Pump it up!!

This morning as I was doing dishes,
out of the corner of my eye,
a blur of movement
caught my attention.

I re-focused my gaze and glimpsed this. The Girl, after months of instruction,
coaching,
enthusiastic encouragement,
and finally
exhausted pleading on my part,
was swinging of her own accord. Absolutely no assistance necessary!

Then there was this. The ecstatic grin upon realizing that I was watching her through the kitchen window and had recognized her accomplishment. I swiftly opened the window and was met by her excited proclomation, "Momma, I can swing higher than you can push me when I pump my legs! I can do it all by myself!!" I swallowed the, "I told you so," rising up in my throat and instead cheered her on.

T-Ball

In preparation for the upcoming t-ball season at our local YMCA, the Girl and J have been diligently practicing and refining the Girl's skills. She has gotten pretty good and I have to say, what with her pink mitt, pink ball, pink bat and matching pink tee stand, that she is a force to be reckoned with. She has a pretty good arm and her accuracy isn't too bad either. Watch out, she's ready to take the t-ball world by storm.

Especially with her Dad by her side as the team coach. As for Baby Sister, she is pretty good at providing interference during these practice sessions. She is most usually prone to run right into the path of play. It is so hard for her to not be a part of whatever the Girl is doing. She doesn't want to be excluded from anything.

These little piggies....

I'm referring to Baby Sister's pigtails of course!! Today I managed to get Baby Sister to sit still long enough and with barely any protesting to put the absolute cutest pigtails in her hair. It's all in the art of distraction. Notice the sucker in her hand? Bribery some of you may say, I however, prefer 'distraction'.

Once the sucker was gone she remembered that her hair was not where it usually is - down in her face. And oh those big beautiful eyes!!

I had to include this photo. How could I not?! Between the pigtails, smiling eyes and thumb-sucking it was just too cute to resist. Just looking at it brings a smile to my lips. We were on our way to pick Big Sis up from pre-school.

Once home, these little Sisters just wanted to play.

The Girl thinks that it is crazy funny to lug her Baby Sister (feet barely off the ground) around. More often than not, Baby Sister thinks it is funny too.

And some good ol' fashioned wrestling. I absolutely adore watching the two of them play together like this. As Baby Sister grows with each passing day, I'm sure there are plenty of wrestling matches, of the play and real varieties, in our future.

Tulips

Today we headed north. We were on a mission to find a spectrum of color in the form of delicate blossoms. The immense beauty of

the tulips was very nearly rivaled by the gorgeous weather. In past years we've viewed the amazing colors of the tulip fields under gray skies and stuffed into layers of jackets, hats and mittens. Not so this year. Today the sun was high in the sky and the way it glinted off of row after row of lush tulips only magnified their amazing hues. Bright shades of yellow, orange, red, fuschia and purple. Delicate pastels in light

pink, lavendar, peach and cream. The pure simple beauty of unblemished white. The Girls seemed to favor the more vibrant colors as

the yellows and oranges beckoned them to walk further down the rows. The Girl was surprisingly cooperative with my incessant requests for her to glance my way and smile for a picture. Maybe her obliging good nature was due in part to the new dress she was wearing. Or the fact that we allowed her to shed both the sweater she'd been wearing and the long-sleeved shirt that she'd had on underneath her dress. Unfortunately,

Baby Sister was not in such a generous mood. So there are very few pictures of both Girls together, none of which have both of them looking at the camera while smiling and nevermind a family picture. That just did not happen. Regardless, there were plenty of memories and rich color captured. So much so, that it was difficult to whittle down the number of images for this post.

Baby Sister going in for a sniff and a closer look.

Amidst a sea of color.

I love how the tulips were taller than her.

My little flower girls. Can you see Baby Sister peeking out from behind the Girl?

Spring Bouquet

Yes, I know. They are dandelions. Considered by most to be intrusive, pesky weeds. But clutched tightly in the outstretched hands of an eager four-year old Girl exclaiming, "Momma I picked some flowers for you!" They are magically transformed into the most beautiful spring bouquet I've ever received. They are a lovely, sunny shade of bright yellow and truth be told, I think they are even prettier when they turn into that delicate puff of fluff.

I to the K to the E to the A

Reasons why we love IKEA:
1) the kids' supervised play area where the Girls can play games, craft a princess crown and jump in the ball pit while the Moms can shop in relative peace 2) the cafe where you can get two kids meals and an entree for yourself, all reasonably healthy, on the cheap...$9 3) the fact that Thelma & Louise can jump right into a display and toast their lemonade glasses without employees frowning upon it
4) the sinks in the bathroom that are at kid height (this was clearly Baby Sister's favorite part of the day) 5) the way that they set up entire rooms using their products which lend themselves to stimulating creative thoughts about the spaces in your own home 6) the $1.25 frozen yogurt ice cream cones and gargantuan cinnamon roles at the bistro near the exit

7) the prices, at $20, this mosquito net for the Girl's bed (which she has been wanting ever since she saw one hanging over her friend G's bed at Christmastime) was the most expensive item in my cart and my entire purchase (consisting of 14 bowls, 6 ceramic plant pots, the mosquito net, and an adorable sand toy set) totaled just $67

Cool Chick

This particular pair of sunglasses has seen much love in our house. The Girl has witnessed the crashing surf in Hawaii, seen the flat expanses of Oklahoma and blocked the summer sunshine rays in The Magical Kingdom through these dark lenses. Now they've been passed down to adorn Baby Sister's little munchkin face. Can't wait to be a part of the adventures that she'll view through them.

Holy Molars!!

In addition to these sweet little pearly whites, Baby Sister now has her top two molars, which I spotted on Thursday during a diaper change that Baby Sister was none too happy about. In mid-holler with her mouth wide open I noticed a nub of white in the upper left corner of her mouth. I stuck my finger in there for further confirmation and as soon as she bit down I got my answer. I then wriggled my finger over to the other side of her mouth and found it's matching partner. Yea teeth!!