Phoenix

We had a great time at Aunt Cara's wedding. It rained in Phoenix (first time in the month of May it has rained there in 7 years) but it held off for the ceremony itself.

The wedding cake was actually cupcakes that we ate too many of ... but they were yummy!!

Not much dancing but towards the end Cara indulged Gumpy in one.

Kids had a fun time at the Oasis water park on Saturday afternoon - George even went down the 7-story tall slide. The lazy river was relaxing with the band playing in the background. Spicy Mexican food for dinner was an expected treat. The plane ride home went more quickly than the way there, maybe because we left so early.

Congratulations Cara and Phil! :)

Soccer

While George and John spent Saturday all day and overnight at Camp Miakonda, we girls had a great day of shopping ... interrupted by Estelle's soccer game. Check out the dirty knees! These pictures are from Saturday taken by another parent - on Sunday she actually scored a goal, not playing her usual defensive position. The guys did not take any pictures of the turkey roaster, the obstacle course, the kite-making, the kickball game, or the 4 s'mores with 8 marshmallows consumed by George. Oh well.

This week the first grade is going to the Mud Hens game so we'll hope for nice weather. Friday we leave for Arizona and Aunt Cara's wedding.

Craziness

The weekend course was in Seattle where I got to do touristy things with Meghan and Emelia. We visited the bronze pig at Pike Place Market and I got a coffee at the original Starbuck's ... Emelia is good at waving hello and goodbye, very friendly and laughy. What a great kid!






Today when I picked up the kids they were ... decorated! George went to sleep in his paint and will have to scrub off in the morning. Too bad we didn't have our BNL new CD yet for them to dance to in this crazy state ... check out www.bnlmusic.com/snacktime/ for a sample of the kids' new favorite song, 789.

Spring Flowers

John suggested we take some pictures with the azalea bushes this morning - to take a break from our busy weekend. Sydney was over so she joined in the photos too. Estelle's first soccer game is this afternoon and we had Mike & Nikki's baby shower at our house yesterday (and ate more leftovers today already!). Fun times, we're glad to see the flowers blooming!

Here's What's Happening!

George lost tooth #2 before celebrating with Little Ceasar's Pizza on March 31. Both bottom teeth are almost in to replace the lost teeth. Edward the Tooth Fairy noted "bigger" this time (remember, last time Edward said "small").


I went to NYC to do a presentation and actually made it into the city. At the highly recommended Carnegie Deli, I had a huge corned beef sandwich with a potato knish AND a piece of strawberry cheesecake - but it lasted me 3 days. The M & M World store was open until midnight. Of course, there were people everywhere! It seemed quite light with all of the neon signs and jumbotrons on every corner. Saturday night in Queens was an equally fascinating experience at a Hong Kong Market after dinner at Joe's Shanghai. Meats and fish in every imaginable state - dried, pickled, fresh, live - produce, an entire aisle of sauces ... it was crazy but I didn't want to be the rude tourist and take pictures (the place was also teeming with people).





This afternoon, George's Tiger Cub den had a visit to the Firefighter's Museum here in town. Very fun and held their attention. After the fire safety lesson Estelle got to put on the full gear and - try to - walk around. I don't think she'll be choosing that as a career but she had a good time dressing up.

Tonight George is supervising dinner - just hamburgers but he's referring to his recipe book and putting his own twist on things. That is a good break from cleaning up rooms and putting away laundry!

More E birthday and Church photos

When cousin Kate finally arrived in the hotel room, the girls had a great reunion.

Brunch with dolls was deeee-lish!!

Matching shirts are a big hit!

Cousins with Grandma Muffin and the view of Chicago ... from the 96th floor of the John Hancock Center.

Dinner at Maggiano's with Uncle David. The girls were happy to see him!!

More Palm Sunday parade pics ... dig the mag wheels!

Finally, the egg hunters at our snowy egg hunt. Fun crowd!

These pictures were taken with Estelle's camera, though most of them by someone else so that Estelle could be IN them.

Early Eastertide

For Palm Sunday, the kids had an unusual parade at church ... complete with sunglasses and a VW bug made out of papier mache.

On Saturday the 22nd we had our 6th annual Easter Egg Hunt, that was held indoors for the first time. The 5 inches of snow we got on Good Friday was somewhat prohibitive to hiding eggs in the yard. We still managed to have hot dogs on the grill and gave away a lot of sugar along with the prizes. George was thrilled that his friend Paul came over - and Paul was happy with the bug eyes he grabbed from the prize table.

Easter Sunday was a full day with brunch at church and afternoon dinner. We honored the local Polish tradition of kielbasa and pierogi with our menu. The kids had fun hunting for eggs at church too. Just what we needed - more sugar!

We're having a good week for spring break even though we sure wish it was warmer! Riding bikes through the snowbank can be a little challenge. Maybe it will finally be warm by summer when we go to Arizona for Aunt Cara's wedding! :)

Fun times in the big city

A few photos of the Chicago birthday trip for Estelle - one settling down on her last night of being seven in the hotel room after dinner at Water Tower Place's food court; a couple at brunch at American Girl Place (cinnamon rolls were yummy); swimming in the hotel pool; and the view from atop the John Hancock Tower. Dinner at Maggiano's with Uncle David was delicious, though we didn't take pictures there. We stopped in Elkhart on the way home to visit for a little bit with George & Lauri and made it to the soccer game on time Sunday. Estelle decided she wants a mini-van ... hope she saves her (now $2 / week) allowance! We were so happy that Grandma Muffin, Aunt Kathy, and Cousin Kate could join us for the girls' weekend in Chicago - and thanks to everyone else who sent spending money too!

Next time we go we'll have to visit museums and take in a Cubs game with the boys.