Where does the time go?

OK, so lots of stuff has happened. We’ve had some holidays, took the girls to Disney World, had a great spring break, blah, blah, blah. Here are a ton of pictures! The kids are big and crazy, and they talk a lot…

Fall!

Adele as mime with Halloween treats

Camile with our skeleton friend

Halloween!

Camile

Camile and daddy kayaking

Adele and her friend Lily

Girls!

Disney carriage ride

Disney first day

The castle

Adele with Belle

Beautiful castle

Adele dancing with Goofy

Camile on the carousel

The girls with Minnie

Cozy fire

Girls at the diner

Swimsuits in February

Adele learns the cello

Camile – Kennedy Center birthday

Camile is 4!

Adele’s basketball team

Selling Girl Scout cookies

Windy ride – Spring Break

Camile’s windy ride

Trampoline with grandpa

Big smile

Sisters

Crazy sisters

Adele at 7

Yummy shakes, headed home

Easter!

Fun at the playground

A diva’s debut

This week Adele had a big role in her first grade musical. We weren’t quite sure what it was–she was practicing a certain song a lot, but didn’t give us many more details. We get there and it’s the big closing duet with her friend Celine, in front of about 300 parents and siblings! She did an amazing job and didn’t seem phased at all, despite the fact she had been VERY sick that day, and had already pulled off a performance in front of the whole elementary school earlier that day. She also got to sport the butterfly wings Grandma Allen made for her 3 years ago. Enjoy! (Note: Joe flipped the camera halfway through so the second half is sideways. I’m trying to fix it and will post a revised version soon!)

Getting ready for the show…

Camile is 3, Adele is 7

Sitting down to write about Adele’s 7th birthday party, I realized I never posted about Camile’s 3rd!! Remedying that now…

Camile had a great 3rd birthday with friends at school and then here at home with a Paw Patrol birthday cake, Grandma and Grandpa Allen, and lots of presents:

And we used Adele’s 7th birthday as an excuse to throw a big Cinco de Mayo celebration. The weather didn’t cooperate (rain) but we figured out how to bring all of the fun inside. Lots of friends, a photo booth, tons of quesadillas and chips, 48 cupcakes and a pinata later, Adele has been properly feted!

One day I’ll post the pictures from our amazing spring break to San Diego–an epic trip we couldn’t have even considered doing without the help of the grandparents and Ali and Jeff as amazing city hosts. 🙂

Spring at Meadowlark

Today the girls and I took a trip to the local-ish Meadowlark Botanical Gardens to check out the early spring flowers. We didn’t really know what to expect–we’ve only really been there in the winter for the holiday light show. It was amazing! So many different spaces and flowers, with a great Korean bell garden. Here are some of the good photos, and then for fun, some of the outtakes. 🙂

First, the good stuff:

And now, the funny stuff:

Image

Making the most of Fall

Here we are again–lots of time between posts. A quick synopsis of the past couple of months:

Adele is loving first grade (she has a teacher who is great and really on top of things) and has added several activities to her schedule: track, hip hop dance classes, Girl Scouts, running club, and swim class. And she ran her first 5k with me this morning in DC!
Camile is still “spirited”. She has started soliciting compliments for her good behavior like: “Look, Mommy, I’m NOT picking my nose!”. We’re very proud. 🙂 She’s doing really well in swim class–she’s already able to float on her back by herself.
Joe and I are boring old people. We work, we clean, we take care of the kids.

Here is a snapshot of our busy times since the last time I posted:

Fancy walk around the neighborhood

Labor Day in Lavallette

Lavallette!

Sunset on the bay

Monkey bars

Adele in first grade!

Adele with her neighborhood friends making cookies for the local shelter

Camile knows fashion

Our visit to Luray Caverns on Columbus Day

Adele + stalagmites

Sisters underground

Pumpkin and corn maze time at Temple Hall

Breaking in their new playhouse in the backyard

Pure Michigan

Earlier this month we finally made it to Michigan to visit family and friends. It was a trip I had wanted to make for a long time and Camile is finally becoming a better little traveler. First we had two nights in Ann Arbor to catch up with friends and enjoy my old stomping grounds, and then two nights in East Lansing to visit my grandma (hi, Grandma!) and the rest of our awesome family around there.

There were a few triumphs–the girls successfully slept in the same bed on the second leg of our trip, and Camile slept in a “big girl bed” the whole time, which prompted us to move her into the bigger room and her own twin bed here at home. And Adele is losing teeth in rapid succession–2 just on this short trip! She’s lost 5 so far, and number 6 is going to come out any day now…

Adele enjoying her lunch date with Great Grandma.

Peanut the pony. She also rode a camel but that was definitely weirder.

Quality time with the Robbins-Oliver twins

Adele and Jaye just hanging out

Getting some quality time with Great Grandma

Hanging with the birds at the zoo

Pony ride at the zoo in East Lansing!

Adele climbing a tree at our family picnic moments before that crooked front tooth came out

Ring pops at Jaye and Elle’s swim meet

My girls at the U of M diag

And some quick videos:

Cousins!

We had a great trip to Grandy last weekend for lots of Grandma, Grandpa, and cousin time with James and Stella. The weather was perfect–so time in the kiddie pools in the backyard, riding a monster truck and harvesting the garden!

Adele! 6!

Adele turned six this month and had at least 3 separate parties (family, school, and friends)–and enjoyed all of them. I’m so grateful that as she’s gotten older she’s started to really enjoy these things instead of hiding behind me when people sing happy birthday. 🙂

Here are some pictures from her “friend” party, at a local bakery. Her friends from school and the neighborhood decorated cookies and cupcakes, ate pizza, and got tips from real life bakers. Adele had selected a “rainbow peace cake” for her official birthday cake, and got to help the pastry chef decorate it. Everyone had an amazing time!

All of the little bakers, looking official

Spring break, baby!

Joe and I survived our first official spring break in the parent role! We had a great time–mom and dad (or Sandy and Rich, or Mum and Lu) met us in St. Simons Island, GA where they had rented an adorable house for the week. Heated saltwater pool, walking distance to parks and downtown, close to the beach and time with the family. All our crazy kids need for a great break!