The new octopus dress

My mom and I went to the cutest store in Santa Cruz called Inside Out Kids. They had a nice selection of handmade dresses like this one with an Octopus stitched on it. Natalie loved it, as you can see from the Two Thumbs Up she gave it! Meagan had to pose too, just because Nati did. We went to dinner last night at Garridos downtown (which we loved, so we would highly recommend it- it is at 3rd and Nueces) with Sandy, Marc, Harrison and Gracie. Today we are headed to the sprinkler park.

Kindergarten is almost over!

Meagan had her graduation today from kindergarten, strange as it seems. I feel like she just started. So much was different back then; Matthew was not yet here and there were so many skills she had not yet developed. I am very proud of her!

Graduation pics

California

Matthew and I returned from our long weekend in Santa Cruz last night. I can not believe how good the child was, especially on the plane. Alaska Airlines deserves a big shout out; they block out the seat next to a lap infant unless the plane is 100% full. It was great to be able to set him down in the seat and let him take a nap. We met the Uncles Brian in Santa Cruz and saw a lot of fun things: the beach, the boardwalk, and of course, Trader Joe's! Natalie adores freeze dried Mango that of course is not avaliable in Austin. I stocked up. The rental house was a nice little house and Matthew and I had our own room. Michelle and Pete had a lovely wedding. They rented a sweet, very pretty home and it was perfect for the occasion. Michelle wore a gorgeous dress from the 50s that was tea-length, perfect for her since she is a tiny lady. The weather was chilly but it warmed up for the ceremony and the sun was shining. All in all it was a great weekend. Last night was hard just because we got home around 12:30 and had to be up for Meagan's school bright and early. Matthew did it much better than I did!

Experiments with food

Ahhhh, finally, success! I gave him the Fresh Food Feeder today to see if he could figure it out. At first he just played with it, then got a little bit more excited, and then yay! He figured out that there was banana in there. Life is good. We went to the Farmer's Market in Cedar Park today and all three kids enjoyed it. Surprisingly, it is a nice day. We had some major thunderstorms come through last night, so I was sort of thinking today would be a mess, but so far so good. Soccer was cancelled though.

Ready for the weekend

Recital Weekend

It was a busy weekend for the girls. They enjoyed their recital, but we weren't allowed to use flash photography, so I didn't get the best pictures. Both girls shined in their own way. Natalie was particularly funny when she was dancing with a feather duster and accidently dusted her friend Neha rather than putting it in the air. I think Meagan liked wearing the real costume rather than just a tutu and leotard, as you can see in the photo of her totally posing with Faith.

Just a typical day

Natalie isn't as hands-on with Matthew as Meagan is. She loves him, but she isn't as strong, so she can't carry him, and besides, she has baby Jenny! However, she loves to help Matthew take a bath. I don't know how much help she is considering that it takes three times as long when she has to scrub him down over and over again and smear on lotion for 10 minutes, but it is cute none the less. Meagan's new thing is making puzzles. She draws pictures and then cuts them up for everyone else to solve. I need to get her some cardboard because right now they are pretty difficult. I am going to have to find a lot of new projects for her to do now that summer is coming. She is doing a few camps here and there, but as a whole we are around the house. If you don't know Meagan, she has a huge fear of the water. We are doing swim lessons, so hopefully Meagan will stop screaming and carrying on when we get near the water. I am unfortunately not exaggerating. She will wade into it a little but when she feels like she is no longer in control she totally shuts down. Natalie is also a non swimmer, but I think that she will be a little bit easier to teach.

Field Day for Kindergarten

Of course I totally forgot to put the requisite Sommer Elem Red Tshirt until the very last second, but Meagan got all ready for her big day. She was soooo excited and was literally jumping up and down. We put on sunblock and bug spray, and finally the Astros hat Grandma and Papa bought is getting some use. I am thrilled that the field day is during the morning rather than the afternoon because it appears that summer is here. Actually, I can't really complain since it is lovely and 60 in the morning, and 90 in the afternoon. It really isn't bad. I know that this time is fleeting and soon it will be 90 when I wake up in the morning. Anyway, Natalie of course had to get in on the scene. She put on Daddy's hat and wanted sunblock also.

Update on OFMU

That would be Operation Fatten Matthew Up, and it seems to be going well! I took the little guy into the pediatrician to get weighed and he gained over a pound in 2 weeks! I guess that the avocado is working. Note to self, don't eat a massive amount of guacamole when trying to lose weight....
This weekend is the dance recitial for both Meagan and Natalie. We are excited to see the product of all of their hard work. They have the sweetest teacher, Ms. Angela, who is also getting married this month. I must say I admire a woman willing to get married and pull of a dance recital in the same month.