Getting Creative

This is one of Leo's latest school projects.  I thought it was so cute and his teacher told me he was very insistent about wanting one fish to be leaping out of the bowl. 

This is one of Sophia's latest drawings.  She loves to draw and create and is often found at her desk doing such tasks.  This picture shows her and Daddy and at the playground.  Daddy is sitting in a red chair watching her play.  You'll also see ring monkey bars, a slide, and various other things.

We were outside one afternoon and decided to do some rubbings.  Both kids enjoy that, but I think Leo gets more excited about taking the paper off the crayons. :)

Of course after that we had to get some play time in!  

Sophia is really getting the hang of jump roping!  Yay!

Leo is right on the verge of pumping.  He will do it but usually only when you're pushing him, which is somewhat counter productive but hey, we're getting there!

Although you can't really tell, this is Sophia doing the monkey bars backwards.  She can go backwards and forwards and tried to do one handed the other day, but quickly learned that was more difficult than she anticipated. ;)

We had some of those gel capsules that soak in water and out pops a sponge...they were very fascinated by this!  They enjoyed watching each one evolve and had fun guessing which animal was which before it was fully formed.

I'd been saving some small plastic bottles so we could do some stamp painting with them.  We made some Mother's Day cards adorned with out garden of colorful flowers.  They turned out so cute, but I obviously forgot to take an "after" picture.  The kids were so excited to make me one that they shoo'd me out of the room and did it in secret and then hid it in the garage until Mother's Day.

Off to Murray's...Finally!

So my very favorite ice cream place in all the world is called Murray's.  It's a local business that has been making it's own homemade ice cream and cookies for something like 30 years.  It's only open March to November, Wed-Sundays.  So, since every year it opens I'm usually in the middle of fasting for Lent, I was so happy to have finally made it down there last week!  Since Easter (May 5), I think I've been there 4 times...considering it's about 25 minutes away, I consider this to border on excessive, especially since I've brought things homes with me each time. ;)

Like any good mother, I've trained my children to appreciate those things in life I also appreciate and they have followed in my footsteps to appreciate quality ice cream.  They were also thrilled to have finally arrived for the season.  The last picture really epitomizes the experience I think.  Who says "cheese" when you can just say "ice cream"!

Wonderscope

Leo and Sophia racing their golf balls

am I going to make it, am I, am I???!

don't mind me, I'll be ball boy

Francesca showing off her bounty

Sophia and Luca liked racing around the tube trying to keep up with the ball

This was a maze of air powered tubes where the kids tried catching the scarves as they came flying out.

Leo only shops local

log cabin time

Leo and Luca work together to form a water pipe

Leo was very intense about this activity and managed to get more than a little wet!

Easter Dinner

Sophia and Uncle Nick

Rachel and Leo

Jacob and Sarah

These three have mostly graduated from the kids table! :)
Cody, Andrew, and Cole

Christos Anesti!

I made a homemade chocolate cream pie...decorated Easter style of course!

For the kids I made sheep cakes.  I hesitated even taking a picture of them because they were awful.  The picture so looked so cute and easy, but let me just tell you I cussed these little lambs up one side and down the other.  The only saving grace was that the kids didn't notice their flaws, Leo literally screeched in delight and they tasted good.

  

Time for the egg-cracking game!

It is Greek tradition that you smash your egg against someone else's in hopes of becoming the one lone victor at the end of the evening.  It's a fun game that kids and adults both become rather competitive over! 

Easter Morning

Sophia found her basket behind a stack of pillows on the couch

Leo went straight for the candy.

Leo's basket was in the front hall closet

Leo scored a new set of goggles and a new pair of sunglasses so it only makes sense to wear them together

church time

We love Glendy!

They are not listening to pesky rules, just waiting to be told ready, set, GO!

Leo stopped at every egg and checked out what was inside.  If it was to his liking, he dumped out the candy and left the egg on the floor.  Little scoundrel.  

Normally the egg hunt is outside but it was a little soggy, too bad

Sophia changed into her "fast shoes" just for the egg hunt

Sorting loot