Catch Up Post

Let's play catch-up! I know I won't be able to catch all the way up to today but I can cover a month. I don't take nearly as many pictures as I used to do now that the girls are in regular school. School is their activity!

On March 12th, Dan and I attended Cookie and Michael's wedding in Los Olivos. It was outdoors at a winery. Everything was perfect.

I loved the long tables!

Dan started the little stunt of taking the lights out of the decorative mason jars and putting them on his head. I tried to stop him!!! It became a trend.

What a beautiful wedding and reception!

After the wedding we went home for just one weekend then came back to California for Spring Break! None of our nieces and nephews plan their weddings around our schedule for some reason. :)

The girls only have birthday parties every other year, so on the off year we do something as a family. Mia chose Legoland. It was a few weeks before her birthday, but who complains when you get to celebrate early!  The girls and I were sick from Saturday - Wednesday, so this was the first time we left the house during the break. (Dan was sick at the wedding.)

Happy 8th Birthday beautiful Mia!

We had to take a picture of the ride with her name! She so loves horses!

Anna came down to breakfast and said one day, "When will I be six and a half? Remember, I said I would be brave enough to get my ears pierced when I am six and half." So I looked at the calendar, and I kid you not, it was March 30th, her half-birthday! So we did it that day!

When she decides to do something she is one tough cookie! No crying for this young lady!

Not wanting to be outdone, Mia opted to do it the next night. Well, really she waited until we got in the car in the parking lot and were driving away from Anna's piercing to tell me she wanted to do it that night. I said she would have to wait one more night. It didn't go over all that well, but what can you do?

The next night she brought along Sebastian and Anna to hold her hands. They pierced both ears at the same time. Otherwise, we know she would have only one ear pierced! 

She won't let anyone, including herself, change her earrings. She asked me to do it at night while she slept. I was able to change one, but have not been able to change the other without her waking up. So for two months now she has been wearing two different earrings. I heard that's the style now!

Dan and I chaperoned Anna's field trip to the botanic gardens. Such a nice group of kids!

The girls don't get a ton of presents on the years they don't have parties. She loved the Minion Trouble game my dad sent her.

Anna went to her first birthday party for a school friend. They saw Beauty and the Beast and then went out for pizza!

So that was mid-March to mid-April!

More Winter Happenings

I am not able to help on field trips with Mia's class because Anna starts school at 12:30. So I was glad to be able to help out the class with their cookie assembly line one afternoon.

Yes, Mia is dressed up as a ninja. Twice a year they have spirit weeks and every day that week is a theme day.

Each child at the table was assigned one job to do for the assembly line. At the end, one child inspected and sent back any cookies that weren't made perfectly to do over. The cookies had specific toppings that had to be set on the cookie in a specific way.

The ones on the tray have passed inspection.

Mrs. Le Doux is in the background. Mia loved her teacher and was very said when she went on maternity leave on the day of Mia's birthday. 

Finished assembled products!

Mia sure loves her dog. He gets a lot of love from her.

Anna has been making the cutest checklists. She usually does all the stuff on the lists as well.

We take Charlie in the car with us whenever we can. He stands by the door to the garage and tires to sneak into the car every time.

Wild Animal Sanctuary

On the east side of Denver there is a place where injured wild carnivores are rehabilitated and live out the rest of their lives. They come here from all over the world. It's called the Wild Animal Sanctuary.

It was a perfect March day.

There is a mile of raised walkways from which you can observe the animals. I guess I didn't take a picture of those!

We saw cute little foxes...

Cheetahs...

Wolves...

Lions...

The previous pictures where of the very large natural enclosures for animals that have been there awhile. When animals first get there they have to adjust first. So they are put in small pens.

The Three Musketeers!

The only thing that was a little strange was the hundreds of live ostriches in large enclosures next to the Nutrition Center. Since this place is only a sanctuary for carnivores there can only be one purpose for these birds...

End of February

There are certain times when homeschooling has great benefits. Like not having to go to the science museum on a school holiday! I made the crazy decision to take them on President's Day. It was a beautiful day! That's a good thing because we had to park a half mile away. We walked and walked and walked. 

I think their favorite part of the museum was playing on the elephant outside.

Or perhaps it was the climbing rock.

And of course before the long walk back to the car, we had to climb on the elephant again.

And we had to, illegally I'm sure, feed the ducks the rest of our lunch.

On Friday morning Anna has been taking swimming lessons. She has learned to swim on her back and her side.

When it snows, build an igloo!

We had a blast at the 1890 circus!

Selfies are big around here.

I delete Anna's selfies regularly off my phone. But I thought I should put a few on here to remember these days. These were all taken within just a few days.

Now too work on the hundreds of videos she has recorded...