Daddy/Daughter Date

On Sunday, Jason and Alia had a "double date" with Tom and Nick :-) They went out to lunch downtown and then saw a production/play of one of our favorite books, "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie." Afterwards, they walked around downtown a bit and then had ice cream. It was a big hit! Alia got all dressed up for the occasion and even managed to come home clean!

Pump It Up

I purchased a Groupon deal for a 10 visit pass to Pump It Up last week. I was nervous because in our previous experiences there, Alia got a bit overwhelmed by the crowd, the noise and the giant inflatable slides. This time that was not an issue AT ALL! The kids had so much fun! Max worked so hard to climb  and jump and slide that he completely wore himself out. I had to rescue him from the little obstacle course because he just didn't have enough energy to get all the way through. We are headed back there this Friday. It might be our new favorite destination!

Gymboree Fun

Here are a few little moments from Max's most recent Gymboree class. You'll notice that there are others things going on in the background and he isn't even slightly interested. He just runs around that place like he owns it until its time to dance and play with Gymbo at the end. Then he's right in the middle of the action. 

Monkey Max

I managed to catch Max practicing his newest skill! The good news is that he hasn't actually attempted this at bedtime or nap time yet. He just likes to climb in and out of his crib when we are upstairs playing. I'm counting the days though. I know it's just a matter of time!

Kiddie Pool Fun

The weather was absolutely gorgeous yesterday (Mother's Day). We spent most of the day playing outside ... water table, going for walks, farmer's market, bike rides, etc. While the kids were napping Jason and I got the kiddie pool all cleaned out, filled up and ready to go. When we went back out after nap, it took Max only a few minutes to notice it and climb right in fully clothed. As you can see, he thought this was absolutely hysterical!

Hey Daddy, look at me! I'm in the pool!

Not sure what this was about, but we call this his "Jerry Snyder" face :-)

Ha ha ha, now I plopped right down ... doubly funny!

Mommy's taking pictures! Now it just got even funnier!

Wow! This diaper is REALLY absorbent!

Big girl set a good example and put her bathing suit on BEFORE getting in the pool!

We did eventually get him into his swimsuit and they played happily until Max's lips turned blue and his teeth started chattering. 

Zoo Fun

We've had beautiful weather here lately. It has been dry and sunny and this weekend it even got quite warm. Last week, the kids and I went to the zoo ... twice. We went on Monday with Miss Jamie, Carson and Landon and then went back on Friday just the 3 of us. Here are a few pictures from zoo trip, part 2. 

My little birdies in their nest

This was so cool! This bear was just pacing back and forth right in front of the glass. The kids were just talking to him like he was a cat or something ... Hello, Mr. Bear! How are you?

When we stopped by to see the tigers, they were having a little dispute over a toy and the kids were completely fixated. I don't think either one blinked for well over a minute!

Always a highlight, there is a very neat spot near the lions with these cool drums and "bells". The kids love stopping here to play.

Princess Cinderella Alia Blazer Dancer

Alia is just about the sweetest and most gorgeous little girl on the planet ... ok, I might be a little bias! I thought I'd give just a little news on her and what she's up to these days. 

Some of you might already know that Alia is very interested in numbers. She is completely obsessed with clocks and time. She can tell time on a clock to the hour and can read digital clocks. She knows what time certain things happen (like nap time) and will hold Mommy accountable if I try to do something too early or am running late. She really enjoys practicing counting to 100 by 1's and by 5's. She misses a number here and there but overall does a pretty amazing job considering that she's only 3 years old. 

She is still going to school two days a week and seems to really be enjoying herself. The other day I was dropping her off and getting her situated and got talking to another mom. Alia saw her teachers come in the room and turned to me and said "it's time for you to go mom". That's a pretty big deal! She kicked me out! We have parent/teacher conferences at the end of the month and I'll get to here more then, but it seems pretty clear right now that Alia's favorite parts of the school day are art and Mandarin! Yep, she has Mandarin class and seems to really enjoy it. I hear her teaching her stuffed animals in her room on occasion.

Alia is currently preparing for her big dance recital next month. Her show is on Wednesday, June 20th. Stay tuned for pictures, video and just about anything else I can post from that event. I am so excited! I'm not sure if she's going to eat it right up or completely freeze. We'll find out soon enough! Her teacher is doing a really great job preparing them as much as is humanly possible!

 Alia loved playing dress up!

Alia's school had a "sports day" where they all got to dress up in gear from their favorite sports team.