tiny dancer

it's a precious gift to be able to watch my daughter dance, let alone to capture it in pictures.  parents are only allowed to observe class once every couple of months, so it's always very special for the moms/dads and the kids when we are able to sit on the sidelines.  this time around we were able to see the girls practicing their ballet and tap.  i couldn't wipe the smile off my face when they broke out those top hats.  i love to watch brooke practicing her ballet moves one minute and running around the studio pretending to catch fairies the next.  she goes from serious and concentrating to silly and laughing many times during the 45 min. class.  her teachers are great like that.  they make sure the girls are having fun, but they keep them in line, too.  it's a great balance and so much fun to watch!

double take

last friday i took the kids to the mall and gavin was walking along drinking his smoothie, and i thought, "wait a minute. i've gotta have this picture."  because it reminded me of a picture i already had.  both in a mall (in different states), both newly turned 2 years of age (only 3 weeks difference in brooke's age and gavin's age at the time these pics were taken), both walking along on their own doing their own thing, both taken with my iphone.  and the hair... pretty similar :)  i laugh... but then i cry.  because my little girl is not little anymore and soon my little boy won't be either.

tulips

the weekend before gavin's birthday we drove up north to check out the tulip festival.  it's pretty legendary around here and only happens during april of each year.  i'm so glad we went.  quaint little towns were sprinkled amidst beautiful farmland with fields and fields of beautiful tulips, daffodils and iris. just driving around was experience enough, but we stopped at tulip town for the full tulip festival experience.  i had heard that rain boots are a must, which gave me the perfect excuse to go buy brooke and gavin hunter rain boots the night before.  boy am i glad i did!  not only are they way too cute, but they also kept the kids' feet completely dry. both kids were covered in mud by the time we left, and i was really glad i thought to bring a change of clothes.  i think the kids liked playing in the mud more than they liked the pretty flowers :)

as we drove home, kevin and i marveled at just how much is within a driving distance from us.  it's really quite amazing.  within 3 hours or less by car we have:
- canada
- oregon
- the pacific ocean
- the san juan islands
- lake chelan
- wine country
- mountains
- desert
- orchards
- several national parks

... not to mention what seattle itself has to offer.  we feel quite lucky to be living in such a great part of this country.

birthday boy

i am still having a hard time believing that gavin is 2!  we had so much fun celebrating his 2nd birthday.  gram vicki was in town, and kevin took the day off.  we had a very nice and relaxed day at home complete with birthday waffles, presents, play time and party preparations.  gavin got so many great gifts, and he honestly loved every single one of them.  our house has turned into gavin's own personal playground :)  i can't believe how many things we have around the house with wheels now.  gavin is always on the go!

in the evening we had a small party with gavin's 2 little buddies - hudson and jay - and their families.  this party was honestly the first time i have ever been ready for a party before it began.  i had everything ready and was actually waiting on guests to arrive.  this was a huge first for me as i am usually running around like a crazed woman up until the time people are walking into my house :) what a nice change!  we served home-made cincinnati chili and coneys for dinner, which made us feel closer to all the people who couldn't be with us on gavin's birthday.  and our guests had fun trying out our hometown chili.  gavin did a great job sharing all of his new toys, and the kids had a great time zooming all around the house on the roller coaster, motorcycle, 4-wheeler and choo-choo train.  i made gavin a "garbage truck" birthday cake to fit with the "big rig" theme, and gavin loved it!  he also loved it when we all sang happy birthday to him.  actually, i think he might have loved every single minute of his special day.  i know i did.

she's got a bike

when brooke saw this beauty of a bike, she hopped right on. one spin around rei, and she knew it was the one. "it fits me" she said. and it does. in every possible way.

lucky day

sometimes, you are in the right place at just the right time.  we had just gotten home (and i happened to have my camera in the car) when i saw a fire truck coming down the street alongside our house.  i took the kids over to the corner of our porch to wave to them.  brooke and gavin were yelling "hi!" and waving, and the next thing i knew the fire truck was parked right in front of our house.  gavin looked at me, like "what???"  i think he was in shock.  then one of the firemen got out and showered the kids with goodies - stickers, tatoos and fireman hats.  then came the ultimate invitation - for gavin to sit in the truck.  gavin wasn't too sure about it, but with a little coaxing he sat up in the big truck all by himself.  the firemen could not have been nicer.  it was such a special, unexpected treat for the kids.  if i had to guess, i would say that this was straight out of one of gavin's dreams :)

friday

for some unknown reason, fridays used to be the worst days for us, but suddenly they've become one of our best days.  it's always nice to have brooke home on fridays after she spends all day thursday at preschool.  our typical friday morning includes a trip to starbucks and the library.  i'm not sure which the kids love more - the doughnuts or the books.

i love to watch the difference in how brooke and gavin eat their mini doughnuts.  brooke uses her fingers to break off tiny little morsels of the doughnut, while gavin crams his in his mouth as fast as he can.  gavin is usually finished with his doughnut in 60 seconds.  brooke, on the other hand, takes at least 15 minutes to eat one mini doughnut.  she is a slooooow eater no matter what is in front of her.

i also love our time spent at the library.  i love watching the kids select their own books.  sometimes i have to steer them in the right direction, but they do a pretty good job on their own.  brooke is always so excited to carry her own bag full of library books until she realizes how heavy they are, and then mommy gets the privilege :)