Thursday, April 22, 2010

Riding Warm-Up

I just took Julia for her four-year-old doctor's check-up. It's hard to believe that she's not a baby or a toddler anymore (though she looks like one when she sucks her thumb and holds her blankie).

We just switched her to a bigger bike and she loves it. She's timid on the hills but the school parking lot is a perfect warm-up before we head to the sidewalks in the village. Big sister, Ava, gets a little bored biking in the parking lot, but put her on a scooter and she has a blast while getting some good exercise cruising along.

It's April school vacation for us. Though it hasn't been balmy spring weather, it has been drier than predicted and so we've taken advantage of a dry and empty school parking lot.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Easter Excitement

We hosted my husband's side of the family for Easter this year. The last time we were hosts was 8 years ago when we bought our house. We usually travel to New Hampshire or Mass. for the holiday but thought we would mix things up this year and avoid the sugar-crash, cousin-deprivation, whiney-drive home by having everyone come to us.

The event came with its ups and downs. The biggest downside was having to get the house presentable. Our guest room only gets clean when we have overnight guests and it's been awhile. One of the big upsides: some of the family stayed over at a nearby hotel with a pool and they invited the girls to go swimming there.

My girls sure love to be in the water. They aren't able to do swim strokes yet, but I have a feeling that this summer's swim lessons will help them make some great progress and this pre-season water time is a bonus.

As for the Easter dinner, my husband and I pulled it off. The huge ham took a little longer than anticipated to warm through, but folks simply enjoyed the warm weather outside while we cooked. The kids spent most of the day chasing each other with squirt guns so they didn't get to much candy consumption. Yes, the candy requests were frequent today, but I stick to the one or two-a-day rule and in a week's time they forgot about the candy, it somehow disappears, and we wait for the next holiday or birthday-party pinata to replenish the supply.