Mommy-Son Date

So, although we occasionally do things with just the older kids, Joe and I decided to start having official parent/child dates once a month with Emily and Cameron. In March, Emily and Daddy did some shopping together (including cleats for softball) and had a treat together.

Cameron and I decided to go roller-skating this past Saturday. I can't remember the last time I roller-skated. When we started off, I was a little nervous not only because of how long it had been since I'd been on roller skates, but also because when Cameron got shaky he'd rely on ME for support! We got the hang of it, though. I only fell once. Cameron's skating style was cracking me up...he looked a little crazy and I kept telling him to slow down and keep his skates close to the floor. I was able to video him a little bit while skating. Don't know why I turned the camera the other way...guess I was thinking I was taking a picture. Anyway...enjoy! (We especially loved our crazy boy's little dance.) It's so nice to have one-on-one time with our children. I look forward to many more dates.

Popcorn Tree

Just some pretty spring pictures. Our front yard is beautiful thanks to the previous owners who loved flowers and planted some beautiful trees. Here are some pictures of the kids after school in front of our "popcorn tree." Dillon was too busy playing with friends to be in the picture.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

With all of the big kids at school this morning, Lilly decided to join in the clubhouse fun the big kids made outside. They put chairs, a shade, and even binoculars taped on top. I may be biased, but she is the CUTEST THING EVER!!! I love this age!

Painting Transformation!

I love painting rooms, although sometimes the rest of the household chores get behind as I get focused on a project. Here's my latest and a few already completed in our new house.

First, the bathroom goes from blah beige to green with glossy stripes. And yes, the stripes were VERY hard. And I felt like giving up. Joe checked my progress at one point and said, "You're only doing this 1 wall right?" Nope, all 4. It was worth the work though. Now, I have some final touches to add (pictures and the kids' silhouettes my mom makes of each of them at 18 mos).

Next up is the family room that I painted a dark blue. I copied an idea from a Pottery Barn magazine. The room has kind of an ocean theme with shells, pictures from the beach, and our family picture on the coast in RI. I LOVE the blue!

I'll have to take a pic of Lilly's room soon. Here it is:

DANCING QUEEN!!!

It's been a while...I'm back!

Emily and 2 friends from the neighborhood are dancing queens...they're always coming up with routines and performing them in the cul-de-sac. When a flyer came home from school annoucing a talent show, all 3 of us moms thought of our girls. They did a great job! They danced an originally choreographed (by them) dance to "Play My Music" from Camp Rock. I can't hear the song now without smiling. We were so proud, smiling and clapping away in the audience. Emily even kept her cool when her headband flipped off during a dance move. Here's a pic before the big show started. (I wish I had a digital camcorder to share online, but we have the "old" one we got when Emily was born.)

A Basketball Video Clip

I was finally able to upload a video to the blog, so I wanted to add this video of Emily's last basketball game. She improved so much this year (although she never scored any points). This clip shows some of her natural athletic talent and aggressiveness. It helps to have Daddy cheering her on, too. Every time he'd tell her to steal the ball she'd usually get it.

Pirate Party...guess who's 4???

Our Dillon turned 4 and we had a little Pirate Party at our house on Saturday. We had a pirate map invitation with burned edges. (I love the internet by the way...I found so many ideas as soon as we took off with the pirate theme.) We made pirate hats, played musical islands, pin the X on the treasure map, and had a treasure hunt. A Pirate cake...

And lots of happy pirates...

Some tidbits about Dillon at age 4: He gets compliments on his hair all the time. A bowl cut and highlights....can't beat it! He's very tall - people think he's in kindergarten, or going next year at least. He likes to wrestle with his daddy and Cameron. He's very sweet to his little sister, Lilly. I was so sad when he moved up to Sunbeams. They were together for a few weeks in Nursery and he was helping her be happy. He has graduated from Speech therapy...yippee! He loves to ride his bike, play Legos, make forts, and play castle and pirates. He loves to give hugs and kisses. He calls his pirate telescope a "sceletope"! He says many funny things as you can see on the sidebar. Most of the quotes are from Dillon.

Most of all, we all love you so much Dillon! You are a sweet boy!