New Favorite Thing...

This weekend I bought Olivia some new paints that were on sale at Target. They are Crayola Hassle Free Watercolors. We've been drawing, coloring and painting a lot at our house lately so I thought she'd enjoy them.

Let me tell you ... they are AWESOME. Anyone looking for a small gift for a young one should pick them up. The paint is bright, it is mess free (for the most part) and is super easy to clean up and put away. I love them. I think I've painted just as much as they have since bringing them home. One tip however is to use a glass of water to clean the brush instead of the water pad. It gets the brush much more clean if you're changing colors.

Starwars at the Symphony

My mom took Braden home on Saturday for a sleepover. He didn't know why they were going but was excited none the less. She surprised him with a trip to the Fox Valley Symphony. It was Hollywood Music night and the highlight was Starwars. They waited until intermission to arrive and did so just in time for Braden to be bombarded with Starwars Characters. He was in absolute fantasy land. This for Braden was a dream come true as we talk about, play with and focus on Starwars nonstop lately. He got his picture taken with everyone but Darth Vader but Darth made it up to them by pointing to him during the second half. The characters were on stage while they played the music and Braden and my mom had seats front and center. He sat like a good boy, watched the characters, watched the musicians and did some quiet playing. I was soooooo proud of him for sitting patiently (that's not one of our strong suits) and just as excited for him that he got to meet his idols.

Thanks mom for taking him. What a great experience for a 5 year old. He's a very lucky boy.

Gymnastics

As you know, Braden and Olivia are in gymnastics on Saturday mornings. This past Saturday was Olivia's Open House and she had quite the fan club watching. We did our stretches, jumped on the trampoline, moved our way through the obstacle course and then walked across the tampoline. Braden was adorable and wanted to be right by her side the entire time. He was very encouraging and loving. It melted my heart. I know the picture of them is blury but I loved it. He was telling her to jump really high when it was her turn. She is getting really good at it all. Yeah Olivia.

Disney Princesses on Ice

We went to Disney Princesses on Ice this weekend with Nana, Grandma and Uncle Marc. It was really, really fun! Olivia couldn't wait for Ariel to appear and as you can see in the picture was leaning forward in her seat with hands clasped in anticipation. It was adorable. The performance was fabulous - I have no idea how they glide so gracefully across the ice with costumes on. I think Judy might have had the best time of us all. She just loves ice skating!! Thanks everyone.

Thanks Katie and Nana!

Steve has been gone since the wee hours of Sunday morning at the National Sports Forum. To be honest I was a little scared about being alone with these three darlings for three nights and four days with no relief. I've been graced with wonderful visitors and the time has gone quite fast. Steve gets home late this afternoon. :)

Sunday, Katie came over and we visited after not seeing each other for way too long. It was really nice to have the time to catch up and reconnect. Braden and Olivia love seeing her as well so it was a treat for us all.

Monday afternoon my mom came down to help us out. She helped with laundry, snuggling with Norah, keeping the kitchen clean, and entertaining the kiddos. It was special to have that time with her. As close as we live in proximity we don't see each other very often.

Thanks mom and Katie for taking the time help us out. I know you are both very busy and appreciate the effort greatly. I love you.

BLINK - BLINK

Bath time at our house tends to be a mixture of pain and pleasure. The pleasure is playing in the warm water - pouring, mixing, cleaning, etc. The pain is water in the eyes. Both of my children HATE having water poured over their heads. We work hard on having them tip their heads and we pour slowly but inevitably some water ends up on their face and at least one of them is screaming for a towel.

The other night my friend Heather, who taught swimming lessons at one point, had a simple solution. She told me to have them blink their eyes. She used the analogy of a bird who is in the rain - they don't have hands - they blink their eyes to keep them clear. I wasn't sure this would work for my overly sensitive children but guess what... IT DID!

It was perfect - they love being a little bird in the rain and haven't asked for a towel once during the last two bath times!! Thanks Heather for the great solution and for helping to make our bath time more pleasure than pain! :)

Our Snuggly Bear

Norah is our snuggly bear today! I loved these photos so thought I'd share. :)