Snow Forts for Fairies ~

It snowed again here, just as we were starting to see grass.  But we live in Minnesota, and snow towards the end of March at least usually melts quickly.

Ella and Zoe didn't mind -- I love that about kids.  They've been having fun playing in the fresh, white snow outside and making marshmallow/cotton ball snow forts for their fairies while inside ....

The Past Two Weeks ~

Life has been busy lately, but full of silly moments like this ....

.... and fun times like this (riding a train to Flower Land):

Last week Ella had her kidney check-up and overall things are looking good.  We're not sure if the deflux is still there, but since she hasn't had any infections we're assuming it is and that it still is working.  We decided against doing one of the more invasive procedures (that would tell us for sure if it is there and if it is working) because she hasn't been having any problems, but we will continue to keep a close eye on things.  There's a chance she may still need the abdominal surgery when she's older, but there's a really good chance she won't too -- so for now we're really thankful (and happy) that she is so healthy.

Drawing, coloring, reading, writing and creating art any chance they get continue to keep Zoe and Ella busy -- and so does decorating their bedroom with their art, of course ....

Lucky the Leprechaun visited our house again this year, and to the delight of Ella and Zoe he left many notes, treats and even some leprechaun messes.  Green has been a favorite color as of late, and on St. Patrick's Day we ate (and drank) a lot of green things, starting with green pancakes and green milk for breakfast and ending with green leprechaun pie for dessert after dinner (that looked a lot yummier than it tasted) --  with a lot of other green foods and beverages scattered throughout the day.

We also spent a few nights in Buffalo with Grama and Grampa, which of course was a highlight for the girls (and me too).  Grama Dianne led them on a St. Patrick's Day parade, which was so so SO cute to watch ...

... and visiting Auntie Jen's preschool class (and seeing Elise, Kevin, Abby and Shay) was another highlight:

Despite colder weather it was still nice and sunny out, and the girls played outside for quite a while, though they took quite a few breaks too ....

.... and of course they had lots of cuddle time with their grandparents -- I didn't get any photos of Grampa but I did get this cute one of Zoe and Ella with their Grama Dianne ~

On the way back to the cities we stopped at Auntie Jen's house and the girls played with Quinn the cat (who really thinks she's a dog) ....

.... and Belle --- who really is a dog : )

Now we're starting to think about 'Rainbow Birthday Party Ideas' for a couple of soon-to-be-five-year-olds, and equally exciting, we're starting to see some signs of spring .....  BIG smiles on that one!!

Happy St. Patty's Day ....

..... from McElla and McZoe!!

 

Silly Girls

~ These two can always make me laugh ~

Kindergarten Registration

Ella and Zoe had Kindergarten registration earlier this week.  They were SO excited.  Tom and I are excited too, we just can't believe we're at this point.

Overall registration was a fun, good evening but it was overwhelming too.  There were SO many people there (more than the school expected), and it was kind of chaotic at times.  Zoe started to silently sob and cling to me when the kids were supposed to go with their group, which was really hard.  I was hoping the girls would participate in the 'kid parts' without Tom or me, but my main hope for the evening was that it would be fun and a positive experience, so I stayed with them for the first part.  By the time their group did parachute play Zoe started to relax more and have fun, and I was able to join Tom and the other parents --- and by the end of the night she was a lot more comfortable (I think it helped to see a few other kids crying too, and one little sweetie named Hazel sat by Zoe and asked if she wanted to be her friend).  I just love how sweet and caring little kids can be : )

 Ella loved it all but got mixed in with a different group at one point and couldn't find Zoe, so she started crying also.  Once they were reunited she was fine, and during the drive home they both talked and talked about how great it all was, so that was reassuring.

Tom and I are really happy with our decision to send the girls to Falcon Heights -- everyone we met (staff and families) were so friendly, nice and helpful.  When I think about all of the exciting learning, activities and experiences the girls are in for I can't help but get super excited for them, but I won't go into how I'm feeling about being away from them all day every day, and how long the day will be ......  I have a lot of emotions as a mom, but as a teacher I know once they get in the routine they will love it all.

 I'm especially glad that some of our good friends will be at Falcon Heights too -- Holly and Lexi will be in first grade, and a few preschool pals (Bella, Lucy, Nathan, Daniel and Maddie) will be in Kindergarten as well.  It just doesn't seem like we should be at this point yet, they still seem so young to me.  

I mean really, it feels like just yesterday we were getting ready for their first day of ECFE:

Sally's Birthday Party

Last week was the week of the sickies at our house.  Some days both girls were sick, some days only Zoe was, and some days only Ella.  We also had a few 'firsts' too -- Ella went to preschool by herself one morning, while Zoe went to the doctor -- and Zoe stayed at school by herself when Ella came home early with a fever.  Each girl also missed something big because they were sick -- Zoe missed Teddy Bear Day at preschool and Ella missed their friend Sally's 5th Birthday party.  It was a 'Live and Learn' kind of a week ....

Here is Zoe at Sally's Super Fun Gymnastics Birthday Party (in the black leotard with leggings):

Here is Ella, while Zoe was at Sally's party -- poor thing:

And this was Ella after Zoe came home, still feeling punky but so happy to get a balloon and goody bag treats.

Vacation Week

Last week Tom was on vacation.  We didn't go someplace warm but we did keep busy with our regular daily activities and some extra fun stuff too.

The girls brought their dad to 'Men's Night' at preschool where they did a lot of building:

They went to ballet class and practiced for their recital:

They went sliding with Grama .....

.... and their dorky dad : )

They rode in the BACK of the pick-up truck and thought they were hot stuff (even though they never left the driveway):

They put on lots of make-up while playing dress-up with Grama:

They got silly once they were all made up:

They even played dress-up with Auntie Jen's dog, Belle:

They climbed, hung upside down, went sliding and played like monkeys while at the Eagle's Nest:

I did too : )

They had fun with their cousin Elise (they can't get enough of her), when she came back from their family's trip to Mexico ....

.... and they ended the week celebrating their sweet pal Bella's 5th Birthday at her super fun birthday party:

It was a fun week, but the best part for the girls was doing all these activities with their dad (the best part for me was going out to eat EVERY night).  We're now recuperating from colds, and Zoe has an ear infection too, so this week has been spent mostly cuddling on the sofa, reading books, watching videos and lots and lots of coloring and art projects.

I love my super silly girls so much: