Needs Her Brother

Today Ellena had a rough time before dinner. Nothing would go her way and she was quite upset with the world. Lots of tears, howls and foot stomping. She usually eats a little bit and then gets up to sit on my lap in the middle of her meal. Tonight, however, she insisted on sharing a chair with her brother. She was quite content after that! Thankfully, Evan was very gracious and let the little mooch in, even allowing her to take his spork!

Egg Coloring

Here are the kids coloring eggs today. In the second picture, you might think Ellena is making that face because of the vinegar-y smell. But no, that is the face she makes when the camera is out and I ask her to smile. Go figure.

I found the things the kids asked me to draw on the eggs very amusing. Ellena asked for a kitty, Poki (same as kitty) and a bunny. Evan asked for a kitty, a football player and a boy in a bathtub. Huh?!

Kitchen Remodel

Before. Cheapie cabinets and countertops. The previous owner really like purple, too.

New cabinets and granite countertops. New hardwood floors, but not finished yet. Very dusty!

A better look at our new floors - love it! Excuse the mess!

New tile backsplash... we're so close to being done!!

20 months

Yesterday Ellena turned 20 months old! She is our sweet little cupcake, but man, sometimes her hard-headedness really riles us! Some of her classic lines:

"Noooooooo!"

"Not brother's. MINE!"

"I want. Ellena do."

"My turn."

Our latest battle has been getting buckled into her carseat. I usually leave her in the car and walk away for a second. Now, she tells me, "Bye" as I shut the door on her. Ugh! It is especially frustrating when it's pouring rain and I'm getting soaked outside. It's just a phase, right?!

Ellena is a big fan of shoes. She is very particular about which pair of shoes she wears each day. Lately, she has gotten a kick out of wearing other people's shoes. One time she stepped into Evan's rain boots. I let her wear them to pick him up from school and she was giggling the whole time, saying, "I silly! I silly!" Too cute. The above picture was taken when she ran off with my house slippers.

Radio Flyer Mama

Kids had so much fun playing in the sunshine with our neighbors. Here are more pics from Nancy... El's face is hilarious!

New Pic of the Kids

Here's a new pic of the kids, taken by our neighbor, Nancy. Can you believe they posed themselves?

Poop

You have been forewarned - this will be a gross story.

Today I took the kids to eat lunch at Yoko Teriyaki. At the end of the meal, I discovered Ellena pooped, so we all three went to the potty to get her cleaned up. Ok, that's done... But wait, now Evan is saying he has to go poop, too. His exact words were, "I have to use the potty. Hmm, it's not shi shi! I guess it's poooop!" So I get him set up and he's really struggling. "I feel like I have to poop, but nothing is coming out!" Patience, son, patience.

He finally goes and then he starts giving me a play by play. "There's a fat poop, there's a skinny poop, there's a long poop, there's a short poop. There's even a curly poop!" Cause that isn't funny enough, he gets off and as we're washing up, he starts singing, "That was the biggest poop EVER" over and over. Can you imagine if there was someone outside the restroom waiting their turn? I would have been rolling on the floor! And with that, I wish everyone a happy poop!

The Boat Ride

Tomorrow we will have a crew come through and rip out our cabinets and countertops. The past few days I've been packing up the kitchen in preparation for this big undertaking. Pops and Grandpa will then work on the walls - wall paper was removed last week; now on to washing, priming, orange peel spray, another coat of primer, then two coats of paint... All by Sunday, cause the crew will be back in on Monday to install the new cabinets, island and countertops. Phew! I'm tired just writing it out!

Here are the kids in their pretend boat, going on a boat ride, with their "nutritious snack" - Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. :) Gotta love how the kids find such joy in the simple things.

Happy Girls' Day!

Today is Girls' Day and unfortunately, it's not a big to-do for Ellena, like how it was when I was growing up. But I did want to snap a few pics of her with the cherry blossoms. Seemed like a Japanese-y thing to do, right?!

When I asked Ellena to come outside to take a picture, she ran to the front of the tree, stood with her arms behind her back, and smiled for the camera. What a ham. She was less enthused about getting up close and personal with the flowers.

Of course, if El is taking a picture, Evan has to get in on it too. Here he is posing with the flowers... and asking when it'll be BOYS' day!

Spring Came Early!

We have been so fortunate to have some really nice, sunny weather in the Pacific Northwest this winter. So.... spring came early for us! The cherry blossoms are in bloom and are so lovely... although they wreak havoc on our allergies! Itchy eyes and inflamed sinuses - can't wait til this is over! Here are some pics of the kids playing under our tree.