Valentine's Day and Adia's Birthday

Daddy had Valentine's day off so we took the girls on an outing. We went out to breakfast and then to the mall for playtime, frozen yogurt, Build-a-Bear and books. They didn't let me get very many pictures, but I know they had a blast. Adia made a purple bear and Mira made a koala. I had to persuade Leia to make a critter. She eventually chose Brittany from Alvin and the Chipmunks. She doesn't like Build A Bear because of all the loud noises. She panics when it's time to stuff the bear and started crying when Adia turned on the air to "bathe" the bear. The did enjoy the frozen yogurt though.


We had one really nice day and we made it to the park. The girls loved it. Daddy and I froze, but that's not what matters, right?


Adia attempted pushing Mira on the swing. It was hilarious. Every time she'd push her, Mira would giggle like crazy. I took a video, but I'm not sure it will upload.


And leap days are always supposed to be magical. This year was no exception. We woke up to snow! The girls were so excited. It was really slushy snow though and Adia was determined to have a snowball fight. It didn't end well for anyone involved. Those snowballs were more ice than anything. Ouch.


It took some time before we warmed up.


Adia had a terrific 5th birthday party. She wanted a pink and purple party so we made it a Pink and Purple Princess Party. I traced her and made a princess so they could play pin the crown on the princess. It was pretty hilarious to watch. They also had foam crowns to decorate and a pinata to attack. We lucked out and had awesome weather. All the kids cold play outside and run their energy off. Adia requested a pink and purple cake too so I did one layer pink and one purple. It was awesome and delicious. We also had mini chocolate cupcakes with pink and purple swirled frosting. Adia said it was her best birthday ever and I'd have to agree with her. It was so much better having it at home.


On her actual birthday, it snowed again! It's not everyday in Oregon when you get birthday snow. I let them go out in their pjs since it was her birthday.


DiDi called from school and a few of her students sang happy birthday. Adia makes that face every time someone sings her Happy Birthday. It's pretty comical since she normally wants to be the center of attention.


Then we had birthday cinnamon rolls (her request!). Next time I'll make them much smaller. They turned out huge.


Then we headed to see The Lorax. It was the first time the twins have ever gone to the movie (unless you count Harry Potter when they were 10 days old). I brought extra cups with lids so the twins could have icees too and some closing containers for M&Ms. I was worried about how Leia would react. She doesn't do loud sounds or the dark. She did panic as we were walking into the theater, but once I held her hand and it got a little bit lighter in the theater, she calmed. She squealed when she realized the screen was like a giant tv. They absolutely loved it. I was so shocked at how well they all did. They sat through almost the entire movie, eating their popcorn and drinking their drinks. During the last 10-15min, we did end up playing musical seats though. I ended up with Leia in my lap and Daddy had Mira.


After the movie, we went to Red Robin for Adia's birthday meal. They were surprisingly good there too, but were starting to get tired. Leia even fell out of her chair. My children CANNOT sit in chairs, I swear. They're always moving and end up sliding right out of them. Once again, Adia made the face when they sang her happy birthday.


Last, but not least, we attempted the bookstore. We should have known it was too much, but I had a birthday coupon for Adia. She lost it. Epic meltdown. Yep. And it was too much for Mira. She crashed hard on the way home.


She at least ended the day on a positive note.


And one of her new favorite outfits, given to her for her birthday. She actually wore it to Kindergarten orientation and registration. I'm sure from now until September, I'll hear "Do I go to Kindergarten yet?" on a regular basis. She's so excited for it.

yep (Chistmas through January)

I fell off the face of the Earth. I think I can honestly say that. I feel like ever single day is a marathon and I'm just trying to get to the finish line so I can do it all over again. Mama needs a very long vacation (or a nanny), but since neither of those things are going to happen, I'm still running. We had a good Christmas. The girls were sufficiently spoiled. Even more so than I thought they were going to be. Adia's prized possession is her Leapster and various games. That thing goes everywhere with us. Luckily it only takes double A batteries and doesn't eat them too quickly. The twins loved it ALL. When we moved into this house, I told Daddy that there would be no toys in the living room. Ha! That lasted maybe 3 months before the mega blocks migrated. Now I have 2 tool benches, a giant Barbie house, Buzz and Woody x2, Strawberry Shortcake's house and cafe, several magna doodles, puzzles, blocks and Mr. Potato Head. Yep, and we won't talk about the playroom.


