Play Time at Pixie Woods, Stockton

First trip to Pixie Woods in Stockton

Little pixies

Playing on the dragon with Cousin Eli

Pixie Woods lion cage

Riding on a carousel to Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland at Pixie Woods

Alina though Mr. Mushroom was hilarious

Cute cousins on the boat ride; such fun!

House of Mirrors - Beware of friendly clowns hah

All smiles on the teeter totter

Alina loved driving the fire truck

Playing by the statues, too cute

Having fun at Gigi's birthday party earlier in the day

The girls loved meeting Princess Belle

Gymnastic Tuesdays

Little gymnasts! They love Tuesday night gymnastics classes

The girls started gymnastics classes last month, and now look forward to Tuesday nights every week. Tuesday has become far superior to Friday in fact, all because they get to run, jump, bounce, flip, stretch, twist and get all their pent up energy out. Thank goodness for Groupon. I got a great deal for three months of gymnastics classes at a local gym.They have learned so much already and mom, dad and even grandma have all been able to join in on the fun as Alina's class is parent participation. During class, they especially enjoy the trampoline, rings, and bars. Their next favorite part of class is at the end when they get to chase bubbles and get colorful stamps on their hands and feet. It's the little things; go figure. I am so proud of their progress and hope that this is something we can do long term as long as they continue to show this much enthusiasm.

Happy Mother's Day 2014! Preschool Celebration & Berry Fest

West African drum and dance performance at preschool

Strawberry shortcake cuties

Momma with her favorite girls at Berry Fest 2014

Mother's Day 2014 was such fun. Momma got spoiled by the girls at their preschool Mother's Day celebration. They made me adorable gifts, sang me a song and showered me with plenty of hugs and love. Since the girls are learning about Africa at school, we were treated to a very fun West African drum and dance session and even invited to dance along. It was a nice surprise and despite my blatant lack of rhythm, I gave it a shot. We also headed out to Berry Fest in Roseville on Saturday. The girls love to go every year, and I mainly tag along for the fresh strawberry smoothies, strawberry salsa and to take home a case of locally grown strawberries.

While I love to lavish in a little extra affection on Mother's Day weekend, I certainly can't forget to mention the two most special moms in our lives; Grandma and Nana. We owe our family to them and they are loved and adored beyond belief. The girls love spending time with them and we are so fortunate to live so close and see them on a regular basis. Happy Mother's Day to all the hard-working and loving moms of the world!

Slide, bounce house and hula hoop play time

Miss Elise picking out a crate of fresh strawberries

Two adored moms and two special little girls. Happy Mother's Day!

Spring Fun on Wheels & with Friends

Momma and the girls ready for a Saturday bike ride

They are scooter pros too; lovin' their wheels!

Swinging Baby Audrey on her first birthday

Fun with little friends and Elise riding the quad

Playing dress up. Their favorite Friday night activity

Happy Easter 2014!

Happy Easter 2014 - colorful eggs & cute kids

Two happy little bunnies

The four of us after the egg hunt

Grandpa and Grandma with the happy bunnies

The Easter Bunny left this special basket of eggs behind

Alina with Papa after finding her super-sized egg

Leaf art from Grandma's house

Lunar Eclipse April 15, 2014

Beautiful phases of the total lunar eclipse on April 15, 2014

The recent lunar eclipse on April 15, 2014 was completely worth sacrificing sleep on a weekday evening. Dad and mom stayed up until 12:45 am watching the phases and progression of the eclipse and we took plenty of photos. Once it reached the final stage, the moon turned from its usual white/gray illumination to blood orange/red in color. It was an incredible sight to see. This is the first of a series of four total lunar eclipses set to occur over the next year. We will certainly be watching the next one on October 8, 2014. A big shout out to Mother Nature for the free show, and for making it a series (hah)!

Spring Fun 2014 at Fairytale Town

Spring fun at Fairytale Town in Sacramento

Beautiful pink dogwood tree in bloom

The cheese does not stand alone

Elise hamming it up

Lovely yellow rosa banksiae flowers

Play time silliness; love Alina's laughter

Pretty pink/purple leaf plum blossoms

Audrey, the happiest little conductor

Thrill seeker Alina loves the slides

Sunny Spring Day at William Land Park, Sacramento

Spring family photo in the lovely daisy field at Land Park

Sweet Elise posing by the flowers

Little Miss Sunshine, Alina

Daydreamers - Alina and Audrey

When it comes to flower power and girlish prowess, we've got it down. Dad is along for the ride, and he's a good sport at that, even if it means posing in a field of dainty daisies just for his girls. The girls had fun playing in the flowery grass with their littlest friend, Baby Audrey. They picked flowers and then went to feed the geese and ducks at the pond. Once they fed the ducks, they made sure to help them run off the snacks by chasing them all around the park. Afterwards, we all headed to nearby Fairytale Town for an afternoon of fun. More photos to come soon!

Future besties - Alina and Audrey

Playing by the tallest tree they could find

Borrowing dad's shades

Feeding then chasing the geese and ducks at Land Park

Elise chasing a mallard. This makes me smile every time

A Disney Princess Castle Play Day

It's Disney princess castle play time!

Sleeping Beauty, Brave, Aladdin and Little Mermaid doll fun

She loves her Genie, Aladdin, and Jasmin dolls

Fairies love castles too; Tinkerbell multiplied by three

Beauty and the Beast, Elsa, Rapunzel, and Alice joined the fun

Her favorite princesses; Rapunzel and Tiana

In Disney heaven - happiest girl ever

Happy St. Patrick's Day 2014

2014 St. Patrick's Day fun and festivities

Our two sweet little Irish girls had the best St. Patrick's Day treasure hunt and activity time last week. That mischievous and clever little leprechaun planned a day full of fun festivities. It started with an exciting treasure hunt for gold, and led to hours of St. Patrick's Day arts and crafts fun. The girls were thrilled to discover that the cheeky leprechaun left his footprints on the toilet seat. That was certainly the icing on the cake...or perhaps it was the special shamrock milkshakes he left behind? Either way, the Easter bunny had better be on his game after the leprechaun's success!

Leprechaun Mickey and Minnie crafts; shamrock shakes