March 2017, in fast forward mode

As I write this, it is almost the end of May. March seems so long ago. And it seemed to happen so quickly. I wish I could slow time down and make some of these moments last forever.

Carrying on the tradition of enjoying a donut at Basha's while mommy shops.

We started the idea of potty training, loosely.

Happy little bookworms after a trip to the library.

Then enjoying the beautiful weather in our new backyard with our library books.

Waiting outside Nat's school for her. The little ball of fire is full of life and style.

Mommy was introduced to wine in a can at driveway happy hour. Classy? No. Delicious? Yes.

Fun in mommy's shower!

Two post-shower zombies enjoy a quiet moment while watching a movie on the couch.

Two happy girls singing Happy Birthday to Grandpa Larry on the way to school!

Stylish Eloise rocking her scooter on her way to the park.

Learning the basics of baseball at Grandpa and Gramma's house. Do we have a lefty?!?

Posing in the new art outside Target.

Happy at the park!

Natalie and mommy went out for cheeseburgers and the start of March Madness. She learned the basics of a basketball tournament bracket.

Donuts after the last day of soccer camp!

We got out the water table and found someone to play with it.

Chasing our shadows in the park.

Natalie and Mommy went to see Beauty and the Beast in the theater. We smuggled in our lunch and made a little picnic out of it.

Eloise reminded us that she is TWO.

Katie's hair salon kept busy.

More fun in mommy's shower.

Our new hedgehog cactus opened up and showed us how beautiful it can be!

Picnic at Natalie's soccer practice.

Daydreaming while waiting for dinner...

Happy as a clam with her new big girl soccer jammy shirt.

Spring Break at the Zoo

The advantage of having 2 weeks and one day of Spring Break is that on that last day... you can do things like go to the zoo without fear of it actually being a zoo because all the other school districts are back in session! So we went to the zoo for a quick trip to see our favorite animals.

By this point in my mothering career, I have determined that, if you actually want to see animals, the best time to go to the zoo is first thing in the AM. All the animals are out eating breakfast and enjoying a little sunshine before it gets too hot.

Flamingoes are a must, both on the way in and on the way out.

For the first time ever, Natalie wanted to ride the camel. So she did. Cautious Eloise wanted nothing to do with this. And in fact, she was very concerned about "sister" riding a camel.

Our fearless leader...

Mommy's favorite... I could literally sit on a bench and watch these giant cats all day.

Ostrich Festival 2017

As has become tradition, we met up with Vince, Staci and the girls at the Ostrich Festival on Sunday morning bright and early in an attempt to beat the crowds and the heat. We beat neither. The two big girls, Natalie and Maddie (affectionately known as Nat and Mad) were thrilled to have each other to ride most of the rides together. The two littles, Eloise and Camilla (in their language, Edoweeez and Milla), were just happy to be there. Most of the time.

The combination of her shoes and her hat officially made Natalie measure in at 50 inches, which is tall enough not to have to ride the baby rides, but not quite tall enough for some of the grown up rides. Eloise was confined to the baby rides (rightfully so). But the big sisters were wonderful about being big sisters and finding rides that they could ride WITH their little sisters. Mom and Dad were thrilled about this because we didn't really have to ride any rides.

 

Big girls in line to ride the worm rollercoaster, which went really well until Nat lost her hat. Luckily, the very nice man working the ride jumped down into the middle of the ride to fetch it for her.

The big girls both won bats... and asked Eloise to hold them while they went on rides. As you may imagine, she was happy to be able to help.

"Hey Scott, why don't you stand right over there for a minute?"

The dads convinced the big girls to ride a "super scary" ride by offering to ride with them. There were many smiles both during and after the ride.

And for our final ride of the day, the little kid merry-go-around. Eloise still talks about how she rode on a BIIIIIIIIG horsey and Natalie rode on a little one.

A few super giant corn dogs on the way out and these kids and mom/dad were both ready for a nap. Unfortunately, only Eloise was able to actually take a nap once we got home.

Grown-up Ostrich Festival

Every year the Ostrich Festival opens on Friday night with some washed up bands playing. This year it just so happened to be Spin Doctors and Gin Blossoms. So we snagged a babysitter and rallied a few friends to go with us. It turned out to be quite the fun evening.

 Spin Doctors...

Gin Blossoms...

A trip to the Ostrich Festival just would not be complete without a few overpriced beers, a ride on the Ferris Wheel and a (birthday) funnel cake.

Final Galaxy game

This was such a wonderful season for Natalie with a new coach and a new group of kids! Natalie is already looking forward to next season, hopefully with the same coach.

The mini Casa de Hayes

Our neighbors a few houses over offered us a playhouse that their kids had outgrown. It was an amazingly cute house (complete with electricity) and mommy knew the kids would love it. This spawned the installation of the fake grass and then the location for the playhouse. After a few months, the foundation was set and we were all ready.

Finally... moving day! Out comes the house from behind our neighbors fence. The guys just rolled it right down the street.

And here it is... the mini Casa de Hayes!

As soon as the kids discovered it, they were in love. Even Gus likes to go in and check things out or play house/school/restaurant.

And then, mommy decided to take off all the weathered windows and doors and use the paint leftover from when our house was painted to paint the house so it would match. Complete with a blue front door. Our house numbers will soon be on the side of the door, but aren't there yet. The windows were mostly trash so we are currently deciding if we want to make new ones or leave it open air. In the meantime, it has no window shutters.

A week or so later, the kids down the street decided that the mini Casa de Hayes would be a most excellent place to store all their play kitchen stuff. We agreed. And then Nat organized it and mommy was so proud to see that her OCD organizing genes have been passed down.

Most recently, mommy painted the floor a very light gray (leftover paint from the computer room) and spray painted the stools hot pink.