Treeeeees Here!

In honor of Grace's birth, we planted a Yoshino Cherry tree. 

Remember?

[I just re-read the blog post that is linked above...can you believe how little Grace was?!]

Just six months after that little tree was planted, this happened.

We came home from vacation to find just the stubby remnants of Grace's little tree. So sad.

Not ones to give up, we ordered a replacement tree last spring.

When the tree finally arrived, the nursery totally flaked and sold the tree right out from under us. Extremely disappointing is the only thing I can write here that doesn't use profane language.

So as not to dwell on the fact that we were down a tree - in all senses of the word - we built a fence that surrounds our entire property. Then we ordered a (another) replacement Yoshino for Grace and decided upon a Kwanzan Cherry tree for Miss Charlotte. 

The trees were both planted yesterday! yay!!

Pretending that the blustery, (kinda) sunny day was warm and springy, we headed outside to check out the new fixtures in our yard.

Grace's tree.

Grace with her tree. She will be 2.5 in June. Her tree will one day look like this.

Can you see Charlotte's tree in the upper right corner?

Charlotte with her tree. She just turned 7 months!

Her tree will one day look like this.

She wasn't very interested in the tree...

but she was fascinated with the grass! 

It was her first time sitting in the grass!

Oh won't she love looking back on herself in a few years!

I love having proof pictures!!

Easter 2011

The Easter Bunny is amazing! 

Not only does he hide eggs and bring us presents, he tracks us down no matter where we are celebrating...

and this year we were celebrating in Boise with my side of the fam!

(Probably our first and last holiday just us!)

You'd never know it by the looks of these overflowing baskets, but the Easter Bunny did forget a few surprises. I think he realized that he'd forgotten not only a few surprises but all the stuff to die eggs about two hours into the journey. Ooops!

Regardless, Easter was a hit!

(get it? A hit!!)

I promise! It was!

That's not a look of disappointment on Grace's face. She is just 100% focused on her favorite surprises - Pez dispensers in the shape of Belle and Ariel.

Of all the things the Bunny brought...those were her favs! 

Go figure!

A BIG thank you to mom and dad for hosting and providing two spectacular egg hunts! 

Another BIG thank you to Auntie M for preparing an outstanding Easter dinner! I think you are officially hired to plan all holiday meals!! (Lucky you!) And to JABB - thanks for making the trek, hitting the egg hunt and hitting hard, and then rolling back up to school to study for your exam! Hope you rocked it!

One Wasn't Enough

Happy Easter!

Note: I am well aware that the animals featured in this picture are ducklings - not chicks! 

"Chicks" just had a better ring to it 

AND 

just an FYI....the word "chick" is a synonym for the word "duckling." 

I looked it up. 

(What can I say? I am a 'retired' lawyer...I use my due diligence skills to the nth degree!!) 

Another synonym for the word duckling was "cock." 

We decided to stick with "chicks!"

Happy Easter!

Give Me a Break

As if getting out the door with two kids in tow isn't hard enough...now I have bird poop to contend with!

Movin' On Up

It's official. Babydom is over. 

Charlotte is now riding in the cart which means Grace has been promoted to the basket or, in a few cases, left free to roam the store as she pleases right beside me.

I've already had two panic attacks from Grace hiding underneath the clothes displays and not coming out when I've asked her to. In these situations, (we've all been there, in fact I can remember doing it to my mom), the first thought for most parents is probably something like this:

 "Haha. Jimmy is hiding under the clothes display again. That rascal!"

For some reason my mind isn't quite wired like that. Instead, my mind instantly goes to: 

"QUICK!!!!! LOCK DOWN TARGET. SOMEONE HAS STOLEN MY KID." 

(with images of a mock Disneyland lock-down I've seen on TV when a child goes missing in the most magical place on Earth.)

And right when I start thinking about how I am going to explain to Court that our child was taken right from under my nose while I was bargain hunting in Target, she comes out laughing hysterically.

I can literally feel the gray hairs formulating under my scalp when I re-read this!!

Slow Down You "Grow" Too Fast

In the words of Madonna:

Slow down you "grow" too fast
Gonna make the good times last
Gonna let my hair hang down, I'm ready (to stand) now

In other words, Charlotte is pulling herself to a stand now.

In fact, she does it every chance she gets.

Sometimes with one hand!

We are still working on the finish!

(Note: No babies were injured in the making of these videos. Baby DID suffer a big case of the giggles after both of these tumbles!)

Meeting June

Grace and Charlotte met their cousin, June, for the first time.

What a cutie!

Sure, they are all sugar and spice and all things nice now...

but I sense trouble with a capital T in about 10 years or so!!

At least I will have lots of pictures of them together back when they were angels!

Charlotte's Nursery

The last of the letters over Charlotte's crib FINALLY arrived so I can now share the finished product. 

While much of the furniture is being reused from Grace's nursery,

Charlotte's room is ALL Charlotte!

  Some may argue the best feature of the room...two closets!

Others may argue the view...

surrounded by vineyards!

 Charlotte's first ride on her rocking-lamb!

Hope you like!