Last Day of 4's Preschool- 5/22/13

Here are my sweethearts on their last day of Preschool.  I know they don't look thrilled but that is my fault because on the first day of school I had them stand facing the sun to get their pics taken so I asked them to stand in the same place on the last day.  

Last day of school with Mrs. Lynch and Mrs. Bacon

May 21, 2013- Gwen's First Dance Recital

On 5/21/13, Gwen had her first Dance Recital through the Stretch and Grow Program.  Nana and Pap Pap came for a visit to watch the show.  Gwen was one of the older children in the class and seemed fairly focused on perfecting the ballet moves.  

 Off to the recital we go!

 Certificate time!

Hanging out afterwards with Nana and Pap.

May 19, 2013

Here is a sweet picture of the last time Reid had his special Mama Milk.  Even though he refused to latch since he was 11.5 months old, I continued to pump until he stopped requesting his "Mama Milk".  My nursing journey with him was quite a roller coaster but I am so glad that we worked through things so that he could receive the good stuff until he was 20 months old.  So many of my friends have told me that they nurse their babies because they believe it is the best thing for them but that they do not enjoy it.  I, on the other hand, truly enjoyed nursing my three littles.  It has been such an important part of my life for the past 4 years and it is a huge transition to move past it.  Thankfully i have snugly kids so I still get good snuggle time with them.

Mother's Day Trip to VA

Mother's Day Tea at Preschool- 5/8/13

On May 8, 2013, Gwen and Cole invited me to a Mother's Day Tea at Preschool complete with food, drinks and a little show.  Gwen was thrilled to be the mommy bird in the "Are you My Mother?" skit.  Cole was excited for me to guess how old he said I was (10 years old!).

 Cole getting ready to sing.

 Mommy bird

Cole and Gwen with Mrs. Bacon and Mrs. Lynch

Gwen's debut at Mommy Bird.

Gwen Can Ride a 2 Wheeler!

 In early April 2013, Gwen decided to try to ride her Big Girl Bike.  We didn't put the training wheels on it and she picked up it right away.  This is video of the first day Andy took her to the park to let her practice.  I was floored that she picked it up within minutes.  I guess that balance bike did its job!

Back to the Zoo

We had so much fun at the zoo that we decided to head back a few weeks later.  I remember thinking this day that things were getting more manageable as far as outings go now that Reid was older.  I remember sitting on a park bench with the kids and just enjoying listening to them talk to each other and giggle about the little things in their world.

A Look Into our Lives

 Two kids sharing one new kitchen tower.  The good news is that the kitchen tower is great for encouraging kids to help with food prep.  The bad news is that unfortunately it does not hold three kids at once.  We've tried several times but we always end up with a huge fight.  Fun times.

 Reid looks a little confused as to why Gwen and Phoebe are wearing the same outfit.  Gwen loves her dolls, especially small ones.  She dresses, changes, bathes, feeds them on a daily basis.

Silly monkeys!

Lehigh Valley Zoo Trip- 4/13/13

On 4/13/13, we took a family trip to the Lehigh Valley Zoo.  Reid started talking about some of the animals and Gwen and Cole had a blast showing him around their favorite zoo.  Reid has no fear.  The kid reached right out to feed the goats (see below).

Happy Reid feeding the goat.

DiVinci Center Egg Drop- 4/1/13

This was the second year that we went to the Egg Drop at the Science Center.  This year Daddy was working and the kids wanted to participate so I found a nice volunteer and asked if he would be willing to help us make a contraption to keep the egg safe.  Basically, that translated into him making it while I tried to entertain Reid and keep my trio from injuring themselves, someone else or eggs before their journey.

 Building Carbon Atoms

 Snack Break.  I swear they are usually much more excited about snack!

The nice volunteer constructed the perfect device to get the egg down safely.

The Easter Bunny Came!!!!

Easter 2013

 Ready to head to Mel's Easter Party

 Mommy was thrilled that she convinced Reid to wear this adorable Easter outfit.

 This kid knows exactly what to do.

 Cole is trying to figure out where the missing eggs are located.

 Gwen loved wearing the dress she wore in Cousin Elizabeth's wedding.

 Family Pic!

Three in a Row

They look pretty cute, right?  All dressed and ready to go hanging out in a row?  If you've never tried to get three young kids dressed in a small mudroom to go outside in the cold, I don't recommend it as something fun to do.  Our pre-outing chaos usually sounds something like this:  "Mommy, HELP ME!"  "Mommy, she stepped on my hand!"  "Mommy, I'm going to step on her foot!"  "Mommy, did you bring snacks?"  "Mommy, I didn't go potty.  I have to go poopy.  Can you wipe me when I'm done?"  Mommy tries to come into these situations with A LOT of patience but on the days when we have to be somewhere at a set time and I'm not ok with being late, it is very difficult to hold it together.

Dying Easter Eggs 3/27/13

All signs point to the fact that Cole and Gwen had snotty noses in the following pics of Easter Egg Dying

 My proud raw nose egg dyer

 Reid is right there with the big kids participating in the activity.

Gwen enjoying the white part of the egg.  She refuses to try the "yucky yellow part"

My Cole

 I love this picture of Cole.  So often he has energy and is whizzing by me that I don't get to see him during his calm, reflective moments.  I wonder what he is thinking about in this picture.

Air Products Easter Egg Hunt 3/23/13

 Cole and Gwen knew exactly what to do this year.  We had to tell them to stop gathering eggs and to leave some for the other kids.

 Reid got the hang of grabbing some eggs with a little help from Mommy.