Getting ready for her first swimming lesson of the year

 I LOVE this picture!!! :o)

SPRING

Gotta take advantage of the last little bit of snow. We had so little of it this year!

Now that she can walk she can find all her own sticks-I mean toys.
Good day to chop some wood being that it was almost 60
Israel gets a ride while his sister does all the work


Mike did a little swing set modification this weekend. The Glider is not a favorite swing for my kids and they are constantly fighting over the one regular swing we have ( one glider, one regular swing, and one baby swing) so he took down the glider and installed another swing bracket (those things are $40! at Home Depot) so now we have 2 regular swings and one baby swing.

Canopy Bed - Fancy Nancy style

Keira LOVES the Fancy Nancy books and has been wanting a canopy bed for a LONG time. We do not need another bed so Mike turned her bed into a canopy bed with a few extra 2X4's that we had lying around the house. The bed isn't done - we need to add the canopy (fabric) top, the broomsticks and everything else "Fancy".

The picture in the book doesn't actually have to support any weight or actually work, so we had to modify it. Of course, Keira didn't understand at first, but she is definitely liking it now. SHe will like it even more when it has all of the trimmings.

http://designbydani.com/girltalk/2007/05/kid-lit-challenge-fancy-nancy-and-a-winner/

edible jelly fish

When you are inside and bored and need some freaky food perk me ups. These are fun http://www.boingboing.net/2009/04/21/freaky-food-fun-inse.html Of course we used all natural nitrate free Trader Joe's Hot dogs and whole wheat spaghetti because somehow that makes it healthier right?

Happy 11 months Nairi!

Loillipops for everyone

Lollipops provide incentives for the potty training child. Especially when the older sibling gets one too!

Getting there

Sweet older sister reading her brother a story while he tries to go potty! Israel is doing really well. It only took him about 3 days to catch on with pee. I would say we are about 90% successful with pee. Number 2 we are still working on. Overall though he is doing much better than I thought. He even wakes up dry in the Am's most mornings despite a large glass of milk before bed.

This weeks projects

Master Bedroom wall art. We searched the internet and found pics we liked. Printed them and framed them are excited to have something on the walls. I think we could have improved the look with using nicer frames that have matting (sp?) in them but those were out of the budget for now.
Keira helped me make a crown of thorns/nails for our lenten table decoration.

Dare to hope....

We bought Israel some adorable Cars underwear. My gut tells me he might be a bit young yet to tackle this one at 2 years 4 months but I figured it doesn't hurt to try.

Turning into a toddler overnight!

Ever seen a 10 month old with a bun? So funny how her hair is long enough for a bun and I have trimmed the back once already! Nairi is walking all over the place now. She is so short and just so funny to see her walking Its so crazy how they start out so wobbly and within just a few days her balance has improved 10 fold. She can now bend over and pick up a toy and keep walking or walk while holding a toy. She can also climb all the way up the stairs. Sleep... without waking up every few hours? Now that is another story. Hoping that is the next milestone we tackle!

Lent

This year instead of giving up something we are going to try and do this

http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/features/40_ways

That ought to keep us from getting bored. I like the idea of giving up or doing extra and switching it up every day. No snacking one day, no Facebook another day, daily Mass with the kids one day.

Keira and I are going to make this http://tiredtwang.blogspot.com/2011/03/crown-of-thorns.html

We are going to put a purple candle in the middle of it and light it at dinner ( similar to Advent) and say a simple prayer like“Glory, love, and thanksgiving be to the Sacred Heart of Jesus! Amen.” My kids love fire so the whole lighting a candle and saying a simple prayer seems to stick with them. In Advent we said "Come Lord Jesus" 3 times before dinner prayers. Israel still says "Come Lord Jesus!" when he says mealtime prayers!

Keira is getting older so teaching the traditions of the faith is becoming more fun. There are tons of cool craft ideas online too and Keira loves crafts.

Nairi Anne Walking

Various Video

Keira

Her birthday is 4 months away but already she is "planning" and coming up with ideas for what kind of cake she would like and what kind of party or special family day she wants. Okay I know I uploaded the same picture twice here but blogger will not delete one so its going to have to stay!!