Spring Break 2011

We had a nice spring break this year. One of the good things about working in an academic setting is you still get to take part in the breaks the kids get. I was off most of the week and was able to take the kids to WildWood Park which is a terrific, scenic park literally 5 minutes from the house. We were the only ones there this day and it was so warm and peaceful we didn't want to leave but after about three hours (and one stinky diaper) it was time for us to go home!

The kids got to feed some geese and one beautiful swan!

The kids loved splashing in the water until those two geese in the distance got too close for Luke's comfort...I have never seen him move so fast!

I want Brekfest Mommy!

These are the looks I get in the morning when Luke doesn't think I am getting his breakfast fast enough. They make me laugh but he is very serious.

Whatcha thinking about, Ella?

Can you guess what Ella has on her mind lately? The Easter Bunny!!

Pizza night

No real reason for this post but thought I would share anyways. We made the best pizzas the other night. I finally found crust that actually tasted good. Pics are below...I have no idea why both of my kids are in the underwear/diapers! We had lounged around all day so I guess maybe they never got dressed?

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Hope everyone remembered to wear green! If you didn't you will get "punched" according to Ella. I tried to explain to her that it is pinched but she insists that her teachers said punch...was a little concerned about her punching her friends at school.

Ella was very festive today. She wore a pretty sparkly shamrock and a good luck bracelet Aunt Julie gave her especially for this day about 6 months ago! The perfect accessory!

That afternoon, we decided to set a trap for those tricky leprechauns. Ella just knew should could catch one and get their pot of gold! I didn't know it but leprechauns love celery so we put celery inside to tempt them along with one of Ella's shiny rings....she knew that would do the job. We are at this moment checking the trap every 5 minutes constantly pulling the string to make sure everything works properly. Ella wants to set her alarm clock for 3 in the morning so she can try to catch one. She thinks they might only come out at night. I don't remember leprechauns being such a big deal when I was little but apparently they are now!

On a different note, Lyle and I got to celebrate St. Patty's day with a nice lunch together at an awesome Thai place we found. We have been seriously craving some good Thai food since we left Big D so we were very happy to find this place.

Rosy Cheeks

Luke got a hold of Ella's lipstick yesterday but apparently (much to his father's relief) he doesn't actually know what it is for....it ended up all over his cheeks! Ella and I thought it was pretty funny.

Fresh air!

Winter has finally passed. The kids have enjoyed the warmer weather outside. Here are a few pics from our first day outside after the snow storm passed.

Bike riding

Sidewalk Chalk

Hide-n-Go-Seek--Luke counting

A little gardening;)

New editions to the family

Wanted to share with you pics of the new furniture we recently got for the house. I picked these up at different thrift stores around the city.

I have been dying to get a sideboard for the dining room and was so thrilled to find this piece...only $375!

Then I found this piece for Luke's room. His room was pretty empty and it fit in perfect with my plans for his new BIG BOY room...coming soon. All it needs is new knobs so for 9.99 I was pretty happy!

This is how I got it home...wasn't for sure if I was going to show this pic or not but it was so funny riding home with it that I want to remember it. Ella was saying, "We still got it, Mom!" all the way home..which was only about 5 minutes!

New art for Luke's room as well.

Ant Farm

This Christmas, my brother gave Ella an Ant Farm. We have never had one before and really didn't know what to expect. But after having it, I will suggest it to anyone! It is the absolute coolest thing and the kids loved getting up every morning to see what the ants were up to. Here are some pics.
Lyle putting in the ants...yes, some escaped!

First tunnel!

More tunnels!

Trolley Ride

This picture is very old but do to the lack of anything else interesting to post I went with it. The last two weeks have been filled with sick kids and loads of laundry. Luke came down with the stomach bug in the middle of the night initiating the need for the first load of laundry. Then after about 4 days of vomit and more laundry, Luke got better and we thought we were in the clear but then....Ella got sick. More laundry! When the stomach bug comes into our house it always shows up in the middle of the night when the kids are snuggled under blankets so EVERYTHING gets washed! Two weeks later we are finally healthy...except for an annoying cold we have passed around...and the laundry has thankfully dropped back down to its regular amount. Now on to the subject of this post...the trolley ride.

One night, we went down town to eat and as we were walking back to the car, Ella spied the trolley car and wanted to ride. So, we flagged it down and took a tour of Little Rock. It was pretty fun and kind of interesting. Sorry for the poor quality pic.