a mermaid (glug, glug).

While they were gone, Lana and Janae hung out with us for a day until their grandparents arrived from Junction City to take care of them for the week. Here are 3 of the munchkins during snack time. Maya was still napping. We had fun with the girls and Maya and Nolan absolutly love their cousins.

And here are some more random pictures that I had to include:

Pictures of kids trying on adult shoes really crack me up. Those are my tennis shoes.

Nolan and Maya have been very interested in eating cereal in the mornings. For a long time I avoided cereal because it was such a hassle...they were like little birds with their mouths open for mommy to feed them. One morning I decided to try giving them their own bowls so I could eat in peace. What a success!

We have had some spills, but overall I keep the servings small and the kids want seconds, thirds, and fourths. By the way, I can never do this on a morning when I am in a hurry to go anywhere because this takes FOREVER. It will sometimes take over an hour to eat breakfast.

Another breakfast food kick Nolan has been on is what he calls "blue toast." It is toast with blueberry preserves. We had some Wild Maine Blueberry Preserves which Darin did not like it (not sweet enough). Since it was made with whole ingredients, he decided to give Nolan a bite. Surprise, surprise....Nolan thought it was plenty sweet! He has eaten almost the entire jar himself in the last month for breakfast. Again, it is rather messy, but he has agreed to wear a bib and he is so happy!

Some other quirks about my kids right now:

Nolan only wants to eat with a spoon and Maya only wants to eat with a fork. It takes some real convincing to get them to use the opposite utensil. You can imagine how slow Maya is with her applesauce. Somehow we manage.

We have been a pacifier-free for 3 days! Nolan is taking it better than Maya, but all in all it has gone so smoothly! Maya has asked for it a few times but is pretty easy to talk down. Nolan is big into the "big boy" phase so our catch phrase has been, "Paci's are for babies and you are a big boy/girl!" Nolan repeats this so often that Maya has decided it must be true and she has bought in as well. She has always looked up to him, so this positive peer pressure is finally working for us. Hip hip hooray!

The other day I was cold so I put on a sweater. Nolan got very upset with me and started crying. I explained to him why I put on my sweater and he replied through his tears, "No sweater. I want you be naked!" I couldn't stop laughing!