Iced In

This morning we were iced in, so we bundled up and braved the cold. I pulled the kids around the neighborhood in the sled and then had a snowball fight in the backyard. Ellena had a difficult time getting around, since the snow came up to her knees. Hopefully we can get out tomorrow!

Snow!

Thankfully, we got our quick errand done before most of this white stuff started sticking to the roads. Got home and the kids had an impromptu snowball fight (surprisingly, Ellena started it!)

Water Weekend @ MaST

Last weekend we headed south to MaST, the Marine Science & Technology Center in Des Moines. Every Saturday, they have a free "open house" for the public to touch and see their Puget Sound animals. Similar to the Seattle Aquarium touch tanks, but on a much smaller scale. However, I feel like we were able to get much closer to a larger variety of creatures at MaST - kids enjoyed themselves, but the location was COLD!

We then took a short stroll on Redondo Beach - a very pleasant, but chilly, morning! And what better way to warm up than to have lunch at Saimin Says in Kent?! Perfection!

Ellena's Rough Day

Ellena had quite the rough day. She woke up fussy and started the day off with a tantrum on the stairs. She rolled around on the landing, spitting and crying. I think just because she wanted me to carry her up the stairs rather than walk up herself.

The day went ok after, but this is where she ended up taking her nap:

She tucked herself into the corner, under her bed. She sometimes plays there and "hides" but I think she was so tuckered out from her tantrums, she ended up passing out there. She was a little upset when she awoke, cause she was wedged under. We then had a talk about not going there any more.

Evan

Well, if Ellena gets her own blog post, then I guess Evan needs one, too. Here's Wolfy Evan.

We had a sunny day last week, so we stopped at the park for a bit - cannot wait for summer!

Here's Ellena giving Evan a lap ride. This is one of my new favorite pictures - there is so much joy!

All About Ellena

Every day I attempt to drill into Ellena's 2 1/2 year old brain that she isn't the center of the world, but at least in this blog post, it's all about Ellena. I'm so glad I got her little smirk as she snuck some of her favorite crackers.

Here she is pretending to be a mermaid by sticking both legs into the sleeve of her hoodie.

Ellena was playing in the truck and wanted to buckle into Evan's new booster seat. She got such a kick.

The funny thing about this picture is that right before I took it, Ellena remarked, "I think Poki is looking for snuggles." Poki then jumped onto Ellena's chair and snuggled up.

Creationary Creations

The kids got the Lego game "Creationary" - think Pictionary, but instead of drawing, you need to build it out of Legos. Here are some of our creations: Evan's barbecue, Ellena's sand castle, and my elephant.

Evan's Pictures

Evan took these pictures - all his favorite things!

Ellena's School

Ellena attends a pre-preschool program through Bellevue College. She and I go once a week to explore the different sensory stations, have a snack, and enjoy circle time. Ellena absolutely loves school and is looking forward to going to Evan's school this summer!

Ellena glued googly eyes to her bird and then spread glue all over its body. There were feathers available to glue on, but she insisted her bird only needed glue - lots and lots of glue. So much that it leaked onto the back of the bird, so we placed it on the paper for stamping. Ellena then stamped the dogs all around her bird.

Here she is with one of her buddies, Hayden. The girls were holding the "telephone" and just giggling - too cute!

A New Neighborhood Friend

The kids and I made a new friend in the neighborhood - of the 4-legged variety! A little black kitten was roaming our neighborhood and came by to visit while we played outside. She was very friendly, curious and daring! She climbed the cherry blossom tree a few times - the first time she used the branches and ground cover to break her fall - the kids were AMAZED by this acrobatic feat. The following times she made it down herself. The last time I had to help her down (and I think I made a friend for life - uh oh!) Because she is mostly black, Ellena thought it was Poki and was very concerned that Poki was running into the street. We explained that this is a different kitty, but she does look like Poki. So the kids named her "Poke-a-roo".

Ellena-antics and One Evanism

The other day Pops complained about the twisted straps on Evan's carseat. The next day I went to buckle Evan in and the straps were not twisted. I exclaimed to Evan, "What's Poppa talking about?!" He then huffed out, "Oh Pops... he's such a... MAN!"

Ellena has a pair of maracas that are blue and green. She asks me what color they are and I purposely give her a wrong answer. She then cracks up and tells me the right answer. After this went on for a while, she finally said, "Momma, you're not very good at this game!"

I mistakenly addressed Ellena as "kiddo" - I think I usually save that for Evan. She exclaimed, "I'm not kiddo! I'm... (you could practically hear the wheels turning in her brain)... Sweet Ellena!"

I had a shirt with the Polo Ralph Lauren logo on it. Ellena was examining it and asked what it was. I explained that it was a man riding a horse and playing a game where he swings a stick to hit a ball. Ellena repeated it all back to me and then said, "That's not very safe!"