They had a blast picking a Christmas tree, decorating it and, with the help of our insanely spastic cat, redecorating it on a near daily basis. Needless to say, we couldn't wait to get it out of our house.


Santa gave the twins watercolors for Christmas. I obviously didn't think that one out. What. A. Mess. It was all okay until Leia decided to eat the paintbrush. Yep, that's Leia.


We also attempted Shore Acres this year. Up until January, we'd had an incredibly dry winter. It didn't rain all of December until right before New Year's Eve. So we had a dry Shore Acres trip, but it was bitterly cold. The girls had all fallen asleep in the car too and were pretty much out of it, especially Mira. I think Leia enjoyed it the most and Adia was being a brat for most of it.


Gramma and Papa spent most of January and February helping Great Grandma move. Since she needed to downsize, we benefited. We now have an awesome China cabinet that matches our table and cupboards. It actually looks like it should have been sold as a set with our table. I love it and the twins definitely did too, until we had to child lock the bottom cupboards because they were trapping the cat.


Meanwhile, I was downsizing too. I went on a crazy nesting/spring cleaning bender. I rearranged the twins' room, cleaned out their closet and moved everything around. They love the new configuration. When that was done, I tackled our bedroom which still had unpacked boxes in it. The hall closet was attacked too because in order to get our new heat pump (our old one died in November and we were running on very expensive electric back up heat), someone had to go under the house to check the insulation. So now I can actually store my vacuum cleaner in the closet. It's a miracle. While I was cleaning everything out, I was also procrastinating tackling the laundry room. It looked straight out of hoarders, piled nearly to the ceiling and we couldn't find anything in there. It took me 6 hours and I packed the Subaru and our giant trash can with things to donate and toss. Now that it's clean, I don't mind doing laundry as much and there's actually room to walk around in there. However, while I was cleaning, Leia did something to her nose (I'm guessing she was picking it) and got a massive, gushing nose bleed. IT. WAS. EVERYWHERE. She soaked her shirt and pants, sprayed the wall and carpet and it was all over her hands and arms. It bled, or gushed, for the longest time. I started to worry that I'd have to rush her to the ER. I took a picture to show her doctor if they keep coming back. Luckily, they seem to have disappeared for a little while.


The playroom was last on my list for rearranging. The furniture was just too heavy for me to move by myself and we won't talk about the TV. I also had to remove toys without anyone noticing. They may never play with them, but they know the second they disappear. Daddy helped me move a few things and we're loving the new layout. It's cozier and the girls have a separate section with their kitchen stuff and table. They've actually been eating their lunches in there. We did discover that the cat had been busy eating the Wii Sensor's cord. Nice cat... The last room that got cleaned was the attic. It was another fill up the Subaru and trash can room. We did find a tub of clothes that my Aunt had sewn. Adia quickly stole the nightgown. It's her new favorite nightgown.


Adia also had another eye doctor check up. Her right eye got worse so we had to start patching again. She was very unhappy about that. She then broke her glasses shortly thereafter. Luckily, they were still under warranty so we didn't have to pay a thing for a brand new pair.


We've also had several snow days. It's not much snow, but the girls have had fun. For the first snow, Adia was at DiDi's house and they had enough to make a tiny snowman. Adia also made snow angels.


The girls have also been helping me cook. They have accumulated quite the collection of aprons.


We've been making lots of pizzas since Adia says they're her favorite dinner. Then there's the cupcakes and cookies. I have 2 new recipes for cupcakes that the girls absolutely love.


And they've been getting in as much Daddytime as possible, which will be in very short supply in the coming months. My marathon is about to get much much longer.